Comp tuber

[Big_Ern]

Amazing work on this rig! I love the abused metal body.

[sdcrawls]

I was wondering if you also made a pan/flat track racer on the traxxas forums a year or two ago? I remember seeing one posted there that used a similar method, with disposable aluminum cooking pans. I think it was a purple S-10 body.

Great build!

[Metal Masher]

Originally Posted by sdcrawls

I was wondering if you also made a pan/flat track racer on the traxxas forums a year or two ago? I remember seeing one posted there that used a similar method, with disposable aluminum cooking pans. I think it was a purple S-10 body.

Great build!

Was it this one?



I never posted anything on the Traxxas forums but I did post it here:

Metal body race trucks

do you have a link to thread you saw? I'd like to see it especially if there is someone else doing it.

[sdcrawls]

That first one looks like the one I saw. I could have swore the poster of that truck did a write up of how he formed the bodies using forms he made out of wood. I'll do some digging on the traxxas froums. I love the carnage shots from the oval racers!

[spicer3]

i want to make a scale tuber:-P i dont have a method but i do like what you did to your chaise

[Metal Masher]

Well I haven't done much to this lately but After the last comp I decided to pull the panels and straighten them for the next comp so I figured I Would give everyone a little idea of what it takes to put the body on this truck

To start I first remove the cowl with 2 screws







then I raise the hood and take out the 3 screws holding the top of the fenders on




then 1 screw at the bottom




and the fenders off




Next comes the doors. A screw under the fender and in the B piller secure it into place



and it simply slides out of the boat sides



Looks kind of neat without the doors and fenders huh?



Then the roof simply slides off



Not much to it!

The body got beat up pretty bad this last comp but it's still holding it's shape. I hope it will make it through the next 2 comps and I'll make more panels for next season. I want to concentrate on my scaler now.

[tubed-n-lubed]

Wow I am bowing to the fab master! I was all proud of the one I just posted after finishing until I saw yours.

[stanbro]

i'm inspired, this is the sweetest looking rig i've sean on here yet!! can't wait to hear more in depth about the panel work..

[chvy4wd]

That is a cool looking rig, nice job on the chassis.

[dcraun]

how thick is that aluminum and where do you get it .

[SatisTraction]

how do you press the aluminum into the molds to get the lines?


amazing work

[Metal Masher]

Wow! I've been slacking on the updates!

Thanks everyone for all the kind words.

The metal is .006 thick and the panels are formed over molds.

Over the winter I took some time to re-build the tuber. It was looking pretty ragged













The first thing I did was to tear the whole thing down and blast the frame



then I needed to repair the stinger as it took a hard hit after taking a tumble down my basement steps



after cutting the offending piece off



I welded on a new one



then another thing I wanted to add was a sway bar to the rear

I simply welded on some steel tabs



then cut a slot and drilled and tapped some holes



works pretty good



with the chassis done I painted it all up, and re-assembled everything with some new skins.










This is how it looked before the comp at Motorama last month. I'll post up pics of how it looked after the comp tomorrow.

[Krakker]

That is a very nice build, I can't beleive I haven't seen it till now. Love the purple color, very eye popping. I love the scale looks with still being able to comp. looks like you've got a very well balanced setup for both.

[Metal Masher]

Originally Posted by Krakker

That is a very nice build, I can't beleive I haven't seen it till now. Love the purple color, very eye popping. I love the scale looks with still being able to comp. looks like you've got a very well balanced setup for both.

Yes it definitely competes well. I did as good as 80% of those i competed against at Motorama. which is where it got it's most recent scars!

This is how it looked after the first comp at Motorama








then after a full day of beating








And finally after a full weekend of bashing at the show










then for the first comp of the season I reshaped all the panels and replaced the passenger front fender since it was torn. Of course i promptly tore the new fender on the second gate of the first course:rolling:




and then opened up the drivers side door on the last gate of the same course



and caved the roof in trying to get out of a rollover



but it all made me smile and that's what's important

[da94broncodude]

wow nice work, you have amazing fab skills

[Metal Masher]

Originally Posted by da94broncodude

wow nice work, you have amazing fab skills

Thanks!

Well after beating on this hard during and after the last comp, the body was a bit less than desirable.








I needed new skins so off the old ones came and while they were off i decided to add a quick tether for the front axle to help with climbs.




Well I must have picked all the local yards clean because when i went to get more panels i couldn't find a single truck that had more than one strait panel on it! Oh well i got them fitted any way.






Unfortunately I won't have time to re-paint the truck before the next comp so it'll half to look like a clown car for a little while

[paintz2007]

where do you get the aluminum at in .006

[dirtymike]

could you show how you made the mold for the roof?

[theslowguy]

Originally Posted by Metal Masher

This is how it looked before the comp at Motorama last month. I'll post up pics of how it looked after the comp tomorrow.

SEEEEEEXXXEH! I've always been a sucker for scallops!

[Raguvian]

Wow, the multicolored truck looks the best!

I love the panels, great job.