Cutting the pan

[craigc8791]

Maybe Ive just overlooked it, but I see a bunch of people cutting their goldpans to make replicas of others, or just to reduce weight. What is the best way to "cut" the pan.

[Mikeyboy]

I used a cut off wheel on my grinder to get the big sections off. Then I filled the rest by hand.

[Lowgear]

Thats a good question. You would use a die grinder or Dremel and a steady hand. When I did a motor plate I used the edge of some tape as a guideline and then used a die grinder for the actual cutting. I then used a file to smooth out the rough edge that was left over.

[nicefrog]

I'm one of the guys that cut mine back in 91'. Having driven the car a bit recently and seeing how much slower it is with the old stock class motors when running an extra 50 grams of weight you can see why everyone used to do it. But not as important with a modern brushless . I can't even remember how I cut mine back in the day but I'd expect that a dremel was involved as I did have a dremel so I guess that's what I would have used (and a file)

[JK Racing]

I used a dremel...wish I had a steady hand, but I relied on the tape method to help me with a semi-straight cut. I probably wont cut one again...

[nicefrog]

This is mine that I cut when the car was new, the motor plate is cut with the typical 45 degree slice out of it also. Surprising how stiff the chassis still is like that still stiffer than a lot of the softer rough track style moulded composites. I'd be able to cut one within a 10th of a mm with a dremel and measuring these days now that I'm all grown up (old) but I don't think I'll do it again

[Toasted Coastie]

I cut the current project because I didn't know the pans could be de-anodized. I was sanding it, and went a little too deep:



It turned into this:



I did it with a Dremel and a very steady hand. Still doesn't look even to me though....

[mrhemi1971]

Looks good in red/black coastie, what arms are they?

Sticking with the main theme of the post, I bought a second pan to cut down back in '85, cut so much out of it that it became a real flexy flier. Everybody was trying to get all the weight out of them, then putting it back where it would balance the chassis. Wish I knew then how to weld aluminum!!