Top Cat MID

[Kedal]

Let me introduce you my rere top cat schumacher i mod in a rere top cat mid.

I made a lot of part to improve the front end steering and suspension. All parts are hand made, no 3D printer.

As i run on an astro track, and as i bend the chassis on the rear, i decide to mod the top cat into a mid one.

Run with a little 10.5 skyrc combo, the car is reeeeally good on astro with the mid motor and the steering mod.
The suspension mod improve the shocks travel and the rocker rate.
The adjustable upper front arm allow the camber setup, wich is a very good improvement, and I use rear shocks body with front shaft for the front shocks, wich improve the travel and dampering feeling.

Feel free to ask if needed.

[Kedal]

Some rear pic and body

[winner_evo]

Really nice What material did you use for the arms, nylon?

[BloodClod]

What a great looking car!

[Kedal]

@winner : yes, nylon PA6.

@blood : thanks, love yours too!

[fab20VT]

Love this front inboard suspension system!!!

[Bakauata]

I don’t know what the original looks like for comparison, but yours looks very professionally done. Nice work. Did you have access to proper workshop machines, or did you use hand held tools?

[Kedal]

Whaou, thanks a lot for the compliments!
The upper front arms has been made with a milling machine, but all the other parts made by my own hand and a dremel.

I attach below a pic of the original front end, so you can see the difference.

[RCveteran]

Looks great can you provide a few more up close pics of rear. Did you have to drill new holes, any more specifics on the mid conversion. Topcat was 1st 2wd buggy I ever raced back in the day, given to me by Cecil Schumacher himself at local hobby show I was working.

Does the extra band on the front make the crash back a lot stiffer yet still functional I suppose? I've thought about connecting them with a tierod and ball cups and just doing away with crash back all together.

[Kedal]

Here is some pics of the rear of my mid.

I made just some few parts.

Here is the rear bulkhead, made with 2mm thick epoxy and keep the kit geometry of the rear camber turnbuckle. I will make soon another part with multiple hole to setup the level center and a little thicker.

As the bulkhead is only retain by 2 screws, i made a little L alloy part to reinforce the attach. I drill a hole in the motor plate.

The shocks tower is an homemade part too but with the same design as the kit one, with only two hole outer.

In the same idea to reinforce the overall rear end, i made a little nylon part to stiffen the rear arms inner mount, and also a little L alloy par to hold the motor plate to the main chassis. Two holes are needed to be drilled in the motor plate.

All the parts is prototype and i'm now thinking about a final good-looking design.

About the crash back system, its easy to lock it. A little plate between the screw, or a tie rod. Personally, i prefere to keep the crash back system because it's safe for the arms or other front end parts. But, surely, the system need to be stiffen, by additional oring, like i do, and most of top cat user do too.

[RCveteran]

Thanks for the information. Very nice work there. In a world of 3d printing neat to see some home made epoxy and metal part work!

[Retro rc]

Man how have I never seen this build before.

Very cool kedal