F103GT Axles on a Grasshopper Front End UPDATE 2/10/13

[rdlb23 14]

I got some f103GT steering knuckles from 3Racing and put them on an extra set of A-arms from my grasshopper. Now I can mount any 12mm hex wheels on the grasshopper front end. The axle is just behind the upright mount instead of inline with it so I had to cut out the rear set of triangles trusses from inside the bracket, marginally weakening the A-arm. Time will tell how big a deal this is.

These are Arrma Raider front tires and wheels, significantly bigger than the grasshopper. I'd also like to try out some touring car tires and scrape the car around the parking lot.

Here's another shot showing how far the steering will travel. The knuckle limits it before the wheel does so tire choice shouldn't be a big factor unless you get some extreme offsets.

And in case you're wondering what impact this will have on the already vulnerable shock towers of the grasshoppers front end... I just got these in the mail.

Any idea what shocks I can use that would fit these? I just got the towers.

[BadWagon 146]

Very cool mod. Now go run it an report back.

[callisr 5]

Where did you get the shock mounts from? And how much did they cost? My hornet needs a new chassis because i abit broke the front susp tower at the bmx track!

Cheers

Rich

[rdlb23 14]

I bought two of them from ebay, just because you always need that part, like you said. If you want to buy one I think I'm going to put one back up on ebay.

I'll let you know.

[Daves956 157]

This is really interesting, there are so many models with similar uprights and so few wheel and tire options for the front end. The only issue I see is the change in wheelbase since those offset the axle a little bit. I see at least a couple sets in the near future, thanks for pointing them out.

[rdlb23 14]

Here's a shot of the shock tower with shocks from the CRP upgrade for the FX-10... The shocks are about the right length. Any other shock suggestions?

If you want a set of 3 racing knuckles like the ones I used I have an extra. PM me.

[OldSchoolRunner 116]

Very cool mod! Can you show us the listing for those shock tower that you have there?

OSR

[Daves956 157]

I ordered a set to play with. They could work on the 956s, XJRs, Hornets, Pumpkin or RC10s just to name a few so I have high hopes it will open up some tire and wheel options that have been pretty limited so far. I've been pretty lucky adapting rear wheels but 5mm straight axle fronts are another story, especially if you want them to match.

[rdlb23 14]

I hope this isn't too late Dave956...

I forgot to mention that you have to cut down the knuckles to fit, but I'm sure that is no big deal for a hobbyist such as yourself, you'll see exactly what I mean when you get them.

[Daves956 157]

Most everything mentioned already accepts the offset F103 uprights already so I'll see once they get here.

[rdlb23 14]

The upright has a little narrow part at the top and bottom. Instead of weakening the A-arm any further by drilling bigger holes, I sawed those narrow parts off.

[Daves956 157]

It seems Associated was doing some R and D (research and duplicate) on the upgrade uprights for the SC10. They are basicly identical with the larger axle sizes to them instead of Tamiya size. My SC10 RS lost a battle with a tree and snapped one.

[rdlb23 14]

<p>So here's a shot of the axles with the CRP tower and Mini-T GPM Shocks

Most reports using 1/10th shocks indicate that the front is too light for the dampers to work so I used 1/18th size meant for a Losi Mini=T

The shocks are almost completely compressed when the A-arms hit the chassis so the length looks pretty good.

You can see in the last photo that I had to use a little extra nut to keep the shock away from the CRP tower. The mounting point is too short to let the shock mount flush against the tower, but threading a small nut onto the screw creates a perfect amount of space.I'll do some runs with the on car camera like this video Tamiya Grasshopper on Beach

[rdlb23 14]

I've got some info on the shock towers since several of you asked about it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=121075145472

[Bobzilla 3]

Any chance you can post up some dimensions on the shocktower please? I have a choice of £17 from the US (which might mean being hammered for VAT at customs, so add another £4) or making on up myself. I reckon I can do the former, if I know what I am bending to.

Thanks

[insanitor 0]

Thanks for the info. This mod works great!