Frog suspension by RizFiz

[Juggular 4964]

This is a fantastic suspension by @RizFiz.  I've seen many front shock mods over the years.  But what you've done is something Tamiya should have done in 2000s and called it Frog 2. (They still can do it, if they reinforce the gearbox.)  I love your mod.  Unlike my ghetto-mods, yours look super-professional!  

@RizFiz, if you don't mind sharing your secret with us, did you 3D print this 90 degree rocker yourself?  

Or is it something we can get our hands on?  (It does give your Frog a proper look of inboard or cantilever suspension ---- talking about cantilever, steering mod you've done looks awesome too!)  You can do this, Tamiya!  (or... they can sell an Upgrade kit!)  

His Showroom page:  https://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?rt=f&cid=137680&id=57502

 

 

[Superluminal 3750]

Scrap that just noticed they look like they have a bearing in them so tc01 maybe.

Edited July 18, 2021 by Superluminal

[Frog Jumper 3661]

 

[RizFiz 39]

Thanks Juggular  I actually got the idea for this from the Ampro updates for the Hornet- just seems to suit the Frog so well! No 3d printed bits needed though, just the rocker arm and that aluminium plate (easy to copy the dimensions of that too, because I used the rear wheel hubs to test the placements with)

The part you need is this:  51457 Ta06 N Parts

 

[Juggular 4964]

How do you cut the aluminum plates?  Rear plats are 2mm? But the front plats look like 3mm? (Did the front flex with 2mm?)  Are they going to require a milling machine?  

Ta06 N Parts! Inboard suspension makes sense. 5mm ball connectors; 4 males, 2 females.  A couple of CVA mini shocks.  Suitable nuts and bolts...the rocker is to be pivoting on a 5mm tubing?  The steering rockers are on 850 bearings also, are they TA06 parts too?  

What's brilliant about this is doing it with commonly available parts.  MacGyvering is a lot harder than designing things with manufacturing facilities.  

(I should stop referring to 1980s TV shows... young people wouldn't even understand waiting for certain time for a TV show.  "You mean the entire country watched one show at the same time?" "Yes we did, those are some hard times." )  

 

[RizFiz 39]

Rear plate is 1mm only- front is 3mm because I was worried about the twisting force that's going to go through the bolt in it. 2mm would probably be ok though!

I don't have any parts from a TA06 other than the ones for the rocker arms, so anything else like bearings was either what I had lying around or bought separately. Nothing special about the TA06 rockers either, just what I could easily find at the time.

 

I just cut the plates with a hacksaw and filed them to shape, once the holes were in place. And yep the rocker is on brass tubing cut to length, with a spacer in there too, to give it enough clearance from the bodywork.

 

[RizFiz 39]

Here's a better photo of that bit:

[El Gecko 1344]

Cool bit of engineering but I'm curious what the ground clearance is like on the lower ball links. I know they move when the wheels go over bumps, but it still seems that they'd get quite bashed up on rough terrain if they hang below the skid plate as it appears they do from the pics.

[Juggular 4964]

Thank you, @RizFiz for showing the underside. That makes it a lot clearer.  

Let me pick your brain a bit more... which parts did you use for steering rockers?  I might as well go for the full RizFiz treatment.  

 

[RizFiz 39]

3 hours ago, El Gecko said:

Cool bit of engineering but I'm curious what the ground clearance is like on the lower ball links. I know they move when the wheels go over bumps, but it still seems that they'd get quite bashed up on rough terrain if they hang below the skid plate as it appears they do from the pics.

Yep you're right- that lower ball link stays about the same relative to the wheel, so at maximum ride height it's a 3/4mm below the skid plate. Once there's a bit of suspension travel it's tucked away, but it's definitely something that could be improved on! With the standard wheels it'd probably be more of an issue too.

1 hour ago, Juggular said:

Thank you, @RizFiz for showing the underside. That makes it a lot clearer.  

Let me pick your brain a bit more... which parts did you use for steering rockers?  I might as well go for the full RizFiz treatment.  

 

I think it was this set here:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/254225269817

It's using 2x the longer servo attachment/ chassis brace, so that's what these are attached to 

[RoGuE_StreaK 3]

@RizFiz, I can't quite see in the pics, are the front wheels hex, and if so what have you used as the bearinged knuckles?  Or even if they aren't hex, as I'm getting sick of losing the screws holding the knuckles in and could do with a bolt-through solution.

[RizFiz 39]

9 hours ago, RoGuE_StreaK said:

@RizFiz, I can't quite see in the pics, are the front wheels hex, and if so what have you used as the bearinged knuckles?  Or even if they aren't hex, as I'm getting sick of losing the screws holding the knuckles in and could do with a bolt-through solution.

They're alu parts for the Grasshopper/Hornet. So it needed a standoff spacer to bring the steering rod to the right level (I think those are actually Frog parts too... I got a few rere bits from ebay to make this one)

[RoGuE_StreaK 3]

3 hours ago, RizFiz said:

They're alu parts for the Grasshopper/Hornet

Thanks, so not hex wheels, just adding the hornet kingpin?  I had a bit of a look at them the other month but stock is hard to find at decent prices at the moment