Well some more pictures because the HPI 24mm Hex Adapters finally came in. These are pretty nice, much better than the ProLine stuff, but not sure if they'll cut it or not as they have some of the basic problems due to the axle.
Nonetheless here is a pic of the comparison showing the difference between the HPI 24mm hex adapters and the ProLine 23mm hex adapters (wrapped with metal tape). The HPI units are definetly bigger and beefier. The pin area has plenty of material surrounding it so should help some of the issues I was having with the ProLine units where the pin would end up spinning inside the adapter. See the
http://picasaweb.google.com/thzerodo...27172706040626. The HPI nut is also segregated which is a nice touch.
Note that the ProLine adapters do not spin freely when you slide them onto the axle. I've tried using different lubes (Gorilla Snot being the best) to try and allow them to slide on and off easier but to no avail. The HPI adapters spin and slide on the axle freely so there should not be any issues.
And then another shot of yet more damage caused by ProLine adapter issues...
Here's also my current thoughts on a design to allow the 24mm hex adapters from the Baja to fit on the Savage. Why? Well because the Baja units have a pin through design, and also a 4mm pin vs. a 2.8mm, which should help keep the pin from spinning inside the hex adapter and causing damage ala the ProLine unit from the link above. Also it would perhaps help strengthen the axle where it is weakest (i.e. where the hex nut screws onto the axle).
Drawing of how a system might be constructed to allow the Savage axle to support using the 24mm hex adapters for the Baja. The Savage axle is 8mm, but the Baja hex adapters expect a 12mm axle. So we basically have a 12mm OD (8mm ID) sleeve that slides over the Savage axle, and a endcap that screws onto the Savage axle. The Savage axle would need the pin hole bored out to 4mm rather than 2.8mm it currently is to utilize the 4mm pins from the Baja.
The other way to go is to just get some custom C-hubs made that will take a 24x12mm bearing (as opposed the 16x8mm bearing from the Savage) and run some custom dogbones that will have one ball for the Savage diff cups and one for the Baja axle cups.