Making a universal "T" body

[tommykart]

Being that work is really slow i was browsing through u-tube and saw a vid on how to make your own rc bodies by making a mold, heating up some plastic in the oven, and then vacuuming it over a mold that he made out of scrap wood...... hmmm i thought i can do that and definitely make a better model with more details then his.

so here goes

i have a t3 so i don't need mounting dimensions for that buggy and i am guessing the t2 and t4 are the same

what i need is dimensions for t4.1 and t because they have the two rear mounting holes

and let me know what you think or what i could add or subtract

as far a details i am sure i will be fighting with my OCD on this

thanks
tom

[tommykart]

update on progress

getting close for a trial run

trying to source polycarbonate "lexan" at .030 thickness only found .060 thickness locally and shipping .030 sheet is out of the question

PETG is poor mans polycarbonate but dont know if i'll be able to get

i think i would have to order 40 sheets to get the thickness i want $65x40 = 2600+tax a bit over the hobby stage

well the local guy said he would see if he had some scraps laying around he might sell me, i am not sure about vacuum forming with .060

[THEYTOOKMYTHUMB]

Looks cool. That's way beyond anything I could ever hope to do. Although I do consider myself a master when it comes to working with wood.

Keep us updated.

[jwscab]

look at mcmaster-carr. they sell sheets individually reasonably priced. polycarbonate. you will need to be sure that your design has some 'draft' to it, ie, the mold is wider at the bottom then top so that you can pull the plug from the body, otherwise, you will have to split the lexan from around the mold. you will need to preheat the polycarbonate for some length of time to dry it out.

many many articles and information on the internet about polycarbonate handling and vacuum forming. Good Luck!

[GoMachV]

Just one thing to think about, companies like Tamiya have multiple piece molds so they can be removed after the Plastic is pulled over the buck. I don't think you will be able to remove your buck. Think of it like its going in a jello mold, can you remove the body without disturbing the "jello"?

[tommykart]

yeah i have been thinking about the removing part, i may have to change the front bumper a bit, but i am hoping it will be flexible enough to get off while it is still warm.

[THEYTOOKMYTHUMB]

You'll probably learn a lot from your first try. If it doesn't work it will at least tell you where your problems are and help you get it right the second or third time. Easy for me to say I know since I'm not buying the material. I'll go on record as saying I'll buy one for a fair price once you get it figured out. I'm sure you'll sell enough others to regain any losses you take. You may not get rich, but I doubt you lose any more than your labor when it's all said and done. At least it's a labor of love.

[tommykart]

thanks for your encouragement and support

[slim_chance]

Heck id buy one to use as a monster truck body.

[tommykart]

well i am going to pull the trigger on making a few bodies just trying to get the wholesaler to let me buy 3 sheets instead of 4.
thickness will be .040 which is i believe .01 more than what most bodies are and .015 more than what ultra light weight racing bodies are made of but i guess it will be good for a truck bashing around. just waiting for a call back from the distributor.

[MelvinsArmy]

I'm digging that cardboard prototype. Must be the artist in me, very folk art.

[tommykart]

thanks everyone. the material mission is complete and i am ready to make the first body tomorrow . Long story short the company i was going to get the polycarb from wasn't willing to give or sell a piece to try (was willing to fork over $150 min order to get it moving) they said why don't you try a sign shop for a piece, they might have some they could sell you. well better than that the sign place gave me the number to the distributor who is delivering it to my door next day for $30 total including shipping.
will be posting pics tomorrow

[tommykart]

Well i found polycarb through a sign maker for cheap, and a good thing too because polycarb is a tricky material to work with. A preheat is needed before the actual 'metling' occurs, otherwise i get bubbles in the body. My second problem was that my vacuum was not sucking hard enough,problem fixed now, and that i needed a better seal between the vacuum table top and the frame holding the plastic sheet, problem fixed also. My third problem is getting the body off the form, big problem and not solved (WIP).

Discouraged, and having a bunch of polycarb left I was trying to make a mold of an old, i think, Scorpion body. What i noticed was that the body tapers inward in all directions as too let the body come off the mold easier and to probably make it easier to get a crisper edge at the bottom of the mold.

[romulus22]

On a different forum a guy was using lotion as a release agent. Could try that.

[Charlie don't surf]

On a different forum a guy was using lotion as a release agent. Could try that.

One guy on this forum (mtookmythumbs) uses the same thing as a release agent too-