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Below are our collection of modifications for the Dart. Please check the Dart Building Tips section for
items not included here.
We have a few notes regarding modifications at the bottom of the page. |
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| Lauterbacher Shock Absorbers on the PB Dart |
Keith Plested modified the front of his Dart to enable him to fit Lauterbacher shock absorbers. This involved making some new rockers to make better use of the increased movement available. We have a partial article with drawings and photos. More |
| The Dart gets (more than) a new Body |
| We have fitted the RcTek Dart with a new body. Those that know the specifications of the Dart will realise that this is not a straightforward fitting procedure. More |
| FG Shock Absorbers - The Story So Far |
| We are fitting our Dart with FG Modellsport shock absorbers at the rear. This article is part finished and has been published due to some racers wanting further info quickly. More |
| We have now fitted the shocks as well as an anti-roll bar. More |
| We have had some pictures sent in by David Hyde of his version of mounting the FG Modellsport shock absorbers to the rear of the PB Racing Dart. More |
| Dart Nerf Plate Mounting Suggestion |
| The solid way that the nerf plates are mounted on the Dart leads to problems with bending and breakage of the nerf plates. We have a solution that uses springs to allow them to move. More |
| Fitting an SVM Columbia Clutch to the Dart |
| We have fitted our Dart with an SVM Columbia MK5 adjustable clutch supplied by Alro Racing Systems. This straightforward operation only required a few modifications to the car. More |
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| Front Suspension Bell Crank Modifications |
| An article explaining the problems with the front suspension bell crank (rocker) assembly, that both illustrates and suggests possible solutions. More |
| UPDATED - We have improved one of our own cars by using a ball bearing in this assembly. More |
| PB Racing Shock Absorbers |
| Although mentioned on the main PB page, we have an article devoted to building the standard shockers, offering tips for possible improvements. More |
| Dart Clutch Modification |
| We have David Hyde to thank for our first submission in the form of a description of how to improve the standard clutch. More |
| Dart Rear Outboard Brakes |
| The standard rear brakes have their limitations. We have a short article on one solution to fitting outboard rear brakes. More |
| Dart Rear Double Shock Mounts |
| The Dart can be somewhat under-damped with its one pair of dampers at the rear. We have a short article showing two methods of alleviating this problem. More |
| Dart Alloy Shock Absorbers |
| I have a few pairs of alloy dampers that will fit more or less directly onto the Dart. Only a small amount of info at the moment until the warm weather (and time) returns. More |
| Dart Rear Outer Wishbone Pivot Pins |
| Part # 76/203 |
| These pins have a tendency to slide out from the wishbone and damage the wheels. There are a number of solutions to this; |
| The preferred method of curing this problem is to make some longer pivot pins that have e-clip grooves machined into them. This also allows the pivot pin to rotate in the wishbone, as the pins tend to be a tight fit in the plastic rear axle blocks (# 76/108). |
| Alternatively, flats can be ground onto the ends where the grub screws contact the pin, with either longer grubs screws being used, or allen cap screws that are just long enough to be tightened against the outer face of the wishbone. |
| Dart Front Wishbone Pivot Pins |
| Part # 72/210 |
| The front pins are sometimes supplied too long, causing problems with assembly when tightening up the retaining screws. Although you can use threadlock to lock the retaining screw not fully tightened, this is not a particluarly good solution. The solutions to this are; |
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Drill and tap the bulkheads (Part # 72/200 & 72/201) at on their edges, i.e. at 90 degrees to the original holes, so that the retaining screws clamp the side of the pvot pin. See left. |
| Make some longer pivot pins, as in the solution suggested for the rear outer wishbone pivot pin problem. |
| Both the above solutions also provide a means for stopping the bulkheads spreading apart, a task which normally the bulkhead brace (Part# 78/203) performs, although the drilled and tapped solution can lock the front suspension up in a collision due to the bulkheads moving. |
| I believe that the FG items fit perfectly and, if so, the KP Designs upgrade part will also fit. |
| Notes About Modifications |
Some of the modifications featured on this site ideally require access to machinery not normally in the racers tool kit. This machinery, for example, lathes, milling machines, etc.. are expensive space consuming items that belong to few people. If someone at your local club has access to this kind of machinery, see if they are willing to carry out the machining operations for you.
Hopefully they will help you out of the goodness of their hearts (see Why?). Generally though, a fee or some kind of trade off helps, but do not be surprised if they flatly refuse to help you. Some racers view their access to machinery (whether theirs or someone else's) as their advantage, much as the same as they would not help you to setup your car in case you beat them. |
| This is a sad, but true, aspect of model car racing that turns people away from a recreational activity that (IMHO) is basically about driving toy cars. |
| Further Information |
| If you have any comments or suggestions about this or any of the other R/C car content on the RcTek site, please feel free to ask them on our On-line Forum |
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| Unless stated otherwise all images and content are Copyright (c) RcTek 2000/2001 |
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