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In addition to being easy to build, this chassis will handle just great with anything from an LMP Sports body to an Ultimate WSC.
Building basics:-
Before starting identify all components and ensure you know which bit is which. Decide which motor brace you are going to use (Cobalt or C can) and which pillar blocks are good for your set up. The higher pillar blocks are for standard 64 pitch gear sizes to39t, the small blocks are designed for use with 15mm 64 pitch gears only.
Cut the components from the main chassis frame using a Dremel or similar cutter. Clean all laser cut surfaces of any “laser burn” prior to soldering.
When assembling the chassis use a good soft solder with a silver content (the best is JK) and good flux (Stay Clean or Lucky Bob’s is great).
You will note from the two pictures that the Pans in the laser cut are “back to front“, with the front of the pans facing towards the rear of the chassis, ensure you turn them round before assembly! Also ensure the main frame of the chassis is the right way up before you start soldering in components. This may sound a dumb tip but many people have only realised their centre section is upside down after they have built and cleaned their wonderful new chassis and then tried to fit the motor!
Before assembly it is an idea to radius and polish the outside top and bottom edges of the outer chassis rails and Polish the inner surface. This will enhance the flex of the chassis and also give it more strength due to polishing out any rough surfaces. Also radius the leading edge of the “horns” on the fron T bar.
1) Start by soldering the Guide tongue to the centre section of the chassis, use 16g piano wire in the two pilot holes to align the two components, this will also strengthen the assembly if / when you take a wall shot.
2) Solder in place the front tee bar cross brace and guide tongue upstop., take care to clean any solder or residue from the upstop pin holes.
3) Solder in the rear upstops (note you have 2 spares – don‘t lose them!).
4) Solder Pintube mounts to the Pans and solder in stainless pin tubes. Solder brass ferrules to the end of the pin tubes as per pictures below. This stops the body creeping down the pin tubes!
5) Cut and bend piano wire upstop pins. Use 0.055” piano wire to make the pins for the front and rear upstops, bend and solder as shown.
6) Solder in the pillar blocks and motor brace of your choice. If using the cobalt motor brace, trim as desired.
7) Cut and bend pan tie from 0.016” piano wire and solder across pans as shown.
Scrub your new chassis to remove all traces of flux and crud. Polish for a professional finish. Fit ballraces or rear bearings, motor, guide and front wheels of your choice etc. and GO RACING.
Note:- The guide tongue is designed with a little sprung up/down movement, this works very well especially on bumpy tracks, however this may be removed by putting a brass shim between the top of the guide tongue and the cross brace/guide upstop.
Try your chassis first with the optional pan inserts in place. If the chassis handles well but feels “boggy”, take the optional inserts out with a Dremel and then try. (You can always solder them back later if you change body styles or tracks). Racers on particularly fast tracks or racing lower downforce bodies may find the chassis a little “taily”, if this is the case, carefully remove a portion of the inner pans at the rear of the chassis.
We apologise for the standard of the “Built Photo’s”. The Chassis in question is ABS’s personal car and pics were taken after an evenings particularly hard racing and there was no time to clean of the crud (that’s our excuse anyway!)
Note the lead ballast, this may be required for some tracks, but not on fast, banked circuits.
Build this car as per the pic’s and you will have one fast, strong chassis. This may sound strange but the Viper needs a bit of “running” before it settles down on the track. You will find a gradual improvement in performance over the first 2-3 hours of track time.
Enjoy your racing!
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