| flm maxx chassis brace | carbon fiber | ofna cd | hacker c50 10xl |

[feistyacorn]

Originally Posted by ANGRY-ALIEN

Zeen... thanks man... that's another option I'll look into.

I just sent them a email, I will let you know what I hear. I almost forgot... That is one bad ass truck you have there!

[Chadworkz]

Where did you get the carbon-fiber that you used for this project, because the quality of it is very poor. I mean absolutely no disrespect, but it was the extremely poor quality of the carbon-fiber that caused it to shred and bur like that when cut by the CNC machine...if it had been higher-quality carbon-fiber, the cuts, holes, and counter-sinks would have been perfectly smooth, and both sides of the carbon-fiber would have been perfectly flat and shiny, not dull and rough/bumpy like what you used.

My personal opinion is, sell the current CF pieces to someone else to build a project out of, and cut new pieces out of high-quality carbon-fiber. What you need is 3k weave, bi-directional, glossy on both sides carbon-fiber. GraphiteGirl on eBay is the best place to buy CF...they lay-up their own sheets and do it the correct way, as well as have the best prices!

[ANGRY-ALIEN]

I got it from ebay... yeah... the quality is low... but it's what I could afford at the time (advertised single sided scraps)... I only recently found a CNC operator here,
so maybe when I do decide to change it, I'll look for a higher quality. Thanks for the advise..

Alien

[Chadworkz]

No problem...I work with carbon-fiber A LOT, so if you ever need any help or have any questions, feel free to ask.

I will say, though, now is the time to invest in some carbide cutting tools...carbide is the only thing that will cut carbon-fiber without wearing out. Sure, carbide tools will eventually wear out, but they last for a VERY LONG time!

I would grab a carbide M3 tap, carbide M4 tap, carbide ¼" 90° countersink bit, carbide ¼" 82° countersink bit, a couple different carbide jig-saw blades, a decent set of carbide drill bits, and maybe a carbide 1/8" end-mill bit. Carbide tools are a little expensive at first, but you will save a ton of money in the long run because you will never have to replace them, where-as you would have to replace standard tools pretty much after every couple hours or so of use.

And don't waste your money on titanium-nitride coated tools, they are decent for wood and soft metals like cheap aluminum, but they wear out fast on 6061 & 7075 aluminum, and they barely even work once on carbon-fiber before they are completely dull.

[ANGRY-ALIEN]

Noted

[JThiessen]

Originally Posted by Chadworkz

No problem...I work with carbon-fiber A LOT, so if you ever need any help or have any questions, feel free to ask.

Not trying to derail this thread, but I have a quesiton on CF cutting. I have never seen anyone speaking positive or negative on waterjetting of CF. Do you have any knowledge on this? Or laser cutting of it (might not be able to get a laser strong enough).

[ANGRY-ALIEN]

Originally Posted by JThiessen

Not trying to derail this thread, but I have a quesiton on CF cutting. I have never seen anyone speaking positive or negative on waterjetting of CF. Do you have any knowledge on this? Or laser cutting of it (might not be able to get a laser strong enough).

They are conversations on these topics below:

Laser cut carbon fiber?

Waterjet cutting carbon fiber

[Chadworkz]

Originally Posted by JThiessen

Not trying to derail this thread, but I have a quesiton on CF cutting. I have never seen anyone speaking positive or negative on waterjetting of CF. Do you have any knowledge on this? Or laser cutting of it (might not be able to get a laser strong enough).

With the right equipment, both methods return excellent results.

Check out the links that ANGRY-ALIEN posted above.

[ANGRY-ALIEN]

Hmmm... it's been some time since my last update on the build... I have been trying to work out designs for a new motor/cd mount to facility my 1520 beast and it has delayed the entire project,
but for now I'll make a small update... Although I've had great success with the proline control arms, I recently decided to employ a set of UE Widetrac arms... it's been a long time dream to own
a set of UE suspension arms (I still think UE parts though well designed and machined are little overpriced) and when I saw this set on ebay going for a 'reasonable' price, I didn't want to pass on
the opportunity. They were pre-owned and well used...

