Panhard Grill progress
 

Thank you sir. Me too.

I put in some hours this weekend and the grill/panhard/chassis brace/bumper turned out great.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/.../IMG_08311.jpg

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/.../IMG_08361.jpg

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/.../IMG_08371.jpg

It is 30% lighter than the old panhard mount and bumper combined and the weight is lower and behind the front axle. She has a lot more front axle travel/articulation with a lot less axle swing now. I'll move the grill rearwards a little more so that it clears the passenger end of the panhard rod at full twist. It still binds on the small black screw head. With the upper grill mounts in place now the front end is rock solid.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/.../IMG_08381.jpg

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/.../IMG_08391.jpg

I finally got my Thinbits so that I can cut the C clip grooves in my aluminum bronze stock for my own HD universal bushings that should last a lot longer than the stock bass ones. I'm really looking forward to losing my axle slop.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/.../IMG_08281.jpg


Worthless ass shop dogs.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/.../IMG_08301.jpg



Tonigh I need to solve some minor binding issues on the front upper link. Should be straightforward. I milled the top of the link mount down and that solved most of the problem. Next up, getting the steering to work at full twist and then a bunch of wiring.

Enjoy.

J

Rewiring done
 

Took a few minutes last night and shortened the battery leads as well as the servo wiring. The servo power wires are now just a few inches long at the most for less voltage loss post-BEC. I put a connector inline with the signal wire so I don't have to wire new servos all the way to the receiver box. It's just a quick disconnect at the front of the rig. The blue tape is holding the BEC in place until the Goop dries. Tonight I'll shorten an old Ti link into a drag link. Then on to some body work after I get my new Holmes Hobbies pullers in my comp rig. Good stuff.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/.../IMG_08471.jpg

J

Roller
 

She's functionally there, ready to roll. I worked out the steering last night. Made a drag link from an old Ti link that had a long enough straight section to use.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/.../IMG_08501.jpg


Had to put a riser on the knuckle end of the drag link to eliminate bump steer.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/.../IMG_08511.jpg

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/.../IMG_08561.jpg

Everything is a close to behind the front axle as I could get it.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/.../IMG_08521.jpg

Overall there is a lot more articulation than the old setup and everything twists very smoothly.

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/.../IMG_08531.jpg

http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/.../IMG_08551.jpg

The shocks work great and quickly re-level the truck after on throttle torque twist rotates the chassis slightly to one side. Looking forward to taking it offroad after I fab up some front end protection (insert jokes here) tonight. It looks kinda weird with all of the long links but man does it work. Function before form. Performance before scale.


J

Re: SkaldidDog's "Buck-Nasty" Wraith
 

now we are talking, great work on the front end. "thumbsup" No fancy bracket for some rear upper link adjustments at the chassis?

Re: SkaldidDog's "Buck-Nasty" Wraith
 

Not yet. The entire chassis is going away soon enough. You know me, whole new everything. Except the rear clip and the panhard grill.

J

Re: SkaldidDog's "Buck-Nasty" Wraith
 

yea, reverse engineering at it's finest :ror:

Re: Panhard Grill progress
 

Definitely not skaldid.

Re: Panhard Grill progress
 

Definitely not. They only move like a scalded dog when food is available.

J

Re: SkaldidDog's "Buck-Nasty" Wraith
 

That little blue scissor lift is badass!!!
The wraith is okay too:ror:

Re: SkaldidDog's "Buck-Nasty" Wraith
 

"thumbsup"
:flipoff:

Re: SkaldidDog's "Buck-Nasty" Wraith
 

You're just teasing every one with that blue star.:ror:
That thing is slicker than snot on a glass doorknob buddy."thumbsup"

Re: SkaldidDog's "Buck-Nasty" Wraith
 

I dig the rear but not so much the front. I have used a bta steering setup and was not pleased. When you build a 1:1 rig, the first thing you have to determine is the location of the front axle. The steering setup can then be designed depending on location of the front axle. Not bashing your engineering cause i know how hard it is to make the front end of the wraith work...i am going through the same thing right now with mine. I just think that you could have averted alot of design issues with a complete redesign (like you did with the rear end)

Re: SkaldidDog's "Buck-Nasty" Wraith
 

Why did you not like the BTA setup? Complete chassis is in on the drawing board as you suggest.

Thanks for your input"thumbsup".

J

Re: SkaldidDog's "Buck-Nasty" Wraith
 

If you are dead set on keeping the servo where it is...I would move the axle forward so the drag link is parallel with the axle. Then you would need to engineer the panhard to be parallel with the axle/drag link. Then I would move the upper shock mount back a hole or two so it doesnt interfer with the drag link during cycle which would also give you more articulation. But at the same its not like its a passenger car. As long as she goes over the rocks, turns left and right, nothing else matters.

Re: SkaldidDog's "Buck-Nasty" Wraith
 

My setup experiences no binding at any point (independent and dual full shock compression). My endpoints on my radio are almost identical at full steer in both directions. No bump steer either. Panhard and axle are parallel (point to point). The steering link is curved which doesn't matter.

What is the downside of BTA steering? I'm missing something here.

Cheers,

J

Re: SkaldidDog's "Buck-Nasty" Wraith
 

I didnt feel like bta was as responsive due to having to run nearly 0 deg castor. I do like the drag link spacer though...that could help it a bit. Either way when you do redesign, consider the location of the front axle. Then again, I dont know if an rc crawler like this requires a drag link to be parallel.

Re: SkaldidDog's "Buck-Nasty" Wraith
 

I have the same if not a little more caster than before. I agree there that I didn't want to reduce it. The 8* kingpins introduce some variability throught the steering cycle but it's apparently not a problem. The spacer eliminated all bump steer. Thanks for scrutinizing my design. The best way to see if I have a good design is to find someone that would do it differently and ask them why. I'll keep your suggestions in mind as I move forward. Thanks 67.

J

Re: SkaldidDog's "Buck-Nasty" Wraith
 

If the castor was adjustable and not 18deg splined and there was a better selection of steering arms or one piece knuckles, bta wouldnt be bad. Of course with your fine selection of tools, it looks like you can make anything. I gotta rely on what is on the market or can be done with steel a cutoff wheel and a grinder. It has been a while since i ran 2.2 stuff so on my wraith with crazy wheels and tires, every shortcoming of a design is accentuated. In reality, it may not be that bad with 2.2 stuff and i may be a little overcritical.

Re: SkaldidDog's "Buck-Nasty" Wraith
 

My caster angle is locked since I JB Welded my chubs on:roll:. My current angle is a compromise, as are all designs. I'm going to play with different steering arm designs just to study how they work. I'm not a suspension guy, just an RC guy. I appreciate your critique.

J

Re: Roller
 

Sorry for so many posts, but this is the reason i am drawn to this thread. If it was another cookie cutter wraith i wouldnt have even read it.