I think that with enough time and money, you're never locked into any build. :smile:

The 3 mm thick CF plate came in so I made the middle skid plate that will hold the batteries.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...ddle_skid1.jpg

With most of the tools I use for building now out of the boxes, working is now easier and faster so I should be able to finish this build sooner than I thought.

Here's a pic of the chassis rails mounted on the skid plate with a couple of CF strips to bring it down 9 mm. Some may notice that the top of the rails have more holes than stock. That's because I drilled the bottom holes for the middle skid right through the rails. Even though I used 25 mm long screws to secure the skid to the rails, the thought of having those screws strip out because of the weight of the batteries worries me just a little bit. If that happens then I will use screws long enough to stick out the top plate and use nuts to lock them in.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...ddle_skid2.jpg

A pic of the spacer strips that bring the skid down, lowering the CG.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...ddle_skid3.jpg

I am now waiting on these supplies to finish the build.

The double slipper plate
The 2.5 mm thick CF plate to make the top plate
The E-Revo tranny motor mount and motor plate (the motor plate is to use as a template to make a 6 mm thick CF motor plate)
The Racers Edge servo horn
6X10 mm bearings for the Muggy steering bellcranks
The 0.1'' thick 6061 T6 aluminum plate to make the front skid doubler to hold the Muggy steering.

I also ordered some ABS plastic boxes that I will study to see if I can make some battery boxes out of.

Some goodies came in the mail yesterday. The ABS boxes, the Hot Racing double slipper and the E-Revo tranny. I was going this route at first for the battery boxes.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...ttery_box1.jpg

It would've worked but I still needed to make some blocks to go on either end of the batteries to keep them from sliding. It left the batteries much exposed and it would have been difficult to put some foam padding and have it stay there. When I got the ABS boxes I thought that they would work much better for making proper battery boxes that secure and protect the batteries. The finished boxes have an interior dimension of 185 mm long by 39 mm wide by 52 mm high. Plenty of room for a lot of batteries on the market and some foam padding.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...ttery_box2.jpg http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...ttery_box3.jpg http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...ttery_box4.jpg http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...ttery_box6.jpg http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...ttery_box5.jpg

Once I was done with the battery boxes, I worked a bit on the tranny. I wanted to set up the slipper even though I still don't have the motor plate and mount.
I will try this Hot Racing double slipper with 6 stock slipper pads at first to see if it works. If it doesn't then I will make an aluminum slipper disk like what I am using on the E-Revo. The Hot Racing slipper looks very nice, fits extremely well and has less wobbling than the stock slipper assembly.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...vo_tranny1.jpg

I took 4 Traxxas screw pins and grinded them down to use with the RC Monster drive cups. The Traxxas output shaft has two flat spots and a hole and I wanted to use that to secure the drive cups which have two threaded holes for grub screws.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...vo_tranny2.jpg http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...vo_tranny3.jpg

So the screw pins will go in the drive cups and rest against the flat spots of the output shaft with the small pin part I left in the hole. It should be very strong.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...vo_tranny4.jpg

One last pic.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...vo_tranny5.jpg

No, I'm pretty sure that the XXL diff's have the HD cups in them already, but I know for sure that the older LST diff's don't. In fact, I believe that if the diff's are blue, they have the HD cups in them. If they are silver, they don't. That's if you are buying them on eBay with the shafts and all. XXL Diff's have the black center shafts which are longer than the silver LST2 shafts.

I know for a fact that the blue XXL diff's have HD cups in them, because I took one apart and I was thrown off by the fact that it had those retainer square pieces in them, where my LST diff's didn't. The cups are still plastic though.

So... is this right then?? I'm sure that I'm not confusing my XXL diff w/ my RCM Hybrid Revo diff.

Thanks!
Jason

Ray... I LOVE LOVE LOVE what you are doing!!!!! Genius!!!!

