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M60a3 DKLM kit build

Old 05-20-2019, 08:07 PM
  #101  
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It is a good looking tank. That's a good looking IS-3 there in that first pic also...
Old 05-21-2019, 08:35 AM
  #102  
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Nevermind the tanks, thats an impressive set of buildings and street furniture you guys have there!
Old 05-21-2019, 09:09 AM
  #103  
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Originally Posted by Ex_Pat_Tanker
Nevermind the tanks, thats an impressive set of buildings and street furniture you guys have there!
I have to agree! Scale porta potys and campers for the tank crews? Too cool. I also think the graffiti on the water tank is a nice touch. Well done.
Old 05-21-2019, 02:37 PM
  #104  
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Hey guys, that awesome “Scale Town” belongs to the rc company Pro Line who make Rc truck stuff. Its 1:10scale but close enough for us. We just got to use it exclusive for a hour for our battle demo they requested.
If you want to see more photos both action and staged go visit our facebook page at san diego rc tank battles.

In. Other news, im nearly done with the M60a3 tank. It runs and drives excellent. It has soft suspension and rides very smooth and cushy. The barrel and turret do not bounce on rough terrain. I have had some track stretching with the tamiya abrams track, requiring me to add more tape to the front idler wheels but i suspect that will end soon, if not, i could probably pull one pad link out.
im working on stowage detail now just to bring it to life and thats it. Time to start thinking about my next WOW tank....
Old 05-22-2019, 06:15 AM
  #105  
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That M60 is gonna be a very hard act to follow. Maybe it's time for you to try 1:6 scale.
Old 05-22-2019, 11:03 AM
  #106  
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I have a 21st centrury m5 hidden away that I may convert to an ibu but i just dont have the interest or storage room.

dont worry, i have a couple more super tank build plans in the works that will be coming.
Old 07-11-2019, 06:49 AM
  #107  
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So I have an update.
I have still been having bad issues with the track coming off the sprocket going forward during turns, the track stays in the sprocket and curves downward before if leaves the sprocket then comes out and curves upward going forward. The result is a huge curving droop in the track that is tearing the side of the hull up and eventually jams up. The left side has been much worse than the right,
The issue is that when turning under power, the tank leans to the outside of the turn because the suspension is so soft. This slacks the track up alot causing this droop in track coming off the sprocket. Another evidence of this is when a turn is started in the dirt from a standing position, very slowly, you can first watch the rear trailing wheel lift up toward the sprocket completely coming off the ground. Fast Tanks John helped me trouble shoot this issue to determine the exact cause and he caught it at that moment when the wheel lifted up. More testing showed both sides did this and the real issue is the rear wheels were not under enough tension to keep them on the ground.

I bought more piano wire and made new rear tortion arms with more preload than the stock size. This just lifted the tank farther off the ground when sitting and driving but did not solve the track issue.
After much thought decided using the tortion bar the same diameter was not the solution so I got one size larger wire, .078 and made new tortion bars with the same preload setting as the stock ones. I had to drill everything out to make them fit and thought long and hard about it because I figured there was no going back.
AFter the process I drove the tank and it drives much better. The track does not slack nearly as much going forward off the sprocket as it did before and will not damage the hull side now.
After more driving I determined I should probably replace the front ones as well as the tank now feels a bit lurched forward and mushy up front.

Another problem developed that I wish I had done something about earlier. As I was driving I went up into my grass which is a couple inches higher than the side walk. When I drove out of my grass onto the side walk I went downward a little and I heard a snap.
Just like before as posted above, the left front wheel bottomed out and broke the shock tower off the hull, except I had drilled and pinned it to the hull right,,,,,, well it broke a huge curved chunk out of the top of the hull from the force of the shock tower pins pushing upward. I was so mad, many colorful metaphors were used.
I reglued everything and then drilled into the hull downward and inserted 4 metal pins and even let them exit the outward bow of the hull into the hull and them scored the plastic and covered the area with bondo. Its now screwed glued and tatooed, I dont think it will break again right.....
Well I pulled off the track and played with the front left wheel. It does indeed bottom out in the shock. I removed the shock bottom strut and did some testing, I decided to mark the strut at the point it enterd the tube at full extension, then I reviewed it. I had alot of stick left in the tube. I cut half of that off and re assembled and tested. The wheel now hits the hull bump stop and does not bottom out with pressure pushing up on the shock. I wish I had figured this out last time the tower broke off the hull. It would have saved alot of grief.
Old 09-06-2021, 07:40 PM
  #108  
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Old 09-06-2021, 07:41 PM
  #109  
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Old 09-07-2021, 04:03 AM
  #110  
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That really is a great little tank, but for what you paid for it I still say that it should go out and cut your grass once a week.
Old 09-07-2021, 06:25 AM
  #111  
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Garry I gotta tell ya, this tank runs like no other. Its so smooth and soft running it is the most fun to drive tank I have. I drive it and just bout giggle when I do because its so fun to watch the wheels move up and down and just float over everything. Its a dream to drive and that makes it worth it after all the effort I put in building it. I dont battle it much I still prefer shermans but it seems to hold its own, I just enjoy driving it alot.
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Old 05-02-2023, 09:06 AM
  #112  
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So over time track stretches but also, with this tank getting then track perfect tensioned with the active idler but not an adjustable idler has been very tough to do.
I had the right hand side one track pad too tight because one more pad longer and the sprocket could nearly spin and not grab the track. The Abrams pads are that long. I needed like half a pad to get it just right.
having the right side too tight compressed that side and made it sit low and lean right pretty badly.
I finally got tired of it this weekend after I was driving with the really nice Tongde M60s and decided to take some action finally.
live long had a plan in my mind how to make the active idler adjustable so it got my materials and made it up last night and added one pad length back in.
I would up having to adjust the idler wheel out about 1/4 of an inch to take up the slack from adding the one pad.






I have not been able to drive it yet but I suspect it will drive fine or need a tad more tension. Can’t wait to try it.
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