Mardave Cobra Stuff / Discussion

[qatmix]

Hi All

Ive recently got ahold of a a Cobra and am keen on getting it running and racing it at my club.. (I like a challenge). I have got a few questions I'm keen to ask though.

As far as I remember the shocks are oil shocks? If so how do I open them?

Will any spur just fit?

Is there a GRP chassis? The Aluminium one just seems like its ready to bend at the drop of a hat.

And any tuning tips?

I'll post pictures once I get the shell painted.

Cheers

[colmo]

You might want to give this site a look: http://www.planet-venom.co.uk/

[peetbee]

From what I remember the shocks unscrew from the bottom.
Can't remember about the spur gear but the good news is that Mardave have re-released the Cobra so all the parts are available.

Fibrelyte used to do carbon fibre parts for the Cobra, including the chassis, shock mounts, etc. However, you'd have to really love it to spend that sort of money on one.

Never ran one so can't help with the setups I'm afraid.

[mikeyscott]

Get hold of Chris Wilkinson at Mardave as he has recently redone bits for the Mardave.

I'd love to see it do well

[carty]

there will be a 2009 cobra released very soon! many parts uprated and brushless ready:drool:
if you cant wait he still makes and sells the cobra se new direct from Mardave.
You can also get a whole new slipper set rather than fixing the old confusing one!!

[qatmix]

I'll be interested to see what the 2009 edition is like. However I want to see what my old school one will achieve.

As to brushless ready, what really would you need other than Universal drive shafts? I Intend to Run a brushless in mine anyways.

For the 2009 one the chassis is the big thing that could / should be changed.. and the shocks.

[westie]

2009 one isnt much different from the one you have, maybe a sliper clutch and a anodised chassis which would be stiffer than the yellow standard one. Get some ae shocks or losi ones as the std mardave ones leak.

:D

[carty]

2009 one isnt much different from the one you have, maybe a sliper clutch and a anodised chassis which would be stiffer than the yellow standard one. Get some ae shocks or losi ones as the std mardave ones leak.

:D
are you on about the one due sep/oct time with a revised diff(at last)
turnbuckles and a host of improvements over the recently reissued se?

[carty]

I'll be interested to see what the 2009 edition is like. However I want to see what my old school one will achive.

As to brushless ready, what really would you need other than Universal drive shafts? I Intend to Run a brushless in mine anyways.

For the 2009 one the chassis is the big thing that could / should be changed.. and the shocks.
the old cobra gearbox and diff dont like brushless, infact the diff with no plates was/is the achillies heal of the cobra

[qatmix]

What exactly was the problem? I remember them being ok with a 17t motor back in the day. Although I know brushless motors have a lot more overall torque.

Also looking at this one, it seems to have a slipper of sorts.. (and carbon fibre shock mounts) Although I cant work out how to add a spur to it atm...

[carty]

if you've got the slipper you may be ok, but the diff has no plates and the bosses wear quickly and bang goes the diff( ive had a new diff fail within one heat running a 19t motor), the top shaft in the gearbox is not the greatest with brushless either, a couple of people i know who run them with ezrun systems had some new alloy ones made to stop the wear.
It can be done but you'll have to call upon your own modelling skills
I was going to get myself a new cobra last week but after speaking to Chris at Mardave decided to wait for the next couple of months for the the new with all the old little niggles sorted and ready for the next 20 years!!

[DerbyDan]

Cool :cool: its great seeing these old buggies being used again in anger.... would love to see some pics of your Cobra Gatmix :)

Unless you are planning on driving your Cobra flat-out into a brick wall you shouldn't ever have any problems with the Dural Ali chassis bending (unless it has been already bent by the previous owner) I have seen them bend - but these were cars that had been really abused.

Similarly - we would regularly run 12turn motors without any bother.... though not sure how they would stand up to something like a 6.5 brushless? The Diffs did need re-building regularly to keep them smooth/ish but the complete units were so cheap - I quite often brought one rather than the individual diff parts.

I also ran the standard shocks - with carefull assembly they can be made to work rather well with minimal leakage ;) Yes Kyosho Option House or AE RC10 shocks were better but I couldn't afford those back then.

Set-up wise - 30wt oil all round with Schumacher long Blue springs on the rear & Schumacher med Yellow springs on the front, ride height with wishbones level & a couple of degrees of neg camber all round was always a good starting point :)

I managed some decent results with my old Cobra - especially indoors, the main weakness I felt with with the car was that the gears inside the gearbox were too course & limited the stop speed.... which is why I adapted a Losi XX gearbox to fit :D

My Cobra
http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=89648&sid=28990

[qatmix]

Wow! Thats a nice looking car :)

I've got the car pretty much up and running. I thought that the slipper was missing some pads.. but they dont actually have pads!

The shocks are a mess, I need to open them up and get them set-up (These are about 15 years old). So I doubt they have any oil in them anymore :) I need to look for those springs you mentioned :)

I've also managed to get a new Lexan shell / wing, plus a wishbone etc from Chris at Mardave. Top bloke and the parts are so cheap :)

I intend to race it tonight.. maybe

I'll post a pic once the car is up and running, I have a lrp 8t that I will fit in it.

[mikeyscott]

Yeah Chris is a top bloke and just wish he'd race the Cobra..

[stox217]

HE dont like anything else then his beloved vrx's
You need ball bearings for the new gearbox as hinckleys club cobra came with bushings in :bored:

[qatmix]

I think the 1/10 vrx will be released soon.

Tonight I'm going to rebuild the shocks. Do you have any tips on how to get the best out of the Mardave shocks? As far as I remember they dont have o-rings etc although that was quite some time ago and my dad would have probably fixed them up.

[qatmix]

Managed to try it out over the weekend (briefly) after testing out the Madrat.

Was quite surprised on how it went, considering the tyres are shot etc it was quite responsive. The shocks are quite terrible though so I might replace it with some plastic Tamiya ones for now as at least they work.

I moved the front shocks to the front of the tower and that helped teh handling quite a bit. The car felt more shurefooted into the corners.

Does anyone know if you can strip the yellow paint of the chassis easily?

[MatJohnson]

Might be me being old but am sure my chassis was blue.

[Dyna]

I think they did both Yellow and Blue painted chassis over the years ?

To strip mine, i got a metal roller paint tray, filled it with cellulose thinners and left the chassis overnight in it. The paint comes off easily in the morning with a scraper. Then i polished it to a mirror finish on a industrial buffer.

Didnt last long, but looked great for oohhh a good 10 minutes before its first run :lol:

[carty]

sport was yellow and TQ was blue!

[DerbyDan]

sport was yellow and TQ was blue!

I've got a red chassis :p

Think it was an 'Option' my original blue one got cut up & sprayed black for the gearbox conversion ;)

As for your shocks Gatmix..... think you really need to start off with some new O rings.... also make sure the shafts haven't been scoured by someone using pliers on them to screw on the plastic ball end.

[qatmix]

Thanks for that.

I have got some O rings and shafts on order so I will rebuild them again, because at the moment they are letting the car down.

I could just hook some others on to the car, but I want to try to keep things more to speci as it makes the whole project more fun :)

I'll post pics soon. It looks quite nice with its new shell etc :)

[DerbyDan]

Thanks for that.

I have got some O rings and shafts on order so I will rebuild them again, because at the moment they are letting the car down.

I could just hook some others on to the car, but I want to try to keep things more to speci as it makes the whole project more fun :)

I'll post pics soon. It looks quite nice with its new shell etc :)


You'll have to get some pics up in your showroom over on T.C... would be nice to see it :thumbsup:

[qatmix]

Ok, I'm going to race it tonight :thumbsup:

Although Ive just fitted a new brushless into the car and I dont think the drive train likes it :( It seems like the slipper is slipping under acceleration. however its not the slipper it seems to be something internal :confused:

The car still moves etc, but you can hear a whiring sound...

I'll also put some pics up on my Tamiya club page, I have a pic on my Blog as well btw

[carty]

hoping thats not the diff, as no diff plates means outdrive/boss face wears quick and slips and you have to replace, good news though just this minute enquired with chris and looking at 2/3 weeks till mardave should have a revised diff:thumbsup: with plates for there kits and i guess as a general spare part

[qatmix]

Lucky it was just the diff being a bit loose :) It does struggle with the brushless (its only a slow one, but the extra torque makes the gears really work.

I had 3 races with it, and the car handled much better than I thought. One of the rear shocks isnt set up right (its a bit stiff) so the car didnt want to go right :) However it still ended up 2nd in all of the 3 heats that it raced in.

I'm going to sort the shock out and I think it could potentially win.

(note it was only a small indoor track, on carpet).

[qatmix]

Added some pics to my TC showroom

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=91631&id=16972

[carty]

looks spot on:thumbsup:

[qatmix]

Mardave has announced the latest cobra. Now with carbon fibre parts and a new diff :)

http://mardaveonline.co.uk/

[carty]

hope there is more than just us two excited about this news:lol: me i cant wait!

[Dale Goodchild]

With all this hype does anyone else want an older style one?? (blue chassis) going cheap!

[wynneb]

Hi there ,
I have been out of the scene for a long time (14years exactly) and have bought 2 Ansmann Madrats for my kids, I would have bought the Mardave Cobra but they are so expensive new . I am though determined to buy a Cobra for myself but cant find anyone willing to sell their Mardave Cobra to anywhere but in the UK . I owned a Mardave Meteor for my first car moved onto Traxass TRX-1 and then a number Schumacher Cougars from 1 to the Cougar 2000 but back then I always wanted to try out a Mardave Cobra and Mod it with the Associated Gearbox and a few other bits Carbon ShockTowers etc but never got the chance .

My query is does anyone sell second hand to Ireland I have tried a few on Ebay but all wouldnt ship to Ireland but am determined to buy one I will pay the shipping charges !! . I am looking for a cheap rolling chassis in any condition but cant find anyone thats willing to ship. Is there anyone out there ? :(

My aim is to make the car as competitive as the Associated cars even using the new gearbox parts that are now available for it but need the rolling chassis to start .

