Go Fast

[joe122]

How cool is this. Looks fast, great patina work and the details are outstanding. Great outside the box creativity.

[makaveliks]

Here is a video from a little while ago when I broke the rear axle. You can't tell when it broke, and honestly I don't even know, but I'm suspecting the rollover.

[makaveliks]

I got my SCX10 axle in today. I had to make some brackets to move the link mounts closer to the wheels. To keep the rotation correct I mounted it upside down, and cut off the servo mounts. I used a Gearhead 4link truss on it.








Then I decided to start messing with my suspension. I put 100wt shock oil in and it did virtually no difference. Truck still smacked the floor from about 12 inches. I then opened up the shocks, used the original piston as a template and made some new ones with 1 less hole and much smaller holes. Now with 100wt it can drop from about 24 inches before it smacks the ground. Since the rear still doesn't have all it's weight on it, I may end up needing to make a new pair for the rear with even smaller holes when it get's loaded up.

[makaveliks]

Today a sway bar happened! I have been putting it off... Such a simple concept, but finding a place for it with all the movement in the rear and how close everything gets was tricky.

First I found a spot for some 3/16" music wire to act as a sway bar to go across the bed without links interfering with it. This left about a .5" spot on the bed behind the shock. So I put it there. Then I used 1/4" aluminum and cut out some arms to mount the sway bar to some links. I made it 2" from hole to hole, and then made the links 2.5" hole to hole. This made it so when fully compressed the arms would not hit the top of the bed, and when extended it would be long enough to not be straight.

Then I put it all together and literally have about 1mm clearance between tires, links, and arms. It's close. And lifting the suspension the music wire felt non-existent. I had to find something stronger.

I ended up using a 3mm extended drill bit. I just cut a long enough section off the shaft to reach across the bed, then used the end of it to drill the holes for it. LOL. Surprisingly this big chunk of steel still twists and lets the rear articulate a bit, but does make it quite stiff. I'll leave this and see how it does when I run it again. If need be, I'll order a thicker drill bit to try. LOL

I'll make a softer one for the front, but wanted to get the rear made before I make all the stuff to go back there so it doesn't interfere.

[W1ck3d0n3]

I like the A Main sticker, o and the sway bar looks good.

Sent from my XT1058 using Tapatalk

[makaveliks]

I made the front sway bar today. looking at places to put one was again, a pain! But I found a spot and it ended up being much like the rear sway bar.

To make the mount I took apart the truck again, then ground out a spot on the shock tower for some 1/4" steel brake line. I then made a plate to act as a retainer for this brake line. Since it goes through the cage, it must come off for the cage to come off.





Then the rest was just like the rear... Except I used 5/32" steel rod for the sway bar inside the 1/4" tube. If feels like it's a bit too stiff, so another day I will grind it down thinner in the middle until it acts as I want it. I won't grind down the ends so my arms still fit, and so it's not any looser inside the tube mount.

This one looks ugly in the front. And not cool ugly either. Just plain ugly. I'm going to have to dress it up a bit with some rust I think.

[makaveliks]

Made some new side plates for my rear suspension arms. These new ones added holes to mount the sway bar inline with the shock and suspension arm. Before I had the sway mounted outside the shock mount, and when articulating it twisted the arms and put stress on the shock. Once I realized this I knew I had to make the new plates. That twisting was also adding more play. The new setup keeps the rear nice and tight and seems like it should give better control.

I'll still need to soften the front sway bar before I run it and try it out. Perhaps tomorrow If I get time.

[makaveliks]

Today I ground down the center of the front sway bar till it flexed to what I hope is a good spring rate. It feels good on the table, but I'll see when I run it. I didn't think to measure it, but it's skinnier than the rear now, probably somewhere around 2mm. I left the ends fat so they still fit good in the tube mount and the arms still mount well. I tapered a short section near the ends down to the narrow diameter and sanded them smooth so there shouldn't be any rough spots to cause cracks when it's twisting.




I figure I don't want it too hard so it's constantly lifting wheels and bouncing around, but I don't want it too soft so it's rolling over and leaning horribly from torque. Having never sway barred before I figure this should give me a nice starting point. In the pictures below that's articulated as far as gravity allows. It can still go more with force so at speed it should be able to allow the tires to soak up bumps. After I run it I'll be able to get an idea of how they respond and if I'll need to tune them more.

[makaveliks]

Took the buggy out today. It was pretty fun. Rear still needs more weight. Need to finish this truck up!

[Mike Flea]

Looks like fun!, the airborne shots are cool, to see the suspension drop, and absorb the shock of the landing

[W1ck3d0n3]

Man that truck is soo sick. I wish I could build one like it. The 13th pic is my new background.

Sent from my XT1058 using Tapatalk

[dr frankenstyle]

100% Cool + Fun x 3 = 300% Totally COOL FUN That's a Smile-Maker, there!! Great results !! Love the flight times! Hat's off to you, Sir.

[makaveliks]

Took this out in the snow today. Got a Gopro recently and was eager for slow motion. Shock oil was pretty stiff in the cold and the snow was binding the suspension, but it's still pretty cool!

[WesTX]

super cool build. Looks alot like the trophy rat that was at KOH this year.

wes

[rerebuilder]

Had to go back and check out your entire build thread. This is another great out of the box build from you. You took an everyday hum drum truck and make it awesome. For your rear end casting couldn't you have put some reinforcement in the casting mold like fiberglass mess to add extra strength. Will like to see what you do for the interior. This is what a low buck trophy truck should look like.

[Mike Flea]

It is cool, I especially like the slide @ 0:23

[makaveliks]

Took another video. I have been busy this summer and haven't had much time to get out, so I was just putzin' around my driveway in slow motion. lol.

[Adakar]

Awesome Work
I really wanna have the tools and skills to do something like that.......

Why dont use a nitro engine in a RAT like this one??

Cheers