Micro LST 4WD,,,It begins
Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 11:11 pm
So I know we have all seen some fuzzy shots of 4 wheel drive micro t set ups.
After trying to get a hold of the few people who have done this and receiving no response I decided to try my hand at it. Since the mini t isnt 4wd I figured a slightly larger twin motor micro LST would be the way to go (with slight variations of course)
The plan is to use two rear ends from a micro t, each with their own motor. At first I wanted to copy the LST exactly, with the center diff and twin motors mounted in the center but this proved illogical, the micro t diff isnt designed to handle that much torque and connecting the front and rear diffs with the perpendicular drive shafts also created a complicated problem.
I started off with first major issue with 4wd, the front knuckles; I modified an existing knuckle, lengthened it so that the twin bearings fit further out and the outdirve sat inside, closer to the center of rotation for steering. I then took a quick and dirty silicone mold of the piece and this is what I came up with:

Because the mold was just created as a "proof of concept" its not the best or cleanest mold ive ever made but it did the job. A new mold will be made when i work out some more of the bugs. The next issue is what material to make these knuckles out of. Im currently using a urethane plastic but it is a little brittle and I dont think it can handle the stress of bashing. If anyone has a better product that i can use (something comprable to the stock plastic would be great) Keep in mind that this is a silicone mold and not injection molded but a two part plastic mix
Here is the pivot plate and knuckle installed:

I also took a little video showing articulation and steering, It will be uploaded soon
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKdAydWy7Uw[/youtube]
STG

The plan is to use two rear ends from a micro t, each with their own motor. At first I wanted to copy the LST exactly, with the center diff and twin motors mounted in the center but this proved illogical, the micro t diff isnt designed to handle that much torque and connecting the front and rear diffs with the perpendicular drive shafts also created a complicated problem.
I started off with first major issue with 4wd, the front knuckles; I modified an existing knuckle, lengthened it so that the twin bearings fit further out and the outdirve sat inside, closer to the center of rotation for steering. I then took a quick and dirty silicone mold of the piece and this is what I came up with:

Because the mold was just created as a "proof of concept" its not the best or cleanest mold ive ever made but it did the job. A new mold will be made when i work out some more of the bugs. The next issue is what material to make these knuckles out of. Im currently using a urethane plastic but it is a little brittle and I dont think it can handle the stress of bashing. If anyone has a better product that i can use (something comprable to the stock plastic would be great) Keep in mind that this is a silicone mold and not injection molded but a two part plastic mix
Here is the pivot plate and knuckle installed:

I also took a little video showing articulation and steering, It will be uploaded soon
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKdAydWy7Uw[/youtube]
STG