65LikesTC3 Forum
08-20-2003, 09:47 PM
#5866
Tech Master
Alright this is the best I can do with a straight edge directly over the motor screws, there is a little gap but I know this is from my chassis scrubbing the track(rough parkinglot).
Last edited by webspinner; 08-20-2003 at 09:57 PM.
08-20-2003, 09:56 PM
#5867
Tech Master
Originally posted by Nevada
Proudwinner, under the rear suspension mount(near the bumper). The best way to check it is by using a droop gauge. Make sure that both sides are even. Check droop at very end of the a-arm on the back side. set it at 5mm. Then place your chassis on a flat board. Using a ride height gauge check the same point of the rear a-arm. If the left is 5mm and the right is 5.5mm then your chassis is bent.
At the end of racedays my chassis is bent about 1mm.
Proudwinner, under the rear suspension mount(near the bumper). The best way to check it is by using a droop gauge. Make sure that both sides are even. Check droop at very end of the a-arm on the back side. set it at 5mm. Then place your chassis on a flat board. Using a ride height gauge check the same point of the rear a-arm. If the left is 5mm and the right is 5.5mm then your chassis is bent.
At the end of racedays my chassis is bent about 1mm.
, straight as it gets, especially being that thick) and then check the distance between the ends of the arms and yes there is a differance but that doesn't mean it is the chassis, it can also be the arm blocks, the hinge pins, bent arm or a combination/s of these, not just the chassis.
08-20-2003, 10:53 PM
#5868
proudwinner is right:
are you talking about an uneven backside or bent chassis on the rear?
i also have to ask this question:
graphite chassis or plastic(composite)?plastic is prone to warping at high temperatures and high stress(clamping forces).
my graphite bottom deck is still flat after 2 years of use,abuse,neglect and love.
if u have an uneven rear,there are far too many factors , but if u give us more details maybe we can nail it.
are you talking about an uneven backside or bent chassis on the rear?
i also have to ask this question:
graphite chassis or plastic(composite)?plastic is prone to warping at high temperatures and high stress(clamping forces).
my graphite bottom deck is still flat after 2 years of use,abuse,neglect and love.
if u have an uneven rear,there are far too many factors , but if u give us more details maybe we can nail it.
08-20-2003, 10:59 PM
#5869
had a look on the other tc3 thread,looks like i wasnt the only guy replacing the imperial screws with metric screws.M3 almost everywhere imaginable.
they are far tighter,and thus stronger.highly recommended.
please ignore the irrelevant stuff(i wanted to sell the car,but is still unwanted after electric season started)
they are far tighter,and thus stronger.highly recommended.
please ignore the irrelevant stuff(i wanted to sell the car,but is still unwanted after electric season started)
08-20-2003, 11:27 PM
#5870
Tech Master
I know I'm right Lee, the only way I see someone warping a chassis is if the motor is getting super hot from wrong gearing and/or wrong gear mesh and that combined with not using the spring on the outer motor bolt. Again people, it doesn't take 8 turns on that motor bolt to tighten the clamp, just enough to where the motor heatsink/clamp touches the motor cam and then another .5 turn to secure it-IMO there's no way this will war the chassis as there's enough support on the chassis to accomodate this-AE did their research, go by the book and use 2.5 turns and quit worry about chassis warpness people-it's CRAZY!
Last edited by webspinner; 08-20-2003 at 11:41 PM.
08-21-2003, 12:00 AM
#5871
Tech Master
One more chassis pic for the record, I do not see any warpness in my chassis.
08-21-2003, 06:38 AM
#5872
When is there going to be a new associated touring car???
B4........Out already
T4..........Coming soon
TC4........????
I still love my tc3, but after running one for 4yrs i'd really love a new associated tc4.
B4........Out already
T4..........Coming soon
TC4........????
I still love my tc3, but after running one for 4yrs i'd really love a new associated tc4.
08-21-2003, 07:50 AM
#5873
Originally posted by snoopy
When is there going to be a new associated touring car???
B4........Out already
T4..........Coming soon
TC4........????
I still love my tc3, but after running one for 4yrs i'd really love a new associated tc4.
