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B3 wheels barely clear the trailing arms, so that might be an option. B4 wheels have way too much offset and will definitely hit the trailing arms.

That's what I love! I see something different pretty much everyday on here. I would just leave the rear wider than the front unless you're afraid it would dramatically hamper performance. That is, if you're even gonna run it. I think the wide rear end looks cool, but that's just me. Nice work!

Very neat, original car. Sorry to see the Stealth counter sunk screw holes splinter. Is there any way to stop that from happening when you drill them?

slotcarrod wrote:Very neat, original car. Sorry to see the Stealth counter sunk screw holes splinter. Is there any way to stop that from happening when you drill them?

I think if you lay a piece of strong bandage tape or something down it might stop it. Or make a smaller hole with a hi speed dremel and work your way out. Just speculation though. Or use a pointed sanding bit to make the countersink part maybe.

Nice Rig!! Looking forward to some action shots

to keep the composite from splintering, the best way is to stack a sacrificial plate above and below the hole, some scrap fiberglass or plastic, etc, and clamp it tightly to the work piece. these kinda hold the fibers in place so the cutting edge can do it's job. the bit speed is also cricital as well, you generally need a good solid high speed to prevent the fibers from peeling before they are cut, but not too fast as to smoke the bit. with the sacrificial plates, this is less of a worry if they are clamped well....

jwscab wrote:to keep the composite from splintering, the best way is to stack a sacrificial plate above and below the hole, some scrap fiberglass or plastic, etc, and clamp it tightly to the work piece. these kinda hold the fibers in place so the cutting edge can do it's job. the bit speed is also cricital as well, you generally need a good solid high speed to prevent the fibers from peeling before they are cut, but not too fast as to smoke the bit. with the sacrificial plates, this is less of a worry if they are clamped well....

Yep, this all works well provided the drill bit is sharp. Thats the problem I ran into. I will fill them in and sand smooth once its near finished. I use JB Quick Weld to fill the holes. Its easy to work with, dries quick and is quite strong. You can see where some holes needed to be drilled near the filled holes. It doesn't chip out when drilled into. Its good stuff!

I like the trailing arm it's more like real 1 to 1 offroad buggys.

jwscab wrote:to keep the composite from splintering, the best way is to stack a sacrificial plate above and below the hole, some scrap fiberglass or plastic, etc, and clamp it tightly to the work piece. these kinda hold the fibers in place so the cutting edge can do it's job. the bit speed is also cricital as well, you generally need a good solid high speed to prevent the fibers from peeling before they are cut, but not too fast as to smoke the bit. with the sacrificial plates, this is less of a worry if they are clamped well....

might be a dumb question, but: how do you see where to drill using this trick?

Mr. ED wrote:

jwscab wrote:to keep the composite from splintering, the best way is to stack a sacrificial plate above and below the hole, some scrap fiberglass or plastic, etc, and clamp it tightly to the work piece. these kinda hold the fibers in place so the cutting edge can do it's job. the bit speed is also cricital as well, you generally need a good solid high speed to prevent the fibers from peeling before they are cut, but not too fast as to smoke the bit. with the sacrificial plates, this is less of a worry if they are clamped well....

might be a dumb question, but: how do you see where to drill using this trick?

Most that do this supporting the fibers with vinyl, tack paper or transfer paper will overlay the adhesive down on both sides, then draw or print or tape the template over the raw material, then drill or cut. BTW Mike, very cool build--I just haven't figured out what to call it yet

Mr. ED wrote:

jwscab wrote:to keep the composite from splintering, the best way is to stack a sacrificial plate above and below the hole, some scrap fiberglass or plastic, etc, and clamp it tightly to the work piece. these kinda hold the fibers in place so the cutting edge can do it's job. the bit speed is also cricital as well, you generally need a good solid high speed to prevent the fibers from peeling before they are cut, but not too fast as to smoke the bit. with the sacrificial plates, this is less of a worry if they are clamped well....

might be a dumb question, but: how do you see where to drill using this trick?

Since this is a mid motor it was easy. I laid wide masking tape on the chassis so the marks are easy to see. Then I just took an old chassis and used it as a template by overlaying it on the new one. I marked the holes with a sharpie then used a center punch to locate the drill bit so it doesn't walk. Don't hit the punch hard! Just enough for the tip of the drill bit to find it.

fyi............this is the original A&L ad in the past........

Wow...I got that Pro kit conversion for the Mid did not know it was worth that much.

you use a plate that already has a hole in it, and line it up over your center mark. like a drill guide. yes, it's time consuming to keep moving the guide around, but it makes for a nice finish, and I'm not usually making more than one or two at a time.

jwscab wrote:you use a plate that already has a hole in it, and line it up over your center mark. like a drill guide. yes, it's time consuming to keep moving the guide around, but it makes for a nice finish, and I'm not usually making more than one or two at a time.

That's a good tip! I don't care about the chipping of composites really but this would really help to stop the drill from walking away on the aluminium stuff. Thanks.