The the surface was well polished, but with use tiny holes were developed all over the rear arms... the lower undersides rear/front also suffered (did I mention these were well used?)... there was
some evidence of the arms making contact with the output cups... So some clean up was required before assemble and installation. I started the clean up with some wet 400 grip sand paper to rid the
surface of most of the holes and scratch marks... then I graduated to a 600 grit to smooth things out. Now, I'm not a big fan of super polished aluminum... So I used some steel whool and rubbed the
arms in one direction and finished it with Scotch Brite to achieve a 'brushed aluminum' effect... I think they turned out quite well... see pics below.




UE Widetrac Control Arms



The surface finish after sanding and good Scotch Brite rub



This pic illustrates the result of the arm making contact with an output cup



UE Widetrac Control Arms, UE Monoblock, FLM Bulks and UE Knucklehead shock towers






More update coming... 'Stay tuned'


Alien

[Chadworkz]

Looking good...UE Widetracks, UE Monoblock, UE Knucklehead Shock Tower Kit, UE Ultralites (with 6 ot 8-spiders), HCR Titanium Skids, Diemaker dave Wing-Mount, FLM Bulkheads...nice!

[Chadworkz]

Oh, if you decide you want the radically changed suspension geometry of the UE EXT Suspension (handles MUCH better), I have a complete kit, so just let me know...

[ANGRY-ALIEN]

Originally Posted by Chadworkz

Looking good...UE Widetracks, UE Monoblock, UE Knucklehead Shock Tower Kit, UE Ultralites (with 6 ot 8-spiders), HCR Titanium Skids, Diemaker dave Wing-Mount, FLM Bulkheads...nice!

Thanks man , but the diffs are actually Hot Bodies Lightnings... lots more work left before I'm satisfied.

Originally Posted by Chadworkz

Oh, if you decide you want the radically changed suspension geometry of the UE EXT Suspension (handles MUCH better), I have a complete kit, so just let me know...

Yeah... the set up does not have the geometry upgrade and 'bump steer fix'... I got a previous offer, but It wasn't in my budget, therefore I had to turn it down...
So since they'll be used for mostly bashing and very light racing, the Widetracs will do for now...

Alien

[Ryu James]

great looking build. cant wait to see it all together. i have done a lot of builds with carbon and had to learn the same things. the CNC left burrs that i had to sand off. and the best way to make countersinks is to use a dremel stone/sanding bit and grind at an angle and move around in a circular motion. obviously you already figured this out. i have tried to get others out there to tell me the best way to cut carbon but they are not willing to share. i have tried lazer, CNC, and water jet and so far the best cuts still come from my dremel tool.

[ANGRY-ALIEN]

Originally Posted by Ryu James

great looking build. cant wait to see it all together. i have done a lot of builds with carbon and had to learn the same things. the CNC left burrs that i had to sand off. and the best way to make countersinks is to use a dremel stone/sanding bit and grind at an angle and move around in a circular motion. obviously you already figured this out. i have tried to get others out there to tell me the best way to cut carbon but they are not willing to share. i have tried lazer, CNC, and water jet and so far the best cuts still come from my dremel tool.

Thanks man... I have some photo updates coming... in regards to cutting carbon on a CNC... I strongly believe if the operators of these machines are using higher RPMs
on the cutting tools with a slower X/Y movement over the material, the cuts might be a little cleaner (thus being free of burs)... Yah... I do prefer using a grinding tool for
countersinks...

Alien

[Chadworkz]

The tool isn't as important as the bit when cutting/milling carbon-fiber. You need high-quality carbide bits if you want perfect results. My carbide countersink makes perfect countersunk holes in carbon-fiber, and it has already made hundreds...in carbon-fiber, 6061 & 7075 aluminum, stainless-steel, and even steel.