How lite is too lite?
- Thread starter gWebber
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microbrush
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What weight are you trying to obtain? With wood and Balsa fenders 7-9 grams. An unlimited wood body can be about 5 grams. With your methods you think you can get it down more? Grab a 1/32 piece of plywood. It is very bendy. I have tried things like this and the most rigid is cutting out from a solid block. Leave the sides take out all of the middle leaving it paper thin and leave a strap for the axle's. You can thin the sides and even more so on the non dominant side. Cool drawings! Best of Luck!
B_Regal Racing said:
I don't know brother? You know how to build a great fast car, but this will teach how to do it with very consistent results using basic tools in 1/4 the time per body! The bodies come out perfect. I know you know how important consistency is. The body in the video finished at 5.8 grams with meat on the bone! And it's strong.
A serious response? That kind of threw me for a loop. I was expecting something to the effect of, "there's no help for you."
Question for this old thread...when you have a routed or cut-through body, what do you do to "top" it off or to close it off? Do you cover it with something? How is that paintable then? I read somewhere about vellum paper and wondered if that is the solution for my car that is not cut all the way through but remains with a (very thin) layer on the top. Should I leave the underside as-is or cover it somehow?
The body cut out by Bulldog is done using a router, ensuring that the router does not penetrate all of the way through. Covering the top of the car would be for cosmetic reasons only. Others like me, cut out the frame of the car and glue on a top (1/64" birch plywood), covering only the weight pockets. In this case, you must cover the top with something. I use monokote trim sheets (it has an adhesive backing). Others use self adhesive vinyl. The body of the car built this way will most likely be lighter (maybe by a gram), but it can easily have more flex.
The bottom of the car (built either way) must be covered with some material with good adhesion (like foil tape), so it does not peal off when sliding in the stop section. You want the surface of the car (top and bottom) to be as smooth as possible, with no "holes" in the body. That will create drag.
Every racer will tell you his way is the right way, but in the end, how you build your body is a personal preference. I'm more weight conscience and will sacrifice some flex to get a lighter body. Some prefer a more rigid body and will sacrifice some weight. The trick is to find the correct balance. Keep in mind that if you are building a body with fenders, they do add rigidity.
The bottom of the car (built either way) must be covered with some material with good adhesion (like foil tape), so it does not peal off when sliding in the stop section. You want the surface of the car (top and bottom) to be as smooth as possible, with no "holes" in the body. That will create drag.
Every racer will tell you his way is the right way, but in the end, how you build your body is a personal preference. I'm more weight conscience and will sacrifice some flex to get a lighter body. Some prefer a more rigid body and will sacrifice some weight. The trick is to find the correct balance. Keep in mind that if you are building a body with fenders, they do add rigidity.
Thanks. That is helpful. My bare frame looks very much like some of the photos on this thread. The top is intact but the bottom is hollowed to within a sliver of the top. So, I definitely need to overlay something on the bottom? Right now the thickness of the car is equal to a t-cube plus the sliver. Will those hollow recessed underneath slow things down if I don’t cover them?
The weight you sacrifice by adding a cover on the underside will be more than offset in speed gains from the better aerodynamics with a cover.
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Put 12 cubes behind the rear axle and all the rest in front
This is the lightest I've gone. So roughly 2oz in the back. And the rest right in front of the rear axle?
Cut my first ladder and the bare body came out 4.9 gram of pine. Light comes threw it everywhere. I could even read the weight on the masking tape I wrote on from the back side. lol. Might try again leaving a little more meat on it. Planning on balsa side pods and stock wheels also. What size are stock Revell axles?
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