clod, stick/tuber hybrid

[v12tony]

Hi , new to this forum, thought i'd postsome pics of my first super clod crawler, i've previously built a carbon chassied 2.2 wk, so heres a couple of pics, it's a bit different than the usual type of chassis so i'm sure you lot'll have something to say about it.....



I've always wanted something bigger than a 2.2 and loved the simplicity of the stick but didn't like the look. now fitted with two venom 65's ans 4ch fm radio gear, still to sort is the gearing but check out the link below for a video of its first attempt at the stairs(before the wife caught me)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQa0mC1vz9Y

[3-UP]

Looks good do you have any side pic's.

[chris_dishmon]

got a body for it?

[v12tony]

no plans for a shell but considering some alloy body panels, i like the tubes. not been running long so still being tweaked.

[v12tony]

[chris_dishmon]

Originally Posted by v12tony

no plans for a shell but considering some alloy body panels, i like the tubes.

i guess. i'm sure the chassis works but it doesn't really look buggy shaped to put panels on. i'd either slap a body on it or rework some of the tubing. just my advice.....do what you want.

[v12tony]

After thorough testing i've decided that i dont like the way it looks although it works well, so rather than cut it about i decided to start again and head for something a bit more realistic, here it is mocked up to see how it'd look before i finished it, on hold at mo waiting for man in red suit to deliver some new bits

stated laying tubes over old chassis, did a bit of brazing and


now thats much better

so what do you lot reckon, i know that you're more critical than the uk sites but i can handle it!

[bullet1231]

looks wayyyy better than the first, and your tube work is alot cleaner too, keep us posted.

[PEDEcrawlerguy]

lookin at your pics.. and i was like WTF... i noticed the tires, at first i didnt catch it. did you cut the tires apart and put them back together with the opposite's half? how do they work for ya?

[v12tony]

HI, yes thats exactly what i did with the tyres, i had to do something as they were useless a std, might be bettere in warmer climates but not here! i felt that the chevrons being so close together made them act like a slick, the compound is very hard too compared to my wk's but you know that anyway, in this configuration they have excellent fwd grip but little side slope grip, an issue i'm working on with a tyre cutter now.

[v12tony]

I finally got some time to get on with the new chassis, mades up loads of bits n bobs at work, so much lovely ally in the scrap bins its a crawler builders dream, everythings where it should be, wiring only temp as i'm expecting some bits from the man in the red suit, also some more suitable gearing for those huge wheels which i'm undecided about right now, some decent shox too i think as these are not long enough really, all the links and shocks are mounted on clamps that allow 8 coarse adjstment positions and infinite fine adjustment, and no they don't move and i've drop tested it from 8 feet just to see!
Finally got it running and i love it, some niggles to sort out as always but roll on christmas and the new bits so i can tear it down and finish it properly. so some pics for your amusement.




.

mush better than the first attempt or what!

a further update, this week i have been mostly frustrated trying to set up the droop! truck gets itself tied in knots, some of it is down to me but some of it is down to the internal springs not being strong enough i reckon, tried various combinations of light spring from ballpoints upwards and as yet haven't found the right one. any ideas?


Adjustable motor mounts and 9 tooth pinions are now fitted which much better suit those wheels which are growing on me though i'm toying with taking another half inch out of the rim or making an alloy band to enable me to move the offset, the track seems a bit narrow.

got a cpe moped esc from santa, but rapidly discovered that i dont like the clod stall nonsense so going to run two, one will have to be the wk one for now question is.. 1 bat 2 escs, 1 bat per esc = 2 bats

I've had to cut up two 7.2v stick packs to get wieght out of chassis and onto the axle, at the mo its 6 cells each end but i'm not liking the extra wieght in the rear. so that'll either go today or end up on the front axle.

The clamps i'm using to hold shox and top links are a godsend as they allow fast and radical geometry changes without any welding, soldering or brazing, definately a recomended method for future tubers

Got to say that this thing is so much more difficult to set up compared to my 2.2 wheely king, the push up of the chassis when an axle gets stuck is a problem but i'm sure that some more messing with the geometry will sort that,

I'd appreciate some input from fellow super builders and competitors on some of the above things.

next steps... sort out battery mounting positions and whether i use two or one bat. once thats sorted i'll pull it all apart and finish the clean up and polish it all .maybe make some panels



I've sorted the battery positions out now and am running six cells in each front wheel which is much better.
Think i've got the droop sorted after a lot of trial and error and a visit to the local screwfix, the solution for me was two internal springs, 1 small diameter and one large but shorter, and a small compression spring around the outer part of the shock shaft, i discovered because nobody would tell me this side of the pond that the shock needs to be fully controlled so that every movement is restricted by the springs, otherwise they tend to snap open on steep ascents and descents and cause the truck to flip, i have one reservation and it is the amount of travel lost due to the internal spring, but just discovering tha articulation is not always the answer. trying to mount an extension spring around the outsidelike a normal shock is proving interesting.

I've also tested it up the stairs now and it did ok aside from all the loose bits falling out! not as good as the original chassis but those huge wheels have a big effect, i think a smaller pinion than 9 tooth is needed, possibly a seven.

plans now are to make a belly pan/skid plate, i've made some panels but not to sure if its what i want. and probably invest in some better servos all round, and then drive it like i stole it!!

[heminutt]

it looks good

[v12tony]

Got time to fully strip , finish, clean and reassemble the truck, 1 hour to pull it apart but 48 to put it back together. Its pretty much finished now a few outstanding details but they'll have to wait for more cash.

[quickster47]

Wow, very, very nice looking. And your tube fabrication skills are excellent.

Carl