December 23, 2024
Description
Improved version now with separate rubber tire wheels. Completely updated the chassis and steering design. More space for components, better steering with more clearance inside the body and a nicer alignment of body and chassis.
Added adjustable wheelbase model. No bumpers. Can be shortened up to 6 mm or lengthened up to 12 mm. Print in ABS and use aceton to fuse with original bumpers or chassis parts or design your own to fit any Hot Wheels car.
All parts snap together – no screws needed. Just a bit of super glue for a few parts. Use a 0.8mm rod for the rear axle and to connect the steering and servo that connects with z-bends. Depending on the accuracy of the print it may be needed to ream the holes in the steering parts and rear axle so they're nice and round. Test-fitting before final assembly is recommended.
Drill out the rivets holding the body to the chassis, in case of the Datsun 510 there is only one in the front. Keep the axles. These can be used for the front wheels. There are two studs inside in the front of the body. Leave the front most stud in place and cut the other one out with a rotary tool. The front most one slots nicely in the hole in front of the chassis, keeping the body on. The number plate holds the rear in place. Use a sanding bit to widen the wheel arches for better steering throw.
The steering assembly is held together without screws. The upper part of the assembly simply clicks in place. Be sure to check all surfaces and holes to be smooth before assembling. Cut or sand away any z-seams, blobs etcetera that are in the way so the tiny servo doesn't struggle.
After finishing the uprights with the wheels/axles attached, assemble the steering components. Then press the upper part with top hinges in place. It should snap in and stay firmly attached without glue. There's a hole in the bottom of the chassis to press it out again in case a part needs to be replaced. Use super glue to fix the gear onto the left rear wheel, the rear wheels to the axle and the front axles to the uprights. Avoid getting glue in moving parts!
Turn on ironing in your slicer so the surfaces are as smooth as possible, and because it looks a lot better. Check if the steering moves smoothly before attaching the servo. Check if the rear axle spins smoothly too before pressing on the right wheel. I used the rotary sanding tool to spin up the wheels so they run with minimum friction. That also takes any squareness out of the TPU tires.
When printed in PLA the wheels have zero traction, don't expect much control on a hard surface. The wheels now come with separate tires to print in TPU or similar material of your preference. That will improve steering and general drivability a lot.
All separate parts are combined in the main file. Some slicers will ask if you want to keep it assembled or separate into parts. Keep the chassis with bumpers assembled before moving or organizing the parts on the print bed. Remove the bumpers if you want to use a different shell, or use the adjustable wheelbase version of the chassis instead. May require adjusting the wheelbase for other types of Hot Wheels that are longer or shorter (the Datsun 510 has a 43 mm wheelbase).
Only the chassis needs supports enabled. All parts have a flat side to lay them on the print bed. The uprights come in a left and right version and use Ackerman steering geometry. Print a few spares of the steering parts since small pieces like the studs can break. Optimal layer adhesion and cooling are key for accurate studs—poor cooling or Z-seams can affect roundness, requiring some post-processing.
Setting the print order to print per object gave me the best results and reduced the number of failed parts on my printer.
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License:
Creative Commons - Attribution - Non-Commercial - Share Alike
oli4k
