My Senior design project - a "Swamp Thing" tracked vehicle clone

Garauld · Mar 24, 2020

You can expect up to 3% stretch in the length of your belt

- That's good to know. The spacing between the track bars are such that if it gets too long for my takeup, I can cut a piece off each belt and resplice it - NBD.

Garauld · Apr 3, 2020

Over the last couple of days, I fabbed up and installed the cargo rack today.

ArlyA · Apr 3, 2020

Garauld said:
Over the last couple of days, I fabbed up and installed the cargo rack today.

View attachment 649034

You need to keep on this project. I've been kicked out of the school shop (contra virus thing) so your project is all I got going.... :laughing:

ArlyA · Apr 24, 2020

Anything new happening there Garauld???

Garauld · Apr 24, 2020

Hi Arly - with the weather starting to break, I have had to work on some yard-related items which of course, takes away from my fun time working on Snowzer. I do have the inner steel door frames all welded up and plan to work on the outer aluminum frames shortly. I have the steering hydraulics bled and hopefully they will work OK without adding boosters. The service brake system is another issue. The master cylinder I bought was too small and would not move enough fluid to grasp the rotors sufficiently. I bought a larger one that was originally designed for use on a mid-60's ford sedan. I'll post photos when I get it assembled.

Garauld · Apr 27, 2020

Working on door frames. You can never have enough clamps...

Garauld · Apr 29, 2020

The new service brake master cylinder and operating linkage has now been assembled and installed. There is now about 1/4" of pedal travel before the calipers start grabbing the rotors. I wonder if the 1-1/4" piston in the master cylinder is too big now. Time will tell once I get to driving it around the yard hopefully next week if the weather starts to behave. I plan to continue working on the doors over the next few rainy days.

ArlyA · Apr 29, 2020

Garauld said:
Working on door frames. You can never have enough clamps...

Was that 2 x 1/4 flats you made them from?

Garauld · Apr 29, 2020

Yes - each door is made like a sandwich with inner and outer frames made from 1/4" x 2" stock - steel on the inside and aluminum on the outside. Between the two frames will be a piece of aluminum sheet placed below the lock mechanism and a piece of Lexan above it. The frames will be screwed together with SST flat head screws tapped into the steel frame.

KubotainNH · Apr 30, 2020

Garauld said:
The new service brake master cylinder and operating linkage has now been assembled and installed. There is now about 1/4" of pedal travel before the calipers start grabbing the rotors. I wonder if the 1-1/4" piston in the master cylinder is too big now. Time will tell once I get to driving it around the yard hopefully next week if the weather starts to behave. I plan to continue working on the doors over the next few rainy days.

Do you like the 1/4" travel? Changing the geometry by moving pedal linkage toward or away from the pivot will remove or add distance but I'm sure you already know that. Just a random thought.

Looking forward to seeing it move around.