Skaldiddog's "Progress"

[SkaldidDog]

My rig drove well in AZ two weeks ago and I'm pleased with how it's evolving. Really worn out Rovers are working very well right now. I made some new inner beadlock compression rings that are 0.025 wider to keep the tires on the wheels better under binding. They never debeaded but they did twist up sometimes. New rings seems to have solved the problem. I switched from a MA860 to a TP480 per DWray's suggestion and I'm hooked on the smaller packs. It shaved an oz off the rig, lowered COG and the pack doesn't hit the links at full twist. Got a few functional parts under way but no pics yet. I'm trimming some high weight to lower the COG some more. Hope to have a new shell back from free paint soon...and yes it's primarily fluorescent yellow. Since text is boring, just a few action shots of a set of Big Whore shocks getting their heads lopped off...and a sure fire way of making the best dang spicy margaritas. Marinate jalapenos and habaneros in tequila for 7-10 days and use it wherever tequila is called for. Rippin' hot.

[SkaldidDog]

Been playing around with some small stuff. Made a few new hand tools to replace my ghetto mill versions from a year or so back. Made some ultra light upper links (carbon tube/7075). I lathed inserts that were threaded on one end, knurled on the other. Two part epoxy holds them in place nicely. All four upper links weigh ~21g, a savings of 6g over the steel grub screw versions. A special thanks to DwaneO for heat treating/hardening my homemade rear axles. As promised they were dirty when I got them back. For comparison one set is still covered in carbon and the other has been turned on my lathe with oil and some 400grit. I put a small rod of virgin E4340/AMS2301 in the background for comparison. For a time trial first prize at a recent WCRCRC comp, Hardknockz came through with a bitchin free paint job on a new shell. Thanks JD! I wanted to do a brainless fab one day and decided that I needed an adjustable height shock stand. One delrin scrap and some bolts later I was done. Great project while drinking. And last but not least, this is what the hotel hallway looked like at this years ACC after some asscracker nuked his room with a lipo and set off the fire sprinklers. What a mess. I hope they find that nuckfugget one day.

J

[snail78]

that looks like Mark Reel getting ready to kick that fan

[4xFord]

Paint looks sweet! Looks like the same color as the old body but with a little more heat! Nice.

[SkaldidDog]

Originally Posted by snail78

that looks like Mark Reel getting ready to kick that fan

That it is.

Originally Posted by 4xFord

Paint looks sweet! Looks like the same color as the old body but with a little more heat! Nice.

Thanks! I think I cut the nose a little narrow so now the servo screw grabs the hood at full steer and rolls it up...so I might use this shell for practice...dangit. Time for yet another shell, tacky yeller of course. I really want to do one with black fire on my yellow. It would look sick. Hope to see you at ECC if I can get a spot.

[HARDKNOCKZ]

Originally Posted by 4xFord

Paint looks sweet! Looks like the same color as the old body but with a little more heat! Nice.

Thanks brutha. Joel wanted a simple paint job and only asked that it look like a hi-liter and have some fire on her. The fluorescent yellar really drowned out the orange flames but I kinda dig it that way.

Originally Posted by SkaldidDog

Thanks! I think I cut the nose a little narrow so now the servo screw grabs the hood at full steer and rolls it up...so I might use this shell for practice...dangit. Time for yet another shell, tacky yeller of course. I really want to do one with black fire on my yellow. It would look sick. Hope to see you at ECC if I can get a spot.

Well Joel...Im heading south this weekend for one of YOUR comps with the San Diego boys so if ya can...have a lid ready and we'll hook you up with a black fired construction vest on wheels before the Shammy Showdown...on the house of course.

Lookin forward to comping with the entire San Diego crew. Had to miss the WCRCC comp this weekend but looks like you guys came to dominate. Lotsa talent hangin down south. Must be all the clean tiajuana air that blows in.

See ya in a few days.

J.D.

[SkaldidDog]

Thanks JD. I'll see if I can get my hands on a shell by this weekend. See you Sat.

J

[SkaldidDog]

A couple of updates of note. I noticed my chassis had a little flex at full twist under a lot of load (in my hands twisting it hard) so I employed a little basic geometry and solved it with the power of the triangle. It's made from delrin and weighs 2g more than the original aluminum rods. I was surprised how well it works. The chassis is a positive stop now, no flex at all.

I've always liked bodiless rigs because the shocks/servo never get into the body and screw with articulation...but I like the helmet function of a body. This new cut gives me the best of both worlds. At full twist and turn the suspension never interacts with the shell. It squats a lot easier now too because the thong tip bends easily. After both mods RTR she's ~6g lighter, now running at 5.15lb.

