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Blizzard Truck Thing WIP; pic heavy
Topic Started: Jan 25 2015, 07:44 PM (1,693 Views)
Greyryder
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This started life as a Blizzard EV, but I've got he DF-300 front bar on it, and I built some chain tensioners, so I don't have to over tighten the sprockets to keep the chain tight. I wrecked a set of those axle carrier parts, doing that. I've also got a full width skid plate, that I hand hammered the diff bulge in, but it just catches any little bit of debris that finds its way into the chassis. I'll be replacing it with something simpler, that'll let dirt and whatnot fall out.
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New rod ends for easier maintenance. I had to get the blue ones!
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I'm continuing the grand tradition of non snow-cat bodies on Blizzard chassis. I'm using a Tamiya High Lift body, and trying to keep the mounting pretty much stealthed. The bed's been shortened by about 1ΒΌ". (Did I mention the old Clodzilla bumper/brush guard?
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The bed is bolted to a Lexan under-pan that attaches to the chassis with the factory body mounts. I need to add a little structure in front of the bed, to stiffen things up. I've added a full back wall on the cab, with holes that slide over pegs on the bed's new front wall. Inverted body posts are hidden behind the bumper, with the body clips tucking in under the cut out's for the High Lift's brush guard.
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The bed's been cut up and bolted to an aluminum frame, to give me a useable cargo area I can detail up, as I get things for it. A tool box and fuel cans are necessities, as far as I'm concerned. I'll be brazing a light bar/chase rack kind of thing that I plan to put tie down tabs on.
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FrozenRC
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Looking good! If you can some how make it work I would really recommend moving the battery to the back end. with battery and that clod bar it looks really front end heavy which wouldn't be a good thing with a hard body.

Excellent job shortening the box, also could you maybe go into a little more depth around your "track tension-er"
Edited by FrozenRC, Jan 25 2015, 10:45 PM.
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Greyryder
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Thanks!

If it becomes a problem, I might move the battery amidships, behind the motor. I'll wait and see how heavy the bed is, once it's finished. The cage and other stuff I plan to put back there might bring the center of gravity back a little. I tend to treat it more like a crawler, than a dedicated snow vehicle, so I don't want the weight too far back. And, pick ups tend to be nose heavy, anyway.

The chain tensioners aren't much more than an L shaped piece of aluminum. They're based on ones sold for BMX bikes. I bent them out of strips of sheet, and folded over the side the grub screw goes through. The double thickness on that side gives more space for threads. The aluminum tends to break, when you start folding it that sharply, so I put some glue in before I finished the fold. Once the nut's tightened, it keeps the screw from moving, and messing up the setting. The angles and corner on that part of the side plates kind of makes this system far from perfect, and it really needs to be made from something stiffer. But, it's working so far.
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FrozenRC
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Gotcha, I see how it's working now, so the grub screw presses against chassis side plate and pulls the cross member tight. I like the mod very much.
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Small Factory
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Formally Timmy2Tracks
Smart on the bmx style chain tensioners. I like...!
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rookie101

I like that chain tensioner idea, I may have to use that.
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Greyryder
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Thanks guys!

To be clear, the tensioners are just to set and hold the tension, while you tighten the axles. Those things always shift around on me, while I'm tightening them. But, they do keep me from feeling like I need to gorilla torque them.
Edited by Greyryder, Jan 27 2015, 06:25 PM.
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Greyryder
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Haven't gotten a lot done on it, lately. But, I did get the rear cage thing brazed up. Unfortunately, I found out too late that most people make such things from steel brake tubing. I made mine from solid bar stock, so it's heavier than it needs to be. The sheet metal is cut from an old computer case side panel.

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Blissard
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I like this a lot! I can't wait to see it finished.
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FrozenRC
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You did a very nice job on the roll bar.
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Greyryder
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Thanks! It was my first time brazing, so I'm pretty happy with it.
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Greyryder
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I need to vent a little. Working on this body conversion, I've been constantly running face-first into Reynolds' Paradox; "What you plan, and what takes place ain't ever exactly been similar." Lately, things had been going better. Got the first of my home brew light bars together, and discover that they sent me the wrong color LEDs. I ordered 14 cool white "ultra bright" LEDs. Turns out that about 10 of them are warm white. Now, these are all pretty close to pure white, and if they were all the same shade, I'd probably let it go. But mixed like this, you can see the difference between them.

I've sent an e-mail, and now I get to find out how good their customer service is.
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FrozenRC
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That sucks man, I know what you mean about what you planned isn't what happens, I total had to abandon the interior for my DF-370, it was that or the garbage can.
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Small Factory
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Formally Timmy2Tracks
Oooh, I've been there.... Sometimes it's nice to walk away from it for a few weeks, and then come back with a 'fresh eye'...
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Greyryder
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Real world stuff has kept me away from it, for about a week, now. I do have the new LEDs. They claimed it was normal variance, but agreed to exchange all the yellowish LEDs for ones they'd tested to be more towards the blue side. They even sent me the new ones, before they wanted me to send back the ones I wasn't happy with.

Hopefully, I can get back to this thing, in the next few days.
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