Custom Carbon Fiber Brushless RC8T Pics

[Ryu James]

Originally Posted by pb4ugo

Didn't you buy this piece from Dave Inkel (D.A. Graphite)? He used to do chassis back in the day with the kick up molded in. I spoke with him about doing it for me a couple years ago and he said he could if I sent him the form. I never did because I decided it would be cheaper and more fun to do it myself.

dagraphite is who i bought my 5mm plate from but at the time they said they had no way of doing a piece with the kickup molded in. thats weird. either they just wanted to make money off me by having me pay for a custom mold or they have other molds patented by clients and wasnt able to use them for other jobs. all i know is, their work is impeccable and their carbon is Formula 1 quality.

how much did he quote you to do a custom piece? what do you mean "send him the form"? you mean the stock alum. chassis? which chassis' was he making with the kickup already molded in? have any pics or links to those chassis? more info would be appreciated. thanks.

[Ryu James]

Originally Posted by Spencer!

yes molding it that way from the start in the initial mold process is going to better and more structurally sound. However slighty heating and bending it 6-7 degrees should not hurt unless to much heat is added and the epoxy begins to bubble or distort.

i dont know, for the few attempts i might go through to get this right i might as well just pay the cash for a mold. i think it could work but the bend causes the cloth to wrinkle, ruining the smooth surface.

[pb4ugo]

Originally Posted by Ryu James

dagraphite is who i bought my 5mm plate from but at the time they said they had no way of doing a piece with the kickup molded in. thats weird. either they just wanted to make money off me by having me pay for a custom mold or they have other molds patented by clients and wasnt able to use them for other jobs. all i know is, their work is impeccable and their carbon is Formula 1 quality.

how much did he quote you to do a custom piece? what do you mean "send him the form"? you mean the stock alum. chassis? which chassis' was he making with the kickup already molded in? have any pics or links to those chassis? more info would be appreciated. thanks.

By form I meant the tool with the angle. It would have been a chunk of aluminum with the 7deg angle milled into it. If you talk to Robin (his wife) you will not get anywhere regarding custom work. Almost all e-mails are handled by Robin.

Back twenty years ago he was doing chassis for the RC-10, Ultima, and so on. He was forming them with the 30deg kick up those cars had (well, actually 20 on the Ultima). Many of the other brand aftermarket carbon fiber components were produced by D.A. Graphite. I don't remember specifics of the quote. I think he was just pricing it like his normal plates, just laid up on my tool instead.

Have you considered doing it yourself? Save you a ton of money.

[Ryu James]

pb4ugo,
well you are exactly right. i have been dealing working with Robin on everything i do with them. she just gave me daves number to day though so i plan to call him.

as far as those old designs that explains why when i asked them to make me a sheet with 7* kickup for my RC8T Robin said they could only do sheets with 20* or 30* angles on them. i considered going with the 20* but i bent an alum plate to see if it would work and it was way too steep to work with the RC8T.

i would actually like to talk to you a little more on this. i will pm you my number if you dont mind giving me a call.

[slimthelineman]

i know its for a losi but check this out http://www.matrixconceptsinc.com/

[Ryu James]

yeah, i have seen those. i dont like how they are a 3 piece design though. i think that would make it weaker. i have never raced one but the guys at Tekno race against drivers that use the Matrix chassis and say they have held up great.

i have another carbon plate coming next week that i will be using to build a chassis for my RC8T and my Losi 8t. these will have the kickup molded into the plate and be 3.2mm so that there will be flex. i am hoping this will be the right combination to be a great setup. last time the 5mm plate was just too stiff. i have test the 3mm carbon and it flexes nearly the same as an alum 3-4mm chassis. cant wait to get these built. i will post the results.

[Chadworkz]

I know this is a little bit old, but I just wanted to mention that the method Matrix uses to build their CF kick-up chassis is just as strong as a regular sheet of CF. They use a bonding agent that is stronger than the CF itself, and the aluminum inserts are just plain awesome...they keep the droop screws from digging into the CF causing rough holes, and help in other areas where parts will me moved around a lot, such as the motor-mount etc..

Anyway, Ryu, awesome build and work on your CF chassis, and everything else you did...excellent job! I work with CF quite often, and know its pitfalls and benefits, and even know, or have discovered, quite a few tips and tricks to use when working with it.

I am actually getting ready to start building my own custom brushless CF E-Maxx Truggy (LCG) Chassis (with kick-up) and custom brushless CF Revo Truggy (LCG) Chassis (with front kick-up & rear kick-down), so keep an eye out for those threads.

[Ryu James]

Originally Posted by Chadworkz

I know this is a little bit old, but I just wanted to mention that the method Matrix uses to build their CF kick-up chassis is just as strong as a regular sheet of CF. They use a bonding agent that is stronger than the CF itself, and the aluminum inserts are just plain awesome...they keep the droop screws from digging into the CF causing rough holes, and help in other areas where parts will me moved around a lot, such as the motor-mount etc..

Anyway, Ryu, awesome build and work on your CF chassis, and everything else you did...excellent job! I work with CF quite often, and know its pitfalls and benefits, and even know, or have discovered, quite a few tips and tricks to use when working with it.

I am actually getting ready to start building my own custom brushless CF E-Maxx Truggy (LCG) Chassis (with kick-up) and custom brushless CF Revo Truggy (LCG) Chassis (with front kick-up & rear kick-down), so keep an eye out for those threads.

Hey Chad,
thanks for the post. i had no idea that much work went into the matrix chassis'. they sound like they are very solid and i have only heard good things about them. i havent worked with carbon for a while now but only because i havent been doing any builds. i have held off RC spending for $ reasons for the time being but i have my sights set on my next project and i will be doing lots of carbon work on it. i plan to convert the new 1/5 MCD RaceRunner V4 that just came out. i am waiting for the ultimate version to come out though which is due this fall. the chassis on the MCD is flat and caster is achieved through the gearbox parts instead of bending the chassis. so it will be a perfect candidate for a carbon chassis that wont require any bending. for those of you who havent seen the V4 yet you got to check it out. they have stretched it to the same length as the Baja 5B now but of course it has 4wd. should be sick!
anyway, Chad, if you are willing to share i would love to hear what things you do to work with carbon. have you found a good way to CNC it? if you dont want to post PM me at least. i have done a lot of stuff with carbon but have yet to perfect the process. the last time i had it on the CNC i was still running into issues of fraying etc. any tips you can give would be much appreciated. thanks.

[Urgeoner]

Hey Ryu, awesome thread. I am going to buy some CF for my muggy. what thickness would you think be suitable? And is quasi isotropic necessary? I was just thinking 2x2 twill.
Matt

[Chadworkz]

I'll write a longer and more detailed post about this when I get a chance, but the two main things you need to do when milling carbon-fiber is; [1] keep it wet, soapy water works best because it stays on the CF longer instead of just running off, or [2] put a layer of tape on both sides before cutting. You can use multiple strips of masking tape if you want, but the best option is to use a large, single piece of mask instead...it is comonly used in painting, where the mask is put on and then a design trimmed out of it.