Cougar 2 Team_Rebuild for racing

[CAT3K]

Good job on the top plate, it looks pretty cool..

I've though about something similar before, but not for mounting the servo. That's a great idea

Paul.

[Lonestar]

Nice job So much work to improve the steering position (athough I'm not sure I fully get it).... I hope you don't run that kitten with that battery pack now you've done this cool front end plate

Paul

[Headling]

Great job, very nicely done.

I'll have to get one of my Cougars going again for a bit of EPR vintage action

[Groomi]

Cheers guys, the screws that go through the chassis and act as pivots for the steering assembly were sitting a bit like this: / \ when viewed from the front or rear. Apart from adding a bit of resistance to the steering, it also means the nut that holds the ball onto the steering lever was just catching the other lever. The new plate means that they now sit perfectly: | |

Whether it makes any noticeable difference who knows, but I like to think all these little things will add up to some improvement, even if it's in durability rather than performance. From a basic engineering point of view, I have a dislike of all these joints that are mounted at only one end - mounting of shock absorbers being a prime example which is another reason why I'm using the C1 front wishbones as they allow the bottom rose joint to be supported both ends.

Mounting the servo on the plate means it sits about 3mm higher than if it was directly mounted to the chassis. If I trim the battery mount down by 3mm then I can lower the plate by the same amount to avoid any unnecessary increase in height of CofG.

[Bormac]

I really like threads such as this. Taking a great platform and making it even better for some racing is very inspiring. The Cougar2 is very capable of track action in 2012/13. I have thoroughly enjoyed driving and racing various Topcats and Cougars over recent years with much success and good results.

Add to that these cars look hot even standing still.

Still glad to see others breath new life into this car today.

[Groomi]

Had it running on the bench last night. All working, just final bits now in preparation for the weekends race.

[Groomi]

Exciting times! The electrical installation is complete:


Due to the nature of the ongoing development I intend to put into this car, to allow for flexibility I have used spade connectors for the motor:


The servo installation is tight but works exactly as I intended:


As I am returning to racing after a break of nearly 20 years (and I never really raced that competitively before), I thought it prudent to fit a bumper - so this is a broken XLS bumper from my parts box, modified to fit. It's ugly, but if it saves me some grief for a few races then it'll be worth it:


New 5 spoke wheels from JC Racing look the part. The fronts are very narrow:


One last shot before I fit some tyres tomorrow and do a shakedown run:


I haven't looked at set-up properly yet. It's definitely riding too high and too much negative camber at the front. Lots to mess about with before Sunday...

[DerbyDan]

Its looking great, bet you can't wait to run it!

Love what you have done with the front servo mount.... maybe a little excessive but brilliant inginuity all the same

Personally I wouldn't use the spade connectors.... solder them direct onto the motor - they are just so prone to being knocked off & are just not so efficient at delivering the current. I also notice that you have a 2nd set of the Tamiya style connectors further along.... they would be fine for the motor you have fitted now, but if you decide to get something 'hotter' they may be prone to getting hot & melting the rubber insulation.... if you can use another set of what you have used for your battery connectors... they look much better

[Groomi]

Thanks for the comments and advice. I'll probably be stepping up to brushless and lipo after this first race meeting, so all the electrics will be changing accordingly. As most of these electrics are borrowed, I don't really want to change them.

[REMJ666]

A very nice build..I'm gonna order some of those wheels for my RC10 once i get to that point...

[Groomi]

In readiness for this afternoons planned shakedown run, I have fitted an old shell and wing which I'll race with to start with as they will get battered. The old Bosscat Sport touring car 3-spoke wheels and road tyres are just for the shakedown run which will be on a disused concrete tennis court in my local park.

[Groomi]

OK, just back from the shakedown.

The tennis court I went to was covered in moss and gravel, so the road tyres I had fitted were hopeless. Wish I'd put spikes on now as this gave me no idea of handling. He-ho, here's what I have found out:

1) Battery runtime is approx 30mins.
2) Top speed seemed quite low, although no idea if acceleration was good as no traction. From runtime and lack of top speed I'm guessing gearing needs to be reduced a bit. Currently running a 92 spur and an 18 pinion. Motor is a brushed 14T.
3) Brake doesn't seem to be working, so I'll have to re-read the manual to see if I missed something. ESC is a Nosram Magnum Power Reverse.
4) Ride height seems OK when running, so will leave that to tweak at the track.
5) Need to fit longer top links to front suspension so I can run less negative camber.
6) Slight issue with my top deck - not enough clearance to get the battery in and out without removing the deck! I can't believe I didn't check that. Oh well, I can live with it for this weekend and I'll probably be changing to Lipo's before the next race meet, so will all be reconfigured then.
7) No reliability issues thankfully.
Frozen fingers! Never used to have that problem racing indoors. Guess I'll have to dig out some fingerless gloves - at least for practice where I'll want to run as much as possible.

All in all, pretty happy.

[Coelacanth]

That's a very tidy electronics installation, great attention to detail. I like the red chassis pan & black wheel combo!

[Groomi]

This is it then chaps. Ready to race on Sunday, just have Saturday to work out what tools and kit I need to take and how I can fit them into 2 crates.

I spent some time today getting spares and setup options ready. So first thing to do was build up a spare C2 front end so I can quickly swap it in practice or between heats if necessary. My set-up gives a wheelbase of 283mm which is 6mm longer than the current Cougar SVR. If I swap to the C2 front end then I'll have whatever the standard C2 Works wheelbase is.


I fitted some old white JC Racing 5-spokes just to see how it looks. These will be my spare wheels in case of any breakages.


Ignore the 'learner driver' bumper, it's looking low and sleek. This is with the black JC Racing dish wheels which are running Schumacher yellow minispikes. I have some black JC Racing 5-spokes with greens on. These two sets are my setup options for now.


Talking of setup options - I just couldn't resist taking this shot as a record of what I'm going into my first race meeting with.


Basic specification is:
Schumacher Cougar 2 Team chassis.
Black transmission sides with aluminium eccentrics.
Slipper clutch.
Pro diff with new pro thrust bearing and cone washers.
'Works' rear wishbones and hubs.
Cougar 1 front wishbones with Cougar 2 shock mounts. (Optional C2 front end ready as set-up option).
Deep purple vari-shocks fitted with aluminium housings. Rear: 30w with 2 holes. Front 35w with 2 holes.
Setup option 'works' vari-shocks with aluminium housings. Rear 30w with 3 holes. Front 402 with 3 holes).
Full range of springs and spacers.
Bulkhead raised 3mm to allow NiMh pack to fit centrally along chassis.
High tensile cap-head allen screws used throughout where possible.
Old XLS bumper modified to fit front bulkhead - temporary 'learner' measure.
Custom upper chassis deck to brack steering system and mount Savox 1251mg servo.
Ballraced steering.
Nosram Magnum Power Reverse ESC
Etronix brushed 14T motor.
Powertech 4500mA Nimh batteries.
Schumacher yellow minispikes on JC Racing 4wd dish wheels.
Schumacher green minispikes on JC Racing 2wd 5-spoke wheels.
Additional Schumacher green minispikes (front only) on 4wd 5-spokes.


Parting shot of my 'learner spec' colours. I'll change to a new shell and colourscheme when I need people to forget about how I re-started...


Fingers crossed I can avoid being dead last!

[Headling]

Best of luck tomorrow at Epr, I can't make it I'm afriad but will be along soon.

How about bringing it along to Maritime raceway for some warm indoor racing on a Tuesday night, I can bring my Cougars along.

Let us know how you get on!d