Papabash's Mini Moonbuggy

[papabash]

Since 1.9 has become my favorite class, I decided it was time to do a thread on my comp rig. Here are some specs:

Chassis: T1E Mini Moonbuggy
Wheels: Motoworx UFO's (custom heavy fronts)
Motor/ESC: Novak 18.5 Mongoose System
Servo: Hitec 5645mg
Tires: Rovers with Nova single stage soft foams
Shocks: DTX Vendetta

Transmission has all metal gears including spur
Traxxas overdrive mod
Metal lockers throughout
Losi CVD's
Clocked C-hubs for caster
Home-made Delrin "shark fin" for easier flipping over when upside-down

On to the pics:
It's definitely time for some new body panels when I get a chance!






Decent Steering after clocking mod:


Backside of "normal" UFO wheel:


Backside of "heavy" UFO wheel:


Weight of normal wheel:


Weight of heavy wheel:


The UFO wheels have been discontinued for quite a while now, but Jake still had the files and fixed me up. Thanks Jake! I absolutely love the looks of these wheels and they were without doubt the easiest wheels I've ever mounted tires to. The extra weight in the fronts meant that I only had to add 1 ounce of very thin lead to get them to the weight I want which means the foam still has virtually all of it's original compression left.

[run2jeepn]

One of the Cleanest 1.9's I've seen.

[Charlie-III]

Nice looking rig.
Did this start as a MRC Pro, or a regular MRC?
The shocks, are they 4 fronts, 4 rears, or a mixed set? I don't know enough about them to know.

[papabash]

Originally Posted by Charlie-III

Nice looking rig.
Did this start as a MRC Pro, or a regular MRC?
The shocks, are they 4 fronts, 4 rears, or a mixed set? I don't know enough about them to know.

Thanks!
This one started out as a regular MRC, way before the price dropped on the Pro. The shocks are rears on all 4 corners.

[fallin apart]

What's the difference in offset between these wheels and your vp's (how much did your width on the front change)

[TC09mini]

Nice looking rib down the center. Were you having roll over issues without it?

[papabash]

Originally Posted by TC09mini

Nice looking rib down the center. Were you having roll over issues without it?

Thanks. I wouldn't say I was having issues, but the servo sticks up just enough to keep the front tires from getting enough pressure on them sometimes. This makes it considerably easier since it rolls it over to the side.
In fact, it works so well that I ordered a sheet of Delrin so I can make one for my Bully.

[papabash]

Originally Posted by fallin apart

What's the difference in offset between these wheels and your vp's (how much did your width on the front change)

Austin, the Motoworx wheels have 2mm less offset than stock, so it makes the rig 4mm wider overall, or about 5/32". I just checked my UFO's and they have the same 2mm offset as the newer wheels. The VP wheels appear to have the same offset as stock.

[fallin apart]

Thanks Dave,

I like the look of your new rim's they kinda remind me of some old school wheel's

[papabash]

Yeah, I never thought of them as looking like wire wheels, but I see it now. I think I fell in love with them just because they are so different; I've only seen a couple of other threads with them on rigs.

[fallin apart]

Are you going to add any more weight to it?

[papabash]

I hammered out a piece of lead wire so it is about 1/2" wide and 1/32" thick and wrapped it once around each front wheel. It made it just about exactly an ounce heavier, right where I wanted it. It is so thin that it doesn't affect the foam in any way.

[fallin apart]

Never thought of using wire for wieght, may have too try that next time.

[Charlie-III]

Originally Posted by papabash

Thanks!
This one started out as a regular MRC, way before the price dropped on the Pro. The shocks are rears on all 4 corners.

Thanks for the info.

I have a MRC Pro, just wanted to know what you were using.

[Charlie-III]

Originally Posted by fallin apart

Never thought of using wire for weight, may have to try that next time.

Lead wire is a lot heavier than any other wire.

[papabash]

The lead wire I have really isn't wire, it was actually made for fishing in rivers with fairly strong current. It's about 1/8" in diameter; I bought it in Oregon several years ago. I don't know if they still make it or not but it works great, especially when hammered out.

[EvilTwin v2]

With the extra ounce of lead on your fronts, that puts you at almost the exact amount of weight that I found to be the sweet spot on my mini moonbuggy, too.

Nice rig!

[papabash]

Originally Posted by EvilTwin v2

With the extra ounce of lead on your fronts, that puts you at almost the exact amount of weight that I found to be the sweet spot on my mini moonbuggy, too.

That's good to know; I read through your thread several times while setting mine up!

Nice rig!

Thanks!