Wynneb

[qatmix]

Big problem is that Mardave still havent released the new diff. So you cant really run brushless in it. I have a 12t in mine and it seems to powerful and the diff slipps. :(

[adey]

i have a cobra with a development gbox, carbon chassis, towers, traxxas shox and loads of other bits. i run it now and again and it does well. its the car on mardaves site. trying to fit a b3 box to make it more reliable

[carty]

i have a cobra with a development gbox, carbon chassis, towers, traxxas shox and loads of other bits. i run it now and again and it does well. its the car on mardaves site. trying to fit a b3 box to make it more reliable
really nice looking buggy, i thought the buggy on the site had the new diff etc already fitted and was testing it out ready for me to buy some, drat, i need a new a diff, they've got none avaliable at the mo over at mardave

[carty]

here's mine:woot:

[adey]

fitted my cobra with a b3 gbox now. Trying to post pics. Theres a pic on my profile of the car.

[adey]

if i have attached 3 pics if i have done it right. Hope you all like the car.

[carty]

excellent, good pics of the gearbox mod, this is the start of the mods i reckon, thanks for all the advice today.

[tmaxxlosixxx]

iv raced against this and i can say its beats a b4 and xxxcr easily its the fastest cobra iv seen

[carty]

if i can get mine even just half as good this one i'll be happy:thumbsup:

[adey]

no probs carty, here 2 help.

[adey]

trying new front end friday. Ill let u know if any good. It is great 2 see so much interest in it. I worked hard on it and the missus has no idea how much i spent on it.lol

[isobarik]

if i have attached 3 pics if i have done it right. Hope you all like the car.

That was a nice piece of machine.
that carbon chassi that you use is that avaliable ???

mvh Isobarik

[adey]

i asked fibre lyte to make me the chassis and they found out the mould and made it for me about 4 months ago. It took nearly 8 weeks to make as they hadnt made one in a while. Fibre lyte were great about it. I used standard alloy without a problem though

[adey]

i do get asked about my diff. I use a b3 gbox now but heres a pic of my cobra diff combined with a rc10b4 diff rebuild kit. It worked well enough. Heres also a pic of my idler gear. It has a alluminium insert.

[carty]

fantastic mods, can think of a few who would like a set:drool:

[adey]

that diff took 6 months of heavy use with a hot motor and didnt break or wear 2 much. The driveshafts snapped once or twice tho. Trying hot bodies d4 rear driveshafts soon

[mattybucks]

I used to run a mardave cobra back in the day, when Lee Romang put one in the A final of a national. I'd recommend the following mods to the TQ version .

Firstly lock up the servo saver and threadlock and many of the steering screws as you can. Swap the bit of bent metal that links the steering blocks with ball joint and a turn buckle. Swap the all turn-buckles, and ball joints, as the original ones are made from monkey metal. Swap the shocks for a decent set, it's not even worth building the mardave ones, and replace the rear shock tower with a carbon fibre one.

Next strip the diff, as there are no plates put the out drives into a drill and once there spinning get some wet and dry sand paper smooth them out until the plates are nice and shiny.

With the standard slipper clutch put an extra 2 or three of the tension washers on.

When you mount the gearbox on the chassis, put the front two screws (nearest the battery) through the chassis and put two motor shims on each screw before dropping the gearbox in. What you want to do is lift the front of the gearbox.

Thats all I can remember. I hope it helps.

[adey]

all helpful tips. I been told mardave are not making cobra anymore either. Shame really. I would love to get hold of an old team car for nostalga only.

[Dyna]

Mardave re-released the Cobra not long ago, with a few updates -

http://mardaveonline.co.uk/whatsnew.htm

:)

[DerbyDan]

I used to run a mardave cobra back in the day, when Lee Romang put one in the A final of a national. I'd recommend the following mods to the TQ version .

Geez that names a blast from the past! Lee & Del (his dad) used to race at the local club that I first attended in Irchester (Northants) They both ran highly tricked-up Meteors.... gold annodised lwb chassis with matching black & gold lexan shells! However I didn't think Lee raced for Mardave at the release of the Cobra?? Chris Doughty did campaign a Cobra successfully in the RRC series if I remember correctly?

Until the addition of the Losi gearbox onto my Cobra, I pretty much ran mine bog-stock.... I even got the standard shocks to work quite well with schumacher coloured springs! I did compress the servo saver spring with a cable tie & put heat shrink over the ends of the wire ackerman link to tighten up the steering... but that was about it.

P.S; Have you tried out your latest steering mod yet Adrian? Pic looks sweet!:cool:

[adey]

tried steering but it was rubbish. i now use rc10 b3 steering. it has the correct ackerman and the car is way better in the turns and has shown a huge improvement. see pics. however i have acheved a similar result by moving the standard bellcranks 6mm further back.

[adey]

here are pics

[adey]

here are pics

[DerbyDan]

Hi Adrian, looks like you managed to get some of the pictures up....

Here's one of the B3 transmission conversion...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/DerbyDan/CobraB3conversion.jpg

[P_B]

Awesome, but a bit of a "trigger's broom" scenario. Is it still a Cobra anymore? Whatever, nice to see something a bit different.

This is mine, still own it from ye olde days when I had a Mardave drive. Carbon towers and TRX3 shocks but otherwise stock. Wouldn't mind digging it out again if I could make the gearbox stronger...

http://www.oople.com/rc/photos/batley121106/bigimages/batley41.jpg

[isobarik]

Is it hard to make the mod and have the tower the right way ( shocks in front and then tower )

damn those pics they make me want one.....

What wheels is it possible to have on the cobra ???

mvh Isobarik

[adey]

in response to that, i agree that its not really a cobra anymore but i will say that i was beating good drivers with b4s and xxx cr's when only had a modded diff. Other than that it was standard. Oh and i belive b4 and xxx cr wheels do fit the rear of the cobra but no idea on the front.

[knmtrip3]

hi guys,does anybody know if there's an alternative bodyshell/undertray combination that will fit the the mardave cobra??
thanks Mark

[adey]

as far as i am aware there are no bodys that will fit and if you buy a standard cobra se body be very carefull where u cut it. The cut lines on the body are miles out. I bought one and cut it to fit better and its way better. If you find a alternative body, let me know.

[knmtrip3]

as far as i am aware there are no bodys that will fit and if you buy a standard cobra se body be very carefull where u cut it. The cut lines on the body are miles out. I bought one and cut it to fit better and its way better. If you find a alternative body, let me know.

Thanks for that,i'm thinking of trying to fit some other wheels to try and change the appearance of the car a little,has anyone got any suggestions???

[qatmix]

Is it hard to make the mod and have the tower the right way ( shocks in front and then tower )

damn those pics they make me want one.....

What wheels is it possible to have on the cobra ???

mvh Isobarik

Here is a link on my Blog on how to make the tower the right way. Takes about 20 mins :)
http://thercracer.blogspot.com/2010/06/mardave-cobra-front-suspension-mod.html

[Mitsucanter]

Recently aquired a cobra that had been sat in a garage for a few years.

I know tamiya tyres (fighter buggy) will fit the front, and lunchbox tyres will fit the rear but look a little silly with the cobra shell on. I managed to fit a set of HPI tyres to the rear, a little oversized but not by much.

Im in the process of converting the rear hubs to accept tamiya hex fitting, with parts from the tamiya mini.

As for body shells, i used to run a meteor but my old man bought a truck/pickup shell and it managed to sit quite nicely, so maybe this could be the way to go?

[adey]

running the shocks infront of the tower is a good mod and tends to make the car very predictable. I spaced my shock tower back so the shocks are at the correct angle. The best mod in my view is moving the steering bellcranks back to give better ackerman. Its a very worthwhile mod. I will say though. On carpet i prefer to run the front shocks behind the tower. It seems to suit my driving style.

[qatmix]

Do you have any pics of the steering mod?

Cheers

[soggytomato]

just found this post after running 3 cobras for nearly 8mths(me n 2 kids)!!!!

i find them fairly predictable and in the hands of the kids, quite competative.

ones bog standard, ones running tc3 front shocks and mardave fronts on the rear and is very good on carpet-both with tamiya sport tuned motors.
mines running fybrelite shock towers-front cut lower, zxr shocks and b4 springs and an easyrun 9t brushless without any probs yet! all 3 run on kamtec kse 34 stock car foam tyres.
i'm interested in the b3/b4 gearbox mod-anybody got any close up pics and can i still use mardave wishbones? also like the look of the front steering linkage
mardave spares are so cheap and chris is a top bloke when it comes to advice and gettin spares

[Welshy40]

The only cobra i would buy if he sold it is Kristian Wiles top ten placed carpet setup carbon fibre chassied rc10 gearboxed cobra. That was fast and when he loaned me it for a couple of events showed me why it such a special car. Not much to it but is so much fun to drive

[knmtrip3]

Hi everyone,can anyone tell me if the lexan undertray is still available??

[peetbee]

It's still listed as being available on here:
http://mardaveonline.co.uk/Prices/Cobra-Retail.pdf

[DerbyDan]

just found this post after running 3 cobras for nearly 8mths(me n 2 kids)!!!!

i find them fairly predictable and in the hands of the kids, quite competative.

ones bog standard, ones running tc3 front shocks and mardave fronts on the rear and is very good on carpet-both with tamiya sport tuned motors.
mines running fybrelite shock towers-front cut lower, zxr shocks and b4 springs and an easyrun 9t brushless without any probs yet! all 3 run on kamtec kse 34 stock car foam tyres.
i'm interested in the b3/b4 gearbox mod-anybody got any close up pics and can i still use mardave wishbones? also like the look of the front steering linkage
mardave spares are so cheap and chris is a top bloke when it comes to advice and gettin spares

Glad to hear that you & your sons are getting on well with your Cobras... good to hear people are still racing & enjoying these buggies.

