Hornet Wing Fix

[Kowalski86]

Well, I've joined most other Hornet owners and ripped my wing off. What is an effective "hack" to get it back on?

[Andreas W]

Probably this, or the HD variant he also offers. The latter is more chunky and less estetic, though. 

 

https://www.shapeways.com/product/VVSCTWCUE/045007-01-ampro-hornet-shock-wing-mount?optionId=59110604&li=shops

[Kowalski86]

11 hours ago, Andreas W said:

Probably this, or the HD variant he also offers. The latter is more chunky and less estetic, though. 

 

https://www.shapeways.com/product/VVSCTWCUE/045007-01-ampro-hornet-shock-wing-mount?optionId=59110604&li=shops

That is more of a clean resolution, I'm curious if it'd help strengthen the shock tower too.

[El Gecko]

8 hours ago, Kowalski86 said:

I'm curious if it'd help strengthen the shock tower too.

Definitely. Any extra bracing adds strength, especially cross-bracing. Those arms that the shocks and body mounts attach to aren't very strong in the lateral direction.

It also seems like a relatively easy thing to make at home, especially after seeing pics of the 3D model.

[Kowalski86]

8 hours ago, El Gecko said:

It also seems like a relatively easy thing to make at home, especially after seeing pics of the 3D model.

I'm not to worried about mounting the wing so much as making the chassis more durable.

I'll probably try some threaded rod in the back, dunno what I can do about the front end short of cutting up a Grasshopper body.

[Kowalski86]

This is what I ended up doing, spare screws and ORV bits, looks awful but it works. The rear wing is just held on with double sided tape.

[El Gecko]

Exactly! It just needs to work first, then you can figure out aesthetics. I used a section of plastic coat hanger as my top brace, with the holes drilled slightly angled to fit the angle of the bolts. The fake engine there also helps stiffen everything up a bit. I added the same kind of brace in between the lower shock mounts, to help keep the gearbox from splitting in the middle. Originally the braces were both white because that's the color of the broken coat hangers I had, but I decided to sacrifice a black one so they could blend in with the chassis even better.

 

[Kowalski86]

9 hours ago, El Gecko said:

 I added the same kind of brace in between the lower shock mounts, to help keep the gearbox from splitting in the middle.

Is that a common problem? I feel like the stock screws should be solid enough.

I do like your coat hanger solution, I'm much more into diy "use some scraps" repairs, vs "buy this expensive part".

[El Gecko]

11 hours ago, Kowalski86 said:

Is that a common problem? I feel like the stock screws should be solid enough.

Common enough, there's at least 1 stripped or broken screw hole on each of my Grasshopper-based gearboxes. This one has a few that are stripped, mainly the lower rear one just under the brace is cracked all the way through on both sides, so the brace is actually necessary to keep it from spreading under load. I think that was a contributing factor both times I destroyed the diff gears.

[Kowalski86]

1 hour ago, El Gecko said:

Common enough, there's at least 1 stripped or broken screw hole on each of my Grasshopper-based gearboxes.

I did notice that mine randomly lost a screw once, I'd probably replace it with a CW-01 case, then figure out a brace in the process.

[Big Jon]

BITD, there was a company here in the States that made a bunch of Grasshopper parts, and they made a gearbox stiffener that ran from hub to hub. Can’t remember the name, though. 
 

I might try the old drywall tape and Shoe Goo on the wing mount, and use both hardware and shoe goo or clear servo tape to hold the wing on. Maybe even reinforce the wing. Race wings hold up much better than kit wings, although they are too wide for vintage buggies.