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Frh076

F103gt chassis.

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I have looked at the f103gt recently, and might want to get one. Regarding this, i have a few questions. First, is it drivable on unprepared asphalt with 2s/3s(grip, height)? Second, is it usable for a beginner on 2s(me and my friend will buy one each, but he is new to the hobby)? Lastly, can it be modiefied to fit f1 style bodies? I saw somewhere that it has to be converted to a f103 ti fit 80s f1 shells, but i dont know what parts are needed. Thx all.

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4 hours ago, Frh076 said:

First, is it drivable on unprepared asphalt with 2s/3s(grip, height)? 

Clean smooth asphalt yes, but rough unprepared asphalt, no, not really. Grip isn't an issue with the right tyres, but ride height is low by default, difficult to increase substantially without significant mods, and the front of the chassis plate can be worn down by the asphalt until there is almost nothing left. An example:

2018-04-22_09-21-57

 

4 hours ago, Frh076 said:

Second, is it usable for a beginner on 2s(me and my friend will buy one each, but he is new to the hobby)?

Yes, I would say so. It is not an easy car to drive, but it is very rewarding when driven smoothly, and one could argue that starting with such a car helps develop good driving habits from the outset, rather than learning bad habits on a forgiving car and then having to unlearn them when upgrading.

 

4 hours ago, Frh076 said:

Lastly, can it be modiefied to fit f1 style bodies? I saw somewhere that it has to be converted to a f103 ti fit 80s f1 shells, but i dont know what parts are needed.

Yes it can, as the F103 and F103GT share many parts. However there are also a good few differences, so while you could swap between F1 and GT configurations in an evening without difficulty, this is not something you could do trackside between heats for example. 

The main differences lie in the chassis plates, body and wheel mounts and front suspension, while the battery holders and motor pods are interchangeable. If you compare the manuals side by side, you'll get a better idea of how much work is involved in the conversion. 

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1 hour ago, TurnipJF said:

Clean smooth asphalt yes, but rough unprepared asphalt, no, not really.

By rough asphalt, how rough are we talking here? Where the small gravel is not sticking up, or where it is not completely new?

Btw thanks for your answer!

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2 hours ago, Frh076 said:

By rough asphalt, how rough are we talking here? Where the small gravel is not sticking up, or where it is not completely new?

Btw thanks for your answer!

No problem!

Basically, if the sticky uppy bits of gravel are sticking up enough to hit the bottom of the chassis while it runs, I would consider trying to run elsewhere.

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I do some driving in the asphalt cul-de-sac in front of my house, and I can only guess the surface texture is pretty smooth, maybe to the nearest 0.5 mm where roughness is concerned.  The chassis itself on a F103GT sits at least 5 mm above the surface, not a whole lot to be honest.  Sometimes while driving I'll accidentally run over a twig or tip of a fallen branch, and that in itself is more than 5 mm in diameter.  So the chassis makes a little noise and might hop over the debris.  You might get some scratching on the bottom deck.

If you have a relatively smooth asphalt surface (tennis court, basketball court, relatively new street asphalt), and there's not much debris on it (prep it with leaf blower or broom), then the other thing to consider is all the microscopic grit that lives in the cracks of the asphalt.  The tires on the car tend to toss the grit up in the air, and it can get in between the pinion and spur gears, and also the exposed grease in the ball differential.  I promised myself I'd 3D-print a spur/pinion cover for the next pan car I build just to protect the gears and ball diff better in the future.

In addition to a spur/pinion cover, one more thing to consider is a layer of protection on the bottom of the chassis.  If you want to do it nicely, some 0.5mm thick plastic sheet could be cut to the shape of the chassis and taped along the edges.  I've also gone the el-cheapo route in the past and simply taped the bottom of the chassis with silver duct tape as a sacrificial layer, then removed the tape and cleaned up the residue later.

Food for thought.

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