By the way there's a pictures of Adey's B3 gearbox conversion on page 2 of this very topic. I also converted my Cobra (many years ago) to run a Losi XX gearbox (theres a link to some pictures on page 2 aswell);)

[adey]

as derby dan says, there are pics of my gearbox conversion and i will try to post pics of my steering mod. You can use either a b3 or b4 gearbox if you copy what i did and the standard driveshafts are fine with this. I am working on a top deck and new shock towers and finally fitting hot bodies d4 driveshafts.

[Welshy40]

i asked fibre lyte to make me the chassis and they found out the mould and made it for me about 4 months ago. It took nearly 8 weeks to make as they hadnt made one in a while. Fibre lyte were great about it. I used standard alloy without a problem though

Looks almost identical to the original proto that Kristian used except he opted for the original rc10 steering. A very planted car that on a couple of occassions passed Craig Harris and made 7th in the British carpet finals and went well over the rutty jumps.

[soggytomato]

as derby dan says, there are pics of my gearbox conversion and i will try to post pics of my steering mod. You can use either a b3 or b4 gearbox if you copy what i did and the standard driveshafts are fine with this. I am working on a top deck and new shock towers and finally fitting hot bodies d4 driveshafts.

have seen those pics thanx but was wondering how u mated the b3/4 box to a mardave gearbox to keep the original wishbones-cant make it out on those pics on pg2. ave been looking at steering mods for a bit now but always end up keeping wiv the standard one!
will have to play about with the steering next time i've got a day free!!

[soggytomato]

oh almost forgot, the mardave wiv the tc3 shocks is a gold anodised one and is at least 10+yrs old and i still have the original body! it came with a few fibreglass front shock towers aswell

[adey]

I removed the rear of the mardave gearbox and put b3 box inside with some slight dremeling. A rc10b4 gearbox can be used in the same way. I used a small turnbuckle to allow me to adjust motor height to alter rear end grip.

[adey]

I removed the rear of the mardave gearbox and put b3 box inside with some slight dremeling. A rc10b4 gearbox can be used in the same way. I used a small turnbuckle to allow me to adjust motor height to alter rear end grip.

[soggytomato]

why didnt i think of that!!!! tried to make a losi xx box fit a while ago but couldnt find an easy-ish way so sold the box and slipper on stealbay.
i'll try to get hold of a cheap complete b4 box and ave a go at that
thanx

[millzy]

The only cobra i would buy if he sold it is Kristian Wiles top ten placed carpet setup carbon fibre chassied rc10 gearboxed cobra. That was fast and when he loaned me it for a couple of events showed me why it such a special car. Not much to it but is so much fun to drive

Lindsey still has it in the garage. I remember it had delrin front arms on it.

[burgie]

Don't know if this site has been mentioned in this thred, but it's worth a look:-

http://www.planet-venom.co.uk/ :thumbsup:

[adey]

that cobra venom site. I have seen this site and dont want to be rude but the modifications shown i personally wouldnt do. Its just my opinion. I would just like too add, if anybody out there knows the whereabouts of either, kristian wiles, steven poles or lee romangs cobras, please let me know. Thanks

[Tomo]

Nice cobra, my B4s still faster tho ;)

[soggytomato]

i bought my cobra 2nd hand about 8mths ago from a racer at our small club who also does the regionals. after spaeking to chris wilkinson about some spares a while ago i mentioned my cobra and who i bought it off and he said theres a very good chance that its an ex steve pole team car!

[adey]

a steve pole car would most probably have a carbon chassis made from flat carbon and a alloy nose piece depending as he had a few different chassis at the time. If its a steve pole car i would be interested in buying it if it was for sale.??? I know a little about this as i spoke to glyn ward who was involved with the mardave team and he gave me useful info on their team cars and what mods they did.

[soggytomato]

yeah glyn lives bout 1/2 a mile away from me and i used to race at the same club as him at sharley park. also been running some of his cells and motors before we went lipo/brushless. the cobra is one that glyn had and was passed on to one of his drivers and i bought it from him.
its a standard blue chassis cobra but with fibrelyte shock towers and a different slipper/spur/layshaft combo(changed back to standard after the layshaft broke) and washers under the front of the gearbox. the front has also been tweaked by removing some of the kick up by straightening the chassis
oh, and sorry but its not for sale-wotever it is!

[Smartalec]

that cobra venom site. I have seen this site and dont want to be rude but the modifications shown i personally wouldnt do. Its just my opinion. I would just like too add, if anybody out there knows the whereabouts of either, kristian wiles, steven poles or lee romangs cobras, please let me know. Thanks
Lee Romang's Cobra was the only one ever to make a national A final. It had an all metal geared gearbox and Option House gold shocks. I sprayed his later colours (blue with yellow, white, pink strps at the front) (awful) .......... I know exactly where that one is ;)

[adey]

i would like lee romangs car. If for sale, let me know.lol. I was wondering how much mine is worth. I worked out how much i spent on it (alot)and thought its probably worth pennies.

[MOGGIE XL]

I would like to see some of these team cobra cars.Please can you post some pictures.I would love to see the Lee Romang car.

[Smartalec]

I would like to see some of these team cobra cars.Please can you post some pictures.I would love to see the Lee Romang car.I'll have a word with Lee and see what I can do :)

[adey]

what electrics did lee romang use ?.

[DerbyDan]

I'll have a word with Lee and see what I can do :)

Alright Alec..... remember me? Dan Wooster - back from the days of the Irchester & Burton clubs :)

I'd be interested too, to see Lee's car/hear more about it :thumbsup:

[Smartalec]

Alright Alec..... remember me? Dan Wooster - back from the days of the Irchester & Burton clubs :)

I'd be interested too, to see Lee's car/hear more about it :thumbsup:
Yep, I remember you Dan ............you coming back to do some proper racing? :thumbsup:
I've had a word with Lee and he's not interested in selling either of his Cobra's but he'll try and sort out some pictures for me and when he does i'll post them up on here :)

[Smartalec]

what electrics did lee romang use ?.
He definitely used the M-Troniks speedo (big green thing with zero brakes), KO servo's were the norm then and 27meg radio gear. :)

[DerbyDan]

Yep, I remember you Dan ............you coming back to do some proper racing? :thumbsup:
I've had a word with Lee and he's not interested in selling either of his Cobra's but he'll try and sort out some pictures for me and when he does i'll post them up on here :)

Alec, yeah i've been racing 'Boring' cars for last ten years or so... been keeping it 'casual', just racing at Kettering on a Fri night with the occational trip to Milton Keynes or Hinkley at the weekends. However, I have an old RC10 that i've restored... all ready to go with brushless etc, so going to try & get out & give that a try :cool:

I've seen your name at the top-end of the leaderboard of some of the big meetings (Worksop etc) So your obviously back to your old good form.... just hope you've stopped wearing your vests :cry: ;)

[adey]

i am keen to see pics of lee romangs car and the colourfull bodyshell he used aswell.

[Smartalec]

Alec, yeah i've been racing 'Boring' cars for last ten years or so... been keeping it 'casual', just racing at Kettering on a Fri night with the occational trip to Milton Keynes or Hinkley at the weekends. However, I have an old RC10 that i've restored... all ready to go with brushless etc, so going to try & get out & give that a try :cool:

I've seen your name at the top-end of the leaderboard of some of the big meetings (Worksop etc) So your obviously back to your old good form.... just hope you've stopped wearing your vests :cry: ;)
Ha Ha, the good old vests :woot: ........ they don't make them big enough for me nowadays LOL
Come on over to Stotfold or Silverstone and have a go with the RC10 or Taplow on a Friday evening if you fancy a change from the snoring cars :thumbsup:

[Welshy40]

Ont forget Kristian made 7th at the indoor uk finals at Ellesmere port with his Mardave and there was quite a few national A finalist in the B and C finals.

[adey]

i take it no pics of lee romangs or kristian wiles cobra yet. lol

[mattybucks]

I've got a Cobra TQ for sale if anybody is interested.

[mattybucks]

Mardave Cobra on ebay
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mardave-Cobra-TQ-/180580709724?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item2a0b72f55c

[Mash Potato]

I need advise from the Cobra experts here. What spares should I get for one, what parts usually break?

[adey]

you will need transmission parts mainly. Spares are cheap and are strong but the transmission is the main issue.

[adey]

get some wishbones, hubs, idler gear, rear stub axles and driveshafts.

[qatmix]

Any chance for some bell crank modification pics?

[adey]

did you want pics of the modified standard belcranks or my b3 ones. I would just move the standard ones back to give proper ackermann.

[qatmix]

I'd like a pic of the STD mod please not the B3 one.. I am having a mare with the steering on mine. If I tighten it up it's binding, if I loosen it then it unscrews itself!

[adey]

yep your quite right. Ill post pic but i dont think it will help you. I used threadloc on the screws and a tamiya axel shim under the steering belcrank. That way you can tighten right up without binding. I also have been told by certain people that they used too superglue the servosaver solid without spring and just use a servosaver on the servo itself.

[adey]

only pic i got.

[qatmix]

Cheers Buddy, I have a load of shims so will try that.

[Miggers]

On the subject of wheels,do the Losi/RC10 front wheels have bearings in them so that they'll suit the Mardave front stubs?
(anyone one got/get their hands on a B4/XXX-CR to check this out??)

If they use 5mm o.d axles instead of Mardave's 4mm,it'll be easy enough to get the Cobra uprights to take 5mm axles.

If the Losi/RC10 fronts are set up to take bearings in the wheels then that should be a possible mod to fit 'em on the front of a Cobra.

Is it reckoned that Losi/RC10 rear wheels will fit straight onto the Cobra
outdrives or have they got to be changed to Losi/RC10 or Tamiya types?

I'm eyeing up some re-tweaking work on my Cobra/Meteor hybrid(Cobeor?)
and like the look of those JC Racing 5 spokers on DerbyDan's Lobra.

