A '91 Stealth RC10 project

[fredswain]

Here's another.

[scr8p]

It looks like shims on that axle. Probably just the stock 6220 axle.

[XLR8]

Oh how much fun it would have been to work in AE's R&D department especially during that time. What a dream job!!
Thanks for the photos Fred. Please post more if you can. I'm having so much fun with this '91 car that I think I'll want to try the '89 car next.

That's what I thought scr8p but, in this photo, it looks like the axle and flange are one piece. It could just be the oil and grime that's making it appear as one piece. Either way, it's not a big deal, I have some 5/16 bar stock so I'll turn them on the lathe.

[GoMachV]

Just my .02 but I still think that’s a wide shim. There seems to be a slight void where it is up against the steering arm, plus that would make the steering arm hole really thin. In the first pic it looks like two shims

[XLR8]

Thanks GoMachV for your 2 cents.
Well you guys certainly know a lot more about this than I do. If such a part had existed, I'm confident that at least one of you would have known about it.
So, a standard production axle with separate shims it is!
FWIW, I was thinking the axle might have looked something like this

[XLR8]

I’ve been spending time at the lathe lately and managed to turn all the parts that are needed for both cars. The replica’s front axles incorporate the shim washers and the runner’s front axles are offset (lengthened) to accept B4 wheels. As I setup and ran the parts, I’ve noticed a difference in the overall quality between the first part and the last (especially noticeable on the upper deck stays – I guess practice makes perfect or just better in my case) so I’ll use the first parts for the runner and save the better ones for the replica.

I’ve sourced some 1/8” aluminum rod and a #4-40 left hand thread die to make turnbuckles for the replica. Since this car is just for display, I don’t feel the need to use titanium. I’ll make that car’s hinge pins from the same material.

For the runner’s battery mounts, I’ve decided to go a different direction and that's what these parts are for.

I won’t be using battery cups for this car; just a single strap, posts and thumbscrews. The typical 91 Stealth rear bulkhead modification will be altered slightly in order to preserve the corners of its battery pocket (I’ll cut a gap in the top of the pocket to accommodate the strap). The front of the battery strap will be held by posts and thumbscrews. I realize that this will limit any future re-positioning of the battery for track tuning, but I tend not to move my batteries anyway. If I were to race on a high-grip clay or carpet track I probably would want to be able to move the battery forward to reduce under-steer but I run on loose dirt so I think the battery can remain where it is (I can always add weights up front if necessary). I think, by eliminating the battery cups, this makes the car a little cleaner and simpler.

So, now it’s on to plate parts for the runner. True to the '91 car, I'm going to make the upper deck from 1/16" stock. If I manage to break it, I'll re-make it from thicker material.

[bluewormx]

Lathe work looks first rate

Did you use aluminum 4-40 nuts on the turnbuckles? How did you attach them?
I'm sourcing parts and hoping to get a chassis set from Jake once they are ready.

[XLR8]

Thanks. The photos are terrible; the parts actually look smoother than they appear in the photos. I'd decreased the dept of cut and adjusted the speed and feed rate on the final pass to give the parts a fine surface finish. That small pile of parts took me an insane number of hours to turn. If I had to earn a living as a machinist, I would be starving.

I've searched online for aluminum 4-40 nuts but was unsuccessful so I just used zinc plated steel ones instead. I ran the RH threads about .100" longer than the LH (thickness of the nut) so the effective thread engagement available for the ball cup would be the same for both ends. I just used thread locker to secure the nuts. Again, the turnbuckles are made for a static display model not for a runner so I think they'll work okay.

Are you building a runner and do you have a particular theme in mind? I'm thinking about attempting the Masami car for the replica and something different for the runner -- maybe Cliff's car if I'm able to find more photos, not sure.

[bluewormx]

^^XLR

I will be building replica, but not of any particular car, so far I have cut out a rear bulkhead in a Kinwald style leaving the stock associated wing tubes. I'll see how it all plays out.

Turning parts takes forever. I embarked on a similar project of Schumacher C-car. 1st 2D CAD then 3D model, turned some parts and 3D printed others. All this took about 4 months, and eventually I ended up buying 2 more complete cars and another in parts... So the project has been abandoned since I have too many cars now

[XLR8]

A Kinwald themed runner would be my second choice if I don't end up doing the Cliff car. I already have an extra body, paint, graphics, sticker sets, etc from doing a couple Kinwald Worlds cars so I wouldn't need to buy anything. So, what would a Kinwald style bulkhead look like?

[NomadRacer]

Superb parts man. I really like those thumbscrews!

[bluewormx]

So, what would a Kinwald style bulkhead look like?

Something like this.

[XLR8]

Awesome! Thank you!
I can see in this photo with Roger that the cars left AE with wing tubes so it seems (perhaps) that Mr. Hirosaka preferred to hang his wing from the shock tower so that might explain the extra modifications made to his car's bulkhead. The photos I've found of his teammate's cars show the rear of the body intact which suggests that they opted not to modify their wing mounts. Anyway, fortunately I haven't yet altered either of the bulkheads I bought for this project.

Is it just me or did Masami deliberately strive to incorporate as many Yokomo parts as possible on his AE car? He used Yok wheels (and adapters), tires, preload clips, wing mounts and undertray (what have I missed?). If so then I guess it stands to reason given his long term and close association with Yokomo.

[XLR8]

Superb parts man. I really like those thumbscrews!

Thank you Nomad. Yeah, I kinda though you might enjoy those.

[XLR8]

Main chassis for the runner is finished. I was thinking about dropping it off at Windsor Powder Coating here in town (I use them for my vintage bike restorations - they do excellent work) but then I decided to just run it as is since it'll get scratched anyway. Besides, that would slow the project down and I really want to keep moving forward.