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Bormac's Nichimo Midships 443 WDS - An unexpected project 1 year 10 months ago #71397

Unexpected, somehow

I still have no words for what is happening right now. And I need to tell the long story, as it is part of what came as a result of the Nichimo Spirit FF project for me.

Few weeks back, an Australian guy mentioned he was searching rear arms for a Nichimo FF car in one comment of my posts on Facebook. I had the link as I had a set in my ebay watch list (for no reason as the intention was to get them printed anyway), so I gave him the link... Discussing with another friend I discovered this guy was behind a Youtube channel (TRUE VINTAGE RC, www.youtube.com.../Bormac073), and looking at few videos, I found them quite interesting and detailed, so I subscribed...

Few weeks later (it was about 3 or 4 weeks ago), my Nichimo Spirit FF was printed and built. And that week, that same guy, Jason, alias Bormac, posted he needed parts as he received an incomplete kit from Europe. Among the missing part, there was some which I could help with my own now unused parts as replaced by 3D printed ones, and the broken chassis I thought myself I could not do anything with it. Jason told me he would get the buyer to pay for the shipment, and I told ok, and on the next day, the parts were going to Australia (and if I can see a nice video on those cars, that will be a nice bonus already). 

2 weeks ago, I was in the car sitting doing nothing as one of my colleagues was driving while we went back from a 3 day trip for business... And Jason contacted me as he found a car in France on ebay, but the seller would not ship to Australia... He asked me if I can help again. I said why not. Jason knew from the discussions we had earlier that I would be interested to model that car as well, and he proposed me not only to get the car going to me, but to allow me to tear it down to parts, get it in CAD and then send the package to him... I was finding this a bit crazy, a lot of gamble (specially with a seller who got only to feedbacks on ebay), but that was Jason gamble... On the next days, I helped him a bit with the translation, gave him my full details so he can eventually get it send to me, but I was kind of thinking that story could turn in a nightmare as well...

This morning I got advised (I had the tracking link so I knew it was incoming) that I had to get the parcel from the destination point (a relay nearby). Jason told me "it's going to be amazing or a nightmare".

Here is what was in the package:


A Nichimo RC Midships 443 WDS. So it is definitely amazing :-) 
Some parts are common with the FF cars, and I'll start to model it soon  :D 

This is typically the kind of things that tells me that putting the stls on Thingiverse for the Spirit FF was a good thing. I have the authorization from this car owner to do a proper thread, and I'll start that as soon as I start to tear the car down to parts...

Well, I was not really able to wait that much to do something. I need a empty box to get it down to parts, so I just started to have a look at something easy for today. I took a wheel off, and modeled the rim.


That was quick to start. I could not help doing it :-) 
I'll get a box tomorrow while on the way back from the office and the car will get a proper tear down.
I buy kits to built and ru(i)n them :-)
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Bormac's Nichimo Midships 443 WDS - An unexpected project 1 year 10 months ago #71418

Yesterday, while coming back from the office, I got another box, so I can start to tear the car down to parts (note for later, once this car is going back to Australia, that means there will be another car that can start :-) ).

After the dinner, I started to get the car down to parts. There is a lot of screws on the roll cage itself. This car was never thought for easy maintenance, clearly.

After quite a good time, the roll cage is separated from the rest of the car...


Another lot of screws, I opened the chassis and the internal are now visible, I also see some cracks here and there (nothing really surprising, this is a Nichimo)...



Basically, I stopped yesterday at this point, and restarted today after my day of work.

After a lot of work, I got the front and rear train separated from the chassis (quite a lot of screws again).


While doing this I was also assessing what is the same as the Spirit FF and what is different. There was two recipients on the table to separate the to be modeled from the already modeled...



The central diff is also acting as a slipper clutch


At the end, I put the elements I need to model on my plate (at the exception of the tire), while the rest is in the box.


That will be interesting :)
I buy kits to built and ru(i)n them :-)
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Bormac's Nichimo Midships 443 WDS - An unexpected project 1 year 10 months ago #71421

The front gearbox is quite different from the Spirit FF gearbox... And just to give an idea how the difference is:


And that will be even more complex in Fusion 360 : many of my reference points where taken from the motor face of the gearbox. It's a bit more complex that what I envisioned without having the parts in hands. There is still lot in common though. The most complex parts will be chassis (bottom and top), gearbox parts and roll cage sides... The rest should be easy.
I buy kits to built and ru(i)n them :-)

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Bormac's Nichimo Midships 443 WDS - An unexpected project 1 year 10 months ago #71422

Let's start easy... Top rear arm!

