Cutting down a motor shaft help needed

[jpoprock]

Hey all... I have a 1515 2.5d Heli motor with fan that I'm putting in my ERBE or my XXL Conversion, but the shaft is too long. I need to cut some of it off.

I don't know for sure if there is a "standard" length that is used for Truck motors? From what I can tell, the shaft should stick out from the can about 13/16th's of an inch. Which means I need to cut just a hair under 1/2" off the shaft.

Now, I could drill a hole thru the motor plate, to allow for the extra length, but that might be a dumb idea. I don't know which is worse, cutting the end of the shaft down, or drilling a hole in the plate to allow for the extra length. I also need to grind a flat spot on the shaft for a pinion.

I tried to mark the shaft last night for where I need to cut it, by wrapping some tape around it. But I can't get the tape to stick. Not even Gorilla tape. So, what now? Plus, even if I could, the tape can slide around. Maybe I can put a Sharpie mark on the shaft good enuff for me to see where I'm suppose to cut, and just cut. I plan on using a dremel with a cut off wheel to do the job.

Another question... should I be concerned with the shaft heating up while being cut? I know I need to block all the holes to the motor to keep debris out, but I wasn't sure about the heat. I have a wire heatsink I can put on the shaft if it's a big deal. I'm hoping I"m able to cut thru this pretty quickly, minimizing heat.

So, any advice you have for me, to do this job right, would be appreciated!

J

[Bondonutz]

If you decide to put the motor in the XXL which would be the better truck and more up to the task you would not need to cut the shaft down at all.

If you decide to cut the shaft, just cut a little at a time and let it cool.

[jpoprock]

Man, tough call then. It could be months before I'm ready to start on the XXL. And if I don't cut it down now, It will be another 2-3 weeks before I get my other 1515 2.5 back from Neu. So, if it's cut down, will it still fit in the XXL? I'm assuming so, because most "truck" motors don't have long shafts like the Heli's. So, I suppose I'll cut it off. A little bit at a time is better than just lopping a half inch off? Buy doing that, isn't that just way more time consuming? If I cut it once, or maybe undershoot the first cut, to make sure I don't take MORE than I should, I know that I need to watch for "flex" in the cutting disc so that it cuts straight. I suppose that after I'm done, I can put the end to the grinder, and gently round out and clean up the end right??

Thanks Bro!

[Bondonutz]

Originally Posted by jpoprock

Man, tough call then. It could be months before I'm ready to start on the XXL. And if I don't cut it down now, It will be another 2-3 weeks before I get my other 1515 2.5 back from Neu. So, if it's cut down, will it still fit in the XXL? I'm assuming so, because most "truck" motors don't have long shafts like the Heli's. So, I suppose I'll cut it off. A little bit at a time is better than just lopping a half inch off? Buy doing that, isn't that just way more time consuming? If I cut it once, or maybe undershoot the first cut, to make sure I don't take MORE than I should, I know that I need to watch for "flex" in the cutting disc so that it cuts straight. I suppose that after I'm done, I can put the end to the grinder, and gently round out and clean up the end right??

Thanks Bro!

Man beleive me, No one get more antsy than myself when It comes to wanting to get a truck prodject going. But the final decidion is all yours.
I forsee the heli motor and 6s making short work of the revo drive train ???
Gonna be like putting a Top Fuel Engine in a Go-cart
"I gotta wait 2-3 weeks" Waaaa LOL.
Cutting the shaft safely without getting it to hot is going to take a little bit of time, Some things can't be rushed. Yes after you cut the shaft to fit the revo it will still work in the XXL conversion.
Why months befor the XXL is up and running, thought you had all the parts already ? Build it all you need the TD Racing mount and a Bat tray ????? Or am I missing something.

[jpoprock]

Nah... it's the same exact motor that I was running before. a 1515 2.5d, only it's got a fan on the end, and there is enuff clearance for it. Remember, my Revo has the RCM hybrid diff's, and KD Steel center shafts. It was fine before, and it'll be fine now. If I gear appropriately, I won't have any issues. I'm not going to be geared for speed, but for bashing. Lesson learned from last time!

However, it's still not been determined what caused that old ESC to flame out. Since the motor shorted too, it seems to be the likely problem, which fried my ESC. It just so happened that I was overgeared for the tires I was running, but since I didn't really get much time to run them, I think the problem was the motor. Had the motor not shorted, it would have been a matter of time before I killed that ESC because I wouldn't have remembered to change my gearing. I'm so used to running Nitro, that I totally spaced that little detail... and I KNOW better. Oh well.

[jpoprock]

Bro.. yes, I do have all the parts, but they are in a heaping pile. And I've never taken a Losi vehicle apart before, much less put one back together. Even though I'm experienced in doing so on almost all Traxxas vehicles and do so quickly, it's always slow going with a new veh. Plus, I can almost guarantee that I'm going to need more screws (Tony's?) plus I think I might convert over to Revo 3 & 4mm screws where applicable (some will need tapped for 4mm, mostly the shock tower mounts). I do need to order the motor mount, etc. But given how busy I am with everything, it's likely to take me a while to get the build done. Plus, factoring the misc parts that I may find that I don't have and need to order. I'm not yet sure just what all I have to be honest. I'm going to be going thru it all, cleaning it up, organizing, and starting from there. But it's gonna RAWK!

[Bondonutz]

Same KV ? Then I was cornfused, sorry dude. I was thinking it was a crazy bigger motor,my bad. Ben talking with another buddy about a used NEU he wants to get must got them mixed up.
Yeah then throw it in and go for it !
Have you heard from Castle about the ESC malfunction, as to why ?
Not saying impossible but the likelyhood of the root of your prob was the ESC not the motor ?

[jpoprock]

Yeah, Same KV. Nope, I didn't hear from CC was to what the problem was exactly, and will never know. That thing looked like it had just re-entered the atmosphere, so I doubt they were able to get much info out of it.

It bothers me though, because I'll never know why.

The nice thing is, I'll be able to hook the new on up to CastleLink and load my last used settings from the old one. That might give me some clues as to what could have been set wrong if anything.

So, you think I should set my timing to Normal or Low then? And I want the Reverse Lockout setting right? What about Braking %, Drag Brake? Maybe that's for another thread....

[Bondonutz]

I think you'll want low timing, consider starting another thread asking the general consensus of the members. Especially those guys who are running 6s and a M.M.M.
Or send a PM to BrianG., his words and wisdom or second to none.
Start with Punch control at 50% to start with, All the other settings are going to be your preference.

[jpoprock]

Well, got my shaft cut down wonderfully. Looks almost factory! Next up is grinding a flat spot for the pinion, and I'll be ready to solder on some new ends and rawk!

J

[suicideneil]

Stick the motor shaft through a plastic bag to proect it from filling up with the metal filings (since they will be magnetically attracted to the rotor). An elastic band will help too around the shaft to secure the bag in place.