When is there going to be a new associated touring car???
B4........Out already
T4..........Coming soon
TC4........????
I still love my tc3, but after running one for 4yrs i'd really love a new associated tc4.
08-21-2003, 07:53 AM
#5874
Since that warped chassis makes you so much slower... can i run my Tamiya TAO2 with friction shocks and hope for a chance at passin ya in a race?! 
Just kiddin guys... LOL I have hacked and cut TC3 chassis for years in every which way BUT tweaked. So i dont think the "tweak" is from cutting the chassis and weakening it. Heat... most likely. My experience... heating these composites can actually separate the individual fibers that hold the composite together. Take a heat gun to an old piece of broken suspension arm... or try and cut a chassis too fast with a dremel bit when you are doing some work to it. Heck, just heat it with your soldering iron! It doesnt really melt like nylon, ABS, or other plastics do. It either becomes brittle or weak to the point it will break (when heated beyond the temperature it takes to reform the composite) or flex (because the fibers used to strengthen the plasic into a composite are separated away from the "resin" by heat not hot enough to remold it into another shape... fibers remold at a higher temperature than the "resin" around it) even more. Almost like the chassis composite has no "memory" of its previous shape once it has been heated. Similar to a malleable metal... add force or heat of varying temperature (whatever the melting point of that particular metal may be) and it will remold to another shape. NON-malleable metals, once cast or machined, cannot be reformed (into a useable part) by heat or force... and therefore, have shape "memory". All plasics used in R/C are malleable (generally), save Delrin from that list. (correct me if i am wrong) I think those of you who continue to use a heat gun to "bend" your chassis to previous specs, because motor heat once again warped the chassis, are causing the individual particles that form the composite to separate and making the chassis tweak (bend) even easier from run to run. The answer? I think the fans alot of drivers are installing on the cars is a step in the right direction. Car tech for a while far surpassed the electronic tech that propelled them. Now, with the motors available and the batteries to run them for extended amounts of time... chassis tech seems to need to catch up to be durable enough for the rigors of racing we put them through. I mean geez, we are talking temps in excess of 200 degrees on plastics that need to be flexible enough to not break on a regular basis, and stiff enough to give good driver response, resistance to heat and again... durability.
Proudwinner... looking at your pic i see no warpage. I always checked my chassis when it was fully disassembled though... a ruler similar to yours, and a flat piece of glass to see if it "rocks" like grandma from one corner to another. I will have to assemble the car like yours in the pic... and try it to see if there is a difference.
Something else you guys with a supposed tweak problem may want to consider. The steering linkage from servo to steering rack... and the links going to the steering knuckles from the rack need to be just right. If your EPA on your transmitter is WAY off to get "equal" mechanical steering left and right, then the response from your servo will not be the same from left to right... even if it all looks like it is ok. If it takes 45 to lock left and 80 to lock right... your servo will not respond linearly. It will be like you have a negative curve in servo response going right, and a positive curve in servo response going left. This may translate in your brain as a "hook" caused by tweak when turning left... when in all actuality it isnt. For those of you who have radios with no EPA settings to adjust... then this is going to be a big issue for you. This is another reason i lowered the servo in my TC3... it brings the servo arm lower, lowering the link going to the rack. When combined with proper servo arm placement on the output shaft of the servo and proper link length going to the rack, it enables me to have my EPA for steering only 5 apart for lock to lock left and right. (62L and 67R on my M8, respectively) As long as your links going to the steering knuckles from the rack are the same, all else being ok, you will see a marked inprovement in linear response from your servo, right to left. Just food for thought. I mean heck... if you can raise or lower your camber link 1/16 of an inch and feel a traction difference, dont you think the same changes would apply to your servo linkage?!
Hope this helps...