Your confusing yourself trying to find an easy way to see what they have. The ONLY way to know what diff you have in your hand is to take it apart. My original LST had the blue alum cases, and NOT HD diffs. My Muggy also had the blue aluminum cases and NOT HD diffs.

To find out what each model comes with requires looking at the parts list for each model.

ps. You need to send me a pm, 'cause at this point I am not stopping at the post office on the way home tonight....

Oh, ok... yer right. I guess I didn't realize that blue diff cases were used in older Losi's. I always see the blue ones on eBay, complete with center shaft and pulled from an XXL. I think all the XXL diff's use blue cases and HD cups. But that doesn't mean that all blue cased diff's are from the XXL necessarily.

I got confused because there are so many chop shops on Ebay selling diffs! Many of the complete silver cased diff's are pulled from Aftershock/LST2/LST's, and they have the shorter center shafts, and no HD cup.

Thanks for clarifying!

j

So I have two sets of battery boxes now. I made a set of boxes that are a bit smaller, they allow for batteries that are 32 mm in thickness max. Perfect for most 3S and 2S packs. If I ever want to run two large 4S lipos in parallel for longer run times then I just put the large boxes on. I will trim that middle skid under the battery boxes so that it doesn't stick out the way it does now.

Other stuff came in today, the bearings for the Muggy steering, the Traxxas motor plate and motor mount. I thought of a simple way to support the back of the motor. It's not as pretty as the kit I posted earlier but it will work.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...ttery_box7.jpg

This set up should work well for steering, there is a lot of weight to the front. Once the conversion is done, I suspect that close to 60% of the weight will be to the front.

I think I'm finally done with these battery boxes.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...ttery_box8.jpg

Love it MC! Question... Perhaps this isn't the proper place for such questions... As I don't want to side track the tread... BuowNow might a novice like myself cut CF? Dont bother? I only have a Rotozip as well as a variable speed dremel. I often wonder how guys join two pieces together to make 90 degree angle too. I cld look for some used tools if I knew what to look for.

Thanks

I use a diamond cutting blade for straight cuts on a home made mini table saw. I duplicate parts with a router mounted on a small router table (bought at a yard sale real cheap) with carbide cutters, or Tungsten Carbide Dremel bits that I can put on the router with a modified adapter from another power tool.

I made a 6 mm CF motor plate.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...tor_plate1.jpg

Here's the tranny and motor all complete. You'll see what the stuff on the rear of the motor is for in the next pics.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w..._complete1.jpg

I made this part out of a piece of aluminum angle.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...r_bracket1.jpg

It goes here and that threaded rod on the motor slides in the slot. With a couple washer and a couple nuts, the rear of the motor is supported very well.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...r_bracket2.jpg http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...r_bracket3.jpg http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...r_bracket4.jpg

As always, AWESOME build, man! One of the big RC Companies should hire you to design & build new vehicles, redesign old vehicles, design & build conversion kits, etc., etc...you would be awesome at that, not to mention make a boat-load of money, and even buy a nice boat to keep the money in!

I'm stuck waiting for that 2.5 mm sheet of CF to make the top plate. Once I get it and the top plate is done, I will be able to assemble the truck and finish up the build. So I did a couple things in preparation for it's arrival. I topped up my shocks with shock oil, I rebuilt my diffs with proper silicon diff lube, I balanced my wheels and I also did something to make them look nicer. Dish wheels are great but they're boring. They look ok but boring. Someone on the LST Forums used a washer as a guide to make holes in the rims. Cool trick but I had to complicate things so I made this thingamajigger.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...th_wheels1.jpg

It slips in the cavities of the rims.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...th_wheels2.jpg

And serves as a guide to make pilot holes perfectly.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...th_wheels3.jpg

Then I used a step drill to enlarge the pilot holes to 5/8''.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...th_wheels4.jpg

I like it! COOL!