Unfortunately,they don't make 'em anymore and CML have none in stock either:bored:

Mark

[Fast Eddie]

Does any one have a used cobra for sale?:)

[Miggers]

Thanks for that,i'm thinking of trying to fit some other wheels to try and change the appearance of the car a little,has anyone got any suggestions???

STOP PRESS!!!.

JC Racing are doing Mardave Cobra 5 spoke wheels(and many others again)

http://www.oople.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61224

Mark

[Mash Potato]

STOP PRESS!!!.

JC Racing are doing Mardave Cobra 5 spoke wheels(and many others again)

http://www.oople.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61224

Mark

Looks like these wheels are 2.2", are the standard cobra ones 2" or 2.2"?

[mcjjordan]

i believe they are 2" as i can remember having to glue 2.2s

[DerbyDan]

i believe they are 2" as i can remember having to glue 2.2s

Good news on the JC racing wheels... they are what I used Bitd on my Cobra.

The original white dished wheels are 2.2"... the Meteor wheels were 2"

[DerbyDan]

P.S; with regard to the servo saver - I used to run a tie wrap beneath the top cap to compress the saver spring, it just tightened it up, enough to still give you the servo saver action ;)

[Miggers]

Good news on the JC racing wheels... they are what I used Bitd on my Cobra.

The original white dished wheels are 2.2"... the Meteor wheels were 2"

That's right Dan,Cobras are 2.2,Meteors are 2.0.

Cobra and Meteor rears are interchangeable,to fit Cobra fronts on a Meteor
and vice versa is easy,you just have to use each car's front axles with it's wheels.

Either axle is a direct fit into either axle block/steering arm,you don't even have to change the C uprights.

Got me some nice fruity white 5 spokes on order Dan,though I've got RC10B2 ones coming.
I've modded my Cobeor to get the fronts on it.

Mark

[Fast Eddie]

to run a 13x3, what pinion would anyone recommend?

[adey]

i seem too remember gearing the car quite high but its been a while since i ran the mardave gearbox. If you have a earlier car, the diff will stand up to a 13 turn better aswell.

[knmtrip3]

Hey everyone,i finally got around to purchasing the fibrelyte front & rear shock mounts and they are looking sweet,has any one got any suggestions how fit a body mount to the rear of the car.
many thanks Mark

[mattybucks]

Hey everyone,i finally got around to purchasing the fibrelyte front & rear shock mounts and they are looking sweet,has any one got any suggestions how fit a body mount to the rear of the car.
many thanks Mark

Get an overtray if you can and e velcro

[Mash Potato]

I gather the under tray is no longer available from Mardave. Does anyone have one I could buy?

[knmtrip3]

I gather the under tray is no longer available from Mardave. Does anyone have one I could buy?

Yes,i heard that they're no longer available,can't say i've ever seen any on the auction sites either.

[mattybucks]

Cut the sides of a body and attach them to the chassis.

[Miggers]

Yes,i heard that they're no longer available,can't say i've ever seen any on the auction sites either.


Chris Wilko at Mardave say's he's never done a Cobra undertray for as long as he's owned the firm although they're still listed in the spares(I wanted one for mine).

I "found" some suitable aluminium angle ("L" shaped,10mm x 15mm)in the scrap bin at work.
Cut to 205mm long and then cut at the bend in the Cobra's chassis,I've drilled and tapped it(3mm x 0.5mm).
Then drilled the Cobra chassis,countersunk it from underneath and fixed the angle on using 3mm c/s set screws and added some stick on velcro pads.

Ok,it's adds a bit of weight,but the springy Cobra body now fits something like tight and follows the shape of the chassis quite well.
For the rear mount I used a Carson t/c body mount,shortened it,drilled and tapped it and mounted it between the gearbox and battery holder,then stuck a bit of velcro to it so that the rear end has a bit of support.

I'll take a pitcher or two tomorrow and post 'em up so that folks can see
how I've done it.

Mark

[Miggers]

Here we go fellows,if you want to know more just ask.

Mark

[Mash Potato]

Interesting idea. You don't by any chance have measurements, or better still a drawing of the side guards you made do you?

Here we go fellows,if you want to know more just ask.

Mark

[Miggers]

Interesting idea. You don't by any chance have measurements, or better still a drawing of the side guards you made do you?

The ally angle is 10mm x 15mm in an L shape.

Cut it into 2 x 205mm lengths.

Place it onto the chassis at the rear end,shortest side down on the chassis.

The chassis side runs straight from the rear end for 82mm,mark the angle
at that point and cut the short side down to the bottom of the angle but
NOT right through the long (15mm)side.

Place it back on the chassis and gently bend it into line with the forward edge of the chassis.
You might need to notch the ally a touch more so that it can close up the gap a little more if needs be.
Once you're happy,mark the angle and drill it,place the angle back on the chassis,mark that through the holes in the angle and then drill the chassis.

I tapped the holes in the angle to 3mm and countersunk the underside of the chassis holes to suit my set screws.

If you're going to do it like that then drill the angle with a 2.5mm bit and the chassis with a 3mm bit.
The 2.5mm bit should give you enough "meat" to tap them out.
Use a good 3mm bit for the chassis and run it through two or three times.
That'll give you enough "clearance" for the 3mm screws to go through.

I also gave the bottom of the angle a wipe of silicone sealant before I fixed them to the chassis,just to give a bit of sealing.

Mark

[Bluestreak]

Just picked up one of these from evilbay. Was thinking of using these shocks on it do you guys know if they'll fit??

http://shop.conrad-uk.com/hobbies/modelling/model-cars/model-car-tuning-and-parts/chassis-tuning/shock-absorbers/237479.html

[Welshy40]

Kristian Wiles car was a work of art in the 90's and I borrowed it for an event just to see if it was any good. I like twitch city steerting but this was understeering yet easy to drive and also super stable and very consistent on carpet (with CF chassis, CF shock mounts, original RC10 steering, B2 gearbox or Worlds RC10 latest version gearbox, associated shocks and a 10 double motor) and explains why he made 7th in the uk carpet championships. Great car.

[mattybucks]

Kristian Wiles car was a work of art in the 90's and I borrowed it for an event just to see if it was any good. I like twitch city steerting but this was understeering yet easy to drive and also super stable and very consistent on carpet (with CF chassis, CF shock mounts, original RC10 steering, B2 gearbox or Worlds RC10 latest version gearbox, associated shocks and a 10 double motor) and explains why he made 7th in the uk carpet championships. Great car.

Lee Romang put one in the A at a National, the car was pretty standard as well.

[adey]

any pics yet of any team cars ?. lee romang, kristian wiles, steve pole all had different spec cars but unable too get pics myself. Anybody help please.

[Welshy40]

any pics yet of any team cars ?. lee romang, kristian wiles, steve pole all had different spec cars but unable too get pics myself. Anybody help please.

Kristians was a looker but no pics. I will have to ask if he still has it, that is if I can find his contact details..

[adey]

i had some decals made for my cobra by a local sign company for my new 1 colour body. I may change the carbon chassis for a standard one and try it outdoor again. Sorry about the crap pics

[Bluestreak]

i had some decals made for my cobra by a local sign company for my new 1 colour body. I may change the carbon chassis for a standard one and try it outdoor again. Sorry about the crap pics

Great looking car Adey. What tyres you got on there mate??

[adey]

thats a worn set of schumacher mini pins as the car has been used on carpet. It has a carbon chassis but i would like a carbon tub chassis instead for it. Fibre lyte may have a call soon.lol

[Miggers]

That looks really well mate.

I'm still looking for an old pair of slipper clutch plates for mine so
that I can have a good go at getting the diff and gearbox sorted.

[adey]

i got a prototype gearbox. It has a idler with a alloy insert in it and a diff modified to accept rc10b4 diff rings and thrust bearing. It never let me down but the diff halves wear a bit faster than i would like.

[Miggers]

i got a prototype gearbox. It has a idler with a alloy insert in it and a diff modified to accept rc10b4 diff rings and thrust bearing. It never let me down but the diff halves wear a bit faster than i would like.

Yes,I know you've got a prototype gearbox,you've mentioned it before :lol:

How is the diff.modified to take the diff rings mate?
Has it had some material machined off the faces of the diff.plates?

Mine's idler will be sorted asa I can get one of the machinists at work
to bore it and turn up an insert.
My 'box is fully ballraced,it's just that I can't get the diff. to hold it's
adjustment.
I can set it up static,but within a few minutes of running it's gone
slack and is slipping like hell.
I have two sets of diff halves and one is worse than the other.

Mark

[adey]

i modified the faces of the diff halves then drilled the diff outputs to accept the b4 thrust bearing. The main problem with this is that its alot of work and the diff halves wear out fast as they are too soft. Best advice is to modify them then get them hardned. I did that and it was much better. Hope that helps

[Miggers]

Cheers mate.

I'll look into that dodge.

Now then,I don't suppose you've spare pair of slipper clutch plates
you'd like to donate to the damn thing would you.

Mark

[adey]

no sorry, i used a b4 spur and slipper pads modified to fit with a losi spring. The clutch was very inconsistant in standard form. One thing worth mentioning is that it is possible to use a b4 diff in the standard cobra box. I made some sleeves for the diff halves and modified the standard cobra diff gear to accept a bush so it fitted properly on the b4 diff halves. Not an easy mod though.

[adey]

i no longer have a spare b4 diff but would like to do it again. I should mention that i used the standard cobra diff balls and they were not the best.

[Miggers]

no sorry, i used a b4 spur and slipper pads modified to fit with a losi spring. The clutch was very inconsistant in standard form. One thing worth mentioning is that it is possible to use a b4 diff in the standard cobra box. I made some sleeves for the diff halves and modified the standard cobra diff gear to accept a bush so it fitted properly on the b4 diff halves. Not an easy mod though.

Well,that's very interesting adey.

