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Right i have received the magic 4 boxes
For those that have not so far received anything from Armotek
could i suggest that each box is coded and the shipping contents list from that box is similarly coded- i say this as to check the full contents are present several platic bags have to be opened and the individual bags have to be checked against the tally list. careful putting the items back into its delivery box
Trying to find a small bracket later in the build might be a nightmare if one mixed up box items - the only thing out permantely are the FIXING bag containg screws bolts etc.

I found that the suspension/torsion bars are' handed' i was scratching my head wondering why the hull sides wouldnt mate
after i had attached the bars to the hull bottom and then tried to present the sides to the sub structure- me and instructions

I initially did a basic build on the dining room table BUT after just 6 panels decided that that wasnt the best thing to do - its bloody heavy. moved to the garage after dismantle.

set up a basic table and spayed the panels in grey primer after wiping/cleaning the grease off each.

My queries for those that have managed to read to here and have
experience of painting are
1) what to do about the heads holding the torsion bar to the hull side- they will be hidden by the road wheels do i leave alone or fill them in and paint over
2) what to do with those heads on exposed parts of the hull - fill them in or just paint over
3) my uncertainty concerns the road wheels and the tyres.
I wish to test the unit out after fitting a 'motion pack' and before
doing any work ABOVE the engine deck- so i would finish out in gloss the interior of the hull and have the exterior in primer. My problem is how to handle the tyres
DO i fix- loctite them onto primed road wheels and then take them off after trial testing so i can apply camaflage paint or do i try
to cover with masking tape all the rubber bits

Hi Dave

Glad to hear you have started your build. Just a quick note to avoid confusion. The suspension bars are not handed. They are in fact identical, but have to be fitted the opposite way round on opposing sides of the vehicle. This design is the same as we used on the previous Late Tiger release.

Regards
Mark

G’day Dave
1) “what to do about the heads holding the torsion bar to the hull side- they will be hidden by the road wheels do i leave alone or fill them in and paint over “
They will be hidden however I filled mine in after realizing they might not be seen

2)â€

Mark stated
The suspension bars are not handed. They are in fact identical, but have to be fitted the]opposite way round on opposing sides of the vehicle.

This is what i really meant as my initial fit had me pondering IF i had the correct sides packed. I fitted the torsion bars to the hull then fitted the sides to the sub assembly. Its easier to fit the bars to the hull sides then fit that sub assemby to the hull plate- avoids any
need to unscrew and start again.

tim stated regards road wheels and tyres
Sorry can’t help you on this one as mine are steel wheels my only thought is I would ‘glue’ the rubber to the bare aluminium rather then on to paint

No what i am trying to ask is after priming the road wheels i need to fix the rubber tyres to the wheels BUT i will then need to take them OFF after i have tested the chassis to the put the proper paint job to the metal parts. Am i going about this in the correct manner
OR do i need to mask the tyres on the road wheels and just spray
Questions Questions[/quote]

Hi Dave
This is what I am going to do:
1) the 6 m/m bolts will be changed to stainless steel ,heads flatened 1m/m on my lathe (16 pcs) . I will insert an 6 sided piece of brass into the the head before final painting. This will make the torsionbar ends to look more like those seen on the pic. from the factory. But as said only for us builders to know.
2) I will change all screws to stainless steel A2, because you wont get the red colour of rust thru the paint.
3) The 14,5m/m flange for the rubber, I will use a 10 m/m car maskingtape centered on the flange. If the tape is wrapped around for at least 3 times the diameter of the roadwheels will increas and the rubber will stick on for the trials. After paint remove the tape and there will be a 10m/m strip of bare metal for glue to stick onto. A good old slow poxy glue will do the job. Do not leave the rubber on for to long or you will stretch the rubber

Well thats my way. Hope this is to some kind of help

Regards Ragnar

Hi Dave
This is what I am going to do:
1) the 6 m/m bolts will be changed to stainless steel ,heads flatened 1m/m on my lathe (16 pcs) . I will insert an 6 sided piece of brass into the the head before final painting. This will make the torsionbar ends to look more like those seen on the pic. from the factory. But as said only for us builders to know.
2) I will change all screws to stainless steel A2, because you wont get the red colour of rust thru the paint.
3) The 14,5m/m flange for the rubber, I will use a 10 m/m car maskingtape centered on the flange. If the tape is wrapped around for at least 3 times the diameter of the roadwheels will increas and the rubber will stick on for the trials. After paint remove the tape and there will be a 10m/m strip of bare metal for glue to stick onto. A good old slow poxy glue will do the job. Do not leave the rubber on for to long or you will stretch the rubber

Well thats my way. Hope this is to some kind of help

Regards Ragnar

Hi Ragnar

Be careful about using A2 stainless fasteners. A2 stainless is a low tensile fastener and it is not an acceptable swap for the high tensile cap head screws and grub used on the suspension. For the body of the tank they will be OK. The other thing to be careful of is that stainless steel fasteners have a great tendency to "grab" and seize in threaded aluminium holes. You will need to use an anti-galling compound on assembly.

Mark

Hi David
Do no follow up on my step 2) . I for sure will do as Mark just advised

Lesson learnd. Sorry for the wrog tip.

Regards Ragnar

Mark, does an anti-galling compound such as AlumSlip just prevent seizing and have no effect on the strength of the clamping forces, or does it act as the opposite of Loctite and reduce the security of the joint

Adrian.

Hi Adrian

Anti galling compounds do not reduce the clamping force at all. In fact, they generally allow the screw to be tightened a little more, for the same applied torque. The only disadvantage is that they provide no anti vibration security that you would get with a low strength thread locking compound.

Mark

Thanks for the clarification Mark

Adrian.

Hello Chaps

Now for the wheels and tyres. I grease the outside of the wheel where the tyre fits then paint (fully). when the wheels are ready for tyres put on with Locktite 480. No other, epoxy hardens,
I have fitted literally done 14 tanks like this and the loctite i have never had a failure.

Lee