Yeah, I'm gonna have to. I didn't figure there was a way to know what it was visually. It's hard as a rock though! So I think it might be really good stuff.

So, Ray's shocks are the dual rate RC Raven ones then too? I was thinking of getting a couple sets of those myself. I'm not UNhappy with the stockers, but I'd like to get either shock covers, or diff color springs just for looks.

I had a bearing blow in my LST2 last week, and now something else is wrong with the truck. I've tore both HD diff's apart AND the tranny and found nothing! But when I drive it, I get a clicking sound like it's a blown gear... but there aren't any. So.. I'm not sure if that is a bearing going bad somewhere, or what. I can't seem to duplicate it while it's upside down, or manually spinning the tires myself. It only happens when the car is on the ground driving. Maybe I don't need to be concerned, but it bothers me that a strange sound is present that wasn't there before. I just can't find the source!

It might be something else but it sounds like a pinion has broken a tooth or two in one of the diffs. It's hard to see sometimes. You have to open the diff cases and clean the ring gear and pinion and inspect thoroughly. Use a magnifying glass if you have to.

I tore a tranny apart and rebuilt it once because of a noise. I put it back in the truck and still had the same darn noise. It turns out it was a rock stuck in the spur gear, and I rebuilt my tranny for nothing.

Start with the small easy to get at stuff before you dismantle your whole truck!

I'm pretty sure my diff gears aren't blown. I inspected them pretty closely. Usually it's the output pinion that has broken teeth. But when I didn't see any, I inspected the gears inside the cups. Nothing! I even took the rear diff apart twice! I'll look for rocks next. Beyod that, I may swap diffs as well as carriers with stockers to see if it goes away.

Swapped my rear diff for a brand new diff, and no more clicking noise!! So I took a third look at my old diff and found it wasn't from broken teeth... But a section of three or four slightly stripped teeth! They had meat on them (but were clearly flatter at a certain angle) then the others. So even though there was a mesh, it was causing slip under torque.

Smooth as silk now though!

does anybody know if the rc raven springs will fit integy LST shocks?

I made the top chassis plate with wings. I like it. I wish it was CF but I didn't have any left so it is aluminum. It is 42 grams heavier than the stock plate. I thought I had bad bearings on the truck. It wasn't the bearings, it was two CVDs with cracked and broken parts.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...ate_wings5.jpg http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...ate_wings6.jpg http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...ate_wings7.jpg http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...ate_wings8.jpg http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...ate_wings9.jpg http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...te_wings10.jpg

No more brackets for the battery boxes, the top chassis plate and small aluminum angles is what holds the boxes real solid like.

Effing WOW! That is nothing short of amazing! Dude, I didn't think it could be done, but you have topped yourself yet again! Now, as soon as you get some more CF and remake it out of CF, I will probably just quit making parts because clearly you are the KING!

Nooooo! Hang on, how can he kill himself more than once? :lol:

That looks factory its so well done, beats the heck out of the actual factory conversion :yes:

Ray... Do you trace the template over the aluminum by hand, with that knife shown in the picture, then put it on your router? Do you use the same type of bit (Tungston) that you use for cutting your CF? I'm just asking if that router table method is the same for aluminum as it is for CF. Thanks!

Man... that truck is AMAZING now! I can't believe how great your new idea looks! The only thing about it that I don't understand at all, and quite possibly could never come close to duplicating, are the angle brackets. I have no clue how you made them!

So, you got this angle iron at Home Depot then? WHen you buy stuff like this, does it come in one long strip? Then did you have to drill the holes and bend it into shape? I can't believe you were able to make such precise bends with such a small amount of material?

I traced on the aluminum with a hobby knife and punched where the screw holes are with a centering punch. I used a print out of the drawing I made of the chassis, it is pretty accurate judging at how all the holes lined up with no problems.
Yes I used the router table with a Tungsten carbide bit, the same I use for CF. BUT with aluminum, the bit needs a lot of lubrication (I used a can of WD40) so that the aluminum doesn't heat up and gum up the bit. It was pain staking work to spray some lubricant and cut for half an inch then spray some more lubricant and cut another half inch. Sometimes I had to stop and clean the bit of the aluminum that was stuck in the teeth. It was very messy and the shards of aluminum left from the cuts were very sharp. I managed to finish the pieces but the router is not the best method to cut aluminum if you ask me.
If you have someone you know who can CNC machine it that is the best way. I think I can export the drawings I made in DXF or DWG files that can be used by a machinist. I never tried to have a CNC program read the exported drawings so I can't confirm if it would work. It might.
As for the aluminum angle, yes it was bought at Home Depot in a 36 or 48 inch strip. I make the cuts I need and make the bends using a big vise and a hammer. I do it carefully so that the alu doesn't crack too much.