[CREEPERBOB]

Did that guy in the VP shirt sponsor the cleanup ,
and nice work J.

Originally Posted by SkaldidDog

Been playing around with some small stuff. Made a few new hand tools to replace my ghetto mill versions from a year or so back. Made some ultra light upper links (carbon tube/7075). I lathed inserts that were threaded on one end, knurled on the other. Two part epoxy holds them in place nicely. All four upper links weigh ~21g, a savings of 6g over the steel grub screw versions. A special thanks to DwaneO for heat treating/hardening my homemade rear axles. As promised they were dirty when I got them back. For comparison one set is still covered in carbon and the other has been turned on my lathe with oil and some 400grit. I put a small rod of virgin E4340/AMS2301 in the background for comparison. For a time trial first prize at a recent WCRCRC comp, Hardknockz came through with a bitchin free paint job on a new shell. Thanks JD! I wanted to do a brainless fab one day and decided that I needed an adjustable height shock stand. One delrin scrap and some bolts later I was done. Great project while drinking. And last but not least, this is what the hotel hallway looked like at this years ACC after some asscracker nuked his room with a lipo and set off the fire sprinklers. What a mess. I hope they find that nuckfugget one day.

J

[krawlfreak]

I really dig your triangles....

[Frankenwheely]

Originally Posted by CREEPERBOB

Did that guy in the VP shirt sponsor the cleanup ,
and nice work J.

Nope that was me helping Nabil move his gear to his new room. I was trying to open the door of the "fire room" to see the damage...it was locked.

[Erik D_lux]

Originally Posted by SkaldidDog

A couple of updates of note. I noticed my chassis had a little flex at full twist under a lot of load (in my hands twisting it hard) so I employed a little basic geometry and solved it with the power of the triangle.

Great minds think alike!







Looks great Joel! See you this coming weekend.

[opek]

Hey there Joel, this thread was a great read. Thanks for the writeup! What is your thinking with the siping you have on your rovers, it looks like fewer cuts than from back a few pages (and from what I mostly see online).

[SkaldidDog]

Originally Posted by CREEPERBOB

Did that guy in the VP shirt sponsor the cleanup ,
and nice work J.

Originally Posted by krawlfreak

I really dig your triangles....

Thanks gents.

Originally Posted by Erik D_lux

Great minds think alike! Looks great Joel! See you this coming weekend.

That they do. I assume that's a super?.

Originally Posted by opek

Hey there Joel, this thread was a great read. Thanks for the writeup! What is your thinking with the siping you have on your rovers, it looks like fewer cuts than from back a few pages (and from what I mostly see online).

Glad you enjoyed it. I don't go sipe overboard. Just a few strategic cuts to soften the lugs. I'm not into making pin tires of them.

[Erik D_lux]

Originally Posted by SkaldidDog

That they do. I assume that's a super?.

Yeah, the chassis had some pretty serious flex. Between that bed brace and the windshield brace seen in the picture below, it pretty much solved all of the flex.

[Almighty Malach]

[rob_b]

That didn't last long.

[SkaldidDog]

Almighty M took that pic of the band aids holding in my receiver in the absence of the X. It was a back o the car repair job in the field.

You are correct. I hadn't even finished the X brace before I stripped one of the holes while threading it. I knew it'd hold for a little while which it did...then while messing about in UT it failed on a 1 ft fall. The fall also nuked the servo gears which were heavily worn already. I made a new X and didn't bugger the threads so it's good now.

J

[SkaldidDog]

Made some mods I've been itching to do. With ~1lb of knuckle wt she's sitting at 5.05lbs and I like the way she does business. Not going much lighter that that. I'm all about Team Buffet Buster. Thanks Jeremy for the C discs. They turned out awesome wheels. Though only 6g lighter ea. vs 7075 the aesthetic gain is large. Way cool looking. I really like the plain yellow shell and black wheels. Thanks EddieO for the mack daddy Brood Motors (35T R/T/S Apacol.). I love the nasty torque and insane drag brake (black springs/ceramics/epoxy balanced etc.). They do eat 40-50% more amps but what's the point of finishing courses with 65% of the pack left every time...I know I just jinxed the hell of myself by saying that. I raised the battery tray 1/8 of an inch so that it's perfectly flush with the front links (better breakover). Milled down the rear upper mount because it was overkill per Mark Reels estimation. Converted the upper inner mounts to delrin because with the new cross brace they were definitely overkill and overweight. Media blasted the gear cases per RobB to kill the ghetto two tone look post grinding.

Thanks for watching.

J

[ittybitty]

I really like that cross brace you've got between your upper links