Xray XB9 build
Hi all
I'm going to try and post some pics of my new XB9 build as I go along - won't try and replicate the manual, as Xray are generally known as having the best manuals in the business
Will try and post any tips I have, or ones I've picked up around the interweb from others, as I go along.
Picked the kit up this morning from the courier - have pulled everything out of the box but put it all back again until I can get out to the workshop later and crack on a bit.
Progress will probably be fairly slow, despite me having a 'deadline' of Herts SRS round to drop it on the track for the 1st time! That's on the 13th May and I have our son's 2nd birthday party on Saturday in the middle of that! I expect to be having quite a few late nights over the next 2 weeks.....
Hopefully my mate Jimbo will be picking up the shell later so will have that back for the final pics
Here's some pics to wet the appetite
Got a few upgrade bits to go on the kit as I build it - mostly pictured - quick change motor mount as find these really handy, 5 degree king pin steering arms as these are supposed to give better mid corner steering, +1mm hexes for the front as the 5 degree king pin arms are narrower, got a replacement bevel gear for my old 808 overdrive front diff so I can re-use that, covered wheel nuts as it helps protect the ends of the driveshafts and keeps the grub screws free of crap, high efficiency pre-glued brake set, graphite centre diff top plate and radio tray plate as I like a bit of bling and the centre diff plate helps the brakes work more effectively. I've also got a couple of bits I kept from my 808 including alloy caster blocks.
Adrian
=== Xray XB9 build in progress === Powered by Go or O.S. Speed === all porting by DHP Tuning (click me!)
Sounds like its going to be a good un, what engine are you going to use? im going to be building up an 808 in the next month so opinions on engine and servos etc would be appreciated seen as you mention you had one : )
I've got a few old motors hanging around in various states of abuse! Main motor for this season will be an OS Speed that's about 3 years old and had a new piston liner and rod last summer but I didn't finish breaking it in before I stopped for the winter. Got another OS that's on its last legs but OK as a backup and various Go motors which are fine for wet weather meetings.
Servos-wise I'm putting Futaba brushless back in that came out of my 808. You need to shim them to clear the chassis on the 808 and I used some Hong Nor shims I had hanging about from a CRT. Savox do have the advantage of being much less deep so no issues with clearance, so long as the ones you get are reliable.
Will post some pics later of progress, but only got about 2.5 hours last night to do anything and light wasn't the best so stopped before I messed anything up!
Adrian
Some pics of last nights efforts....
All the bits needed from the 1st and 2nd packs of parts to build and shim the diffs
Building up the diff cases to allow shimming of diffs - note that the small shims (2x0.1mm and 2x0.2mm) are in the 2nd packet with the bulkheads
Driveshafts built into diff bulkheads and all the bits you have to assemble to allow shimming without taking too much apart every time!
Graphite goodies sanded with fine grade sandpaper ready for sealing. I sealed with tyre glue but it wasn't as runny as it should be so I need to have a look in decent light today and if they don't look great I may have to re-do this bit.....
Shock towers and steering plate are standard kit items, the other bits are the centre diff top plate which helps stiffen up the centre diff and allows the brakes to work better, and the upper plate for the steering which is just for bling. Has an alloy post to give more stability to the chassis as the plastic standard part is uber-thick by comparison!!
Not pictured, but I find helpful to do, is to dremel 'F' and 'R' on the diffs so I know which way round they should go when I'm changing diff oil later! Saves thinking about it when you're in a hurry.
Adrian
Originally Posted by Adrian E
Cheers for the heads up man its mainly os, novarossi and picco that people have mentioned so thats probz the route i will go, servo wise just started looking, will also bear in mind servo depth etc i have seen a few second hand savox in good nick
good luck with your build, i will be checking on your progress mate
Bit of a progress update from yesterday - as expected the graphite sealing looked horrid when I looked at it in decent light, so had to sand it down and re-seal with some fresher glue and apart from being very dull it's looking good now.
Mentioned this before, but this is how I mark my diffs so I know they go in the right way round later!
