What steps do you guys take to build the perfect front end?

If I'm not mistaken, McLin has a Section on this on RC Oval.com.... :thumbsup:

I cant find it could someone please post a link.

Thanks

http://www.iroaronline.org/ and click on the tips link and you should be good

Kevin one BIG step is to take your time dont rush the frontend build .

http://www.rc-oval.com/advanced_chassis_building_3.html..... :thumbsup:

Just to continue........ if you have extra parts when your taking your time to build one set go ahead and build another so if for some reason that one goes bad at the track or you get caught up in an accident and it gets damaged then you will have a spare, I know having a whole other front end is not monetarily feasible for some especially when you get into the castor blocks and stuff but it wure would save you some hastle and time at the track............... and when you buy the new parts instead of leaving them in the packaging take them out and go ahead and get started on teh proper methods, the articles provided above are great adn super tools to use and learn from.......

How come i cant scroll all the way down on the rc oval article.

How come i cant scroll all the way down on the rc oval article.
The rc-oval site is kind of weird, i have to change my screen resolution to be able to read the whole page, top to bottom and left to right. :confused:
There is some great stuff on there to read though! :thumbsup:

here it is in a nutshell. Everything starts up front and I always say. "if the front dont work, nothing behind it matters"

Polish all pins. Hinge pins and king pins

Taper steering blocks so that they do not bottom on the underside of the eyelet or upper a arms

Taper the eyelet and lower a arm. This will give the pivot ball room to move without the nub on the pivot ball hitting the sides. Just take an exacto and trim the inside edge to a taper.

With the stock eyelets taper both sides a little for the same reason as the lower arm and turn the small opening side down so that your shim and eclips do not hit as the arms move up and down.

And finally, just make sure everything is free but not to loose. A little wiggle does not hurt. if you make things to tight they break.

Rob @ Windtunnel

My front suspension is free and i didnt polish anything. What is the point of polishing everything. I can push the spindle up and it will fall back down by gravity.

here it is in a nutshell. Everything starts up front and I always say. "if the front dont work, nothing behind it matters"

Polish all pins. Hinge pins and king pins

Taper steering blocks so that they do not bottom on the underside of the eyelet or upper a arms

Taper the eyelet and lower a arm. This will give the pivot ball room to move without the nub on the pivot ball hitting the sides. Just take an exacto and trim the inside edge to a taper.

With the stock eyelets taper both sides a little for the same reason as the lower arm and turn the small opening side down so that your shim and eclips do not hit as the arms move up and down.

And finally, just make sure everything is free but not to loose. A little wiggle does not hurt. if you make things to tight they break.

Rob @ Windtunnel


Rob - Said it all, it takes some time be the rewards will be shown in the lap times.

Doug p

The reason for polishing is because it may seem fine with no load but under load in racing conditions the smallest of grooves can catch, delay the up or down movement just a bit and the handling will not be what it could be. And like I mentioned above, if any part of the front end does not work smooth or properly there is not one adjustment behind it that will make a bit of difference.

Shur lube is the option that really matters as well. controlling the damping can also mean everything. Just as shock oil does. It take time, it take work but with todays speeds and the need for set ups to be as perfect as possible all these things come into play. I have had guys time after time say to me "well..that is a little thing" And my answer is always the same. All those little things add up to one big answer to handling and speed

The reason for polishing is because it may seem fine with no load but under load in racing conditions the smallest of grooves can catch, delay the up or down movement just a bit and the handling will not be what it could be. And like I mentioned above, if any part of the front end does not work smooth or properly there is not one adjustment behind it that will make a bit of difference.

Shur lube is the option that really matters as well. controlling the damping can also mean everything. Just as shock oil does. It take time, it take work but with todays speeds and the need for set ups to be as perfect as possible all these things come into play. I have had guys time after time say to me "well..that is a little thing" And my answer is always the same. All those little things add up to one big answer to handling and speed


I have done excatly as Rob has taught me, and it is smooth as glass. Works perfect first time every time.

Hey Rob I seen how it works on chris's car and it is very nice I appreciate the help and I will work on it today and let you know how it turned out.

The rc-oval site is kind of weird, i have to change my screen resolution to be able to read the whole page, top to bottom and left to right. :confused:
There is some great stuff on there to read though! :thumbsup:`

And exactly what settings did you use to get the site to view correctly? I tried unsuccessfully to view the entire contents.

Thanks,
JB

Rob is the man.I had to travel all the way to Iowa from Ohio to learn how to build a good front end.

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And exactly what settings did you use to get the site to view correctly? I tried unsuccessfully to view the entire contents.

Thanks,
JB

I had to change the screen resolution to 1024 by 768.

I'll run a 1/8" reamer through the steering block, the axle and the pivot balls. Sometimes there is a small bur on the end of the pivot balls that can hang it up. Reaming it out removes it and still maintains the hole dimension.

Before I do anything I make sure the upper a-arm pin in sanded and polished.
Also if you have the real small reamer run it though the holes on the upper a-arm. Put the upper A arm on and hold it up and let it drop. It should fall quickly if everything is free. Work on that before you even think about messing with the kingpin, block, pivot balls and eyelets.

There used to be a good article with pics on the maverick/jphracing site, but I couldnt find it.

http://www.swiftracingproducts.com/Team_Tips_for_a_smooth_front_end.cfm

Here is the article from JPH/Maverick site good way to build a front end......

Should The Steering Block Be Tight On The Kingpin Or Be Able To Slide Vary Easy On The Kingpin.

Should The Steering Block Be Tight On The Kingpin Or Be Able To Slide Vary Easy On The Kingpin.

I make sure that ALL my front end parts are "FREE" = the part should move under it's own weight.

Why Do Some Axles Have Set Screws That Hold The Kingpin That Is What Threw Me Off

Why Do Some Axles Have Set Screws That Hold The Kingpin That Is What Threw Me Off

Not sure what the reason is for this, but I have never used the set screw and recently started using the ones without the hole for the set screw,less chance for a burr.

The set screw is to make sure you don't have any slope between the steering block and axle to the kingpin. I always use the setscrew, the kingpin doesn't move in that part of the assembly. It doesn't need to slide inside the steering block assembly.

The set screw is to make sure you don't have any slope between the steering block and axle to the kingpin. I always use the setscrew, the kingpin doesn't move in that part of the assembly. It doesn't need to slide inside the steering block assembly.


MIKE, MY QUESTION IS THIS.. WHEN YOU TIGHTEN THE SET SCREW THE KING PIN HAS TO TURN ALSO! INSTEAD OF JUST THE STEERING BLOCK! DOES THIS MAKE MORE WORK FOR THE SERVO OR DOES IT NOT MATTER???????
THANKS
RICK

Rickk5 when sitting on the bench you turn your wheels and the kinpin doesn't turn. But when on the track with the loads being transfered thru the axle to the kingpin and the upper and lower A-arm pivots the kingpin turns when steering.

Thanks Mike I Was Wondering If That Was The Case

Chassis heights are one thing that I check before every race. Being able to adjust it by .010 is a great feature on using washers on the kingpin or the KSG spacers under the A-arm.

How often do you need to do this polishing and such to the pins up front?

I polish the kingpins after every day of racing. Just a quick polish to make sure there smooth. No need for a long polish or sanding after the initial polishing.

I polish the kingpins after every day of racing. Just a quick polish to make sure there smooth. No need for a long polish or sanding after the initial polishing.

exactly.... a quick polish on the drill press, and they glide perfectly!

How often do you need to do this polishing and such to the pins up front?

For carpet racing
For club shows, once a week.
For National events. Usually after practice. Then if the mains are the following day I would re-do them before my last practice run the day of the mains.

For outdoor racing, sometimes after every 2 runs if the track is real dirty.

A big key as well to properly maintaining the front end is to clean out the pivot balls and the steering block. I would suggest going to a craft store and pick up some Chenille. See the attached pic. Spray some motor spray on it or dip it into some lighter fluid and run it through everything. Works great and is usually cheaper than pipe cleaners.

I have a hard time beliveing anybody could feel the difference between a set of king pins that have 4 or 5 runs or a set freshly polished. IMO Tires springs shocks motors batterys and most of all drivers are what wins races. Of coarse the car has to be free but its an extremely minor detail.

I have a hard time beliveing anybody could feel the difference between a set of king pins that have 4 or 5 runs or a set freshly polished. IMO Tires springs shocks motors batterys and most of all drivers are what wins races. Of coarse the car has to be free but its an extremely minor detail.

It's the minors that add up to the majors,I clean and polish everything on the car after a weekend of racing,at big events I clean and polish everything before the heats and then again before the mains.

I have a hard time beliveing anybody could feel the difference between a set of king pins that have 4 or 5 runs or a set freshly polished. IMO Tires springs shocks motors batterys and most of all drivers are what wins races. Of coarse the car has to be free but its an extremely minor detail.


not that hard especially running asphalt. king pins get nasty dirty.

not that hard especially running asphalt. king pins get nasty dirty.

Exactly! I remember at BMS after about two or three runs your front end would literally lock up from the concrete dust buildup on the king pins.

I have a hard time beliveing anybody could feel the difference between a set of king pins that have 4 or 5 runs or a set freshly polished. .

Its not so much about feeling a difference as just keeping the front end working as good as it can. Like Davepull said on asphalt a front end can gum up pretty quick.

IMO Tires springs shocks motors batterys and most of all drivers are what wins races. Of coarse the car has to be free but its an extremely minor detail.

You can have the best setup on the car (tires, springs, etc) and if the car is bound up and not built right it means nothing. I dont know how many times I have given somebody my setup to later get cussed out by the guy cause he is 5 laps off. A setup means nothing if the car you are putting it on is not built right. All the minor details are what make the best racers, the best. Attention to detail is critical

I remember last year in Modified at BMS. I would polish and relube the king pins every 2 runs. I would also change both springs cause the banking just killed them, made them collapse... If you didnt change springs or at least relube, the feel of the car was totally different. I also remember rebuilding or topping off the oil in the center shock every other round too. The banking made the pod squat so bad it would blow oil out the bleeder of the HPI shock... Boy I sure do miss that track!

If a front end binds, you will pull your hair out trying to figure out what is going on! Keep it clean and save yourself the drama. And yes, BMS was a front-end killer!