Wow! Love it! I'm surprised no one has made a price like that before? How did you make it? I would love to do that too, but I'm not sure how you measured and made that piece?it's genius! U should sell that idea to Pro-line!! How about an RCM only buy?

Ray... You are awesome! I think I have a cyber bromance brewing with you! Ha! I'm blown away ( and envious) of your work, and that u have the ability to do all of this. I would do anything to be able to this stuff for fun.

J

It's just a scrap piece of Plexi. I just trimmed it down to approximately the shape I needed and held it over the rim's cavity to trace the shape. Then I just sanded the edges bit by bit until the piece fit in there loosely. It has to drop in there without being to loose. Finally, a hole in the center. I just eyeballed it because if you put the piece the same way in each cavity then the holes will be evenly spaced all around.

Looks good, mistercrash. Just a thought, what about using a motor clamp (like the kind Fine Designs uses in their LST conversion) on the rear of the motor (instead of a hose clamp and screw). I have one from a Savage Flux mount you can have, if it'll fit that motor.

-JB

I would love to use something better looking than that hose clamp :lol: It does look awful I know.

Do you have a pic of that motor clamp or a link to where I could see one? That NEU 1521 is 40 mm in diameter.

So, If I wanted to dabble in making parts out of alum or CF, what should I be looking to buy? You have a "home made" mini table saw, and a router mouted on a small router table... plus a "modified" adapter. What would a regular joe like myself need to look for... say at HarborFrieght.com or eBay.... to be able to do this?

I don't have CAD, nor am I a tool and dye maker. My NEIGHBOR is, and my bro in law has CAD. But I hate having to rely on other people to do work for me. They'd be happy to teach me though.

So I'm asking... is this biting off way more than I can chew? Is it kinda like I can play guitar no problem... but it's a tall order to hand one to someone who doesn't play guitar, and say, "Gimmie and hour of songs in front of all these people please!".

I'm so interested in doing this though... but have limited finances... that I'd like to know just how realistic it would be for me to buy a used Mini-Mill or Mini-Metal Lathe...or WHATEVER, so that I can cut my own Chassis out of Graphite, or skids, or motor mounts, whatever!?

Here are a couple of things I've seen at Harbour Freight...
7" x 10" Mini-Lathe

First of all... is this too small? I'm so unfamiliar with what I would need, that I don't even know how to SHOP for one!

Plus, even if I had access to CAD... it would do me no good unless I had a CNC machine to load the program into right? And I know those are expensive!

Two Speed Mill/Drill Press

I have a 5-speed drill press... but it's not a "Mill".

Benchtop Shaper/Router

Full Size Router

Bench Top Router

Table Saw

I actually have a full sized saw like that one above...It's for cutting wood. But I'm sure I could get different blades for it. It's for straight cuts though. I've never used it!! I got it on sale at Lowes once.

Benchtop Band saw

I don't even know if it's possible with these types of tools or not. But as I said, I'd love to be able to buy some 7075 or 6061, some 3mm or greater CF, plus I have access to scraps of alum like this, thru my bro in law, CHEAP. That way I could trace and make my own XXL chassis, or my own esc plates, or battery boxes, etc. I would have to wait around on friends who are getting it done, and are at the mercy of the shop doing it. Plus, I think it would be fun and something new to learn. Anyway... I'm man enough to accept that if this stuff is not for "everyone", and that you really have to know what you're doing to pull it off... then I can accept that and just be happy with buying aftermarket parts, or waiting for my buddies to make the stuff.

Thanks!
Jason

Here is the Savage flux one I have.

http://www.hpiracing.com/products/en/100903/

The Fine Design one is in the first post here. (get rid of the block on the bottom and use the upper part).


http://www.rc-monster.com/forum/showthread.php?p=118536

The Flux mount is for a 40mm can. My CC1515 slides right in.

