The Matrix Concepts carbon fiber losi 8ight chassis

[montyjcm]

Good to hear... I am sticking with stock right now, but looking at options for a future upgrade. I really debating over whether or not to go with Tekno, Matrix, or the BCE chassis. CF has a lot of benefits though.. anyone know how they stack their laminas?

[sabongi]

i'm wondering about a CF chassis for the D8. Can anyone talk about difficulties on fabricating one? I seen toyeast and 3racing sells the sheets, probably 4mm would be fine. How about cutting and drilling?

[Semi Pro]

Originally Posted by sabongi

i'm wondering about a CF chassis for the D8. Can anyone talk about difficulties on fabricating one? I seen toyeast and 3racing sells the sheets, probably 4mm would be fine. How about cutting and drilling?

its not hard, easyer than aluminum but you will need to ware a dust mask when working with it

honestly i would look into getting a Ve8 chassis if i were you, im planing a buying a Ve8 soon to use as my new basher buggy

[Ryu James]

Originally Posted by sabongi

i'm wondering about a CF chassis for the D8. Can anyone talk about difficulties on fabricating one? I seen toyeast and 3racing sells the sheets, probably 4mm would be fine. How about cutting and drilling?

i have made over a dozen carbon chassis for my 1/8 buggies and truggies. it isnt too bad but does take time and you do need to wear a respirator mask at all times. not just one of those cotton paint masks but one of those rubber masks with replaceable filters. look in the paint section at home depot and you will find them. breathing carbon dust is like asbestos. it never gets out and continues to cut your lungs every time you breathe.

also, 4mm is too thick. i have doen 5mm, 4mm, and 3mm chassis. i never thought the 3mm would be thick enough but i have 3mm carbon on all my truggies and buggies and never had an issue. plus it saves the most weight. if you go 4mm you wont be saving much weight plus it is much harder to work with. also, it doesnt flex at all and this hurts the performance of the buggy. you want a little flex and the 3mm works perfect.

for the kickup needed on the front end of the chassis you can use a propane torch to heat it up from a few inches away. practice on scrap piece first. once it gets hot enough you can bend it, clamp it to the stock aluminum chassis, and let it cool. then you have the same angle kickup as the stock unit and if you do it right the carbon will not lose its integrity. one thing with carbon chassis just be sure to run your chassis brace in the front and the rear. the only time i broke one was when running without a rear chassis brace. just like an alum. chassis would bend dramatically without a rear chassis brace. but carbon breaks, not bends.

anyway, hope some of my experience helps. i still make all my own chassis out of carbon to this day. i keep different thicknesses of carbon on hand at all times and always use it for custom parts. it is a great material. it is not the easiest to work with. you need very tough bits. they need to be tungsten carbide or they will just melt and be dull in like 1 minute. even with good bits you will go through a few of them most likely.

good luck and keep us update on your progress.

oh, another tip. cut your carbon chassis slightly large and then clamp to the stock chassis and use a round sanding bit in a dremel and sand around the edges. the sander takes the carbon down very quickly but stops when you hit the alum. you end up with a perfect looking carbon chassis. referring to the stock unit will help you get everything in the right place and provide a good format. but dont be afraid to try something new. i have taken parts from different kits that i like and mixed them. in fact the truggy and buggy i run are essentially losi 8ights with the AE rc8 center driveline and center diff. i prefer the AE driveline assembly over the losi one and so i maid my kits that way.

[SnoopMaxx]

Where do you buy the CF plates ?
ohh nd great work on the chassis

[Ryu James]

Originally Posted by SnoopMaxx

Where do you buy the CF plates ?
ohh nd great work on the chassis

i buy all my stuff from DA-Graphite out of SanDiego. its not cheap but by far the best i have found, especially their fineweave sheets. they sell small pieces on ebay under the username graphite-girl but they arent large enough for a chassis. easiest thing to do is to email them at graphite-girl@cox.net and let them know what you need and they will give you a price. they only sell sheets in 18x24" unless you get the small ones on ebay. i found i can get 4 chassis out the 18x24" piece and then you get your moneys worth. they have worked with several RC people and are great to work with.

[SnoopMaxx]

Thanks