Savage 4.6 SS Build with Pics!

[DarkEnergy]

After some research, I concluded that the Savage trucks were the funnest and most durable for bashing.

I also knew I wanted to build from parts so I went for the SS kit, which apparently has some better parts and comes in 457948574857 different pieces. Perfect =).

This post isn't meant to inform, moreso it is to share some pics, ask some questions, and generally get a feel for RCNT so I can hopefully leach some knowledge.

I own an Associated RC18T, which I've taken apart several times, and an Aero Ace. Next project will almost definitely be a beginner nitro plane. I am a total noob, PLEASE tell me if I'm doing something wrong.

DAY ONE

Ok, on to the project. I spent a couple hours rearranging so I'd have plenty of space. The room I'm working in is the dining room/office/workshop/guest bedroom.

Here is the box of parts. Left side is bags A-K, and right is injection molding stuff. Not pictured is the engine, two diffs, and the 2 speed tranny... and some other crap.

This thing is HUGEZ. Check out the tire:

Connect shock tower, diff, and alluminum base. Make two of these.

Build suspenstion linkages... four times. There was major confusion here on page 14 with the camber adjustment rod. It shows to identical contructions and then a (!) to show you that they are different. The picture does not agree with the notation. I ended up making everthing the same.

Connect linkages to diff/shock thingy.

Check out the cool dog bones.

Two identical parts here. Both have a diff, shock tower, linkage and dog bones.

Next step is to construct the brake and the slip clutch to the prebuilt transmission. I kinda wish the tranny wasn't prebuilt. I ended up taking it apart anyway because something seemed clunky inside... didn't find anything. Also, the two black screws on page 23 (step 26) in the manual are actually silver and longer.

One very confusing thing about the brake is that it rubs metal against metal. In this pic you can see two round brake discs rubbing against two pinkish pads. But between the two discs you see another metal piece??? The discs rotate and the piece in the middle does not. Is this right?

Build the servo housing. I don't have servos yet. I'm open to recommendations. Please!

Oh god o god o god the moment I've been waiting for. Here you can see everything built so far put together . Front and rear diffs, shock towers, suspension linkage, axels, drive shafts, brake, awesome aluminium chassis. THIS THING IS SO COOL I can't WAITTTT!!!!

Ok. There you have it. That is day one. Please tell me what I screwed up. I already know I need to rebuild certain parts with the thread lock sauce. When do I put grease/oil into the transmission? Is the main clutch inside the transmission or have I not gotten to that part yet? I can make the brake work by rotating the brake piston linkage thingy but I don't know about that metal on metal. Is that right? What servos and radio gear should I get? I want good stuff but not gimicky. Is my life going to suck when I try to make the engine work without experience?

As you can see I'm mostly questions! Sorry about that =). I really love RC though, hopefully I can be helpful to someone else in the future.

This is the end of day one. Tommorow is another big day. See you then.

 

[Candyman]

You're off to a great start. It's a bit of a build. I built one last year and threw it all in this thread:
https://www.rcnitrotalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29488
To answer a few questions, don't worry about the brakes. Even with the metal on metal this thing will front flip if you set them even a touch too stiff. Yes, always threadlock any metal to metal threads. Tranny is fine. If you still feel something in it, check the 2 screws that hold the 2nd gear clutch in place. Mine were just a touch protruding and they were rubbing on the inner face of the tranny case. As far as radio gear, general rule here is a high torque (+130 pounds) steering servo and a high speed throttle servo. And get a failsafe. That will keep the truck from taking off on you if there's a radio problem. And just follow the manual for the engine. It will take you step by step. One thing to remember. Be patient with the engine. It WILL take you a while to get it started. Just go slow.
Biggest mistake? Guiness from a bottle!!!! Man, you gotta pour that stuff out and get a nice foam on it!
Enjoy!

 

[DarkEnergy]

Awesome . I'm a few pages into your thread, some great points in there. Going to read until I drift off and then I'm back at it tommorow. Thanks again!

 

[RatzoRC]

Nice build.
Thanks for sharing.

 

[FastEddy]

First welcome to RCNT!
There is nothing better then building a new kit. Its as close to heaven as you can get. I wish there was a way to make a living building them. If so I would have the perfect job.

It looks and sounds like you have all your bases covered and have done your research to get as far as you have. There is a lot to learn about you new rig and RCNT is a great place to do it. You will find that most the answers you will have are in the pages here and lots of knowledgeable members to answer the one you can find.

Keep us up to date and get a damn mug for that beer so we dont have to take it away from you due to neglect and abuse.

