Flat pan aluminum chassis micro SCT
 

Today I had my Micro SCT taken apart to fix a stripped spur gear. I was looking through my car parts to find a new one and found a sheet of 0.025" aluminum. I decided to make a new chassis out of it. I have gotten the drivetrain and both ends mounted. It is getting late, so I am going to resume work on it tomorrow. All I need to do now is make the top plate and mount the electronics. Here are some pics:<div></div><div>http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSCN3085.jpg</div><div>I started out by tracing the stock chassis outline onto the sheet of aluminum. Then I cut it out with a pair of tinsnips.</div><div></div><div>http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSCN3086.jpg</div><div>Here is it mounted on the car. Between this and the last pic I sanded the burrs off and smoothed it out. Then I drilled holes on the front and rear to mount it onto the differential cases.</div><div></div><div>http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSCN3087.jpg</div><div>Here is the underside. I made the holes to mount it onto the rest of the car with a nail. By punching a hole through it with a nail it made the indent so that the screw would lie flat against the chassis so that they would not get ground down by hitting the ground.</div><div></div><div>I am going to keep working on it tomorrow and should have it finished by the end of the week. I am also planning on upgrading it to brushless this summer. More updates coming soon.</div>

RE: Flat pan aluminum chassis micro SCT
 

are you going to put some small mounts to make it not bend ?&gt;

RE: Flat pan aluminum chassis micro SCT
 

Like a chassis brace? I wasn't planning on it as this flat sheet has less flex than the stock tub chassis.
<br type="_moz" />

RE: Flat pan aluminum chassis micro SCT
 

never mind then lol, for a small thing i wouldnt bend any ways lol it looks good none the less

RE: Flat pan aluminum chassis micro SCT
 

Thanks. I am going to build a top plate, which I think will hlep with the rigidity.
<br type="_moz" />

RE: Flat pan aluminum chassis micro SCT
 

<div>This morning I made the top deck. It is a little bit messy, but it works. It also significantly reduces flex. This afternoon I am planning on popping into town to get some servo tape. I will also mount the motor later today. I may have the chassis finished this evening. Here is a picture of it where it stands now:</div><div>http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/...6-30at1204.jpg</div><div>Sorry about the bad picture. It was taken with my webcam, which is crap. Once I am done I will post close up pictures taken by a proper camera.</div>

RE: Flat pan aluminum chassis micro SCT
 

looks good neat mod . its good to see some one actually fabricating . nice work man !

RE: Flat pan aluminum chassis micro SCT
 

I have been working on my chassis more over the last few days. It turns out that the sizing of my top plate was slightly off, so when it was on it would lift one of the wheels off the ground. I tried repositioning the holes with no results. After about an hour of messing with it I got annoyed and just put the stock plastic second deck back on. I will redo the aluminum top plate when I feel that I have the patience. I also need to lengthen the holes in the chassis for the screws that mount the motor. I didn't make them long enough so my gear mesh is too tight. Here are some pics: http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSCN3088.jpg Bottom view. The plastic washers protect the screw heads that hold the motor in place. http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSCN3089.jpg Side view. It sits low compared to the body, but I didn't lose any ground clearance. It just looks low here because I have my suspension lowered. http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSCN3094.jpg Here it is without the shell. I hot glued the stock RX/ESC combo onto the top of the plastic top deck. http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSCN3095.jpg Here is a side view from the other side. You can see the servo and motor here. http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSCN3096.jpg Bottom rear end. The screws are inset. I make the holes inset like that by making them with a nail. http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSCN3097.jpg Motor mount screws. You can see it in the picture, but the plastic washers are dish shaped, and stick out past the screw heads to protect them. I also did this with a nail. http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSCN3098.jpg Bottom of front end http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSCN3099.jpg Motor. The chassis acts as a huge heat sink. After a run the whole thing is warm. http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSCN3100.jpg Steering servo http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSCN3102.jpg Steering assembly. I used a female JR plug (from my charger for charging RX packs) as a chock for the part of the steering assembly that holds onto the servo. http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSCN3103.jpg Electronics. They are hotglued to the plastic.

RE: Flat pan aluminum chassis micro SCT
 

<div>Today I finished up the aluminum chassis I have been making for my micro SCT. I had it almost finished a few weeks ago, but I had problems with the gear mesh, and I didn't get around to fixing them until now. I was occupied with building the boat. I also added some sticky velcro to hold the battery on. The gear mesh problem was that I had drilled the motor mount holes a tad bit to far forward, and that caused the spur gear teeth the hit the flat part at the base of the pinion, where the set screw would be on a larger scale pinion. I managed to get it driving around, but it put a huge strain on the motor mount and the gear mesh was so tight that the battery lasted 1/3 of usual time and the motor smelled bad. So this time I managed to get that problem fixed. Instead of making new motor mount holes, which would have required making a whole new chassis. I couldn't just swap the motor side with the battery side because the center driveshaft it offset. The motor is lighter than the battery, so it has to be farther offset from the center to achieve a perfect left right weight balance. So it would have leaned heavily had I swapped the battery and motor. So what I did was take off the pinion and cut off the flat part, as it has no set screw (it is a friction fit). That way the pinion gear can move closer to the motor. Then I can get a good gear mesh without redoing the motor mounting area. I took it for a test drive around the house. It cornered beautifully, and it seemed to work well. On the first run the steering block fell off the chassis, but I re glued it and it seems to be holding. Here are some videos and pictures.</div><div>
</div><div>http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSCN3350.jpg</div><div>Battery mounted up</div><div>
</div><div>http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSCN3353.jpg</div><div>http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSCN3352.jpg</div><div>Chassis without top deck</div><div>
</div><div>http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSCN3359.jpg</div><div>Pinion before trimming</div><div>
</div><div>http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSCN3361.jpg</div><div>After pinion trimming</div><div>
</div><div>http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSCN3363.jpg</div><div>Gear mesh is much better</div><div>
</div><div>http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSCN3366.jpg</div><div>If you have some spare 1/10 Short course truck tires hanging around, they made a great stand.</div><div>
</div><div>http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/...h_DSCN3367.jpg</div><div>Quick test to make sure the drivetrain is free</div><div>
</div><div>http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/...h_DSCN3368.jpg</div><div>Driving around and then hitting camera</div><div>
</div><div>http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/...umchassis1.jpg</div><div>High speed cornering, filmed by my mom</div>