Custom Chassis Design & Fabrication by Mountain Storm

[MountainStorm]

Here's a client commissioned chassis I designed and built. The client specified Bully2 Axles, 4s 4500mah LiFe Battery 145mm x 53mm x 36mm, a location to mount a 44mm x 42mm x 46mm smash, 5-1/2" tires, 14-1/2" wheelbase, body-less chassis type, and a 75-25 degree range of adjustment to shock angle.

Working from those constrictions I designed the chassis around 105mm shocks using polycarbonate (Lexan) panels, acetal (Delrin) crossbraces, Stainless Steel links with Revo ends and M3 hardware.

Access to the battery necessitated putting the smash plate behind the battery. To shift weight forward the battery overhangs the 100mm skid plate by 45mm. This limits potential upward travel of the links, which is the trade off for having such a large battery.

The client was realistic in his expectations and knew from the beginning this will not be a super capable crawler or a scale trailing vehicle. It's out on the fringe of crawling: a general purpose MOA for playing around in the woods.

That aside the design features are applicable to any MOA axles and the dimensions could easily be adjusted. Expect to see a "regulation" comp crawler variant of this in the near future with less range of shock adjustment, less overall height and length, and of course, less weight.

Thanks again to Infodragon for commissioning this build.

[Spiitz Travsky]

Hey WOW that is really cool looking. I love the materials you chose to use. I don't see many optically clear materials used very often. kind of an odd design with the giant battery and upright shocks mounts but I am sure the buyer has his reasons. Regardless the craftsmanship looks top notch.

You must have been tempted to keep them axles though right?

[MountainStorm]

Originally Posted by Spiitz Travsky

You must have been tempted to keep them axles though right?

They are nice. If I didn't have shafty on the brain I'd probably have to get me a pair.

[infodragon]

Originally Posted by Spiitz Travsky

Hey WOW that is really cool looking. I love the materials you chose to use. I don't see many optically clear materials used very often.

I couldn't agree more. I am incredibly impressed with every apsect.

Originally Posted by Spiitz Travsky

kind of an odd design with the giant battery and upright shocks mounts but I am sure the buyer has his reasons.

The giant battery is to last for the long walks my kids and I go on through pretty rough terrain. Currently it's just the RS10 which makes for someone left out. With this we can now have fun till we drop without having to stop for a long wile! In a year or two I'll be having to get another for my two year old. Right now he's content to chase after them screaming "Car" with the perfect Boston accent (hasn't got his Rs down yet)

Originally Posted by Spiitz Travsky

Regardless the craftsmanship looks top notch.

Again I couldn't agree more, I feel I'm getting a lot more than I anticipated!

[MountainStorm]

Packed and Labeled. Let me know how it works for you.

[infodragon]

I got a few minutes of lovin' with the new rig. Got it mocked up enough to do a maiden run and even with cheap terrible wheels it was incredible. I got terrible steering angle (about 1/2) due to the ripsaws "deep" hub but even so it handled incredibly well in the basement.

I'm buying some very inexpensive wheels/tires from the classifieds and will get much better steering angle. (I threw on my T1E CF wheels with rock claws and the steering angle and performance were much improved) I just don't want to use them on a non-comp crawler rig.

I tried to move the shocks to the inside of the axle mounts to give a bit more clearance for the tires but on the servo side it was about 1.5mm too narrow I am considering shaving the plastic shock mount and grinding a screw down to mate perfectly against the servo mount.

Speaking of which, there are too many holes! Both on the chassis and on the axles. RC4WD did an incredible job making excellent axles that are flexible AND this chassis is excellent with an incredible amount of flexibility. Too many holes = nearly infinite options! I LOVE IT!

I didn't anticipate you would send so much Lexan 0.04" paneling. Thank you! What is the best way to cut and bend/mold it? I have a heat gun, what is the temp I should use (if that's the route)

Thanks again!

[MountainStorm]

Originally Posted by infodragon

I got a few minutes of lovin' with the new rig. Got it mocked up enough to do a maiden run and even with cheap terrible wheels it was incredible. I got terrible steering angle (about 1/2) due to the ripsaws "deep" hub but even so it handled incredibly well in the basement.

I'm buying some very inexpensive wheels/tires from the classifieds and will get much better steering angle. (I threw on my T1E CF wheels with rock claws and the steering angle and performance were much improved) I just don't want to use them on a non-comp crawler rig.