 

[digger]

Great post.
You can tell what part of the day it is not only by how far ya got.
But also by the choice of beverage.
Nothing more relaxing than working on rc and sipping on a cold one.

Going together real nice. Think you'll love the Savage.

 

[SMaxxin]

You picked a great kit for your first one, the SS 4.6 is an animal.

Lookin Good!

Just reread your post, the tranny does not use oil or grease, it runs dry. Take a peak in the radio gear section, you should be able to get a better idea of what you want.

 

[DarkEnergy]

Another big day for my project. I need to think of a name for it.

Build eight shocks. I counted almost 200 pieces just to build the shocks. Not pictured are some of the injection mold pieces.

One question here I've had about shocks since I started taking my rc18t apart. When you seal in the shock oil, what position should the piston be in? As the piston is fed into the shock, the volume increases, and there is little to no air, which means that the pressure increases dramatically. If you top off the oil at bottom of the stroke and seal it up, the piston won't go in all the way up. This time I tried it about 66% fed in, but pressure still prevents the shock from moving its whole motion. What is the correct position of the piston to top off the oil and seal? Here is what I chose:

A completed shock, for your viewing pleasure.

Next up is steering linkage and rear toe links. I copied Candyman and inverted the direction of the bolt/nut that connects the rear shock tower and the shocks. This was done to prevent penetration of the fuel tank in a severe crash. I hope I never have a bad crash .

Here is a closeup of the rear toe link at the chassis. Can someone doublecheck that the washer is on the outside, holding the toe link in like this?

The completed front end is beautiful!

By the way, I would be lost without vice grips. Get some if you don't have some already.

Step 45.5. Make fajitas from scratch and pour guiness into mug to impress e-friends. I poured too fast I think :\.

All the suspension, linkage, bumpers, and body posts have been assembled and attached to the chassis.

I started the engine stuff, but quickly realized that I REALLY need thread lock sauce. For now I'll put the engine in the chassis and pretend.

That's all for today~~~~ Back to work tommorow so I won't be able to pound it out like the last couple of days. But I'm VERY motivated to get past the electronics or the engine this weekend while my gf is still out of the country .

By the way, sorry about the uncompressed jpegs in the first post. I'll redo them and edit them in tommorow.

Edit: camber link != toe link

 

[Candyman]

Looking great. No big bumps yet. It really is a smooth build. As far as shocks go, people do them a bit different if you ask. I've always built my shocks so there's about 1/4" of rebound when they're done. That means before you put the springs and stuff in (but the caps are on and sealed), push the shaft all the way up. It should go in with no problem, and when you let go, it should come back out only about 1/4". That seems to work well for me.
And isn't the Guiness better from the glass????

 

[ImBroken]

Great looking build man... Grab yourself a Dynamite Pro Tune linkage set..
Part #DYN2568

Speaking of Guiness.... Ever have an Irish Car Bomb?

 

[robmob]

Nice build. Thanks for sharing the pics and your thoughts.

For some reason I am now hungry.

 

[ZANDOR]

Nice man..I enjoyed building too..
Did you tear the diffs apart?
I would recommend you do so.The stock grease in the diffs suck...Take them apart and clean the grease out with brake cleaner.Then refill with 5,000 front and rear..IMO It will give you a much smoother ride..

 

[rossb]

One question here I've had about shocks since I started taking my rc18t apart. When you seal in the shock oil, what position should the piston be in? As the piston is fed into the shock, the volume increases, and there is little to no air, which means that the pressure increases dramatically. If you top off the oil at bottom of the stroke and seal it up, the piston won't go in all the way up. This time I tried it about 66% fed in, but pressure still prevents the shock from moving its whole motion. What is the correct position of the piston to top off the oil and seal?

The piston should be at the bottom. The piston has holes in it to allow the fluid to flow from one side to the other as the shock compresses.


Your brake is assembled correctly.

I copied Candyman and inverted the direction of the bolt/nut that connects the rear shock tower and the shocks. This was done to prevent penetration of the fuel tank in a severe crash. I hope I never have a bad crash

Are you serious? You will have tons of super hard crashes. Thats part of the fun.

Here is a closeup of the rear toe link at the chassis. Can someone doublecheck that the washer is on the outside, holding the toe link in like this?

You posted a pic of the front linkage, but yes the washers go to the outside as you have done. They keep the tie-rod end on the knuckle.

This page may be of some help:

http://www.rbartick.com/hpi/buildidx.htm

 

[AC48]

Lookin good...gotta love buildin a kit...one of my favorites things about R/C, I think its more fun than running em sometimes.

