Help With Chassis Repair

[ChisaiKuso]

I just picked up three used RC10s last night. After inspecting them more closely today, it would seem that each car has a bent (curved sort of like a banana) chassis. Has anyone ever tried straightening the aluminum tubs before? I already pulled the cars apart, but I can't figure out where I need to push, pull, pry, or hammer to get these to lay flat again. Your thoughts and suggestions would be appreciated.

[ChisaiKuso]

By the way, these three cars appear to all be early or mid production Edinger RC10s. Things like Goodyear tires, non-beefy steering blocks, spring cups without slots, ball cups without hexes, etc, etc, etc are on these cars. I therefore really want to find a way to straighten the bent tubs since replacing them would destroy the originality of these cars.

[THUNDERSTRIKE1]

Pics of each chassis on a flat surface like table top and take the pic at same level as chassis would show how bent it really is and if its twisted.DON

[JK Racing]

I've had mediocre success with using a piece of 2X4 "bolted" to where the front end would be attached. Then using gentle pressure (in the right direction) flex, test, flex, test, flex, test...

[ChisaiKuso]

Pics of each chassis on a flat surface like table top and take the pic at same level as chassis would show how bent it really is and if its twisted.DON

I don't have any pictures to share, but I have checked each chassis on a perfectly flat surface. None of them are twisted or bent from side to side (as seen by looking from the front and the back). They are curved, however, from front to back (as seen by looking at them from either side). This isn't just the rear section being bent up either. The entire chassis can rock back and forth because of the curvature.

This might be great if I was building rocking horses, but I'm trying to restore vintage RC10s.

[RC104ever]

Are they bent even after you install the nose tubes? I've found that helps a lot.

[jwscab]

you need to use whatever you hve at your disposal to bend them flat again. use blocks of wood in a vise, etc, something that will spread the load around, sometimes you have to flex the sidewalls of the chassis in or out, which helps to straighten it out. You may have to bend slightly over flat so that it springs back to flat.

not too difficult, just a little time consuming. Sometimes the chassis is mostly flat though the main belly where the sides bend up, and just the rear portion gets a curve since it's just flat plate.

[ChisaiKuso]

Are they bent even after you install the nose tubes? I've found that helps a lot.

Yes. The curvature is uniform from front to back. Attaching the nose and nose tubes doesn't change anything. The cars look like they have fat bellies.

[ROH73]

jwscab's post is right on the money. It just takes patience and time; and a it helps a lot if you have a vise. The aluminum is quite springy, so you definitely have to over-bend a little to get it to spring back to flat.

[ChisaiKuso]

I was trying different things on one of the chassis today. I learned a few things: 1) A hammer is a bad idea. 2) You can't get enough leverage with just your bare hands. 3) All of my body weight (standing on the chassis with the chassis upside down) flattens the chassis nicely. 4) When I step off of the chassis it springs right back to its previous curvature. 5) Tweaking the sides of the chassis (especially the curved areas near the nose) helps a little.

I think I've gone from a chassis with well over ten degrees of extra front kick up to a chassis with maybe three to five degrees of extra front kick up. Obviously it still isn't flat, but I've at least made progress.

More to come...

[jwscab]

on thing you can do is to lay the chassis belly up, with two flat supports at the front and back, so the middle of the chassis is off the ground. say 1/8" or something, then apply weight so it bends beyond flat, then let it spring back. experiment with your spacer height and number to tries to get it as flat as you can. Maybe 1/8" is too much if you already have it close.....