-JB

jpoprock

You worry too much! I am an average Joe, I'm a city bus driver. I don't own CAD software and even if I did I don't know how to use it. I don't own any of the tools you linked, no mill or lathe. I have a small belt/disk sander, a small and a big drill press plus the things I made and mentioned above. I have lots of hand tools, files, sanding blocks, drill bits, a few end mills. I make everything by hand. I just do it. I try and do my best and if it works and looks decent then I'm happy. A lot of things I do don't work and I trash it. Trial and error. If you have access to people who can help you fabricate or to teach you how to fabricate what you need, if you can access or buy the tools you linked then you have a lot more than me. So what are you waiting for? Git er done! Talk to those people you know and have knowledge and tools they can share. Just dive in man and stop worrying too much but remember, whatever you do, you're first priority is safety. Don't be loosing fingers or an eye.

JAILBIRD

Those motor clamps look really nice, much nicer than a hose clamp :lol:

That HPI clamp looks perfect for what I need. Is it for sale? PM me with a price, I want it if you have no use for it. Thanks.

This is what came in yesterday, a nice sheet of 2.5 mm T6 6061 aluminum from onlinemetals.com.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...steering10.jpg

And this is what I made this morning. The plate that goes on the bottom front skid to support the Muggy steering bellcrank.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...steering11.jpg

I think those Flux mounts would work for you - you are using a non-finned version, right? If so, your golden.

MC... You would think that I was a nervous nelly. But really.. I'm not AT ALL. I'm insanely curious and a sponge to know all kinds of crap. I grilled a client of mine for an hour on how to dig wells and septic systems! Will I ever do that? Nope, but I know three times more about it now, than I did when I woke up today! LOL!

Man.. I can't believe you do all that fine work that you do.... and you don't have any fancy tools! AMAZING!!!! Very impressive actually. I think you probably have a lot of what I don't have though.. and that is TIME. I'm 40yrs old with a working wife and two young boys... So time is something I don't have any of. I have no business having a hobby right now... but hey... a man has to have SOME fun huh?

Here is my favorite part about what you said...

"Jason, I don't have any of the fancy tools you listed. I'm an average Joe who drives a city bus. I just have a passion and patience for doing this stuff. Oh and one more thing... I'm also a lottery winner and worth about 6.5 million dollars. Oh, and I have a 12" penis. So life is really good."

Well played sir. Well played.

All true, except for the 6.5 million dollar part :lol:

Since I have the T6 6061 alu sheet, I thought I would make a template of the final top plate that will help cutting the 2.5 mm CF plate that finally came in this morning. The CF plate is almost finished. I will post pics when it's done and then I should be able to start assembling the truck.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...plate_alu1.jpg

JAILBIRD

So what's the word on the HPI motor clamp?

How thick is yer CF plate going to be? Aren't you concerned with it not being durable for "bashing"?

The stock plate is 2.5 mm aluminum with a thousand holes in it for the tranny, the gears, the multitude of servos and what not. The CF plate is also 2.5 mm thick and has much less holes in it and CF is stronger than aluminum. If the stock aluminum plate is strong enough then the CF plate will be more than adequate.

On another note, I got myself a HPI FLUX motor mount to use for the rear of my 1521.

WOW, just WOW! You did an excellent job on that upper template! Even though it is just a template for making the final CF part, the aluminum template is flawless, and worthy of being the main upper plate in any build! Anyone would be happy to run that top-plate and show it off...you did an amazing job on it!

Like MC said, carbon-fiber is MUCH stronger and stiffer than aluminum, so there will be zero problems with strength or durability. In fact, the strength & durability of the carbon-fiber will be 10 times that of the stock aluminum...maybe even more!

Hey MC - I just noticed your location for the steering servo. It appears to be about a half a servo behind the stock location. What drove you to locate it there (I'm cutting my templates today....).

