Nitroholic Posted July 18, 2014 Author Share Posted July 18, 2014 Rear braces made.... front servo bracket built and just needs welding in rear servo location and mounting method sorted. Linkages made up. Have the rod ends sorted for the steering and just need to sort the threaded bar when I know the lengths. Then it's just mount the tank, radio gear and make the dashboard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enid_Puceflange Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Lovely. Just lovely!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitroholic Posted July 19, 2014 Author Share Posted July 19, 2014 Well..after much messing about....the build phase is just about done. Steering and brake servo mounts are in and sorted. Fuel tank mount is welded in too. Radio box is just cable tied in place, as is the battery. I need to really sort all the wiring, but that can wait until I have tested the basic layout. Fuel system is hooked up and all the piping is in place. Need to give it a proper shakedown run before I bash it though, as too many bits are not 'right', but I had to get everything hooked up to test the servos. I was worried the steering mount might limit lock...but it doesn't. End points need setting, but everything looks fine. Fired it up and ran it round the garden to make sure the brakes work and the throttle linkage doesn't stick ... and that was all OK. Now I just need to get the wiring all nice and neat, properly attach the battery and radio box, and it's ready to be really tested. Assuming that goes all OK, I will strip it back down and give the cage a coat of paint and slap a windscreen on the front. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tug Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Nice job, weight? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitroholic Posted July 19, 2014 Author Share Posted July 19, 2014 Only a fraction more than stock in the end. It weighs in about half a kilo more than stock...and with less fuel on board, fully fueled up, there isn;t a lot in it. People add more weight in alloy upgrades than this adds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oh How Original Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Smashing job John, really good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jari Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 This makes me want a welder and the time to learn how to use it. Looks great from that angle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitroholic Posted July 19, 2014 Author Share Posted July 19, 2014 Welders aren't that pricey. Mines just a cheapo gasless MIG, and it's easy to use. Just takes a bit of practice and knowing a few tricks. The metal in this cost me around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jari Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Yes, going to try and make tomorrow. Are you bringing it? Or not ready yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitroholic Posted July 19, 2014 Author Share Posted July 19, 2014 It's not quite ready ... soon though Wiring is not properly done yet, and the battery and radio stuff needs proper mounts. I need to give it a shakedown run before I bash it. If I bring it along...I don;t have room for much else, so I need to be sure it will all hold together Next bash....it will be ready! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tug Posted August 7, 2014 Share Posted August 7, 2014 Any word? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitroholic Posted August 9, 2014 Author Share Posted August 9, 2014 Been a bit tied up with other stuff recently ...but got back on the case today and took the beast out for a test bash. The dashboard and little toggle switches look cool ... I like them a lot! I have a spare switch for lights, with one to power on the battery, one for manual kill as well. They have a high amp rating, so should hold up well. Fuel tank grommet is leaking a bit, but I will get some sealant on there to sort the problem. Didn't have a problem with the other one, but I suspect the grommet is a bit age hardened. New fuel filler point is ace. No need to swap pipes. Just open up a flap, and there is a fuel filler and vent there. Just fill until fuel comes back out the other. Will weld on a little tab to fix this to, as it's just cable tied on right now. Throttle linkage worked fine, with no sticking or problems. Brakes worked well and the RCR setup stopped the car just fine. The rods are shorter and straight, so there is no loss of power. She ran well and rode well, which is something I noticed with the Tubedigger chassis. The extra forward weight helps to keep the car grounded and stable. Has a decent enough turn of speed, which I am happy with. I will weld on a battery holder so the final product won;t have a chance of slipping about. FG steering setup is a revelation! Tight turning, positive and very good feel. There was some slop in the old setup, but this is very much more direct and positive. I had to adjust my driving a touch, as I was turning in way too sharply and just spinning out. Gentle touch on the steering, and she was very nice to drive. Nothing broken so far. Was running mainly on flat grass, but getting some low air off the kerbed path edges. This was giving enough shock loading to start to test the structure, and all went well. Well...I say all...but I have noticed a crack in the rear suspension arm that wasn't there before. Chassis fine....HPI part broken All in all it went really well. Attracted a lot of attention ( in a good way) with lots of interest from passers by, and a couple of guys videoing it on their phones. Only annoyance was the 'mud' that got splattered over the spur gear cover and rear suspension. Mud...hang on...it's bone dry out ... and what's that smell....oh Shi...... Now I can take it apart and paint it. Add in a front windscreen, and replace the temporary plastic dash with a full width ally one with dummy steering wheel. Couple of welds to tidy up that I didn't do properly and add a battery retainer, and I will call it done. Got to say, I am pleased with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tug Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Looking forward to seeing it on the fly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baja5bmad Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 you should try get gas mig weilder.. good job you done on it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitroholic Posted August 10, 2014 Author Share Posted August 10, 2014 The welds are ones I tacked but forgot to fully do. Not structural ones....but I have to do them before I paint. I'm sticking with my gasless MIG for now, as I just don;t use it enough to justify the cost of proper big bottles, and those silly little 'DIY' bottles don;t last 30 seconds and are not refillable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitroholic Posted August 22, 2014 Author Share Posted August 22, 2014 OK...the paint is on, and it's all back together again: Little white piece just in front of the pullstart is the fuel filler cap. Pop it open and you have a filler point plus a vent so you can hook up and pump in the fuel with a little hand pump. Cap pops over it to keep it all clean and tidy. My favourite bit though.... the dashboard From right to left .... receiver power switch..... manual kill ( remote kill switch still in place as well ) ... and a spare should I decide to fit lights at some point, which I may If I can find a 1/5 scale steering wheel, or make something that looks good, than that's going in on the right hand side of the dash. Also want to add a windscreen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tug Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Very nice! Time for a proper test run? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayAVFC Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Very nice mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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