It all started with an idea...

[Carknowledge101]

I had the idea to make a mid motored Rc10 without having to drill holes in the chassis or cutting the sidewalls. I noticed that the holes lined up and wondered if it would work. It doesn’t really clear the motor so I am worried about shorting something and their being smoke.

Any thoughts as to whether it will work or not would be greatly appreciated.

[radioactivity]

A couple of thoughts to possibly consider...

Motor rotation- either run the motor backwards, there are a couple of references on how to here. https://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=78&t=42164&p=475891&hilit=reverse+rotation#p475891
Or it may be possible to install the input to the trans on the other side. Never tried it but it should work?? It would require trimming your motor plate or getting a flat graphite motor plate.
A brace from the chassis to the bulkhead is important.
A larger spur and pinion might give a little more motor/chassis clearance as well.

Chuck

[XLR8]

The original 6-gear trans is entirely symmetrical so the input shaft can be flipped to the other side. As Chuck has pointed out, you'll just need to make or modify the motor plate because it obviously isn't symmetrical.
If I had your car, I would simply install a cheap motor, run it backwards and go out and have some fun!

[Lurker]

If you are worried about shorting out the motor, why not put some sort of insulation on all the places you could see the endbell touching metal? If you go with small bits of electrical tape, I’d suggest you clean the surface first and then put on a few layers.

[Carknowledge101]

Do you guys think it would be better to put it back? I have some doubts about the strength of having it this way.

[matt1ptkn]

I wouldn't recommend running it as is; without bracing the bulkhead or transmission to the chassis sides, the rear of the chassis will fold up on the first major bump. Like mentioned above, some bracing back there is important. Also as mentioned above, some simple insulation between the motor and chassis should prevent any unwanted electrical contact. If you want a good option for a mid motor RC10, without having to drill holes or modify any components, check out this conversion: https://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=40247.

[XLR8]

I've followed a number of Brian's (mk-Zero) builds and he does outstanding work and everything he makes appears to extremely well thought-out and well executed. If you're looking to do a proper mid-RC10 build by leveraging other's engineering and manufacturing expertise, then Brian's your guy. There are other members here who build great mids as well.

I think by virtue of a car's history, rarity and condition, some RC10's are destined for someone's museum and others are destined for their intended purpose; running and having some fun. I would place your car in the runner category - like most of mine.

I'd recommend fitting the remaining screws and insulating the motor leads as others have suggested then simply run the car and have some fun with it. If you avoid hard bashing, 6' jumps and monster horse power, you'll be fine. I believe those are conditions for which the car was never designed no matter which way the transmission is mounted. That 6-gear transmission will let you know when you've gone overboard on power so you'll probably want to stay with a brushed motor and a 6-cell Nimh or 2S lipo battery to ensure it stays in one piece. It probably goes without saying but track condition plays a significant role as well. Extremely rough conditions that cause the tires to skip can create abrupt loading and unloading on the chassis and drive system and this can impact overall durability.

Just a few thoughts on the subject. Please give us an update when you can?

[Carknowledge101]

How would you brace bulkhead? Can anyone show pictures of what they have done with other mids?

[Biz73]

What about cutting out an L shaped piece of aluminum and bending it to go from the chassis up to the top of the trans and lay flat on top. Then you can bolt it to the trans brace up top. I'm not good at the whole art thing or I would draw you a pic

[XLR8]

I've never actually made it myself but maybe something like this would work. It uses only factory holes so no drilling necessary. Anyway, this is just one method, there are other ways to achieve the same objective but this is probably one of the simpler ways. Of course this assumes you're using a reverse rotation motor.

[radioactivity]

Well dang Doug!

Just getting ready to post an idea and you have a much better idea.
And way cooler graphics.
I don't think there is enough material left in carknowledge's bulkhead for my idea at any rate.
And using screws not sticky tack.


Chuck

[Carknowledge101]

Let’s say I was to use a reverse rotation motor. Any ideas for a good brushed one to use at a soft dirt track? And I like the 3D imaging, very helpful!

[XLR8]

That's a very clever design, Chuck.

Or, you could go with normal rotation motor, source or make a motor plate and make a brace like this.

[Carknowledge101]

So my motor fits on one side and not the other no matter what way I turned it so not sure what happened there

But what Reverse rotation motor would work best?

[XLR8]

So my motor fits on one side and not the other no matter what way I turned it so not sure what happened there

But what Reverse rotation motor would work best?

You will need to pull the e-clip and remove the top shaft assembly and flip it to the other side. You'll also need a flat motor plate that will fit the other side of the transmission.
As for a reverse rotation motor, you'll want to look for one with adjustable timing. As an example, have a look at the timing marks on this Reedy Radon 17t (3600kv).
You can loosen the screws, rotate the end bell to other side of zero, switch the wires and it will run in reverse. Actually, the motor will run in reverse without adjusting the timing but it won't perform as well.

EDIT - I was curious if the stock motor plate attached to the other side of the trans would fit the chassis. It looks a little bizarre but it does fit. However, it will be a bit difficult to access the motor screws.

So, yeah, just pull the top shaft and swap it and the motor plate to the other side for a normal rotation motor.