Converted 1/8 model kit to RC car?

[Tucker427]

Hey, has anyone converted an 1/8th model kit to an RC car? Revell kits, etc. If so I would like to see some examples. I like the idea of an RC car with scale model looks, especially in 1/8th scale. 

[Bajadre]

if you can find the right size chassis tucker should work  usually comes down to where the wheel arches sit most of the time i know theres a few 1/10 corvette shell mostly 67s though like Hpi do .

if you can give us details on the size of the shell ie wheel base,length and width we might find a 1/8th or possible 1/10 with extended wheels  👍

some nice examples on here just search corvette on the search bar 

https://www.tamiyaclub.com/mainshowroombrowse.asp?t=999&s= &ob=desc

Edited September 1, 2021 by Bajadre

[Tucker427]

12 minutes ago, Bajadre said:

if you can find the right size chassis tucker should work  usually comes down to where the wheel arches sit most of the time i know theres a few 1/10 corvette shell mostly 67s though like Hpi do .

if you can give us details on the size of the shell ie wheel base,length and width we might find a 1/8th or possible 1/10 with extended wheels  👍

some nice examples on here just search corvette on the search bar 

https://www.tamiyaclub.com/mainshowroombrowse.asp?t=999&s= &ob=desc

Yes, finding the right chassis is key. I have the body from the 1/8 Corvette Revell kit with wheel base of 310 which is shorter than most 1/8 RC chassis. However, I can give it the chop shop treatment and make it fit if need be, so it doesn't need to a perfect fit to start with.  Maybe a 1/10 touring car chassis would work and all I would need to do is extend the chassis plate out. Makes sense given the abundance of 1/10 chassis and parts available.  I know most 1/8 RC road cars use a buggy chassis, thus why they are so wide.

 

L-554, W-240 with extended wheel flares. 

[Nitroholic]

I have done a fair amount of custom work on RC chassis ...... and basically consider:

 

What RC parts are you NOT going to be able to modify or make fit:

 

wheels/tyres .... these are going to come in standard sizes, so you need to find a set of proper RC wheels with tyres that are as closer a size match to your dopnor car as possible. Using wheels from the model kit is unlikely to give good results, as the stress of drivetrains is going to be significant, and the standard hobby car approach to axles and drives uses either 12mm or 17mm hexes to drive the wheels. Thats gonna dictate a lot of your driveline

Assuming you want to go rear wheel drive as per the proper car... so that simplifies things a little, but it may require a creative approach to the drive...as most rear wheel drive RC donorsd will either slap the motor BEHIND the rear wheels...or transverse mounted just in front. Probably right where you are going to want to have seats and an interior.

 

suspension ... If you scratch build a chassis plate, then you can mount the suspension at the front at whatever distance from the centreline you want. Assuming rear wheel drive. The rear, though, is going to need a differential housing ...which will have the suspension arms mounted to it to fit with the driveshafts andpivot points. Changing this will be hard. You can use extended hubs, and move things out a bit....but too much will just break things or make the thing look silly.

 

Shock towers and shocks should be easy enough to use stock...though you may need to make your own towers if clearance is an issue.

 

Then think about where you are going to put steering servos, batteries etc. where they won;t be seen.

 

It's an interesting project.....butyou are not going to be able to just drop the car body on a chassis and have it work...or use the 'body' as a structure to hang RC parts off.

 

Where would I start?

 

With a ruler.

 

Get your kit, loosely assemble the main body parts, and work out the critical dimensions. Wheelbase, width, width across the axles, and where the suspension parts would fit. Then look at where you have room for a motor, and whether you can get drive

[Tucker427]

52 minutes ago, Nitroholic said:

I have done a fair amount of custom work on RC chassis ...... and basically consider:

 

That's great food for thought, appreciated! Maybe a good idea to build my chassis from parts rather than purchase a whole chassis. Start with the rear drivetrain and make sure the motor placement is in the right place to the rear and then work on the front drivetrain. Then bridge them together with a custom made 2mm 7075 aluminum plate.  Wheel & tyre options are plenty but for scale wheels I can look at custom 3d printed ones if need be. Install the electronics and battery under the hood to distribute the weight where it should be. Plenty of room under the Corvette hood.

[Nitroholic]

How big are the wheels on your model?

 

If you can find wheels to work.....that will save a LOT of time. 3D printed tyres never work well with any kind of speed/power invovled. If you can find an RC off the shelf solution that would make life a lot easier.

 

As a rough guess....if you look at 2.2 size truck wheels/tyres ( like those fitted to HPI Firestorm, Traxxas Rusters.... that sort of thing... they do them in some road looking options like these:

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/roapex-truck-1-10-tyre-trigger-on-chrome-black-wheels-12mm-hex-2--444924

 

EDIT:

Had a little look over my car collection with a ruler....and I reckon your best bet for a 240mm wide car is a 1/10 buggy. Might find a 1/10 shortcourse in the right size...but they use odd rims, which may limit wheel options. Stadium trucks like the HPI Firestorm are way too wide.... but I have an old Carson Stormracer 1/10 buggy...12mm hexes, exacltly 240mm wide across the wheels. If you get a 4WD drive one, the motor is normally mounted longitudinally...and as they don;t have a centre diff...it's easy to mod to 2WD. May also allow mounting the motor under the bonnet and use the driveshaft to the rear wheels

 

Edited September 2, 2021 by Nitroholic

[Tucker427]

10 minutes ago, Nitroholic said:

How big are the wheels on your model?

 

 

The ones with the kit are 90mm (with tyres) but I'm going with 80mm. I've seen some 80mm drift ones with a hard compound tyre, so I can spin up the rears. I can mod the face of the wheels to look like the scale ones if need be. Or wait and see if I can get hold of the 1/8 shelby cobra wheels from the agora kit and make RC wheels out of them. The wheels need to look good and the later option would be preferred. I also want the side pipes from that cobra kit also. As with these stage build kits, many people cant afford to keep  paying for the monthly issues, so they end up selling what have on ebay. It's just a matter of time.  I already have the supercharger and scoop from the 1/8 dodge charger kit. Sure beats the cheap moulded plastic options that would need a lot work to look half decent.    

[Tucker427]

Just realized that I have an old beat up kyosho turbo rocky in parts that I was going to restore many years ago. The chassis wheel width is a perfect fit (just tested it). The motor is nicely tucked in to the wheels but I can reduce the space even more by flipping around the suspension arms, that way the motor just fits behind the drivers seat. Some on road shocks, etc, and I can make it work. 

[Nitroholic]

Sounds like the project could be starrting to take shape there 🙂

[Tucker427]

On 02/09/2021 at 19:52, Nitroholic said:

Sounds like the project could be starrting to take shape there 🙂

 

Talking about shape, the supercharger is a tad oversized for 1/8th scale, so we have to call it a superduper charger! Got some wheels & tyres on order. Wheels are 56mm, tyres 80mm, so the tyres are fatter than usual but that's want I want for a 60s muscle car.

 

 

Edited September 4, 2021 by Tucker427
upside down images