I hear you about the mill - I, too, can't justify that purchase for this hobby. So I've tried to do my best at fabricating parts with my limited tools - drill press, hack saws, files, dremel, etc. - by finding pieces of Al angle, u-channel, and sheet that fit my needs.

i too have cut many many things just with the hack saw. i built my SC truck completely with hand tools.

i found that when just holding onto the saw wearing a thick pair of work gloves on the saw hand works wonders for grip. and it also works better to flip the teeth and do the cutting on the pull stoke. since the blade is free it tends to bend a lot when pushing.

i also clamped angle stock to all my long cuts to keep straight lines.

I did some more work on one of my battery trays - they will have 1/8" Al angle at the front and back:

http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/y..._1371Small.jpg

http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/y..._1372Small.jpg

http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/y..._1384Small.jpg

I also finished the front shock tower - cut down feet, sway bar installed, mounting holes drilled and tapped for m4 screws:

http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/y..._1381Small.jpg

I saw those PVC channels you used and ordered some myself. The price sky rocketed after I ordered mine though.

I've seen the price go up and down dramatically on those channels - it's weird :neutral:

I've been waiting on this part:

http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/y..._1540Small.jpg


It's the Hobao Hyper 9e Steel Uni Center Drive Shaft (89339) and its overall length is about 8.5". It should work perfectly for my front center drive shaft, giving me a wheelbase of around 18". I'll get the front bulkheads together and then be able to fit this in and see where I want to cut the front of the chassis.

Edit: Here's how it looks on the chassis with the battery trays:

http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/y..._1543Small.jpg

http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/y..._1545Small.jpg

I wanted a solid stand-up servo mount, so I made this out of 3/16" Al angle:

http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/y..._1676Small.jpg

http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/y..._1677Small.jpg

http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/y..._1673Small.jpg

(and thanks to Jeff A (DwightSchrute) for the good deal on the servo for this build!)

Looking sweet Brian. I really like how much you're making on this instead of buying, like the shock towers and servo mount.

Glad you like the servo. :yes: that's one amazing build. wow! :surprised: The craftsmanship on your work is awsome, man.

Thanks guys - I guess I'm finding out just how many different parts I can make out of Aluminum angle - seems like just about anything! :wink:

Here's how the front of the chassis looks with the Hyper 9e driveshaft on the front diff - it gives me a wheelbase of 18" - just what I wanted:


http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/y..._1679Small.jpg

So, now I can cut the chassis to length and go from there.

I was able to cut the front of the chassis today - I left it long because I have an FG bumper that I need to mount on the front, so I'll cut it to its final length when I see how that's going to fit.

http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/y..._1681Small.jpg

I tried to bend the front to give it some kick-up, but this is some tough metal to bend. I have only been able to bend it a little over 1°, so either I'll leave it like that or take it to where I can use a larger vice and bend it more.

7075 is a very hard aluminium. careful in bending that plate because it might crack.

Yeah 7075 is pretty hard to bend. Try to make a curve rather than a corner- 1/2" diameter is the smallest curve I'd recommend for material that thick, 3/4" to be safe. Otherwise, like MM said, it might crack.

Edit: Actually I just went back through the thread and saw that it is 4mm thick ( I had thought it was 3mm), so definitely >3/4" diameter to avoid cracking. :smile:

Thanks for the advice, guys - I guess if I decide to bend this more I'll be a little more careful than when I've bent 6061 in the past.



:great: