2017 - Madmanandrew's Entry - DNF

[MadManAndrew]

I really wish I had a cnc plasma cutter. :| Or even just a regular old plasma cutter and I'd have some way cooler looking brackets on this thing. Anyway, I loaded up a ton of weight on the buggy (more than what it should be when finished) and the shocks compressed about 1/4", which is not enough. I think in the end I will end up fabbing some shock towers that put the top mount up and out so the shock is vertical and choked up on the control arm as much as possible for maximum leverage.

 

[Kartorbust]

Water jet would be nicer since there's no HAZ (heat affected zone) to deal with.

 

[MadManAndrew]

Water jets are also exponentially more expensive though! I don't gold you know

 

[Kartorbust]

There's a Kickstarter for a diy'er water jet called WAZER and it's expected to be $5999. Though gotorch has a diy'er plaz table going for $2995 that's highly portable as well. http://gotorch.com

---------- Post added at 10:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:20 PM ----------

Either one is an expensive endeavor, though roughly the same cost as a CNC wood engraver. Just not as expensive as an industrial size one or cuts as fast.

---------- Post added at 10:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:21 PM ----------

Link to the water jet. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1294137530/the-first-desktop-waterjet-cutter

 

[MadManAndrew]

There's a Kickstarter for a diy'er water jet called WAZER and it's expected to be $5999. Though gotorch has a diy'er plaz table going for $2995 that's highly portable as well. http://gotorch.com

---------- Post added at 10:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:20 PM ----------

Either one is an expensive endeavor, though roughly the same cost as a CNC wood engraver. Just not as expensive as an industrial size one or cuts as fast.

---------- Post added at 10:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:21 PM ----------

Link to the water jet. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1294137530/the-first-desktop-waterjet-cutter

I've been burned by a few too many Kickstarters (see: M3D Micro, Pine64, Trinus...) to invest in another but I'd be interested to see how that thing fares after the kickstarter is over. I've been drooling over the X-Carve by inventables for a long time but the piggy bank might get new sights if the Wazer fares well, especially since pretty much all my projects are in steel.

 

[Kartorbust]

Well it cuts mild steel up to 3/16 at about a half inch per minute, so just don't be in too much of a hurry lol. Supposedly WAZER shipping starts December of this year.

Don't blame you for not liking start ups by being burned. I feel sorry for those who put money towards Skully (360* view motorcycle helmet) and the Elio 84mpg car.

 

[thinwater]

I really wish I had a cnc plasma cutter. :| Or even just a regular old plasma cutter and I'd have some way cooler looking brackets on this thing. Anyway, I loaded up a ton of weight on the buggy (more than what it should be when finished) and the shocks compressed about 1/4", which is not enough. I think in the end I will end up fabbing some shock towers that put the top mount up and out so the shock is vertical and choked up on the control arm as much as possible for maximum leverage.

Do up a couple of drawings of the brackets you need and send them to me. I have a CNC plasma cutter. No charge. You can draw it on graph paper if you don't have any drawing software and I can draw it from that. DXF is the best format if you have software, I can cut right from that.

Your build is looking really good!

 

[MadManAndrew]

Man that is a heck of an offer thank you so much. I'm gonna throw a few more curveballs at this thing before it's all said and done so it might be awhile before I'm ready to take you up on that, but I definitely will.

 

[MadManAndrew]

I've got blanks for the driveshaft drive cups... Every time I work on this thing or get more parts I just get more pumped to finish it. Gotta keep this momentum going. I can't wait to see all these drawings turn into reality.

 

[MadManAndrew]

What happens when you try to bore a 1" hole in 4041 steel with a 15 year old belt. While I'm waiting on a new one I went ahead and made a shocktower of sorts. It's not as pretty as I would like it to be but now if I simulate the finished weight it's level so I'm happy.

 

[Ebrownie]

Your build is looking very solid and clean. I like how the shocks are set up. The height adjustability is a good idea. It may not be the prettiest, but it looks very functional.

 

[Kartorbust]

I'll always take function over asethics. Long as it does its job, who cares how it looks? You're making progress, that's all that matters.

 

[MadManAndrew]

3rd time's the charm, right guys? This is a competition after all. I'm swear I'm not touching this front end again.

 

[Flexman]

Shocks

I prefered the first idea as this one looks like theres not going to be much working use of the shocks on any adjustment unless you usr longet ones on top mount i would of thought

 

[MadManAndrew]

Every mounting point is equidistant from the mounting point on the control arm so there is no longest one. The shocks are extremely stiff with a very short throw (<2 inches) and the cart itself is very light so the first setup was completely non functional. The second setup worked better by moving the top mounting point up so I could move the shock forward on the control arm but it was ugly and no longer adjustable. This setup is aesthetically pleasing and the entire point behind the design was to be able to adjust the amount of leverage the shock has from "not much" as you say (which is what I need since they're so stiff and short) to almost 1:1 without affecting the ride height.

 

[Flexman]

Ar ok you are doing a good neat job looking forward to more development pictures and interested in seeing your drive mechanism

 

[MadManAndrew]

A little bit different than originally planned but it sits on its own now.

 

[David Ham]

Thats a very nice setup. What engine are you planning on using?

 

[MadManAndrew]

Predator 13hp

 

[Dmehalko]

Any updates? Liking this build