putting holes in bodies

[blueb8llz]

how do you guys poke your holes into your rc bodies? i just use a sharp awl and but it still turns out ugly. i see lots of bodies with perfect holes and even on the inside comes out clean.
when i make my holes, the inside has the lexans poking out. i have one of those leather hole punchers, but i cant use it on a body.

Personally I use a drill (cordless so there isn't to much power). could also try a dremel.

[BrianG]

Depends on the size hole. If it's small, just a drill spinning at high speed. Then, an exacto-knife is used to trim the "poke out" you observed.

If a larger hole, I start out with a drill, then use a dremel tool with the small sanding wheel to clean it up. After, I use the exacto-knife to trim any poke-out.

TBH, I don't spend too much time making it look pretty because the first time out, the shell gets messed up. Maybe I should learn to keep the vehicle rubber side down?

[blueb8llz]

ok, ill use a drill from now on. i thought that would tear up the body. guess not

[BrianG]

Just back the hole with a piece of scrap wood or something and secure the body firmly against it.

[blueb8llz]

ahh..got it. thanks for the help

[ZippyBasher]

I use a red hot screwdriver. Cuts through like butter and you can pick the "Flack" off with your fingers.

Use an old screwdriver as this will mess it up pretty bad if you use a newer one...

I have one designated just for this purpose (making holes in plastic) But you can easliy get away with a big nail and some vice grips.

[lincpimp]

I use a 10 dollar dynamite body reamer (imagine that, using the right tool).

I also mark the holes and cut them before I paint the body. What is the deal with car mags telling us to hut the holes and trim the body after painting? Seems like the dumbest thing i have heard of (next to maxamps being an industry leader!!!). What do you guys think?

[BrianG]

I have a reamer too, but I personally don't like it. I find myself using the drill, dremel, and knife way more often. As far as cutting the holes first; sometimes it's easier to mark the holes before it's painted since you can see exactly where the body mounts and antenna are. If using a body meant specifically for your vehicle, that's not a big deal since there are little nibs showing where to go...

[JThiessen]

I usually do them afer painting - although every stinkin' time I swear the next time I'm going to do the body post holes first....just never happens.

For the larger holes, I use a stepped sheet metal drill. They work awesome, but they are quite pricey.http://www.irwin.com/irwin/consumer/...rwinProd100146

[Snipin_Willy]

I use a good quality body reamer. Only thing bad about using a body reamer is that it very easy to over cut.

[lincpimp]

22 lr for the smaller 10th bodies and 9mm for 1/8 scale. Need to have a good aim and a solid back drop though, but you can do a few bodies at once if you stack them...

[Overdriven]

I use a body reamer for body posts and smaller holes. I also have an assortment of bimetal hole saws for larger holes that work well on lexan, just go slow. The step drill bit is a good idea too, I have a couple around. I agree with BrianG about using a sanding drum on a dremel, works great for enlarging holes, smoothing out cuts in the wheelwells etc.

I think drilling holes after the body was painted is a holdover to the days when bodies didn't come with overspray film. Personally I always have my bodies ready to mount before paint, as I've messed up the paint while trimming it out. I just take my time trimming so I don't mess up the overspray film to much on the edges (if I do a little tape and its fixed) and I haven't had any problems.

[Semi Pro]

Originally Posted by lincpimp

I use a 10 dollar dynamite body reamer (imagine that, using the right tool).

I also mark the holes and cut them before I paint the body. What is the deal with car mags telling us to hut the holes and trim the body after painting? Seems like the dumbest thing i have heard of (next to maxamps being an industry leader!!!). What do you guys think?

i use the same tool, worth evert penny

[RCShocker]

Originally Posted by lincpimp

I use body reamer (imagine that, using the right tool).

I also mark the holes and cut them before I paint the body. What is the deal with car mags telling us to hut the holes and trim the body after painting? Seems like the dumbest thing i have heard of (next to maxamps being an industry leader!!!). What do you guys think?

Hell yeah, imagine that..............

Post #8, the correct tool for the job. And that's what I used. In fact less than 5 minutes ago.

I mark, ream, and mount my bodies before I paint. Which requires some trimming of the mold. However, I save the final bodyline cuts for after the paintjob is complete. Having sharp scissors only makes it better.