So how do you do it?

[TWINSET]

I built a TB01 Saturday, and the steering rod ends are supposed to be 1mm apart, with the ball cups in line.

Now, unless you get dead lucky (1,000,000:1 chance at best) when you start threading the ball cup on, you'll never get the rod ends 1mm apart AND the cups in line, so what do you do about it?

I've seen plenty of 'easy adjust' turn buckles with a 'wrench' section on them, but if both ends are the same direction thread (normally right hand), this achieves nothing (except to save clamping the rod with pliers), as when you wind it out of one ball cup, you wind it in too the other.

If one end was a LH thread and the other a RH, this would work, as you could keep the ends level, and adjust the length by turning the rod.

[AZAZAL]

Hey dude, to be honest i aint got a clue how you can get a twin right hand thread to adjust by using a wrench, these rods sound like the standard adjustable shafts where you have to wind on each cup and measure the distance inbetween, sounds like a poo idea and i would agree with your idea of left/right handed threads to make adjustment easier. other than that could the shaft be custom made to have a right and a left hand thread and a center section to use a small adjuster tool[?][]

[TWINSET]

Cool, not missing something then.

All these turnbuckles advertise instant adjustability, when the only thing you'll move is the position of the spanner bump in the middle!

And another thing, if anyone starts making twin thread turnbuckles now, I want royalties.

(Chris, put a sticky on this, I may need it for evidence[8D])

[AZAZAL]

Hi, i agree all royalties to twinset, maybe we can get some made up (and i dont mean the royalties), saying that i think i have a shaft with those threads, i am going to go and have a play

laters all[)][]

[TWINSET]

What thread are they generally?

Not the 1mm apart ones, but all the others?

Making them would be dead simple, I don't know why they haven't

(and now they can't without me suing[])

[mucky-pup]

I'm not sure if i misunderstand what you say or maybe i'm being a bit thick but i have adjustable turnbuckles on several of my cars. One end has a right hand thread the other end has a left hand thread and there is a fixed "nut" in the middle. If you turn this nut the two threads rotate in opposite directions, effectively winding the ball cups on or off (depending on which way you are turning the middle nut) this then shortens/lengthens the turnbuckle [?] Sorry if this makes no sense or if i have stated the obvious [:I]

[TWINSET]

Dammit! Cancel the Ferrari order

Cheers MP, I must been looking at the cheap ones, what you're on about is what I thought didn't exist.

[AZAZAL]

Hi gang, found my shaft with left/right hand threads, sorry twinset but i think these shaft have been about for a while as my shaft has come off an old chassis but this could have been added later. never mind dude keep the ferarri in mind as there might be something else you could patent that tamiya missed.[][][]

[JesterRace]

I think most of the other compaines make the turnbuckles you are talking about. I know Associated does.

[TWINSET]

Yep, I reckon you're right.

Anyway, working on a new invention now, I call it a wheel - stay tuned for more developments.[:I]

[leadfoot]

the TMAXX has those turn buckles on them too [)]

[WillyChang]

Youse guys have a serious misconception going on here... [:I]

"Turnbuckles" - these are threaded right way at one half, and

threaded opposite way at the other. There is a hex or hole at

the middle to accept a wrench or pin so you can turn the rod.

Turning the rod with the 2 plastic ballcap ends held captive

will adjust the overall length of the tierod.

"Threaded Rod" - is treaded right way all the way thru, this is

what you get in most Tamiya kits. Its pure pot luck that you get

the tierods assembled at the right length & orientation.

Generally +/-1mm length don't really make much difference to the

overall scheme of things so its more important to get each *pair*

of L/R tierods at matching length.

If you want to upgrade your car, Tamiya sells turnbuckle rods in various lengths, latest lot being in "Titan" (haha, titanium) material.

Believe it was the sailors that invented turnbuckles. []

As for further "useful" RC innovations... y'know how the

Right Side wheels always fall off first? [!]

how about directional wheelnuts?

The axle should have a normal-thread on the Left side

of the car, and a reverse-thread on the Right side.

Voila - no more loose wheels.

[Javelin395(2)]

quote:

Originally posted by WillyChang

As for further "useful" RC innovations... y'know how the

Right Side wheels always fall off first

? [

!]

how about

directional wheelnuts

?

The axle should have a normal-thread on the Left side

of the car, and a reverse-thread on the Right side.

Voila - no more loose wheels.

---

id="quote">id="quote">

Chrysler Corporation, Plymouth and Dodge used these their earlier cars. It was a safety feature. The only problem was tire mechanics that did not know the difference used to rip them out on a regular basis. []

Thankfully, they have gone away from that.....

[WillyChang]

quote:

Originally posted by Javelin395

Chrysler Corporation, Plymouth and Dodge used these their earlier cars. It was a safety feature.

---

id="quote">id="quote">

Didn't say it was my new idea... []

Both sides of the Atlantic had similar designs on 1:1.

If the wheel is held on by 3/4/5 nuts then its probably not all that required, even for safety reasons.

But if you've only got ONE nut* holding on the whole wheel, it

becomes imperative. British sports cars with wire wheels and

the centre spinners have been always bi-directionally threaded.

Would date back to 1910s easy at a guess.

*I meant the wheelnut, not the human one. []