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For the bearings I used 11/32 brass tube.
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| After cutting I used the little triangle on the back side to ream it a bit so the flare would start correctly. |
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| Backing up the tubing with a metal ruler kept the tube from sliding out as it was flared. |
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| Then I pressed the bearings into the flared end with a slightly smaller tube. |
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| They press in with that great feeling that only comes from the slight stretching of soft metal. |
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I used the Dremel to get them to
sit without deflecting the shaft. Also notice I installed some Graupner
U-joints.
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I used the Dremel to open up the
shaft supports just a bit so I could press bearings in there, too. A
drop of CA secures them, but I could still knock them out if the water
kills them. I would either replace with new bearings or switch to bushings.
I could even use the ones that were stock with the kit. These bearings
are the teflon sealed ones, for what that's worth.
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I set it up on the jig and play
with it until...
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The shafts were sitting close to
the middle of their output holes.
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Then I did the same trick with 15/32
brass tube and Frank's (www.subconcepts.com)
lovely 4x11mm rotating shaft seals. I flared both ends, so it would
receive the seal snugly and so it would slip onto the shoulder of the
WTC's rear cap and socket around a bit. I did not glue the seal to the
inside of the tube. They went in snugly enough to hold, and can be changed
out in the future with minimal effort.
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When it's all together, it runs quite freely and does not waste precious battery power on a dragging drive system.
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Here is the brass rudder support. You can see the little brass plate at it's base to reinforce the keel. I also epoxied in a washer on the inside of the hull to do the same thing on the other side. |
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| Here is the rear setup. I used the short bushings supplied with the kit to make the shaft exit holes a little more aesthetic. |
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I will post more as I have time to work on the project. Thanks, --Jason Overhulser |
