Crossmembers & Sliders

After doing a little wheeling I noticed that my undercarriage was getting marred when I high center. Not only were my new link ends getting scratched up, but the chassis was as well. To solve this I decided to make some budget sliders. I also decided to toss the smaller screws I had used to hold my lower links on (chassis side) for something bigger. I ended up going with 6/32 allthread and HD Dubro 6/32 link ends with 6/32 ball holes. That would allow mw to use the allthread for the link ends and to wrap the sliders around and protect as much as I could.

PARTS & SUPPLIES NEEDED
Dubro HD 6/32 Link ends #2269 (includes nuts)**
6/32 allthread (6 inches is plenty)
K&S tube 1/4 x .40 round tube
1/8 Aluminum 1" Angle

TOOLS
Dremel with cutoff disks & small grinding stones
Drill with assorted bits up to 5/32

1. I started by removing the original setup I had and drilling out the holes in the chassis to fit the 6/32 allthread. Next I removed my old ball link ends and put on the Dubro 6/32 ends.

2. Next I cut a piece of the K&S tube to ~33mm and assembled the front side. Note that I used 2 spacers for each ball end. You only get 12 per bag of 12 ends so if you plan on using the Dubro ends for all your link needs order a few extra ends just for the spacers or make some spacers by cutting the balls from your extra ends in half.


3. Same story in the rear. You'll notice in this picture I left the allthread a little long and used an extra nut & washer. This is because I didn't have all my materials for the sliders yet.


4. For the sliders, I went through a few design ideas. I originally wanted something that would completely protect the bottom but couldn't find aluminum box tue the right size... unless i wanted to spend $100. So, for my first attempt I decided to go with a slider setup using some aluminum angle. If you want to protect more than I did just grab some bigger angle. I cut two pieces per slider that came out to be ~37mm long.


6. From there it's just a matter of drilling the holes correctly. I used a paint pen and gobbed paint on my allthread to help me find my marks.


7. With the holes drilled I started to mount everything. At this point I found it to be quite a PITA to get the two lock nuts on the allthread evenly, especially with it shortened. I decided to JB weld one of the locknuts on but you could use CA glue or just be more patient than I am.




** NOTE: Dubro Link ends
Honestly, I wasn't thrilled with the Dubro ends when I first got them. They looked wimpy compared to the HPI ends I had purchased for the stage I conversion but they did come with nice metal balls. If I was going to order links again I'd get the Dubro "Monster" Ball links #2316. They have more material and look a lot stronger. I don't mind having these weaker ends on the chassis side of my links because they are protected by the skid but ... When I go to swap out the axle ends I will use the "Monster" pieces. Here is a comparo of the regular HD Dubro ends to the HPI ends and another shot from Towerhobbies of the Monster ends: