The Matrix Concepts carbon fiber losi 8ight chassis

[Semi Pro]

Originally Posted by sabongi

i'm wondering about a CF chassis for the D8. Can anyone talk about difficulties on fabricating one? I seen toyeast and 3racing sells the sheets, probably 4mm would be fine. How about cutting and drilling?

its not hard, easyer than aluminum but you will need to ware a dust mask when working with it

honestly i would look into getting a Ve8 chassis if i were you, im planing a buying a Ve8 soon to use as my new basher buggy

[Ryu James]

Originally Posted by sabongi

i'm wondering about a CF chassis for the D8. Can anyone talk about difficulties on fabricating one? I seen toyeast and 3racing sells the sheets, probably 4mm would be fine. How about cutting and drilling?

i have made over a dozen carbon chassis for my 1/8 buggies and truggies. it isnt too bad but does take time and you do need to wear a respirator mask at all times. not just one of those cotton paint masks but one of those rubber masks with replaceable filters. look in the paint section at home depot and you will find them. breathing carbon dust is like asbestos. it never gets out and continues to cut your lungs every time you breathe.

also, 4mm is too thick. i have doen 5mm, 4mm, and 3mm chassis. i never thought the 3mm would be thick enough but i have 3mm carbon on all my truggies and buggies and never had an issue. plus it saves the most weight. if you go 4mm you wont be saving much weight plus it is much harder to work with. also, it doesnt flex at all and this hurts the performance of the buggy. you want a little flex and the 3mm works perfect.

for the kickup needed on the front end of the chassis you can use a propane torch to heat it up from a few inches away. practice on scrap piece first. once it gets hot enough you can bend it, clamp it to the stock aluminum chassis, and let it cool. then you have the same angle kickup as the stock unit and if you do it right the carbon will not lose its integrity. one thing with carbon chassis just be sure to run your chassis brace in the front and the rear. the only time i broke one was when running without a rear chassis brace. just like an alum. chassis would bend dramatically without a rear chassis brace. but carbon breaks, not bends.

anyway, hope some of my experience helps. i still make all my own chassis out of carbon to this day. i keep different thicknesses of carbon on hand at all times and always use it for custom parts. it is a great material. it is not the easiest to work with. you need very tough bits. they need to be tungsten carbide or they will just melt and be dull in like 1 minute. even with good bits you will go through a few of them most likely.

good luck and keep us update on your progress.

oh, another tip. cut your carbon chassis slightly large and then clamp to the stock chassis and use a round sanding bit in a dremel and sand around the edges. the sander takes the carbon down very quickly but stops when you hit the alum. you end up with a perfect looking carbon chassis. referring to the stock unit will help you get everything in the right place and provide a good format. but dont be afraid to try something new. i have taken parts from different kits that i like and mixed them. in fact the truggy and buggy i run are essentially losi 8ights with the AE rc8 center driveline and center diff. i prefer the AE driveline assembly over the losi one and so i maid my kits that way.

[Semi Pro]

great looking cented diff top plate james, i really need to get around to makeing one

[Ryu James]

thanks Semi Pro. its actually a top plate and diff mount for the RC8. i used it cuz its carbon but also cuz i like how the brake rods both sit over the top plate instead of one over and one under like the losi. i used a losi smart diff with RC8 outdrives and it fit perfect with the rc8 diff mount and plate. i just drilled holes in my chassis to match the mount. but you could easily cut one for your top plate on your losi. do you ever make small parts out of carbon? i know you are big into the carbon and was wondering if you have ever tried working with it, where you buy it, etc. are you integra over on rctech?

[Semi Pro]

im not on rctech

i have made alot out of carbon in the past, not just for rc but also for cars, i just never seem to find the time to make the parts anymore