If that is the case... then why do so many people say "If yer bashing go alum, if yer racing go CF"? What they are saying is... bashers shouldn't use CF cuz it's more prone to break. No? Now, I've heard there are different degress of CF too. Integy CF is not the same strength as say a Vantage I'd guess. I know for a fact that Integy aluminum may as well be "plastic" cuz it bends easily. So I have no doubt that Integy CF weak too.

There are very few places where aluminum should be used, but there are a ton of places where carbon-fiber can and should be used. Quality carbon-fiber is not only stronger than aluminum, it is stronger than steel as well, and far lighter than both. Aluminum will bend and stay bent, where as in the same instance, carbon-fiber may flex, but it will return to its original shape/position without any breakage or problems.

A lot of "bashers" say to use aluminum because they just like the bling factor, but in most cases, aluminum is not a good choice for most applications. Of course, if you are talking about building a full-blown Unlimited Engineering Supermaxx, then aluminum is fine, because UE uses 7075-T6 aluminum which is MUCH stronger, harder, and more durable than the industry standard 6061-T6 aluminum. But again, if the part can be made out of carbon-fiber, it should be, because carbon-fiber is (as I have stated) so much stronger, stiffer, more durable, far lighter, and just plain looks cooler!

Picture posting time! http://www.shortcourse-world.com/for...ilies/yay2.gif

Sorry for the delay but I started putting everything together and it was going so well that I couldn't stop.

After a couple months of thinking, planning, drawing, thinking, redrawing, shopping, and yadeeyadeeyadah. This is what I came up with for a LST conversion.

PARTS MODIFIED

I modified the chassis rails to make room for the Muggy steering. The bellcranks of the Muggy steering were also modified.

PARTS FABRICATED

To make the conversion, I made a new chassis top plate, a new middle skid plate, a front skid doubler for the steering, battery boxes from project boxes found on ebay, a mounting plate for the receiver box, a system to support the rear of the motor, a new motor plate. While I was at it, I made the plates that go under the shock towers out of CF but that is optional. I could've made other stuff out of CF but for now I want to keep those stock aluminum parts on the truck.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...tom_parts1.jpg

PUTTING EVERYTHING BACK TOGETHER

This is just a series of pics of the build in sequence. Many pics so I'll to post a few times.

TOP PLATE
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...late_assy1.jpg http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...late_assy2.jpg http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...late_assy3.jpg http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...late_assy4.jpg http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...late_assy5.jpg

CHASSIS RAILS, MIDDLE SKID AND BATTERY BOXES
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...ssis_assy1.jpg

COMPLETED CHASSIS
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...ssis_assy2.jpg

FRONT END
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w..._end_assy1.jpg http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w..._end_assy2.jpg http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w..._end_assy3.jpg http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w..._end_assy4.jpg http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w..._end_assy5.jpg

REAR END
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w..._end_assy1.jpg http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w..._end_assy2.jpg http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w..._end_assy3.jpg

MMM, RECEIVER, CAP BANK AND MOTOR WIRES
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w..._receiver1.jpg http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...tor_wires1.jpg http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...tor_wires2.jpg http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w..._cap_bank1.jpg

WHEELS ON, BATTERIES IN. IT'S ALIVE!
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...wheels_on1.jpg

LOOKING PRETTY
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w..._complete1.jpg http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w..._complete2.jpg

TOTAL COST OF THE BUILD
$1293.56 CDN. Almost $340.00 of that is for shipping and brokerage fees :surprised:

I just took the truck out for a spin. Just taking it easy in front of my house to get a feel for the truck. Handling is very very MT like :lol:

It is very different from my race E-Revo which has a more Truggy feel to it. But it was fun. I was running on a set of 3S lipos that were pretty empty, the top speed is not impressive. I will have to play with the gearing on that. I say it really felt like a MT probably because I am still on the stock springs and am running the thin sway bars at their softest setting so the suspension was very plush and soft. But those batteries placed low and on either side of the chassis are making it so the truck does not flip on fast cornering. Instead the tires will just loose traction and the truck will slide. No flipping on the lid at all. I have tons of steering off power and still a lot on power. Having so much weight up front really helps. That 1521 has so much torque I will surely be able to gear down to get more top speed. I had to bring the brake power up because that cap bank smooths the braking so much, it was hardly noticeable. I'm up to 75% braking from 30%.

