New Body

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I need to out a new body on my P3P after a hard crash. There are cracks near the motor mounts and I don't feel safe flying it that way. How hard is it to switch everything over? Is there an aftermarket body that may hold up better? Anyone making them in colors other than white? Sorry for all the questions but I want to do this right. I already have issues with my video streaming to the RC.
 
I've never seen a 3rd party shell replacement. Here are some places where you can buy a new OEM P3P shell body:
You can find some videos showing how to replace the shell here.
 
Last edited:
They come in white but you can change the colors using RIT dye before you assemble the new body.
 
Hello
Not hard to swap shells, just take lots of pictures along the way, and use them to help with reassembly!
Next
NO , all aftermarket shells are junk, stick with OEM DJI SHELL.

Next
No , only white, but some people Paint or DYE them different colors. I use Rit dye. But only have done props, never a complete shell, also look into HYDRO DIPPING, another really cool effect!

No problem all the questions! Better to know!

Also watch a YouTube video on disassembling the p3 shell, as it has clips, don't worry about breaking them on old shell, but be careful not to break them on the new one! They help hold it together!

Hope this helps
J Dot
:cool:
 
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Someone posted here not too long ago a third party make over (modification) kit for phantom. All the same parts are used, just the body is changed. Kind of looked like a mavic.
 
I need to out a new body on my P3P after a hard crash. There are cracks near the motor mounts and I don't feel safe flying it that way. How hard is it to switch everything over? Is there an aftermarket body that may hold up better? Anyone making them in colors other than white? Sorry for all the questions but I want to do this right. I already have issues with my video streaming to the RC.

My honest opinion is that it isn't for the faint of heart! I crashed my P3Pro. Camera and gimbal were mostly intact. I disconnected the broken parts on the bottom (couple of plates, shock absorbers, etc. and a cable) and flew the thing just enough to verify that all was not lost. Then went to YouTube and found several videos about removing the body (the top is easy, the bottom - not so much!).

By far my biggest problem was the cable set. If you look carefully at the very bottom of the P3Pro (the advance may look almost identical - I don't have one so I'm not positive) there are two cables that plug in near the camera. I think one of them is a 4 or 5-pin cable, and the other is 7 or 8-pins. The crash had jerked the cable out of the end connector. I couldn't find any way to re-insert the wires back in the cable connector (it's moderately small molded assembly and apparently *not* designed to be re-used or repaired).

The destroyed cable is part of the "cable set" listed with most dealers in accessories and spare parts. Plugging in one end near the camera is obviously trivial. Getting the other end routed toward the bottom of the shell (I had to remove the USB connector and cable to make some room to manipulate things) was a tedious patience-demanding exercise. But it was far cheaper than a new or refurbed P3Pro - I didn't even investigate how much someone might charge to do what I needed.

Now, all that said, as bad as what I went through - the bottom part of the shell is worse! Virtually every other part *not* associated with the gimbal/camera, is on the bottom shell. Some of the cheaper drones I've worked on over the years had a reasonable amount of plug-in stuff, but my P3Pro isn't. There are no individual ESCs - "stuff" routes into a board. Motors are not plugged like they are in so many R/C aircraft - they're soldered.

My personal feeling is that it is indeed a challenge but, with a few moderately specialized tools, a magnifying glass and a lot of patience, it obviously can be done - there are YouTube videos to prove it!

One of the YouTube videos I looked at was created because that guy wanted to replace both the shells and wanted to paint the bottom shell. I'd love to paint my bottom shell also, but the whole process looked too daunting!

Art - N4PJ
Leesburg, FL
 
My honest opinion is that it isn't for the faint of heart! I crashed my P3Pro. Camera and gimbal were mostly intact. I disconnected the broken parts on the bottom (couple of plates, shock absorbers, etc. and a cable) and flew the thing just enough to verify that all was not lost. Then went to YouTube and found several videos about removing the body (the top is easy, the bottom - not so much!).

By far my biggest problem was the cable set. If you look carefully at the very bottom of the P3Pro (the advance may look almost identical - I don't have one so I'm not positive) there are two cables that plug in near the camera. I think one of them is a 4 or 5-pin cable, and the other is 7 or 8-pins. The crash had jerked the cable out of the end connector. I couldn't find any way to re-insert the wires back in the cable connector (it's moderately small molded assembly and apparently *not* designed to be re-used or repaired).

The destroyed cable is part of the "cable set" listed with most dealers in accessories and spare parts. Plugging in one end near the camera is obviously trivial. Getting the other end routed toward the bottom of the shell (I had to remove the USB connector and cable to make some room to manipulate things) was a tedious patience-demanding exercise. But it was far cheaper than a new or refurbed P3Pro - I didn't even investigate how much someone might charge to do what I needed.

Now, all that said, as bad as what I went through - the bottom part of the shell is worse! Virtually every other part *not* associated with the gimbal/camera, is on the bottom shell. Some of the cheaper drones I've worked on over the years had a reasonable amount of plug-in stuff, but my P3Pro isn't. There are no individual ESCs - "stuff" routes into a board. Motors are not plugged like they are in so many R/C aircraft - they're soldered.

My personal feeling is that it is indeed a challenge but, with a few moderately specialized tools, a magnifying glass and a lot of patience, it obviously can be done - there are YouTube videos to prove it!

One of the YouTube videos I looked at was created because that guy wanted to replace both the shells and wanted to paint the bottom shell. I'd love to paint my bottom shell also, but the whole process looked too daunting!

Art - N4PJ
Leesburg, FL
I haven't done this myself, but it seems like everyone here says that it's hard and time consuming to change out a shell. I agree with what you posted and I was surprised to hear someone else say it's not hard.
 
I did not mean it was a cake walk ,
But there is a proper way and order to do things,
If you follow the order ( proper steps, at the proper time ) it can go reasonably easy, if not can be a nightmare! Anything you do for the first time is going to be challenging, then after a time or 2 ( especially if you make errors along the way ) of doing the swap, it becomes a breeze! As you know what to expect now!

Plus
Just think about the knowledge you will be gaining, you'll know how stuff goes, where stuff is, etc. you will know your craft in a much more in depth way, and will have a better understanding of what is going on inside, as well as what to fix when you have issues in the future!

Just take pictures, ( they are your best friend ) and take your time, it's really not that hard, but is very time consuming, that is a fact!

Plus we are here if you run into any problems!
Just ask!

J Dot
:cool:
 
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I've changed my P3 shell after a crash. It's not THAT difficult if you are mechanicall inclined at all. There are some good, and some not-so-good YouTube videos on the transfer/repair. For me, the hardest task in the process was that little flat cable from the camera to the motherboard. It fits extremely tight in the slot in the body. Doable, but a bit tough. Just take your time and don't start until you have a good picture of what to do from the videos. When you think you have it, watch the video one more time! Good luck!
 
Its not hard if you take photos and notes along the way.
The hardest for me was separating the top shell as its held by clips. You pop one end and the other will click back in. Use playing cards or guitar picks to keep it apart.
Mine was a P3 advanced.
And dont forget to reattach the tiny fan in the VPS module.
GLHF.

And double check the flat flex cables and how they are clipped in. Most will just lift up but whatever you do, DONT BREAK THE CLIPS AS THEY CANNOT BE REINSTALLED!!.
 

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