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HumboldtEF

I put together my first 2.2 sporty last year using the Asylum chassis and Capra axles. I decided I wanted another with straight axles and loaded dice weights.
I've considered the loaded dice weights a number of times over the years but had always been turned off by the way you have to cut the bead on a tire and the gluing process.

Anyway I finally pulled the trigger and ordered up a 5th dimension sucker punch, a set of SSDlux axles, the new Dlux NOD-2 transmission (tiny straight axle transmission) and some Dlux loaded dice weights and wheels.







I also grabbed some Dravtech shocks (short) and added a 6mm spacer for a 90mm eye to eye setup. I believe i'm running soft springs at the moment.

The first thing I started to tinker with was the steering. Dlux recommends a 20mm long servo horn which I ordered but I just couldn't get the full throw that these axles can do. I think it was less than 45°. Let me know if I'm missing something.
So I tried a few 24mm long servo horns, the VP version I had fit best as it doesn't extend up from the servo much.
In order to get full throw I had to grind away a bit of the servo mount/truss.





Then I worked up a new design for the servo mount brackets that hang off the carbon fiber plate.
These guys:


The new (3D printed) version moves the servo down, back and to the passenger side. This along with a shorter drag link allowed the 24mm horn to just clear and get me full steering throw. How well this works also depends on the pinion angle, a bit of an angle up is fine (5° or less maybe) but anything more extreme may require some bent upper links (to clear the servo horn at full compression).


I came up with a 3D printable jig for glueing up the loaded dice wheels (the inner ring). Again I was always turned off by the loaded dice wheels or the way they're glued up rather.
This jig aligns the back side of the inner ring and the tire. Then you apply glue to the outer face of the inner ring, place the front portion of the jig in the tire bead. Then you can press down on the front peice, flip and do the other side. Then you can glue on the wheel face.
This worked out pretty good at keeping everything centered which was my biggest concern. I will likely put this jig up on Thingiverse soon.



I also clocked the loaded dice weights to make up for the caster I added. I made up a jig to drill the new holes.



Had to file down one of the corners to get it rotated as far as I wanted



One of the screws hangs over the edge. I'm already using a spacer behind the weights so I just added some extra support for these screws.



EDIT: I forgot to mention that the knuckle bottom plates need to be trimmed as they would foul on the weights when clocked. I forgot to get before and after pics but heres the top plate untrimmed which is similar to the bottom:


Bottom after trimming


You can assemble these knuckles a few different ways and this modification may not work if you use the countersunk mounting holes on the bottom plates.

Final position



More to come.