Straightening out bent parts

[abh16]

Do you ever try to straighten out bent metal parts or just replace them with new? Case in point, I bent one of my front cvd driveshafts on my Outcast and debating if it's possible to straighten it enough to work properly again or if new ones would be best option.

 

[Diem Turner]

I think it's a question of how bent it is. You can try straightening it out with a hammer and anvil (or other suitably hard and flat surface) or, the company T-Works makes a drive shaft correcting tool. https://www.rc-tworks.com/collections/frontpage/products/tt-065-driveshaft-correcting-tool

 

[abh16]

Very cool product. You ever tried straighten with any sucess?

 

[Adiabatic]

I use three bolts in a vice to straighten them as best I can, usually turns out okay. Chassis and shock towers get a vice and rubber hammer. Hard to get them completely straight, but it's a toy car and not a spacecraft, so whatever.

 

[Diem Turner]

Very cool product. You ever tried straighten with any sucess?

I haven't really bent any shafts from my vehicle but I have straightened other metal rods with a satisfactory degree of success using a hammer and vise. Slow and steady wins the race. I've not used that tool myself but, from the looks of it, I think it would do a good job. I think the reasonable question is whether this happens often enough to make the $40 cost worthwhile.

I've already replaced all the drive shafts, CVDs and dog bones in my Infraction with carbon fiber and titanium shafts. I got paranoid after I saw a video where a guy killed a TP motor when the long rear shaft went v-shaped while he was driving and slammed into the can of the motor destroying it.

I use three bolts in a vice to straighten them as best I can, usually turns out okay. Chassis and shock towers get a vice and rubber hammer. Hard to get them completely straight, but it's a toy car and not a spacecraft, so whatever.

Where ya been brother!! Long time no see. I always wonder where you are and how you're doing about every two days. Good to see you

And just for the record, my car is a spacecraft. I need my shafts to be straight

 

[Adiabatic]

Very busy for the past month or so. Finally going to try to get the R/Cs out this coming weekend. Here's to hoping my shafts stay straight.

 

[joshludden]

I think it's a question of how bent it is. You can try straightening it out with a hammer and anvil (or other suitably hard and flat surface) or, the company T-Works makes a drive shaft correcting tool. https://www.rc-tworks.com/collections/frontpage/products/tt-065-driveshaft-correcting-tool
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Here's to everyone's shafts staying straight & true!

 

[Diem Turner]

Here's to everyone's shafts staying straight & true!

Yeah!! Just be careful with the hammer and anvil...

 

[Hammer Down]

Hammer those puppy’s!

 

[arrmadillo]

You can hammer your parts back but they will never be 100% straight which is ok but you can get them pretty close. The more they bend back and forth will cause metal fatigue and will eventually get weaker to a point of just replacing the part, case in point are stock Arrma 6S shock towers.

 

[Cereal_killer]

I think it's a question of how bent it is. You can try straightening it out with a hammer and anvil (or other suitably hard and flat surface) or, the company T-Works makes a drive shaft correcting tool. https://www.rc-tworks.com/collections/frontpage/products/tt-065-driveshaft-correcting-tool
View attachment 246374
View attachment 246375

I should have tried that with those bent scorched shafts

 

[Sandracer_NL]

I only started replacing cvd and dogbone pins recently and haven’t tried to revive bend shafts.
I like to fix things, but I wonder if you can get it done properly and I think I would not want the risk of any remaining oscillation putting additional stress on the diffs and the already weak inner wheel bearings?

 

[Senton_Prime]

I only started replacing cvd and dogbone pins recently and haven’t tried to revive bend shafts.
I like to fix things, but I wonder if you can get it done properly and I think I would not want the risk of any remaining oscillation putting additional stress on the diffs and the already weak inner wheel bearings?

Just had HH send me a bunch for free, sick of their sheet!!
Prolly wouldn't do the "bend it back" trick!!

 

[Hector_Fisher]

You can hammer your parts back but they will never be 100% straight which is ok but you can get them pretty close. The more they bend back and forth will cause metal fatigue and will eventually get weaker to a point of just replacing the part, case in point are stock Arrma 6S shock towers.

^ this.

Steel takes to "cold working" better than aluminum. If alu shock towers are bent, i'd say you maybe have one "straightening" to use and that's it, but even at that point you're already going to see pretty noticeable diminishing results. Shock tower strength would be suspect. Steel shafts could likely be bent back multiple times unless the bends are very severe, the biggest draw back being they likely won't be perfectly straight when you bend them back. All good in the end though since 1) likely most of us are driving our bashing RCs around with slightly bent driveshafts anyway, and 2) if it doesn't impact driving experience or cause excessive vibrations in the truck (which could decrease bearing life and loosen screws) then a slightly bent driveshaft probably doesn't matter too much.

IE, i'd totally give straightening your driveshafts a try. I can't really see a "worst case" here.

 

[dure16]

This method described by @Mr.Duke works really well.

I use hot glue to hold the bolts in place and it's easy to pull off when I'm done.

 

[slick2500]

All you need is 3 bolts and a vice. https://www.arrmaforum.com/threads/how-to-straighten-bent-dog-bones-driveshafts.19145/#post-259686

 

[KnowAir]

I bend em back in a vice typically. I'm a light basher I guess, haven't bent any Arrma or TC driveshafts enough to even bother straightening..Tekno is a different story, every drveshaft (CVD)on my mt410 is bent and several have been straightened a couple times over.

 

[slick2500]

I bend em back in a vice typically. I'm a light basher I guess, haven't bent any Arrma or TC driveshafts enough to even bother straightening..Tekno is a different story, every drveshaft (CVD)on my mt410 is bent and several have been straightened a couple times over.

MIP makes thicker ones.

 

[KnowAir]

MIP makes thicker ones.

The Tekno shafts weren't designed for bashing but rather for racing so, definitely not picking on Tekno by any means.
If ever I go to 6s in the mt410, it would surely need something thicker such as the MIP you suggested, or M2C, or even the Arrma/Tekno custom build..Thanks
I like keeping the mt410 light, just better that way IMO.

 

[Hector_Fisher]

The Tekno shafts weren't designed for bashing but rather for racing so, definitely not picking on Tekno by any means.
If ever I go to 6s in the mt410, it would surely need something thicker such as the MIP you suggested, or M2C, or even the Arrma/Tekno custom build..Thanks
I like keeping the mt410 light, just better that way IMO.

I noticed when building the SCT, the shafts were even thinner!

I mean, like you said it does make sense for a racing aspect. I'll be running 6s on my MT410 eventually (with a delicate trigger finger), i'll let you know if I have any issues. IIRC though, most bent driveshafts come from hard landings after big jumps, not necessarily 6s power.