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I am messing around with a few ThunderSlot pods, and while in most areas they are quite stiff, the axle uprights are quite filmsy, and do benefit from some bracing to stop them flexing.
(This may be of interest to folks entering the CanAm proxy ).
When the uprights flex (and they do ), it causes the bushings to slightly misalign, which can bind the rear axle, and , results in gear mesh and handling issues. While this is not really all that critical on plastic tracks with their lower grip levels, and rough surface (the car bounces a lot, and does not develop the consistent lateral loads to flex the uprights as much) it is an issue on wood tracks, especially with cars with higher horsepower, and grippier tires.
I have seen several methods of upright bracing on both Slot-it and ThunderSlot pods, and many (at least to my mind) , leave a bit (just a bit
) to be desired.
I though I would offer up another method, for those interested.........and,...apologies for the less than stellar pics.
Cheers
Chris walker
It consists of a simple "U" brace made of . 055 wire for a ThunderSlot pod, (sidewinder and anglewinder) and. .047 wire for a Slot-it sidewinder pod....a snick less room on the Slot-it.
The wire is bent so that the outer edges of the "legs" are snug against the inside edges or the axle uprights, and the legs extend downwards and touch the surface of the rear magnet cradle. The wire uses the crosspiece between the uprights as a backstop.
It is advisable to make this "U" bracket snug side to side.......this will enable a stronger glue joint, and will let the brace provide the stiffness, not the glue.
Apologies for the bad pic.,.....but the legs extend all the way to the bottom of the top of the magnet shelf, and are firmly nestled into the 90 degree bend formed by the insides of the uprights and the rear raised crossbrace.
The brace can be glued in with (ideally) rubberised CA...........along the legs, and the insides of the axle uprights.
NOTE..........Always install a motor (screw it in) before sizing/fitting/gluing the rear brace, and install the motor and brace, before installing/aligning/gluing your bushings.
As an aside, it is always a good idea to install your motor before aligning/gluing your rear bushings , as the installation of the motor can cause a slight deflection of the rear uprights, making your smooth free running axle not so smooth
This brace will provide all the rear upright stiffening you will need , the motor can be removed easily, and, it looks cool
(This may be of interest to folks entering the CanAm proxy ).
When the uprights flex (and they do ), it causes the bushings to slightly misalign, which can bind the rear axle, and , results in gear mesh and handling issues. While this is not really all that critical on plastic tracks with their lower grip levels, and rough surface (the car bounces a lot, and does not develop the consistent lateral loads to flex the uprights as much) it is an issue on wood tracks, especially with cars with higher horsepower, and grippier tires.
I have seen several methods of upright bracing on both Slot-it and ThunderSlot pods, and many (at least to my mind) , leave a bit (just a bit
) to be desired.I though I would offer up another method, for those interested.........and,...apologies for the less than stellar pics.
Cheers
Chris walker
It consists of a simple "U" brace made of . 055 wire for a ThunderSlot pod, (sidewinder and anglewinder) and. .047 wire for a Slot-it sidewinder pod....a snick less room on the Slot-it.
The wire is bent so that the outer edges of the "legs" are snug against the inside edges or the axle uprights, and the legs extend downwards and touch the surface of the rear magnet cradle. The wire uses the crosspiece between the uprights as a backstop.
It is advisable to make this "U" bracket snug side to side.......this will enable a stronger glue joint, and will let the brace provide the stiffness, not the glue.
Apologies for the bad pic.,.....but the legs extend all the way to the bottom of the top of the magnet shelf, and are firmly nestled into the 90 degree bend formed by the insides of the uprights and the rear raised crossbrace.
The brace can be glued in with (ideally) rubberised CA...........along the legs, and the insides of the axle uprights.
NOTE..........Always install a motor (screw it in) before sizing/fitting/gluing the rear brace, and install the motor and brace, before installing/aligning/gluing your bushings.
As an aside, it is always a good idea to install your motor before aligning/gluing your rear bushings , as the installation of the motor can cause a slight deflection of the rear uprights, making your smooth free running axle not so smooth
This brace will provide all the rear upright stiffening you will need , the motor can be removed easily, and, it looks cool
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