MC! Great job there! Nice finish on the chassis and battery boxes!!

I didn't see where you stated your gear ratio.

I'm not sure what kind of top speed you are looking for but here is how I ran my 1521/1Y 6s powered LST XXL:

Differential Ratio: 3.3076923076923075
Transmission Ratio: 2.090909090909091
Other Ratio: 1
Spur Tooth Count: 63
Pinion Tooth Count: 26
Total Voltage: 22.2
Motor KV: 1577
Tire Diameter (inches): 6.6
Tire Ballooning (inches): 0
Motor Current Draw: 0
Motor Coil Resistance: 0.008
Spur/Pinion Ratio: 2.42 : 1
Total Ratio: 16.7582 : 1
Tire Circumference (inches): 20.73 inches (526.66 mm)
Rollout: 1.24:1
Total Motor Speed: 35009.4 RPM
Vehicle Speed: 41.02 mph (65.89 km/h)
Effective KV Value: 1577
KT constant: 0.86 oz-in/A
Motor Torque: Amperage not specified...
Final Torque: Amperage not specified...
Final Power: Amperage not specified...

This was pretty quick for the LST and it's "MT" handling. Maybe your gearing is off? Not sure...

I think the E-Revo tranny I am using throws the data a bit. I have a 58 spur and a 22 pinion on right now. But I was also running lipos that were almost empty and the LVC kicked in after only 7 or 8 minutes of running easy. I only did one top speed run, maybe the voltage was just too low. I'll recharge the batteries and try again before I start playing with gearing. I might have to get other pinions from Mike as the biggest one I have is a 22. Going to nitro Revo spurs with matching pinions might be another option. But I don't think I'll have to go that route.

What springs were you running?

This is what I get from what's in the truck right now so it should've been more than adequate. As you can see, the E-Revo tranny ratio is very different from yours. I also chose the XXL tire option which is larger than what you have on your info. There's also a big difference in roll out from yours.

Differential Ratio: 3.3076923076923075
Transmission Ratio: 1.8333333333333333
Other Ratio: 1
Spur Tooth Count: 58
Pinion Tooth Count: 22
Total Voltage: 22.2
Motor KV: 1577
Tire Diameter (inches): 6.75
Tire Ballooning (inches): 0
Motor Current Draw: 0
Motor Coil Resistance: 0.008
Spur/Pinion Ratio: 2.64 : 1
Total Ratio: 15.98718 : 1
Tire Circumference (inches): 21.21 inches (538.63 mm)
Rollout: 1.33:1
Total Motor Speed: 35009.4 RPM
Vehicle Speed: 43.97 mph (70.64 km/h)
Effective KV Value: 1577
KT constant: 0.86 oz-in/A

This is what I get if I choose the same size tires as yours. It still shows plenty of top speed.

Differential Ratio: 3.3076923076923075
Transmission Ratio: 1.8333333333333333
Other Ratio: 1
Spur Tooth Count: 58
Pinion Tooth Count: 22
Total Voltage: 22.2
Motor KV: 1577
Tire Diameter (inches): 6.6
Tire Ballooning (inches): 0
Motor Current Draw: 0
Motor Coil Resistance: 0.008
Spur/Pinion Ratio: 2.64 : 1
Total Ratio: 15.98718 : 1
Tire Circumference (inches): 20.73 inches (526.66 mm)
Rollout: 1.30:1
Total Motor Speed: 35009.4 RPM
Vehicle Speed: 43 mph (69.07 km/h)
Effective KV Value: 1577
KT constant: 0.86 oz-in/A

Hey - curiosity is killing me here man....