- Dave
Just kiddin guys... LOL I have hacked and cut TC3 chassis for years in every which way BUT tweaked. So i dont think the "tweak" is from cutting the chassis and weakening it. Heat... most likely. My experience... heating these composites can actually separate the individual fibers that hold the composite together. Take a heat gun to an old piece of broken suspension arm... or try and cut a chassis too fast with a dremel bit when you are doing some work to it. Heck, just heat it with your soldering iron! It doesnt really melt like nylon, ABS, or other plastics do. It either becomes brittle or weak to the point it will break (when heated beyond the temperature it takes to reform the composite) or flex (because the fibers used to strengthen the plasic into a composite are separated away from the "resin" by heat not hot enough to remold it into another shape... fibers remold at a higher temperature than the "resin" around it) even more. Almost like the chassis composite has no "memory" of its previous shape once it has been heated. Similar to a malleable metal... add force or heat of varying temperature (whatever the melting point of that particular metal may be) and it will remold to another shape. NON-malleable metals, once cast or machined, cannot be reformed (into a useable part) by heat or force... and therefore, have shape "memory". All plasics used in R/C are malleable (generally), save Delrin from that list. (correct me if i am wrong) I think those of you who continue to use a heat gun to "bend" your chassis to previous specs, because motor heat once again warped the chassis, are causing the individual particles that form the composite to separate and making the chassis tweak (bend) even easier from run to run. The answer? I think the fans alot of drivers are installing on the cars is a step in the right direction. Car tech for a while far surpassed the electronic tech that propelled them. Now, with the motors available and the batteries to run them for extended amounts of time... chassis tech seems to need to catch up to be durable enough for the rigors of racing we put them through. I mean geez, we are talking temps in excess of 200 degrees on plastics that need to be flexible enough to not break on a regular basis, and stiff enough to give good driver response, resistance to heat and again... durability.Proudwinner... looking at your pic i see no warpage. I always checked my chassis when it was fully disassembled though... a ruler similar to yours, and a flat piece of glass to see if it "rocks" like grandma from one corner to another. I will have to assemble the car like yours in the pic... and try it to see if there is a difference.
Something else you guys with a supposed tweak problem may want to consider. The steering linkage from servo to steering rack... and the links going to the steering knuckles from the rack need to be just right. If your EPA on your transmitter is WAY off to get "equal" mechanical steering left and right, then the response from your servo will not be the same from left to right... even if it all looks like it is ok. If it takes 45 to lock left and 80 to lock right... your servo will not respond linearly. It will be like you have a negative curve in servo response going right, and a positive curve in servo response going left. This may translate in your brain as a "hook" caused by tweak when turning left... when in all actuality it isnt. For those of you who have radios with no EPA settings to adjust... then this is going to be a big issue for you. This is another reason i lowered the servo in my TC3... it brings the servo arm lower, lowering the link going to the rack. When combined with proper servo arm placement on the output shaft of the servo and proper link length going to the rack, it enables me to have my EPA for steering only 5 apart for lock to lock left and right. (62L and 67R on my M8, respectively) As long as your links going to the steering knuckles from the rack are the same, all else being ok, you will see a marked inprovement in linear response from your servo, right to left. Just food for thought. I mean heck... if you can raise or lower your camber link 1/16 of an inch and feel a traction difference, dont you think the same changes would apply to your servo linkage?!
Hope this helps...
- Dave
08-21-2003, 07:55 AM
#5875
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying theres anything wrong with the tc3, i still think it's a awesome car. Just that when you've been running it for so long it would be great to have something new. And i reckon that associated have the chance to make a great car better.
08-21-2003, 08:25 AM
#5876
Tech Master
Well said DaveW.
08-21-2003, 09:27 AM
#5878
I remember reading a wile back that AE was contemplating releasing an updated chassis utilizing the new, shifted battery slot location that lots of people have been milling their chassis to use... I guess they decided not to?
08-21-2003, 09:51 AM
#5879
This is what I did to my chassis. I made this brace and epoxied it here. I always secure the motor clamp just enough so the engine will stay put and I unscrew the motor clamp after each heat. My chassis has been milled extensively and I never had a tweak problem, my chassis always stayed flat as glass.
08-21-2003, 05:29 PM
#5880
Tech Fanatic
I have a trinity tc3 car stand with the cooling fan and I was wondering if it would work better to cool my motor having the fan blowing air up at the motor, or sucking air away from it?