One sketch to define the surface, one to define the face, and one to define the sway bar attachment...



And this is done


Looking at the bottom arms, I believe it will be an headache, as it is not plan... It will require more thinking :)
I buy kits to built and ru(i)n them :-)

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Bormac's Nichimo Midships 443 WDS - An unexpected project 1 year 10 months ago #71423

I scratched my head looking at the bottom rear arms...

Looking at them, they are not flat. And I checked it is the same on the other side.


Analysing a bit more, it looks it could be deformation due to the car sitting on wheels for long time. Very likely. In my chat one Exceed fleet owner was just bugging me to ask a question. I took the chance and asked him to check on his cars... And in the meantime, I decided to proceed to the design starting by the carrier face this time...


Within a few minutes, response came with pics : NIP arms are plan, so that is becoming easier. Anyway, without the confirmation, I would have modeled them flat, as looking at the other arms, having them different from flat would sound illogical...

Once this was done, I proceeded the same way as the other arm.


And this is another part being done...


Looking  at what I'm doing next :)
I buy kits to built and ru(i)n them :-)
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Bormac's Nichimo Midships 443 WDS - An unexpected project 1 year 10 months ago #71424

Yeahhhh that's crazy. I like the cynematic of this chassis. Isn't it for ( l'angle de chasse,) the déformation of the arm?

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Bormac's Nichimo Midships 443 WDS - An unexpected project 1 year 10 months ago #71428

Flo, I got confirmation by someone they are indeed flat out of the box... So I modelled them flat...
I buy kits to built and ru(i)n them :-)
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Bormac's Nichimo Midships 443 WDS - An unexpected project 1 year 10 months ago #71429

I started next the motor plate. I decided to proceed this way as I thought it would be easier to do this way, and to have the reference points when dealing with the gearbox (not like I did with the Spirit FF).

One single sketch, all measurements in....


And that's it


I printed .4 mm thickness to check the measurements. I had one misread dimension and I corrected. This part is now done. What next? :-)
I buy kits to built and ru(i)n them :-)
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Bormac's Nichimo Midships 443 WDS - An unexpected project 1 year 10 months ago #71432

Further analysis of the Front gearbox shows few additional differences than the obvious ones, but nothing that can't be changed with some sketch and extrusions...
That being said, one of the difference will require more work. 

Two approaches are possible :
    option 1: rebuild it the hard way using the same sketch as the one I created for the Spirit FF gearbox
    Option 2: take the Spirit FF gearbox, cut it and add what is required

For the rear gearbox, although there is common design cues and some common definition data, I believe only the first option is valid. In the Spirit FF the angle is used to define some elements, and I checked, it doesn't work with the angle being equal to zero (that would have been so much easy otherwise :-) ).

In terms of advantages both options have their pros and cons: for option 1, It would be nicer and a chance to have proper sketches. The option 2 is probably much faster...

I won't do it directly, I'll sleep on this, and tomorrow, it's initiation and demo track session at one of the clubs. I said I'll be there to help, so I'll probably work on this tomorrow afternoon or evening...
I buy kits to built and ru(i)n them :-)
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Bormac's Nichimo Midships 443 WDS - An unexpected project 1 year 10 months ago #71433

After a good day on carpet indoor track sessions, alternatively with the M06 and with the Lunchbox (trust me or not, but the Lunchbox is far from ridiculous on a track when you know the trick), I went back to my desk around 16:30...

Once Fusion 360, I first took a cutout of the Spirit FF gearbox design while making sure I would keep the right references when breaking it...


Then I created a Midships core gearbox (basically the key and common elements)... I could not directly do the left gearbox, because this is common to the right side...


Then I did a mirror and make the necessary correction to have my right gearbox...


Advantage of doing it this way is that I know it meshes, because it meshes on the Spirit FF.

Next will be to get back on the core, correct what needs correction (basically what I needed for the right side) for the left side, and then deal with the Motor extension...
I buy kits to built and ru(i)n them :-)
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