 

[DarkEnergy]

rossb, a couple things,

If you study the shock you'll see that the pressure inside does not remain constant despite the holes in the piston. Let me see if I can explain this better; The piston rod itself has volume. When the piston completely extended, most of the rod is outside the shock chamber. When you push the pison in, part of the piston rod goes into the chamber, therefore displacing some of the oil. If the oil does not have anywhere to go, (ie no air inside to compress) you won't be able to push it all the way in. Its not that the piston head is pushing oil against the top of the shock, its that the piston rod is being pushed into the chamber.

I'm explaining it because it took me a minute to figure out why the shock can't be compressed passed a certain point if you seal it with the piston at the bottom.

To prove this to yourself, open the shock, extend it out, fill with oil to the brim, then push it in slowly. Now you have oil all over your hands . The reason is because the volume of the rod displaces the oil, and pushes it out.

Also, the image I posted is in fact the rear. Perhaps you are comparing the picture to one of the rtr savage setups. Iirc, those kits do not have a toe adjustment and therefore might not have the same toe link. The front and rear on the SS are the exact same parts until you put on the linkages. Here is the front and rear: http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/1160/savage0986vb.jpg . The front steering linkage does not have a washer at all according to the manual. The knobby thing holds it on.

I don't mean to start it up with you, but I want to keep everything as accurate as possible. Please correct me if I'm not understanding something.

 

[DarkEnergy]

Day Three!

Today's build was probably the most exciting and difficult section so far. One thing thats really keeping me going is that I've never even seen anything near a savage in real life. So as I build it, I'm seeing it for the first time! I'm having a blast.

Install flywheel.

Install three shoe clutch. This part was wonderful. I always knew generally how a centrifugal clutch worked, but to actually see it with my own eyes and touch it really made me understand it.

The clutch was the tricky part. It is very hard to get the third shoe on without bending a spring. I ended up using something to prop the second shoe open, but DONT DO IT LIKE THIS BECAUSE YOU END UP BENDING THE SPRING! Any techniques you guys can share for this step?

The clutchbell goes around the clutch. As the clutch shoes rotate, centrifugal force pushes the shoes towards the clutchbell, and then friction causes the bell to rotate with the shoes. When I tightened the screw down, the clutchbell started rubbing on something. There were extra washers, which I used to shim out the bell, but it still rubbed a tad. I ended up not tightening the screw very hard. Is that ok? Plenty of thread lock in there.

Install the air intake, filter, and muffler.

This is the my ninja racoon buddy.

OMFG HOTT SEXXXXX

As you may have noticed, I still don't have servos, so I'll still have to tear down a good portion and reinstall. I need to put thread lock sauce on the metal/metal screws. I'm also going to be cleaning the diffs and putting in 5000 (whatever that means I still need to read up on that) if its not too hard. At this point I can't move forward until I have some electronics, so tommorow will be pure research phase on that.

 

[SMaxxin]

Looking good! I see in one of the pics you didn't put a washer behind the Collete before you installed the flywheel, I couldn't get the flywheel tight enough on my 4.6 without them.

 

[DarkEnergy]

Crap I might have screwed up!

First off, is a Collete the brass piece 86077? Now that I look at the manual again, I can see two of those pieces. I only have one in there. Damn! I was confused because the brass piece was not in the bag and I looked at the engine and said "oh, its already installed". But there is another one in the spare parts bag.

My flywheel seems pretty damn tight though. The engine will turn over before it slips.

One more thing. Part 86076 (bolt holding flywheel), is that on backwards? Its hard to tell in the book which way they want it.

Edit: Yep, now I'm thinking that part is backwards, which is putting the clutch about 3mm closer to the flywheel, which somehow, is causing that rubbing. Well... I had to screw up eventually =)

Edit2: Holy crap no!! the clutch is on backwards too. I'm going to go cry myself to sleep now. These are terrible mistakes.

 

[digger]

Dark, the flywheel is not going to slip at anytime.

You also have to shim the clutch bell so it spins freely with the screw tight. I don't use locktight on that screw. Don't know about the other guys. Just never had a problem with it.

The way the pic looks, the nut on the front of the flywheel goes on first? Not sure. Back one looks like it is the locknut?

Hey we were all beginners at one time. Don't sweat it. Couldn't have come to a better place to learn.
Good luck with it.

 

[Clintd]

For 2 different savge builds I have done I had to file down the back of the Collete to get the proper clearance. This way you have perfect gear alignment and no chance of the clutch bell hitting the duel disk brake setup. Also, you may want to put a washer between the brass collar and the retaining screw. The screw tends to wear right through the collar. now for the clutch shoe's. You can put them on back wards if you want. The difference is a much more aggressive engagement with a harder bite. but the tend to wear more and in extreme cases can actually warp the CB.