I don't own any drug dealing scales so the manual's attempts to get me to weigh out 2.7g of oil doesn't really help. My only real criticism of the manual is the rubbish drawings to try and explain how much oil to put in. With the height of the gears in the case you'd think it needed to be a lot fuller than it does. I take my time and allow the fluid to settle and fill to just over the cross pins. It may not be perfect, but its repeatable.
Also rebuilt my overdrive front diff from my 808 with a new bevel gear with correct tooth count and lightweight outdrives to match the rest of the diffs (old ones were beginning to look dog-eared)
All diffs built and ready to go
Building the rear hubs and shafts - using covered wheel nuts this build
Top links for the back end - I don't follow the manual on these as I HATE having to guess which side goes forward or backward to shorten the links. I prefer to have all links so turning the adjuster to the front makes the link shorter
Rear end finished - slight change to the rear wing mount with a flat top to it for the new rear wing.
Front shafts ready to assemble with +1mm hubs to allow for the reduced width of the 5 degree king pin steering blocks
All assembled with 12 degree alloy caster blocks rescued from my 808
...and by midnight I had this in front of me
There's very little clearance between the dust cover on the rear shaft and the chassis brace, but the relief on the brace looks just large enough!
That's it for now - not stellar in terms of pace, but there you go!
Adrian
Top pics and description,threads like this are great for less experienced kit builders amongst us to refer to
I'm not an X-ray driver but I'm enjoying it (thumbs up)
SWorkz S350 Bk-1 Novarossi btt/ plus 4
Losi mini 8ight
Western Valley Models
Loving this mate. Although how your managing to find the time with a 2 year old causes me great jealousy...mine are 4 and 1, my time is none existant, hence me enjoying your build!
Take care
Ben
Cheers for comments folks! Late nights is the only way I can fit this in! Was up at quarter to 6 this morning so not a lot of sleep last night - calling a halt early this evening.....
Haven't had a chance to upload the pics I've taken this evening so will edit this thread tomorrow
Didn't do that much today due to be on child care duties all day so apart from a shed tidy while he was napping this afternoon I only managed an hour or so this evening.
Have now assembled the servo saver - what a doddle that is compared to other makes I've done in the past that require 4 hands and the power of Thor to get the adjuster started!!
I did follow a couple of bits of advice quoted elsewhere by Dave (Fastboy) to put a bit of glue around the top of the servo saver tube and plastic to stop them rotating on each other. There's a flat machined into the plastic but it's quite easy to overcome. I cleaned the metal tube with nitro cleaner before I started. I also dug out a servo saver washer from an old Hong Nor kit to go under the spring to allow the spring to rotate a little easier. Lubed the o-ring and adjuster threads with threadlock and with just a piece of rag to hold the adjuster nut was easily able to get the required 7mm pre-load.
Worth reiterating that the manual in my kit states incorrectly that you need 10mm pre-load. This has been updated online to a figure of 6-7mm but even the copy of the manual I downloaded last week is wrong....having said that, Dave recommends 9-10mm pre-load in any case.
When screwing the steering plate to the servo saver posts it's not immediately obvious but the steering plate bushes have a 3mm hex head in the underside so you can hold them still while screwing in.
Missing part shock!! I have the upgrade graphite upper plate and the attachment for the front end of the front chassis brace is different. The graphite part is half the thickness of the plastic and unlike the plastic, which is countersunk, the graphite is flat. A 3x14mm countersunk screw will potentially go too deep into the chassis brace, so dug out a spare 3x12mm flat head instead.
Made up the steering arms using the same approach as for the top links so one is reversed to the manual.
I have the optional ultra efficient pre-glued brakes to install, but I need to check if mine are assembled wrong or not. You get a round hole and an oval hole opposite each other when you put them face to face, which generally isn't right. Looking closely at the manual I think they're supposed to be like this - presumably because the pads can move against each other rather than the fibre ones which will lock together under pressure.
Kit parts to the left, ultra efficient to the right complete with release springs.
Decided to quit at that point before I did anything I'd have to undo later!!
Update! Pics added. E-mailed Xray customer service overnight and got a reply first thing this morning to confirm orientation of the pad holes isn't a concern with these pads
Last edited by Adrian E; 01-05-2012 at 08:34 AM. Reason: added pics and info on brake pads
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