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lneidlinger
Member
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2011
- Messages
- 71
- Reaction score
- 1
- Points
- 8
- Location
- Kalamazoo, MI
- Vehicle Year
- 1991
- Make / Model
- Ford
- Engine Size
- 4.0
- Transmission
- Automatic
This is something I have been working on for a while now. Many different variations but I think I've nailed it pretty darn well now.
I decided to use an erector set I obtained in my youth, but quickly found that many of the parts had gotten up and walked away. The search began for a supplementary set. Turns out my dad had bought me apparently the most expensive set they make. Figures. I eventually found one located in the states mostly complete and on the cheap.
At first I was going for a more traditional drive train. I kinda went all out and way overbuilt it with an integy aluminum drive shaft, coil over sprung solid rear axle with independent front suspension. It flexed pretty good with the frame the length of a bus, but I was not happy with that and the whole drive train was just not cooperating.
So I tore it in half and rethunk it.
So this is where I am at now. Much shorter wheelbase with a trans axle setup. The motor is a simple 12 turn 550 motor, way overpowered for this setup, but it has some definite get up and go paired with a 7.2V 3000mah battery. Its in one tire fire mode right now and even so it will lift up the front end and take off. With those tires and the 1/2" at best ground clearance off the transaxle you aren't going to do much off roading.
Front suspension
Front flexing a bit.
Some detail.
Rear solid axle flexing a bit. I had to do some brain storming, hair pulling, and then button mashing to figure out how to keep a solid rear axle centered with coil overs. Its harder than it sounds, especially with erector set. This idea came, funnily enough, courteous of the Ford Electric Ranger. Its called (...ironically enough...) Watt's linkage.
I decided to use an erector set I obtained in my youth, but quickly found that many of the parts had gotten up and walked away. The search began for a supplementary set. Turns out my dad had bought me apparently the most expensive set they make. Figures. I eventually found one located in the states mostly complete and on the cheap.
At first I was going for a more traditional drive train. I kinda went all out and way overbuilt it with an integy aluminum drive shaft, coil over sprung solid rear axle with independent front suspension. It flexed pretty good with the frame the length of a bus, but I was not happy with that and the whole drive train was just not cooperating.
So I tore it in half and rethunk it.
So this is where I am at now. Much shorter wheelbase with a trans axle setup. The motor is a simple 12 turn 550 motor, way overpowered for this setup, but it has some definite get up and go paired with a 7.2V 3000mah battery. Its in one tire fire mode right now and even so it will lift up the front end and take off. With those tires and the 1/2" at best ground clearance off the transaxle you aren't going to do much off roading.
Front suspension
Front flexing a bit.
Some detail.
Rear solid axle flexing a bit. I had to do some brain storming, hair pulling, and then button mashing to figure out how to keep a solid rear axle centered with coil overs. Its harder than it sounds, especially with erector set. This idea came, funnily enough, courteous of the Ford Electric Ranger. Its called (...ironically enough...) Watt's linkage.
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