Any love for holiday buggy’s?

[Tbc68 4]

What do you lot think of em & anyone post some pics?

[junkmunki 846]

Are you talking the original classic, or the re release?

If you are talking about the original, i think they are great, another Tamiya icon, simple to work on and a classic.

The chassis was a bit fragile around the front suspension mounts, but thats about the only thing wrong with them.

I have 2 originals.

J

[Tbc68 4]

It’s original but I think I paid too much

[KEV THE REV 2319]

Pics ? , price ?

As said by junkmunki , great iconic Tamiya models . I have the HB and SR originals . The tubs can be fixed very easily if they need to be

[c64orinoco 667]

Is there a common fix for the suspension mounts? I'm drawing up an aluminium plate contraption to attempt to cut on the weekend.

How do people get around the rubber bushing? Mine's totally perished, I'm not sure what to use to replace it. The rear torsion plate bushes are perished too - what can be done about those?

[KEV THE REV 2319]

Various solutions to the broken mount . Your aluminium idea should work , not too thick though . Styrene card or similar can be used  . The alu could be bonded on with Gorilla glue or JB weld , similar for styrene card . I use grommets instead of bushing tube for front and bumper . I think the problem with broken mounts is mainly due to the expansion of the rubber when bolted up . The grommet fits nicely and the bolting up can be minimal , no pressure . The original design should have had larger plastic area to take the pressure of the rubber compression

[c64orinoco 667]

Er, 1.5mm aluminium might be too thick then? I was going to fold it and bolt to the chassis sides. Overkill?

Where do you source grommets of the right size?

The smallest I could find at the local hardware store (Bunnings) were 6mm. I got some for the rear suspension plate and I think they'll do the job but they are far too large for the front. I was considering a piece of silicone fuel tubing.

If I understand the mechanics correctly the fixing with the grommet is simply to make the joint flex slightly as it follows the arc of the suspension arm.

I'm now doubting the wisdom of my super-thick Al. plate idea.

[KEV THE REV 2319]

1.5 is probably overkill. Being as you've  got the platform still,  the plates are just to stop the damper shaft from dropping out sideways,  so not doing a lot of work . I bought the grommets in a boxed set from a bargain store and I  used same size for front and back

[didcos 37]

I thought long and hard about that. I don't like using glue to repair something. My solution was to cut small aluminum plates of 0.7mm thickness and sandwich the existing damaged mounts. They are held in place by two 2mm screws. Clean and strong.

[c64orinoco 667]

7 hours ago, didcos said:

I thought long and hard about that. I don't like using glue to repair something. My solution was to cut small aluminum plates of 0.7mm thickness and sandwich the existing damaged mounts. They are held in place by two 2mm screws. Clean and strong.

 

This was my original idea, but close inspection of the mounts after cleaning show that the enitre plastic mount has 'shattered' and is full of hairline stress cracks. I suspect attempting to drill them would cause them to disintegrate; hence my stronger solution. My mechanical understanding of these mounts is that the take considerable force upwards - essentially the force of the spring compressing under sudden load.

Given that I cannot be certain the mounts will take any further load either intrinsically or via a bolted plate, the next strongest area is the sides of the chassis. I think my idea of an inverted L-shaped plate is still valid; as much as I loathe the idea of drilling holes in the chassis it does seem to be the only solution. I'm not sure 0.7mm aluminium would resist the loads without gradually bending upwards - I can't restrain it vertically because of the cracks, which is why I went for the thick aluminium.

My crappy drawing over the photo from the previous post shows the rough idea of my plate; folded over at the top to form the mount, and the plate bolted lower down the side. The suspension forces will want to bend the plate upwards; I'm not confident 0.7mm aluminium would be up to that task.

 

[KEV THE REV 2319]

If the integrity of the upright is not very good , then your idea will be as good as you could get , with your 1.5mm alu . I've seen this done before . Use as large a washer on each bolt as you can on the plastic side to spread the forces impacted on the bracket . Once painted satin black it should blend in nicely .