Link material

[coryjones]

where can i get 4 link material and stirring material i have 3 mm metal ends i also need right and left had taps. I would like some i could just cut and tap i dont have a good way to drill solid rod straight.

[coryjones]

No one has any helpful info?

[Charlie-III]

Well.....there are many options, most within 2 weeks from now (in the past) provided you searched. I buy ~1/4" aluminun tubing from my LHS.

[Trubble]

Originally Posted by coryjones

No one has any helpful info?

Originally Posted by Charlie-III

Well.....there are many options, provided you searched.

Enjoy

[Kraqa]

delrin rod is what i use. light and slipery.

5/16" or 3/8" for lowers and 1/4" for uppers.

[crawl-o-matic]

It's very easy to center drill your link material, all you need is a basic drill press, a basic vise, and a basic hobby chop saw (Harbour Freight has a nice one for around $30)

1) Make a simple wooden jig for your vise by sandwiching two pieces of wood together in the vise, then drill a hole down the middle using a drill bit one size down from the diameter of your link stock.

2) Place your link material in the chuck of your drill press, then gently hand tighten it., now lower your link material into your jig until there's only about 1/2" left sticking out at the top of your jig and tighten the vise.

3) Clamp your vise in place

4) Release your link material from the chuck.

5) Place your desired drill bit.

6) Drill and tap

IMPORTANT NOTE: YOU MUST CUT YOUR LINK MATERIAL AT EXACTLY 0* WITH A CHOP SAW (OR OTHER SAW THAT'S ABLE TO DELIVER AN EXACT CUT) AND DO NOT FILE OR SAND IT UNTIL YOU'RE DONE WITH YOUR DRILL AND TAP. OTHERWISE, YOUR DRILL BIT WILL DANCE AROUND AND WILL MOST LIKELY BUST OFF INSIDE YOUR WORK PIECE.
ALSO, DOUBLE CHECK TO MAKE SURE YOUR DRILL PRESS WORK SURFACE IS SET TO ZERO...IT NEEDS TO BE LEVEL.

As for me, I'm a huge fan of Delrin 100/150 I personally will NOT use generic acetal...you might as well use ABS plastic. If you want to use Delrin, be careful, some plastics suppliers generically use the name Delrin when referring to general use acetal. In general, you can count on Delrin to be about twice as expensive as generic acetal.
Delrin draw back: You may have flex issues depending on your geometry.
Delrin up side: It glides across rock like ice.

Aluminum makes for a strong link material but tends to gouge and bind up on rocks...I personally don't care for it.

Why do you want to use reverse threads...it's not necessary and it greatly reduces your choices of link ends

[coryjones]

Ok ordered some delrin and a tap idk why i was thinking right and and left hand. I started this build last winter and kinda forgot where i left off. I have almost everything to finish this except batteries links and build some tires. I think i am gonna need aluminum for the steering linkage. I have supper bully axles with a dual steering setup. Here are some pics. I can't rember what make the tube chassis is anyone know?

[coryjones]

I was wanting to put something on the roof of it to keep the scratches down. I was thinking about some really thin aluminum diamond plate. Anyone else have any ides or a link to some thin diamond plate.

[crawl-o-matic]

Ya, you'll want aluminum for your steering linkage for that set up. Diamond Plate 1/16 (2) (pls91686) Plastruct Model Scratch Building Plastic Sheets Rods Tubes Strips