GregM 1109 Posted October 24, 2016 Thanks! The kudos are going to Manny for his creation. Well, here we go with the "guinea pig" part of the deal. Keep in mind that when I got the pair of 3d printed arms, I was made fully aware that they are untested and there might be potential geometry problems. That was fine with me! I equipped the Mad Bull with its wheels and measured the difference in track width. Left = old. Right = new. There's more difference than I was expecting. This affects the large Mad Bull wheels on full steering lock. With the new arm (right), the tire will hit the front bumper. This means I need to cut down the bumper. There might be no trouble at all when using regular Fighter Buggy RX/Mad Fighter wheels. I still think Manny's 3d printed design is great, and I'm still thankful for allowing me to get my hands on it. For any future iterations, I'd suggest making the arms longer, so they would match the DT-01 stock track width when using DT-02 c-hubs. This would also allow for a second damper mounting point. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nobbi1977 1793 Posted October 25, 2016 I will hunt for a bumper when I get in later. I broke a kit a couple of years ago so may have a spare Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manny 83 Posted October 25, 2016 I really appreciate the suggestions, it can only help when another enthusiast examines your design. ...how many millimeters should I move the outer hole over? I'm also thinking about an upper suspension point similar to what PintoPower offers for his Hornet/Grasshopper conversion. Also, Pinto uses a steel shaft to support the hinge on his ORV battery cover. Pretty ingenious. I'm thinking about making the inner suspension hinge area hollow to allow for a steel shaft for extra strength. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nobbi1977 1793 Posted October 25, 2016 Would the WR-02 C hubs and none hex hub converter widen the track enough? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GregM 1109 Posted October 25, 2016 Nobbi, if you have a spare bumper, I would be glad, since I'm reluctant to cut the grey Mad Bull bumper, since what is available in stores are mostly the black parts from the Mad Fighter and Fighter Buggy RX. I don't have the WR-02 hex hub converters, but I've got some TL-01 c-hubs and uprights that I can try. However I know the hubs won't fit the 3d printed arms without cutting. Manny, I'll try providing more exact measurements this week. I appreciate your thoughts about an upper link brace a la Pintopower. I guess the front shock tower mounts might be useful for such a brace. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nobbi1977 1793 Posted October 26, 2016 I will have a dig later and a mesure of the WR c hub Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nobbi1977 1793 Posted October 26, 2016 Found a new one. Few storage marks but nothing much 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mannyp1980 49 Posted December 4, 2016 Hi guys, Bought a Mad Bull yesterday. My first 2WD and my first buggy/truggy. Built it and love driving it but that front suspension is crazy. I have replaced the front "Shocks" , or Plastic Spring Holders, with some cheapy Oil filled dampers I had and it did make a difference. Found this post and now I really wanna upgrade the front. GregM, how are those 3d printed arms from Manny? Feels weird typing that, as I'm Manny too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GregM 1109 Posted December 4, 2016 Hi Mannyp1980, thanks for reminding me, I still got to mount the bumper that Nobbi sent me. Then I'll prepare some more m3 rods and give the car a test run. The arms themselves are feeling pretty sturdy. I also still have to get the measurements for manny. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GregM 1109 Posted April 23, 2017 Sorry for the long wait guys. Today, I finally got around to finish the Mad Bull front suspension installment. Since there's front track width is now shorter, I did some measurements, comparing the stock front arm to Manny's 3D printed front arm. Please click on the photos to get a better reading. Measurements from center to steering knuckle pivot: Measurements from shock mount to steering knuckle pivot. More measurement from shock mount to steering knuckle pivot. A Proxxon milling bit was helpful when I cut out the arches in the bodyshell to clear the upper links. Afterwards, I used a sanding drum to get a smooth finish. The cut front bumper. Width comparison to stock bumper: 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mannyp1980 49 Posted April 25, 2017 Those arms look impressive. How strong do they feel? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GregM 1109 Posted April 25, 2017 Hi Mannyp1980, this is what I thought of them before installation. On 23.10.2016 at 0:03 PM, GregM said: This is the first time I'm holding 3d printed/sintered nylon in my hands. That stuff feels funny with it rather rough surface. When trying to bend the arms, they are really strong but retain some flexibility. And afterwards, I still have the impression these arms are pretty beefy. Now that I also used Pintopower's Ampro 3D printed Hornet arms for the double wishbone conversion on my runner Hornet, I'm very confident in this material, design and construction. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vrooom666 31 Posted June 3, 2017 where can i buy those manny arms ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GregM 1109 Posted June 11, 2017 They were supplied by user manny: I did a test run today. The arms held up very well. Funny camber changes are gone! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scouser 83 Posted June 12, 2017 Will you be posting a YouTube video? Mad Bull looks fantastic. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GregM 1109 Posted June 13, 2017 Thanks! I haven't planned doing one yet, but I think it's a good idea to show all the mods in a video, once I'm finally done and confident with the ball raced steering. I also need some grippier rear tires and stiffen the front dampers, otherwise I'd be just spinning out on gravel. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vrooom666 31 Posted January 19, 2018 Hi, i did this conversion with DT-02/03 arms and upright, with M05 rear mount stay and i used 70mm i think rod and cut the ball end to sit in chassis without any slop. and I used ball stud on m05 stays for upper arms to mount on. the chassis holes lines up to this m05 stay so no cutting or drilling or anything. It is sitting atop of shock tower. it is perfect at handling. 3 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Simes 0 Posted June 1, 2018 On 1/19/2018 at 4:10 PM, Vrooom666 said: Hi, i did this conversion with DT-02/03 arms and upright, with M05 rear mount stay and i used 70mm i think rod and cut the ball end to sit in chassis without any slop. and I used ball stud on m05 stays for upper arms to mount on. the chassis holes lines up to this m05 stay so no cutting or drilling or anything. It is sitting atop of shock tower. it is perfect at handling. Great conversion, which I hope to apply to my Mad Bull shortly. Just out of interest, for the upper arms did you use some form of ball/arm kit? Cheers again Simes Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vrooom666 31 Posted June 11, 2018 On 6/1/2018 at 5:17 PM, Simes said: Great conversion, which I hope to apply to my Mad Bull shortly. Just out of interest, for the upper arms did you use some form of ball/arm kit? Cheers again Simes Any connector you want, i now used 5mm tamiya brass ball connector, other one is 5mm stud nut with threaded bolt. since the DT02/3 upgright hole is too big for ball connectors. just adjust it to get correct camber, i made improvement, shock tower will break... i drilled other holes on shock tower, and used long bolts and nylon nuts to hold it in the place. it is fanastic to drive... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Carmine A 2046 Posted March 27, 2021 On 1/19/2018 at 9:10 AM, Vrooom666 said: Hi, i did this conversion with DT-02/03 arms and upright, with M05 rear mount stay and i used 70mm i think rod and cut the ball end to sit in chassis without any slop. and I used ball stud on m05 stays for upper arms to mount on. the chassis holes lines up to this m05 stay so no cutting or drilling or anything. It is sitting atop of shock tower. it is perfect at handling. That's a brilliant, simple and clever solution!!! Worth a bump, and Tricks I want to try myself. 😉 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
