This steering mod...
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Some of you may know that a while back I started a thread about steering, upgrading the servos, bell cranks and so on were talked about.
So.......I bought the Dynamite bell cranks to upgrade my steering and after some use, I bent/bowed the Dynamite connecting rod
It was when I took it apart to fix it, when I found this "problem" with the tie-rod ends hitting the diffs and I thought, WOW, I found a good mod that I can do that will give the truck a tighter turning radius
To see for yourself,
If you look at the steering bell cranks & tie-rod area on a stock truck, you will see that when fully turned, the tie-rod ends will hit the diff housing, limiting your turning ability. You might also see that the spindle and carrier can actually turn more if it wasnt for the tie-rods hitting the diffs.
So, I made my own bell crank connecting rod/plate out of aluminum flat stock that was longer then the Dynamite and stock length connecting rods.
All I had to do was adjust my tie-rods to pull the wheels back into alignment and what do you know, it turned MUCH sharper!
I made it just the right length so when fully turned, the spindle arms just touch the carriers and thats as far as the truck will ever turn.
Anyway, after one night of racing, I bent/bowed this connecting rod just like the Dynamite one, and the bolt holes that connect it to the bell cranks were getting elongated, making the steering sloppy again but it still turned good.
I then put back the "fixed" Dynamite one until I could come up with something else that would last, stay tight and not get sloppy via the elongated holes.
So....I also found a great deal on some Hitec HS-5945MG digital high torque servos, used for $100 for both!
http://www.servocity.com/html/hs-594...al_torque.html
As I replace the servos, I figured I give my mod another try.
I made the same length connecting rod as before, but this time I made it out of stainless steel!
Now it has lasted for 1/2 gallon and still working great, no bending/bowing or elongated holes, and turns nice and sharp!
The addition of these servos also made it much stronger and faster turning. Its like whole different truck now, it took me about 1 tank to get used to the new feel at the track!
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