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78Triumph

Body doesn't sit evenly on chassis...

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Has anyone else come across this problem, and what do you do to fix it.  My Beetle body doesn't fit evenly from side to side on the chassis (mf-01x).  There's nothing touching the body other than the body posts.  You can see it's more pronounced in the rear.  The right side the tire is outside the wheel arch, and the opposite the tire is tucked.  The body holes are pre-drilled on this body.  What do you suppose the best remedy for this is?

46958113611_e6907853e9_c.jpgUntitled by Joe, on Flickr

46958113621_69bc02a931_c.jpgUntitled by Joe, on Flickr

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Looks like the body post are to one side due to their length. Tamiya ones are really bad for this imo. There is quite a bit of movement in where they attach to the damper mounts like on the ta03 and tt02. Personally I would use a long threaded screw and a nut on the other end and get then nice and dead straight before tightening to hold them in place .

James.

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it could be the post holes are not done level if that's the case then you have to either widen the hole or relocate it.

or it could be what insane jim69 said 

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I second the "bend the body posts" idea, and while you're at it, add a brace or two to keep them straight. I've used threaded rods (or old steering links or turnbuckles) for this purpose before, and the great part is that you can then tweak them into the right spot by adjusting the rods.

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Do you have a pic of how the posts attach to the chassis? 

If it's like the ta03 there is a locating square tab that sits in a hollow square recess. The problem is its not a tight fit at all and there is a lot of play in it. OK, in "a lot " I mean a fraction of a millimetre, but ...... On long body posts thats over emphasised a lot and by the time you add a 4 inch body post you are 4-5mm to one side. Try pushing the body posts over but down the bottom at their mounting point not near the top :)

James.

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Any chance of a picture of the chassis with no body on, taken looking from the back, straight towards the front? That would help us confirm the skew body post theory, and possibly suggest other solutions.

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Id just bend them but maybe they could be spaced from the chassis? Hard to tell and i dont know this car.

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Yeah, i think I'll just bend them.  The left one would have to be spaced outward a hair, and the right side would need to get tighter to the chassis.

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My guess is you can either put the posts in hot water or use a heat gun to bend them.  

Or you can use something like a hanger wire to push and pull.  Maybe hanger wires are too thick?  Since the blue part is the pulling part, you could use some fishing line.  It doesn't take much force to change the angle, so blue line alone could fix the problem.  

B8FK2Tp.jpg

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2 minutes ago, Juggular said:

My guess is you can either put the posts in hot water or use a heat gun to bend them.  

Or you can use something like a hanger wire to push and pull.  Maybe hanger wires are too thick?  Since the blue part is the pulling part, you could use some fishing line.  It doesn't take much force to change the angle, so blue line alone could fix the problem.  

B8FK2Tp.jpg

I like that idea a lot.  Simple yet effective. 

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I did something similar with my MF01X Jimny.  A bit of wire allowed me to adjust the body position and stopped it wobbling around as much.

vA2EnTG.jpg

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11 hours ago, InsaneJim69 said:

Looks like the body post are to one side due to their length. Tamiya ones are really bad for this imo. There is quite a bit of movement in where they attach to the damper mounts like on the ta03 and tt02. Personally I would use a long threaded screw and a nut on the other end and get then nice and dead straight before tightening to hold them in place .

James.

This. 

I used a threaded 2mm steering rod through the rear of my D3 drift car as the body posts had to be manipulated to account for the driftechs rubbing on the rear guards.

It also helps long body posts (like on the beetle body above) from moving/swaying around.

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IMO, your body might be warped too.  But its plastic so you can bend it to where you want right???

Figure out which holes you want to use.  Protect your body with padding.  Shim up the low side with washers or something,  

But I've had a few beers and I'm stupid...  

Terry

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BTW, if you hold both rear mounts together, and move them to to the starboard side, does the body align correctly???  

If so, your mounts lean portside, and you need to get them to bend starboard...

Terry

 

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34 minutes ago, Frog Jumper said:

But I've had a few beers

Terry

 

26 minutes ago, Frog Jumper said:

BTW, if you hold both rear mounts together, and move them to to the starboard side, does the body align correctly???  

If so, your mounts lean portside, and you need to get them to bend starboard...

Terry

 

Have you had beers or rum? You've had something because you sound clever but I'm picking rum because of your nautical theme

Also, no one really knows the difference between port and starboard do they?

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Port is a variation of rum??? .... yeah no one knows!

Did you fix the bent body yet, its very odd using the correct Pre drilled holes on the shell, I'd be miffed!

(that has only ever happened to me when I've had to mark my own bodged bodypost holes myself like on a HPI BMW 2002 sat on an M03)

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I wound up heating them up with a lighter and bending them both to the right (starboard).  I got lucky and only had to do it once and the body sits perfect on it now.  Thanks for all the advice fellas!

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uh... using lighter might be as bad as using a soldering iron.  

I often bend the legs of my eye glasses every time I get a new pair.  If the tail ends wrap around my head a bit, they won't drop while I'm looking down shoveling the snow.  To bend plastic legs like that, I use hot water.  Lighter could just heat up one side or melt a spot.  

 

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1 hour ago, Juggular said:

uh... using lighter might be as bad as using a soldering iron.  

I often bend the legs of my eye glasses every time I get a new pair.  If the tail ends wrap around my head a bit, they won't drop while I'm looking down shoveling the snow.  To bend plastic legs like that, I use hot water.  Lighter could just heat up one side or melt a spot.  

 

No melted spots or anything like that.  I've used a lighter on heat shrink tubing for years when a heat gun wasn't available, so I'm pretty good at judging the heat.  I've got lighter skills.  :)

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My MF01X has a very similar issue. Mine though the front right wheel had much more clearance between the tyre and wheel arch than the other side. Nothing rubbing, straight posts. Just weird!

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