I tried to move the shocks to the inside of the axle mounts to give a bit more clearance for the tires but on the servo side it was about 1.5mm too narrow I am considering shaving the plastic shock mount and grinding a screw down to mate perfectly against the servo mount.

Speaking of which, there are too many holes! Both on the chassis and on the axles. RC4WD did an incredible job making excellent axles that are flexible AND this chassis is excellent with an incredible amount of flexibility. Too many holes = nearly infinite options! I LOVE IT!

I didn't anticipate you would send so much Lexan 0.04" paneling. Thank you! What is the best way to cut and bend/mold it? I have a heat gun, what is the temp I should use (if that's the route)

Thanks again!

The wide battery made for a wide skid which made for wide shock horns which is not ideal. I knew this would conflict with inset wheels but there are many ways around that. As long as this wheelbase is a wider track would not be a bad thing. Have a look at the Crawler Innovations 6 Bolt wheels. 6 Bolt Performance Wheel; 2.2"; 1" Width; Pair at $12 a pair you can't beat em.

Couple those with Lattice Innovations "Shifts" Presenting Shifts, Lightweight n' Flexible Offset Hubs to get the offset you need. You can order them from BC-Brian here on the forum. Awesome alternative to the pricey SLW hubs and best engagement. Check to make sure those work with the Bully2 sized pins.

Or you can make the shock horns even wider by putting some wider spacers in there to spread them out.

If you have tender girly hands I would suggest running some fine sandpaper over all the 90 degree edges of the lexan to avoid christening your chassis with human blood. The router leaves a pretty keen edge.

The panel material was a gift to me so I passed (some of it) it along to you. You can cut it with scissors and it can be bent like thick paper if you want to crease it. Lexan is tricky to heat because it gets soft all of a sudden then bubbles when it gets over heated; and it cools rapidly so working time is short. I would suggest having a look at my friend Spiitz's Hammond build Spiitz' Bully 2 build a.k.a. "Hammond" to see some expert tricks on how to make some sexy looking panels and attach them neatly using cable ties. No heat involved.

Enjoy!

[tuner]

Skid looks super cool and strong! If I ran it I would want the skid screws countersunk in the chassis side so they don't get hung though.

[infodragon]

Originally Posted by MountainStorm

The wide battery made for a wide skid which made for wide shock horns which is not ideal. I knew this would conflict with inset wheels but there are many ways around that. As long as this wheelbase is a wider track would not be a bad thing. Have a look at the Crawler Innovations 6 Bolt wheels. 6 Bolt Performance Wheel; 2.2"; 1" Width; Pair at $12 a pair you can't beat em.

Couple those with Lattice Innovations "Shifts" Presenting Shifts, Lightweight n' Flexible Offset Hubs to get the offset you need. You can order them from BC-Brian here on the forum. Awesome alternative to the pricey SLW hubs and best engagement. Check to make sure those work with the Bully2 sized pins.

Or you can make the shock horns even wider by putting some wider spacers in there to spread them out.

I found 4 wheels/tires for $25 on the forums that have the same mounting dimensions as the T1E CF tire/wheel combo I have. I get near maximum steering angel with them after I was able to turn the front shock mounts around. Next step is to get some more coin and use what you suggest to push the wheels out further and get those few extra degrees.

Originally Posted by MountainStorm

If you have tender girly hands I would suggest running some fine sandpaper over all the 90 degree edges of the lexan to avoid christening your chassis with human blood. The router leaves a pretty keen edge.

The panel material was a gift to me so I passed (some of it) it along to you. You can cut it with scissors and it can be bent like thick paper if you want to crease it. Lexan is tricky to heat because it gets soft all of a sudden then bubbles when it gets over heated; and it cools rapidly so working time is short. I would suggest having a look at my friend Spiitz's Hammond build Spiitz' Bully 2 build a.k.a. "Hammond" to see some expert tricks on how to make some sexy looking panels and attach them neatly using cable ties. No heat involved.

Enjoy!

Thanks again for the Lexan; so far no blood spatter! I've been able to heat it properly and bend it to relieve some pressure on the motor wires. Using a clamp to hold it against a metal leg for some shelving I was able to use my heat gun to gradually heat it. While holding slight pressure using a flat surface as the lexan began to yield I was able to get the bend I wanted and remove the heat quickly.

Hammond looks awesome! As soon as I can re-up on my car budget I'm going to be building a comp Bully 2 crawler.

Thanks again for an incredible chassis!

[MountainStorm]

Any time!