Shortening a Pioneer chassis

[one32]

I"m gonna try my skills at shortening a pioneer chassis. I have a good supply of them, so thought I would try it. A post was put up on this procedure a while back, so for some it may be boring. I also have a large supply of Mono barracuda models i need to get up and running.

[one32]

[one32]

This is my first new topic, so bare with me.
I'm gonna lay my brass tubing in this pocket. It will help keep my brass laying true. The tubes will lay pointing down in the pocket, which I figure will make it a little stronger.
i used some rough sandpaper to prepare the plastic for epoxy. I think it was 220

[williamg]

Nice, will be watching.

I used JB weld in mine. Epoxied a square tube on then..
I cut mine in half to lengthen. I slipped the next size smaller square tube inside.
Set my length, and used more JB Weld to fill the gap.

[chrisguyw]

Hello one32,.....good to see you taking the plunge on some chassis modifications .........much more rewarding that buying one to fit !!

A couple of suggestions (or at least things to think about).............

If you have a jig, it is a good idea to use it,...it will help keep both axles parallel, and by using bare wheels or gears on the ends of each axle, it will ensure that it is not twisted , which is critical especially on chassis where vertical adjustment of the front axle (left and right) is not available.
(A straight/flat chassis is key in providing good and consistent handling !!)

If you do not have a jig, you can easily build one by drilling a few holes in a piece of plywood, or , on a budget, use a piece of graph paper........all better than the "by eye" method

Secondly, for your main rails, you may want to consider some styrene tubing with some piano wire slipped inside,......you will get a better bond using the styrene tubing, and the piano wire offers considerable benefits vs, the brass tubing as it has "memory".....so it will flex, aiding handling, and will flex back to its original position, where the brass tubing has a tendency to bend, and stay bent.

Hope the build goes well, and please post updates.

Cheers
Chris Walker

[F1Fan]

You can never go wrong by listening to the sage advice of Mr. Walker!

Thanks Chris, I too learned something new and BTW I have that same jig (in metric) and although I am not a traditional metal chassis builder, this is one of the most often used tools in my toolbox.

Chris

[chrisguyw]

Chris, As you are well aware, a jig is important in any chassis build/set-up regardless of what it is made of, or whether RTR or Scratchbuilt.

[Fathead59]

I will be watching this thread with interest . I have a few chassis that I want to stretch to fit resin bodies I bought off of Ebay .

[Wobble]

A drop saw with a thin kerf blade made the chopping bit real quick for me when shortening a Pioneer chassis to fit under a Scaley Mk 1 Escort, and I've used this process quite a few times.

[one32]

Thanks for the info Chris. I plan on using my scc jig to set everything up before I epoxy.
I really like you"r set up jig alot!!!!
Where can a man get such a nice set up block?
Just came off the road,(truck driver), gonna get back in the lab, and get going again.
Thank you for all the info. You master builders on hrw are priceless. Eric

[chrisguyw]

Thanks for the info Chris. I plan on using my scc jig to set everything up before I epoxy.
I really like you"r set up jig alot!!!!
Where can a man get such a nice set up block?

Hi Eric, I bought mine (including the very handy adjustable set-up wheels/blocks) directly from the manufacturer "Precision Slot Cars"..........I have not checked recently but, Professor Motor, PCH Slot Parts, and others have certainly stocked them.

Cheers
Chris Walker

[one32]

Thank you very much chris!
Another order going to happen.

[one32]

Ok, so i have the square tube epoxied in.
I let it set for 24 hours, and then cut on the band saw.
I cleaned and de burred the ends , and took a small rat tail file to the inside of the tube. By the way, I only made 1 cut. I then went to the grinder, and fine tuned the distance i needed.
Then, moved on to the inner tube that will support the outer tube. I put a little super glue. in the larger tube to help hold the smaller tube. I made the inner tube as long as possible. I measured from post to post it was spot on.
For the Barracuda, the amount removed from a Pioneer mustang chassis is the small piece that seperates the 2 magnet slots .
Then put frog tape under chassis, and threw some more epoxy to it. I'm planning on a digital car, so I put the magnet in before I epoxied the chassis back together.

[one32]

By the way, After taking the video tour of the famous skunk works shop, I'm glad to see that Mr Harry, is a fan of Harbor Freight. I think for modeling, the tools you need are good enough. I do have the little cut off saw for cutting brass, and it does work great. The nice thing is, if it breaks, buy another one.

[chrisguyw]

Good job Eric !!................on your next chassis, while in the jig, put some equal sized gears/wheels etc. on the left and right of each axle. prior to gluing .......this will ensure that both front and rear axles are on the same plane, and parallel with the track surface.......do not assume that resting the bottom of the chassis on a flat surface will result in the axles being parallel with the jig surface.

Cheers
Chris Walker

[one32]

Great advice. Thanks again