Vorteks Thing^2 (a Velo 4s build)

[Velodromed]

Almost there! I’ll be test driving tomorrow. Man, this will be interesting. The width of the car nearly matches the length. Should be great at cart wheels My 14t pinion was cracked when I went to put it on, dang it. So I’m trying a 16t since that’s what I got. It’ll be a bit much I bet on 4s with the new 4068, 2650kv motor. Should be fine on 3s. If it doesn’t have the same rotational control while flying, I’ll go back down to a 14t or maybe even a 13t.

Made a set of rock guards for the rear drive shafts. I’m getting better at making them, these being the 7th or 8th pair I’ve made. The two sheets of Kydex I got for 20 bucks years ago has plenty left also.

I tuned up the shocks and made new boots. I’ve been making them for a couple years now and they not only last longer than the ones I can buy, but they seal better. The underneath is always clean when I pull them off. I tried several different types of balloons before I found the perfect ones. I secure them at the bottom with tiny zip ties. When the shock fully compressed the bunched up rubber around the zip tie acts as a cushion.

I’m running mojave rear shocks with Kraton springs and 65wt oil and I’m trying the outside shock mount first. I have mojave front shocks up front with 50wt oil and it should have a lower slung mean kinda look.

I put the cnc diff in back and v2 sintered diff up front. I did get metal shielded, ABEC 5 tiny bearings for both diffs. They are butter smooth now, mounted in the hot racing diff covers.

Now that it has v2, 4s towers I think the body may sit a bit high. I have a new v1 outcast body to paint, but I’m it was precut and made for v1 towers, so I may run into the same issue and have a gap. I’ll figure something out. The look won’t affect to function after all. Can’t wait for tomorrow!

 

[quiznatodd bidness]

That’s the short wheel base, right?! That’ll be way wider than long with tires on
Mine is now the LWB with 4s v2 arms and only 2.8 badlands still, and it’s slightly wider than it is long.

Getting interested to try those balloons though. I just had one of the stock sleeves tear (and the Mojave shocks in the front don’t have sleeves at all).
Have you tried the full outer sleeve that covers the whole shock and spring?

 

[Velodromed]

That’s the short wheel base, right?! That’ll be way wider than long with tires on
Mine is now the LWB with 4s v2 arms and only 2.8 badlands still, and it’s slightly wider than it is long.

Getting interested to try those balloons though. I just had one of the stock sleeves tear (and the Mojave shocks in the front don’t have sleeves at all).
Have you tried the full outer sleeve that covers the whole shock and spring?

Yep, it’s the short wheel base chassis like the granite and Vorteks have. My other one, old yeller, is based around the long wheelbase chassis with 4s Kraton tires.

Actually, Thing is perfectly square. I had trouble sleeping last night so I finished it off around two in the morning. It’s 17 1/2 inches measured from tire edge to edge tire front and side. It’s gonna rock.

These are the balloons. I tried a ton of cheaper ones, but they were all thin and weak. These are heavy duty and last several months. A bit expensive but you get 100. I just use a very small zip ties to pinch around the bottom of the balloon at the base of the shock shaft. That’s it. I typically only use about 2.5-3 inches of the balloon with the mouth being the part that slips over the bottom of the shock.

Looks like they have a bunch of different colors now, but I’ve only used the black ones. I’ve never liked the shock socks that go over the entire thing. I found they kinda breathe like an accordion and stuck in tons of dust while working.
Qualatex Pioneer Balloon Company 100Each 350Q, Onyx Black https://a.co/d/j2ubWOP

 

[Velodromed]

It measures 17.5” from tire edge to tire edge, front, rear and sides. So basically, it’s square.
Thing^2
The body fits way better the I thought. Just a small gap up front. I’m using a V1, 4s Kraton front bumper so when I get a V2 bumper I’m hoping it closes the gap some. This is gonna be fun.

So, now I have these extra v1, 4s arms and turnbuckles. I have 3 extra LWB chassis…all the left over typhon parts and body…an extra 4068 motor once I solder the wire back…a new 6mm motor mount…an extra dumbo rx/tx…I have a couple blx100s or I could pull the 130a from my 3s infraction…man, I bet mojave wheels would look good on it but I have an extra set of MX28s also. Yeah, I have pretty much everything I need to build a typhon with v1, 4s arms etc. Just need 4s hubs.
Maybe, coming soon?

 

[Doom!]

Looks great, can't wait to see how it handles.

 

[Velodromed]

Looks great, can't wait to see how it handles.

Short lived to be exact. The front diff just seized while testing. I’m taking it apart now to figure out why

 

[Doom!]

Short lived to be exact. The front diff just seized while testing. I’m taking it apart now to figure out why

Well that's an unpleasand development.

 

[Velodromed]

good grief. Let’s just call this a 5pm Friday goof and move on. As a testament to the 4s sintered ring and input gear, both are undamaged. I got it back together and all good.

 

[Velodromed]

Ok, the rear mojave shocks do not work in this car. So I put a set of rear, v2, 4s shocks on and love them. I used the inside shock mount this time and it’s much better. They are perfectly in tune with the front shocks so I’m happy. I’d gotten a set of the new 4s shocks to try on old Yeller and first time out, a front shock rod bent. So I went back to 6s Kraton shocks on that car. Hopefully these back ones can hold up.

 

[Velodromed]

Thing is freaking crazy! I love it! It almost always lands on it wheels, rotational control is amazing and the only thing I got to get used to as how crazy it is. The suspension is so dialed in that I can’t believe it. Ill set my video camera up before long. Mean while I’m in heaven. This car is amazing. It actually wheelies at at 75% throttle when I punch it. Just, wow. And yeah, the fact that it’s square seems to really help. You would think it would cart wheel like crazy but no, if it starts to cartwheel, I just give a little blip on the throttle, and it instantly slams on all fours. I’m really glad I built this car

 

[RadioHacktive]

Your mods and attention to detail have paid off. Looks great!

 

[Smilinbri]

Looks like a blast!! Great build!

 

[Velodromed]

Dang it, found a bull dozer and was doing back flips off the blade…oops

 

[Doom!]

Why on earth would you pick a fight with a bulldozer? Actually sounds kind of fun now that you mention it.

 

[Velodromed]

Why on earth would you pick a fight with a bulldozer? Actually sounds kind of fun now that you mention it.

Well, yeah I did word it well lol. Had a blast flipping both the 4s vorteks Thing and 3s granite for quite awhile.