You used just the B4 diff halves with the Cobra diff gear then and bushed it
to suit,hmm.

What mods did you do to make the B4 slipper pads and spur fit?,this was
using the standard Cobra slipper plates I take it?.

[adey]

it was far from simple. The outdrive bearings are the wrong size and you have to get some different bearings or fit sleeves over the b4 outdrives and then shim the diff to keep it in place.

[DCM]

Kristians was a looker but no pics. I will have to ask if he still has it, that is if I can find his contact details..

I believe his dad, Lindsay, still has it in his garage.

[adey]

steve poles cobra is one i want to see. I wanted to have a look at his twin deck chassis. Pics of the factory cars would be interesting to see

[migsy]

steve, when lynsie's fireblade blade breaks down, whats the bet he'll run the cobra...i mean the upgraded pocket rocket.:lol::p:thumbsup:

[adey]

i enquired about a tub chassis from fibrelyte. It was 250 quid because the cost of the mold. They did say that the mold was about 150. I doubt there are any people out there that want a tub chassis for their cobra but if so the price of the mold could be split. I paid 90 quid for my flat carbon chassis with a 25 degree kick.

[Miggers]

Here's a thought.

Anyone tried fitting an Ansmann Mad Rat/Macnum gearbox internals
into a Cobra gearbox shell?

It all looks virtually indentical to an RC10/Losi 'box,but all the bearings and
shafts are metric instead of imperial plus the parts are much cheaper than
Associated/Losi bits.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ANSMANN-MACNUM-GEAR-DIFF-BEARING-PARTS-NEW-/310331096431?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item48412cbd6f

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ANSMANN-MACNUM-MISC-PARTS-BAG-B-Inc-PINION-NEW-/400206910744?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item5d2e30d518

Mark

[adey]

its an idea. I put the rc10 gbox inside the mardave gbox and maybe that could be done using the ansmann gbox. I would like to try and use other diff halves in the standard gearbox myself. The problem for me is that the driveshafts just are not up to the job which is a shame as i enjoy using mine.

[adey]

i will say that i got a diff from a old tq cobra and it was far better than my se diff. I ran it for quite a while with no problems. I would still love to see pics of the team cars from back in the day

[adey]

hi all. I am pretty sure that the rc10b3 and b4 diff will fit into a mardave gearbox. I have made a bush for the main gear to fit on the male diff halve, shaved 0.5mm off the outdrive diameter and used 9mm aluminium sleeves over the outdrives to space the diff in the gearbox and as far as i can see its fine. Will complete the weekend and post pics. Very easy and cheap. Driveshaft issue next on the list.

[Miggers]

I'm currently running Meteor diff halves on the Cobra diff gear.

The Meteor diff has a locking grub screw on the opposite end of the
diff screw,it doesn't come undone and the diff holds it's adjustment
no matter what.

It's a slipper clutch I'm looking for really to fit the Cobra's top shaft.

I wondered about the Mad Rat 'box because it seems to have a pretty robust diff and a slipper fitted as standard.
The only drawback(as far as I can tell)is that Ansmann only do 80t spurs for it.
If you want to change the spur then you're looking at a modded RC10 B4 slipper and spurs :bored:.

Mark

[adey]

heres a pic of the new bush in the diff gear. I tried shaving 0.5mm off the diff halves but without the proper equipment i found it to be a nightmare. I have been chatting to a bearing suppler to try and get a bearing with a internal diameter 0.5mm bigger than standard so i can use b4 diff halves. They are plentyful and not that expensive.

[adey]

heres the finished item. A mardave diff gear and standard cobra se ceramic diff balls with rc10 outdrives, thrust bearing and plates. I have taken 0.5mm from the inner face of the standard mardave outdrive bearings also. It fits perfectly and runs without fault.

[Miggers]

Good work mate:thumbsup:.

It'd probably be easier to take 0.5 from the bearing faces than from the outdrive inner faces,they're rock hard,though if you could have got them in a suitable lathe's chuck you'd have skimmed it off easily.

Not sure about skimming 0.5 from the outdrive bearing seats though,
they'd have probably fractured across the dogbone slots.
It'd be a mare to shim the slots out to support things whilst they were
being machined too.

Do you think you could get a couple of slipper plates turned up for me
at all?

[adey]

i do all my work on the kitchen table with a dremel, file, drill and general tooks. I dont have access to a lathe. If its a clutch for the mardave u want then i have a soloution. I made some ptfe plates for mine. How about some pics of yours

[Miggers]

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k307/miggers_2006/Mardave%20Cobra/MardaveCobra004.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k307/miggers_2006/Mardave%20Cobra/MardaveCobra001.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k307/miggers_2006/Mardave%20Cobra/MardaveCobra015.jpg


It just runs a bog standard Mardave spur at the moment with a 17t
pinion hooked up to a Parma Cyclone Stock 27t.

PTFE plates would work,which spur and pads did you use?

[adey]

i use a b4 spur with ptfe plates cut from a sheet. I also drilled the idler gear and inserted a alloy pin for strength.

[Miggers]

Hmm,a B4 spur,I'd go for about an 81-82t and a 22-23t pinion with a 27t stock.

Did you use standard B4 pads with it?

What dimensions are your PTFE slipper plates?

The lad can get his mitts on PTFE round bar and they have a lathe
where he works so I might just be on to get him to make me a pair.
Though knowing him,it'll be like trying to get blood out of a stone:bored:

Edit.
Just asked the lad about PTFE round bar,he says they threw it out a few
months ago because no one used the stuff anymore,groan!!!.
So that's that plan buggered,rats.

Mark.

[Miggers]

Here we go Adey.

Slipper plates: 30mm x M8 Penny/repair washers

Centres: M4 brass or steel nuts.

M4 nuts are 8.1mm across the points.

Run a 4mm drill bit through the M4 nuts.

Carefully open out the 30mm washers so that the M4 nut just fits in.
Use a good quality epoxy resin for the brass nuts or find someone who's
good with a MIG welder for the steel ones.

Finally,file a slot on the back of one nut to take the top shaft's drive pin.

There you go,slipper plates for your Cobra.

Mark

[bazza373]

Good reading in this thread chaps.

I have a std Cobra which I plan to dust off and bob my brushless stuff into.

Quick question about the diffs, whats the best solution to date? B3GB/mardave mod? Meteor diff halves on the Cobra diff gear? Ansmann diff built into cobra housing?

Any progress on stronger drivershafts? The mardave ones do look venerable!

Cheers

[Miggers]

I wondered about the Ansmann diff unit,but the only thing is that it's
bearings are 2mm smaller/1mm larger than the Cobra's on the I.D and O.D. and to fit
any other spurs than the stock 80t,you need modified B4 plates.

The Cobra'box isn't keen on brushless at all without some modifications or replacement by another make altogether.
It needs fully ballracing,the intermediate gear needs boring to take a steel or ally insert and shaft.
The diff halves need about 0.50mm skimming off their faces so that you can fit B3/B4 wear rings and both halves need boring out to take the B3/B4's
diff screw and end nut.

DerbyDan has a complete Losi XX'box fitted to his,Adey has a custom'box in his,others have fitted a B3/B4 guts into the Cobra's cases(though that's a lot of work apparently),others have fitted a complete B3/B4 'box onto the Cobra chassis.

I have Meteor diff halves on a Cobra diff gear in a fully ballraced Cobra'box but I'm only running a 27t brushed at the moment.
Adey says a B4 diff is easy to fit if you modify it as he mentions.

There are a few ways to get the thing to take big horsepower as you see.
The standard diff and intermediate gear won't stand it for long plus the
standard slipper is reputed to be a mare to get adjusted properly.
A quater turn of it's adjuster takes you from locked solid to free spinning
with not a lot in between,so either a homemade or a B4 slipper is needed
with a better slipper spring(a Losi is said to work well).

Hot Bodies D4 rear CVD shafts are said to fit straight on.

As you may have seen,mine runs on JC Racing RC10B series five spokes all round,with the rears
fitted to the Cobra rear axles.
Just run them through with a 4mm drill bit and fit an old nylon bearing behind the drive pin as a spacer.
The fronts are on B4 front axles turned down and shortened to fit into Meteor swivels.
Front bearings are RC10B series 3/16x3/8x1/8 to fit the front wheels.

Mark

[adey]

the best advice as regards to running a brushless system in a cobra is to retro fit another gearbox. Modifying the standard gearbox is ok but its not easy or cost effective. I have fitted a b3 gearbox, a b4 gearbox will fit and i am sure the ansmann could be made to fit also. Which ever gearbox you choose is at least easy to get bits for when required. I am trying tamiya front db01r driveshafts. While basic, they are strong. The best mod other than the gearbox is to move the steering belcranks to give better ackermann. I makes the car more predictable in the turn. Despite how basic they are, they can be made to go very well.

[bazza373]

Thanks for the advice Mark & Adey, I will look into it.

[adey]

post pics of your car.

[Miggers]

You can pick up all the parts(shafts,gears,casings,motor plate,etc)for the
Ansmann Macnum/Mad Rat 'box for £16.99 on E-Bay.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ANSMANN-MAD-RAT-MACNUM-VARIOUS-DIFF-MOTOR-PARTS-NEW-/310308891098?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item483fd9e9da

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ANSMANN-MACNUM-GEAR-DIFF-BEARING-PARTS-NEW-/310331096431?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item48412cbd6f

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ANSMANN-MACNUM-MISC-PARTS-BAG-B-Inc-PINION-NEW-/400206910744?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item5d2e30d518

That doesn't include bearings(15x10x4,2 off/10x5x4,4 off) though.
You'll also have to make up mountings to suit the Cobra chassis and
rear shock tower.

BTW,Macnum g/box parts are the same as the 'Rat,but a £1 cheaper.
Search Mad Rat and you'll see what I mean.

[bazza373]

Nothing to see with the car at the moment, just whipped the shock towers off for a friend who should be able to knock some up for me in carbon.

Thanks for the links, weighting up weather to go for the RAT set up of buy a B3 and use the GB, steering & links.

My Cobra, I think, is the basic one. Yellow chassis & plastic turnbuckles, for all your non-adjusting needs!! Not sure if the TQ kit came with actual hinge pins? Mine has what can only described as 'pointed wire' joining hubs to wishbones etc. Perhaps rob a B3 of them too?

[qatmix]

I'm pretty tempted to stick a madrat gearbox on mine. My cobra has never really got on with the 13t brushless I have in it. It seems to slip, but it isnt the slipper clutch.

[Miggers]

I'm pretty tempted to stick a madrat gearbox on mine. My cobra has never really got on with the 13t brushless I have in it. It seems to slip, but it isnt the slipper clutch.

It'll be the crappy Mardave diff.

Pretty tempted to go the Macnum/Mad Rat route myself.
The Cobra box has about as much strength as a chocolate teapot
with anything more than a 27t stock in it and even then it's iffy.

Then again,for £60,I'm tempted to buy the 'Rat and ditch the Cobra full stop.

[knmtrip3]

Just wondering guys,weren't mardave working on an uprated diff at one time for the cobra,did it ever get released??

[adey]

yes they were. Chris wikinson promised to give me one but it never materialised. It was essentially standard diff halves modified to take b4 plates and thrust bearing. I made my own this way and it was fine. My car was the one on the mardave site and everybody was asking if i was developing a new cobra.

[Miggers]

Just wondering guys,weren't mardave working on an uprated diff at one time for the cobra,did it ever get released??

They were and it didn't.

There isn't any mention of the Cobra on Mardave's swanky new website
either.
No exploded diagram,no spares list or prices,nothing on the uprated
modernised Cobra they were touting a few years ago,absolutely zilch,zip,nada.
I think they've quietly given up on the thing and dropped it completely.

Chris(the Mardave owner),just isn't interested in it at all,he only wants
to race and sell those piddly V12 1/12th circuit racers.

[adey]

miggers: the cobra is a pain to make reliable with the standard gearbox and its up to you weither you ditch it or not. I would be happy to send you my diff halves modified to accept b4 parts which is what mardave were trying to develop if you choose to carry on with it. Personally i would chose a cobra over a madrat as they are retro, different and go very well on track when sorted. but i would say that !.

[adey]

yeh, thats right. My car was on the old mardave site. Chris wilkinson isnt interested in the cobra, which is a shame in my view. Up to people like us too keep them alive. Lol

[jaysllim]

right i have just bought a cobra as i used to race one as a kid,i want to stick a brushless in it but im running it as a laugh but reading this has got me confused. in lamuns turms what have u got to do with the diff to make it reliable or what do u have to do to get a b4 diff to fit?

[adey]

you can either drill out the standard diff halves and add a step to the face of the diff halve to enable the use of the b4 diff plates and thrust bearing or remove 0.5mm off the inner diameter of the standard diff bearings to enable the use of rc10 diff halves.

[Miggers]

miggers: the cobra is a pain to make reliable with the standard gearbox and its up to you weither you ditch it or not. I would be happy to send you my diff halves modified to accept b4 parts which is what mardave were trying to develop if you choose to carry on with it. Personally i would chose a cobra over a madrat as they are retro, different and go very well on track when sorted. but i would say that !.

I can send you a complete Cobra diff in exchange if you like(I have two).

I'd love to get it so that it can run reliably with big brushed horsepower.

Probably still buy a 'Rat too for serious brushless power though.

[adey]

pm sent miggers

[jaysllim]

n e body fancy doing my diff for me lol as i dont have access to n e kind of mchinery as i am 80% bed bound or could i swap a diff for a diff?

[adey]

which diff do you have ?. The early ones had a thread in the diff halve. The later ones had a nylon washer and a nut.

[jaysllim]

I got a thread in the diff half

[Miggers]

I got a thread in the diff half


If you can hang on for a few weeks jay,Adey and I may have an
interesting developement on another diff idea we've had.

If we're right,it'll mean a straight swap of a few parts from another make and no machining.

Mark

[jaysllim]

If you can hang on for a few weeks jay,Adey and I may have an
interesting developement on another diff idea we've had.

If we're right,it'll mean a straight swap of a few parts from another make and no machining.

Mark

Plz plz keep me posted on this guys even if u have to pm me because theres a couple of vintage rc10 at the club witch i would like to be a contemder with not being lapped lol thanks guys

[knmtrip3]

Here's a pic of my early 90's mardave cobra. Does anyone remember who made this replacement bodyshell??

[adey]

no idea but i like the car, what wheels are they and more pics please

[knmtrip3]

The wheels are the standard mardave dished wheels,but with the face of the wheel cut out to reveal just the spokes. Mods that were carried out back in the early 90's were option house shocks,front shocks mounted to the front of the wishbones,home made carbon fibre front shock mount and carbon fibre chassis and top deck.
Recently freshened up the look of the car with allen head screws, new ball joints, adjustable links and the fibrelyte rear shock and wing mount.
I think the bodyshell was from parma,but i'm not at all sure,wish i could get another 1.
Is there any news on the possible diff upgrade??

[adey]

if you want a diff sorting, i can help but you have to decide if you want a mardave diff or rc10 diff transplant. Pm sent

[bazza373]

Good reading in this thread chaps.

I have a std Cobra which I plan to dust off and bob my brushless stuff into.

Quick question about the diffs, whats the best solution to date? B3GB/mardave mod? Meteor diff halves on the Cobra diff gear? Ansmann diff built into cobra housing?

Any progress on stronger drivershafts? The mardave ones do look venerable!

Cheers

An update on mine, set too on it last week. Decided to go for a Losi22 gear box grafted on to the chassis. The losi22 come with rear & mid gearbox casings so I had the rear pair spare, got the gubbings for the middle and built that up.

Cut down the Cobra gear box to retain the original rear wishbone hangers and mountings, bolting the Losi22 box in-between them. The 22 box itself bolts to some bracing/battery holder which can only help hold it all in place. Got the normal carbon shock towers made by a friend. Just needed a small alloy brace to connect the rear shock tower to the top of the battery holder and we was up and running.

Had it out on the street the other night in damp conditions & fading light (Yea, it was dark!) pleased how it went, really fast and plenty of fun! Going to try it indoor on carpet this week. Cobra22 anyone! :thumbsup:

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b110/bwp-live/DSCF1007.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b110/bwp-live/DSCF1009.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b110/bwp-live/DSCF1010.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b110/bwp-live/DSCF1012.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b110/bwp-live/DSCF1011.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b110/bwp-live/104_0007.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b110/bwp-live/104_0006.jpg

[B4 Sloth]

Here's a pic of my early 90's mardave cobra. Does anyone remember who made this replacement bodyshell??

Not sure on the shell but the EL LOCO stickers.....had one of those on my meteor moons ago.

The shell was aftermarket by a company that also did replacements for the cats of the day.

[Miggers]

Ooooh,ooooh,those carbon bits look oh-so-sexy on yours Sloth:drool:.

Bazza,you've beat me to it!!!!!.

I'm just grafting a Mad Rat 'box onto mine right now.
Gone slightly different though,I've cut up the Cobra 'box so as to retain the
wishbone and the suspension plate mount.

What're those turnbuckles off please mate?

Pics soon bretheren.

Mark

[bazza373]

They have come off the Losi as well, slightly too long but will do for giving it a try.

[adey]

like the 22 gbox transplant. Building a mid motor cobra to try

[Miggers]

Mission accomplished.

Cobra now fitted with a Mad Rat gearbox.

This is just the "technology demonstrator" so to speak.
Now I've figured it out,I'll design some better mounts and make them
up in ally or delrin.
The bottom line is though,the 'Rat box is lighter,quieter,smoother,has a
decent slipper(still got to turn the plates down to 31mm)and the all
important wear ringed diff.

CobRat,Cobra-Rat?,nah,still a Cobra:p

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k307/miggers_2006/Mardave%20Cobra/Cobra-Rat001.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k307/miggers_2006/Mardave%20Cobra/Cobra-Rat006.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k307/miggers_2006/Mardave%20Cobra/Cobra-Rat005.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k307/miggers_2006/Mardave%20Cobra/Cobra-Rat007.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k307/miggers_2006/Mardave%20Cobra/Cobra-Rat009.jpg

[jaysllim]

Miggers thats looking well sweet nice to see it in the flesh,have u raced it yet? Let me no how it goes,just wana get my back surgery out of the way then i can have a word with u nd get my one going mate.

Keep up the gd wrk
Jay

[adey]

that looks good miggers. Somebody told me that mardave are doing another cobra.

[Miggers]

Thankyou bretheren.

I haven't tested it yet(apart from a few blasts across the living room floor),
Sunday looks favorite down at the local park/bmx/play area.
It has some cracking earth jumps and a mixture of surfaces.
Get there early before the kids wake up and the dog walkers appear,you can have a good hour of unmolested belting around.

Measured up the gearbox mounts,so I need to have a chat with one of the local engineering shops that I'm pally with to see about having a couple of sets knocked up(I'm already under contract to do another for a mate)
snd get the slipper plates turned down.

I could also do with getting shot of those green rear springs and the rest of
the green anodising on the motor mount too:lol:

Needs a good clean too,it's still got Ledbury dust all over it from our long weekend away back in August:cry:

[adey]

i am running my cobra friday for the first time in a good while. I am trying it on associated shocks rather than tamiya ones and i will also be trying my mardave/associated hybrid gearbox rather than my rc10 b3 gearbox just to see if it can live with a 6.5. If anybody has any mardave cobra shocks in good order they want to sell, please send me a pm

[jaysllim]

Think the old mans got a spare pair of orginal mardave shaocks spare from the box of brand new cobra bits he picked up,also i no for a fact that he has a unused brand new never run tq with a slipper clutch witch will be going up for sale in the next couple of days.

So im going down there tomoz to do sum wrk on my c4 so will ask him bought the shocks,but if n e body knows of sumone wanting the tq let me no plz.

Ow ye thinking bought it i got another 2 cobra se's with original shocks on them dunno how good they are as havent had time to look at them yet,but again ill have a look tomoz foru mate nd let u no.

Also tell let me how tha diff wrks out for u,as u no im abit power hungry for the cobra im trying to build (but as u no due my personal problems thats harder than it sounds) lol

[adey]

pm sent to jayslim about cobra tq. Oh and the hybrid gearbox will be fine with a 6.5 i am sure. The driveshaft will be the issue i think

[bazza373]

I have found that the shafts hold up pretty well with the power of my 6.5 so far, however I did bend one last night after hitting a curb side on at a good speed ....but Ill put that down to driver error :thumbsup:

[Miggers]

You're a bloody lead foot Jay:lol:.

I've only had mine on the usual 27turn old skool Parma Cyclone yet,I'd
rather let things bed in a bit before I go on the hunt for some big power:wub(not driven properly for a good few years either and I'm getting old now).

[jaysllim]

You're a bloody lead foot Jay:lol:.

I've only had mine on the usual 27turn old skool Parma Cyclone yet,I'd
rather let things bed in a bit before I go on the hunt for some big power:wub(not driven properly for a good few years either and I'm getting old now).


Thats the problem with being 25 lol to young to no n e diffrent lol

[adey]

i think the standard box is fine if u sort the diff. I got a 6.5 for tonite and i am a experienced racer so its going to be tested to the limit.jayslim, send me the parts and ill build u a gbox.

[jaysllim]

thnx adey for offer just got a few personal problems to sort out first plus miggers is helping me out on gbox aswel so as i have 2 cobras ill see wa happens.

thnx mate
j

[adey]

well my hybrid gbox took the power fine, even the driveshafts were ok.

[adey]

heres a pic of a mid cobra i tried a few years ago.

[jaysllim]

Did u just spin the gearbox around to get the mid motor?glad to hear the box nd everything stood up to tge abuse lol?dad trying to find out witch mardave shacks are the better set for u mate nd hes still umin nd aring bought price of tq but think he wannts,around,the 150ish mark.

[adey]

you cant just spin the gbox around as it would mean the toe and anti squat would be reverse. I had to modify the pivot blocks on the gbox and make my own motor plate with a external idler gear like the atomic cr2. It wasnt easy.

[jaysllim]

that blows my idea out of the water lol never mind get my back op out the way in 3 weeks then get some serious practice in and have a damn good practice nd ha ve a damn gd go at the cobra

[Miggers]

Thats the problem with being 25 lol to young to no n e diffrent lol

I know where you're coming from mate :lol:.
Tuned RWD Fords used to be my favorite toys.
Had tuned Cortinas,an Essy 16 Sport,an Essy Mex,a couple of RS2000's before moving onto Pugs with a 405 SRi,then an Mi16,then a 306 Gti-6 and now a tweaked 306 Hdi D-Turbo Sport.

Hey Adey,I thought two of the Cobra's "other" problems were no toe-in and
no anti-squat as standard?
I run a 1mm shim under mine's suspension hangers to give it some anti-squat.

[adey]

they have slight anti squat but not adjustable. The mid conversion was tried at kiddy for a few laps and was pretty good. I just want to build another using my own chassis design.

[Miggers]

Had a swift blast with mine today in our Close.

It was on tarmac,so pretty flat and a good surface(didn't get to go to the local bit of dirt last Sunday),but I'm impressed.

The thing went well on the factory spur and pinion(80/21)with just a 27turn
Cyclone in it.
So much quieter on 48dp than with the screaming 32dp of the original
Cobra box.
Acceleration was pretty good with a reasonable turn of speed too,so I'll be keeping my ear to the ground for a 21 or 19 turn to start with before going
for some insane quad to have a bash with.

Mark

[adey]

if your running brushed miggers, i would go with a good 19 turn spec or possibly a 17 turn single. Ideal for the cobra. Its a light car so it should go well. Or just put a good 11 turn in it and enjoy.

[Miggers]

Yeah I am still on brushed mate(noo fangled brushless is too much dinero for
Mrs Miggers to authorise purchase of said gear :lol:).

The only 19turn I've seen is Ansmann's 19x2 Launcher motor,a shufty
on E-Bay doesn't produce much results at all.

I can only go down to a 12turn with my old Mtronics ESC,but yep,
a 17 or 19 would be good fun judging on how well it goes on the
old 27turn Cyclone stock.

[Miggers]

Well,these things really are only a high grip/tarmac car!!!.

I've bought a 17x2 and had a few goes with it down at the locale.
Granted,the tyres are pretty shot,but it doesn't like the dirt/very fine gravel
surface at all.
Even with the slipper backed off it's very difficult to get the power down
in a straight line out of a corner.
The guy on that Planet Venom site said that once you get the anti-squat
sorted you then have to re-drill the rear hinge pin holes to give it more
toe-in on the rear because the thing just want's to write it's name in the
dirt.
Believe me,he isn't kidding at all.

It'll turn in well enough and corner on a light throttle setting,but once it's straight and you feed in the power,oh boy,the back end tries to overtake the front.

[adey]

rear toe in will help but its more to do with tyres and setup. I have seen this site and i cant agree with some of the methods used (without causing offence). I did see a cobra with drilled rear wishbones to acheve outboard toe in and it looked a good way of doing it. Try redrilling the gearbox to acheve inboard toe in and you will find it hard to keep the wishbones free and it weakens the inner pivot point.

[adey]

i know that they added washers under the front of the gbox to increase anti squat.

[Miggers]

i know that they added washers under the front of the gbox to increase anti squat.

Done that mate.
I made up a plastic shim and fitted it to lift the front end of the
wishbone mounts.

Folks are saying that Proline's Calibers or Holeshots are good on the rears
and ribs up front for the dirt/fine gravel gravel surface I'm using.

What spring/damper combo would you recommend Adey?

[adey]

proline are generally used in the us for dusty tracks. What dampers are you using ?

[bazza373]

Ive used schumacher mini pins or mini spikes out on the street with mine, trouble is brush-less & a damp surface its a struggled to keep it from spinning. On a dry day its really good, wrong time of year to be playing about lol.

Also found that the Cobra kit tyres, spikes? worked really really well on wet grass, they where brand new and had the car pulling wheels autograss style down the lawn!

[Miggers]

proline are generally used in the us for dusty tracks. What dampers are you using ?

Option House Golds on the front with silver Associated springs,
Traxxas Greys on the back with Associated green springs.
Terry.sc recommended those springs as a starting point

I'm not sure what the pistons are,the oil is some light weight silicone that we used to use for lubricating printers.

I checked out some of the dirt/low grip set ups used on RC10B4's that're posted up on here and have re-set the rear end positioning of the dampers and top arms accordingly to get the dampers more vertical and the the top arms longer.
I was going to move the fronts in one hole and up one at the top and have a look at changing the pistons.
If it'd have been a 4WD,then I'd have soon had it dancing,but 2WD,phew,
what a handful it can be.

[Miggers]

Nearly got the rear suspension mounts sorted with it,it'll be an all alloy affair.
Next is to make a brace that runs from the front gearbox mount to the top of the aft battery holder.

On the tyres and set up front,I found a new pair of Proline ribs on the Bay
and got 'em for under a fiver,result.
I also found a new pair of Losi IFMAR Silvers up in the loft that I'd forgotten I had.
They're pretty soft and grippy with the tread pattern closely resembling
Proline Hot Shots.

The Kyosho front shocks have had the pistons changed for smaller hole jobs
(some I had left over from owning the Optima years ago)and been re-filled,
but the Traxxas rears are a different kettle.
I have'nt any pistons that match their bores.
Traxxas UK's website has spare pistons but don't list any bore sizes.
My Traxxas shocks could well be from BITD when Traxxas made and raced
1/10th offroad(did they ever do that?),so sourcing pistons to suit could be a bit of a game I reckon.

[Bluestreak]

Hey guys just thought I'd joing the thread. Here's some pics of my Cobra. Was a cheapo flea-bay purchase that I stripped down and rebuilt. No major mods yet just JC racing wheels, dBoots tyres, and some cheapo shocks.

Running an Mtronixs SBS brushless system at the mo.

Will be looking at the Madrat box replacement in the future as it seems you guys are reccomending that the original box is made of cheese!! :)

Hopefully will be running her soon to see how she handles so far!

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z218/ukmodeller/HMS%20Bounty/DSCF2002.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z218/ukmodeller/HMS%20Bounty/DSCF2001.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z218/ukmodeller/HMS%20Bounty/DSCF2006.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z218/ukmodeller/HMS%20Bounty/DSCF2003.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z218/ukmodeller/HMS%20Bounty/DSCF2005.jpg

[Miggers]

Nice one Bluestreak.

That brushless will kill that weedy stock diff pretty rapidly though and we're talking minutes and seconds here not runs.

A 27turn stock is plenty for 'em,fit another box for big power,as you say the Mad Rat box fits and works well.

How will it handle?,well I'm looking at fabbing some new bottom arm mounts
with more toe-in to try and keep the thing from writing it's own name in the
dirt when you're trying to put the power down.
Shall we say that the back end is "lively".

Here's another wheeze,unbolt the entire front end,take off the steering knuckles and axles,turn the entire front end around 180 degrees and fit it back on then refit the steering knuckles and axles.
This will give you a few more mil. of wheelbase(still within BRCA regs),help to make it a bit more stable and less prone to swapping ends.

According to Adey,they're pretty nippy on high grip surfaces(carpet/astroturf/grass/tarmac),I've noticed that with mine,but on the dirt or clay,phew.
I ran mine with a 17x2 brushed in it and it was just hard work.

Mark

[adey]

miggers is right about the diff. The original diff wasnt the best but it is far better than the newer designed one. Just modify the inner edge of the bearings, make a centre bush and put a b4 diff in. Sounds hard but its really quite easy. I do like the retro body colours though. I maybe wrong but i have heard that mardave are doing a new cobra. I dont know if chris wilkinson reads this part of the mardave forums but if he does, i hope he could comment on this. I would buy one and run it.

[Bluestreak]

Well I got to use the old girl for the first time in anger last night. Indoors on a fully carpeted track.


I used the tips from this site http://home.scarlet.be/~be067749/58/bug/print.htm (http://home.scarlet.be/%7Ebe067749/58/bug/print.htm) to give me a basic set up as I'm a first time buggy driver.

So my basic set up was front shocks laid down as far as poss. losi 42.5 grade oil. dBoots terrrabyte tyres soft inserts. ride height had front arms level. About 2 degrees toe in. 4 degrees pos camber.

Rear shocks Outer lower mount. Highest top mount. Losi 32.5 grade shock oil. dBoots terrabyte tyres. Pro-line closed cell inserts. Ride height lower arms level. 1 degree pos camber.

The car felt very stable in a straight line and through high speed turns. Jumped beautifully and landed spot on.

The rear end was planted.

Biggest problem was in low speed turns and very tight turns. Car had far too much front grip on the terrabytes so will be trying out some proline ribs on the front. May also soften the damping on the front and make the rear shocks nore upright to help in the twistys slightly.


As for the gearbox!!!!!!!!!!! :thumbdown: :lol:

Will be looking at the madrat conversion in the near future!!

[mattybucks]

Well I got to use the old girl for the first time in anger last night. Indoors on a fully carpeted track.


I used the tips from this site http://home.scarlet.be/~be067749/58/bug/print.htm (http://home.scarlet.be/%7Ebe067749/58/bug/print.htm) to give me a basic set up as I'm a first time buggy driver.

So my basic set up was front shocks laid down as far as poss. losi 42.5 grade oil. dBoots terrrabyte tyres soft inserts. ride height had front arms level. About 2 degrees toe in. 4 degrees pos camber.

Rear shocks Outer lower mount. Highest top mount. Losi 32.5 grade shock oil. dBoots terrabyte tyres. Pro-line closed cell inserts. Ride height lower arms level. 1 degree pos camber.

The car felt very stable in a straight line and through high speed turns. Jumped beautifully and landed spot on.

The rear end was planted.

Biggest problem was in low speed turns and very tight turns. Car had far too much front grip on the terrabytes so will be trying out some proline ribs on the front. May also soften the damping on the front and make the rear shocks nore upright to help in the twistys slightly.


As for the gearbox!!!!!!!!!!! :thumbdown: :lol:

Will be looking at the madrat conversion in the near future!!


I would try 35 in the front and either 30 or even 25 in the rear.

[Adam F]

Try some staggered ribs on the front, should make it a bit more predictable...

[Bluestreak]

Thanks for the hints guys> I'm used to racing V12's so not as many adjustments available!!!!! :lol:

[Miggers]

Thanks for the hints guys> I'm used to racing V12's so not as many adjustments available!!!!! :lol:


Go with Schumacher "yellow" minipins all round for carpet matey.

Everybody seems to use those.

[CrashBangWallop]

Well I got to use the old girl for the first time in anger last night. Indoors on a fully carpeted track.


I used the tips from this site http://home.scarlet.be/~be067749/58/bug/print.htm (http://home.scarlet.be/%7Ebe067749/58/bug/print.htm) to give me a basic set up as I'm a first time buggy driver.

So my basic set up was front shocks laid down as far as poss. losi 42.5 grade oil. dBoots terrrabyte tyres soft inserts. ride height had front arms level. About 2 degrees toe in. 4 degrees pos camber.

Rear shocks Outer lower mount. Highest top mount. Losi 32.5 grade shock oil. dBoots terrabyte tyres. Pro-line closed cell inserts. Ride height lower arms level. 1 degree pos camber.

The car felt very stable in a straight line and through high speed turns. Jumped beautifully and landed spot on.

The rear end was planted.

Biggest problem was in low speed turns and very tight turns. Car had far too much front grip on the terrabytes so will be trying out some proline ribs on the front. May also soften the damping on the front and make the rear shocks nore upright to help in the twistys slightly.


As for the gearbox!!!!!!!!!!! :thumbdown: :lol:

Will be looking at the madrat conversion in the near future!!

Yep looked good but still had to marshall it after turning turtle a few times :lol:. Get the front end grip issue sorted then work from there.
Great to see a Cobra running :cool: - I have not seen one for years.

[Bluestreak]

Yep looked good but still had to marshall it after turning turtle a few times :lol:. Get the front end grip issue sorted then work from there.
Great to see a Cobra running :cool: - I have not seen one for years.


:lol: Had to be marshalled more than a few times methinks!!!! Hee Hee was good fun first time out though.

[Bluestreak]

Go with Schumacher "yellow" minipins all round for carpet matey.

Everybody seems to use those.


Miggers have you got anymore details on the Madrat GBox conversion or even a how too, parts list used??

Anything would be good as I'm going to attempt this conversion soon.

Cheers

Ash

[adey]

i would use yellow pins for indoor on carpet and maybe try staggers on the front for mixed surface indoor offroad.

[Miggers]

Miggers have you got anymore details on the Madrat GBox conversion or even a how too, parts list used??

Anything would be good as I'm going to attempt this conversion soon.

Cheers

Ash

Bits needed:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ANSMANN-MACNUM-GEAR-DIFF-BEARING-PARTS-NEW-/400260931416?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item5d31691f58

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ANSMANN-MACNUM-MISC-PARTS-BAG-B-Inc-PINION-NEW-/400206910744?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item5d2e30d518

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ANSMANN-MAD-RAT-MACNUM-VARIOUS-DIFF-MOTOR-PARTS-NEW-/310308891098?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item483fd9e9da

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x-10x15x4mm-Bearing-Metal-Shield-Baja-B030-/400274646919?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item5d323a6787

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hpi-savage-x-ss-b021-5x10x4mm-2pc-/350422422083?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item5196cdd243

You need 2 pair of the above 5x10x4 bearings.

Total cost:£28.75 plus a bit of postage.
That gives you a complete Mad Rat'box,pinion,slipper,spur et al ready to bolt onto your Cobra chassis.

Here's pics of mine with the 'Rat box fitted into the Cobra 'box shells,
about 3/4 of the way down page 10:
http://www.oople.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27465&page=10

[Bluestreak]

thanks miggers. do you think the cvd's will fit??!!!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/400194839561?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

[Miggers]

thanks miggers. do you think the cvd's will fit??!!!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/400194839561?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649


Well,mine has Meteor rear arms on it(stiffer than Cobra ones)so I doubt they'd fit mine,I'd need 90-95mm ones
(possibly HotBodies D4 CVD's).
How long are Cobra shafts?
If 'Rat arms will fit the Cobra's rear mounts then you could use 'Rat bearing holders running 5x10x4 bearings with 'Rat CVD's and Rat rear wheels.

Alternatively,try the RC10 driveshafts for the 'Rat,done so that you can run
Associated rear wheels.
Mine has Cobra drive shaft ends(with Meteor dogbones)and modified
RC10B2/3/4 front axles so that I can run JC Racing RC10B series dished
five spokes.

[Miggers]

Another problem is now beginning to manifest itself.

I've pretty much sorted the handling to a fair degree with decent
horsepower in it(yes Adey,tyres and set-up have helped a lot)it's now
pulling the mounting screws out of the rear hangers and through the chassis:cry:.
At the end of a run session the front screws on each side are sticking out by a couple of mil.

When I originally put the Cobra gearbox on it,I used all secondhand parts
that were swapped for Meteor parts.
The Cobra box had been fixed in place by the original owner using the
Mardave supplied self-tapping screws(knowing the Cobra's crap diff,the 'box
would have been taken off to try and sort it many times)and I now use
M3 set-screws instead.
The M3's can't cut a deep enough thread in the soft plastic to get a bite
and so are pulling out,cobblers.

Bit of a think about a repair needed here.
I don't want to buy new gearbox halves just to cut the hangers off
and throw the rest away.


And as to Adey's question about Mardave doing that "new" Cobra again,it seems
they're certainly thinking about it:

http://www.mardave.co.uk/cobra-evo.html

It'll have to be bloody good for that price though when it's pitched against Ansmann's
2WD line up.
BTW,click on and zoom that b&w picture,see if anyone knows that car!!!!!
Mark

[adey]

Its my car. Didn't know he was still using the pic

[Miggers]

Its my car. Didn't know he was still using the pic


Ha,I knew you'd spot it mate:lol:.

[adey]

The pic is black and white on the site. Wonder why.

[Miggers]

Mine's got a Durga steering rack on it now.

[adey]

The steering ackerman is the important thing. I played with the steering alot and found that moving the steering back a few mm worked well.

[Miggers]

The steering ackerman is the important thing. I played with the steering alot and found that moving the steering back a few mm worked well.

Yeah,I've moved the rack back as far as it'll go and stay in line with the servo
saver,prolly by a couple of mil.

Nabbed a couple of new turnbuckles too for a couple of sovs on E-Bay too.

[carty]

Hi, just rebuilding my cobra shocks for the summer season and ive managed to lose the small black plastic cap that holds the shock oring seals in place inside the shock screw cap :mad: can anybody help? mardave are out of stock, so Im desperate, must be one lying around somewhere, thanks dave

[adey]

I'll ask a guy at my local club. I don't use those shocks. Suprised mardave don't have any as a new cobra is out soon.

[carty]

thanks very much, im thinking mardave may have complete shock sets just not the plastic part sets, may have to get another complete shock if i have no joy, cheers

[adey]

Is the car for competition or bashing. If its competition, I would consider changing shocks anyway. The mardave ones are pretty good when built properly but usually you can buy other branded shocks which are Much better quite cheaply off ebay.