Torsion Style ZZMT crawler

Omygosh3629 · Post by **Omygosh3629** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 11:09 pm

Hey,

Im gonna work on making my ZZMT crawler into a little more capable crawler, so im going to try the newest rage in RC Crawling, a torsion style chassis, but im having trouble finding the right thickness material where it will return to its shape after its been twisted?
My crawler will be a Tricell, 4th gear mod, and for the time being, was artic modded.
any help.

Nate

honda_s2000 · Post by **honda_s2000** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 11:26 pm

hmm, good luck with that one nate, The weight of an MT isnt much at all, i've thaught about this also. I'm guessing the hardest part would be so get something that allows it to flex side to side, but doesn't allow it to bend inwards right ?

I'll have a think about this one, and see what I can come up with overnight.

beanoman · Post by **beanoman** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 8:09 am

What the hell are you dudes talkin about? Have a link for uninformed people like me? lol..

frizzen · Post by **frizzen** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 11:45 am

I think they're talking about one of those "The Stick" type chassis, where the entire thing is UNSPRUNG weight. The style they're talking about, you have a single spine to the chassis, but the spine is only rigid in 2 axis, and the 3rd axis allows it to articulate.

Ok, for you visual learners, here's some pics.

http://www.ultimaterc.com/forums/showth ... post591737

As for the chassis itself, I've seen a plastic extrusion that should be almost what you need. Downside is you've got to buy it about 8' at a time. Hardware store, paneling section, it's a 90* extrusion with an extra leg on the inside of the extrusion, roughly 1/4" wide, they sell to use as a corner guard/finished edge when your paneling makes an outside right angle. And you can tune the torsional tension a little more by how much of the internal structure you cut out.

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honda_s2000 · Post by **honda_s2000** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 5:31 pm

Yea thats a torsion frame, One of the things I like about them is the simplicity and the cost ! No more buying $150 sets of shocks, and no more spending hours and hours setting up your 4-link just right, just shoot down the hardware store,and pick up some channel.

civicsr2cool · Post by **civicsr2cool** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 11:46 pm

i was thinking of this while at the lhs today..

they have their isle of raw material, they had channel of brass, steel, alluminum, and a few plastics. all in diffrent sizes and thicknesses. so i was thinking if i had some axles laying around the channel is just attached to the axles no chassis no shocks nothing?
seems too simple to be true.

Clint · Post by **Clint** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 12:59 am

At this weight, you would want to use styrene or very thin CF. The brass
and aluminum bars are too rigid.

honda_s2000 · Post by **honda_s2000** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 2:12 am

yea brass and alloy are out of the equation completely.

Your best bet ? Get some channel styrene, it's in scale what alloy would be to a TLT/Clod frame.

Pic :

That's from tower, allthough I aint' sure if it's the right dimensions or whatever, but I dont have time to check.

Check here for the selection : http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wt ... C=REA&P=WR

betty.k · Post by **betty.k** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 2:30 am

go to an automotive type shop and ask for "feeler gauges".
it's a little thing like a swiss army knife with strips of spring metal of varying thicknesses. they usually go really thin.

guerd87 · Post by **guerd87** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 4:22 am

great idea betty! i was using a set of guages today and they are very flimsy when you get right down in thickness

spooky · Post by **spooky** » Sat Nov 18, 2006 6:13 pm

So instead of your standard stick chassis that has rotating ends the uneven terrain just twists the spine of the chassis as in no moving parts?

I don't know how that would be an improvement over clint's mod that gives you a stick crawler anyway. You could put a horizontal spring on the front and back of clint's mod to give you a very simple return spring.

DM