D.A.R.C 410 proto 2

[MHeadling]

Hi Guys, some local SE racers have seen this in action and now the launch is official I can show you some photos of the DARC 410 proto no 2 (see main thread for production car shots/spec)

This was a very rough mock up for testing purposes that DARC came up with, the finished article looks fantastic, as per the main DARC thread the car will feature:

Kit contents

6061 t6 aluminium chassis ( anodised Black and longer than the 410)
Precision cnc side mounting blocks ( 7075 aluminium)
Cnc clutch adapter
Carbon sides ( pure carbon twill , no glass )
Carbon battery straps
Brass battery posts
Body shell
All hardware needed to convert

I'll do a similar build thread on the production kit so you can see the finish/build quality for yourself.

Best of all it's all British made!



The proto chassis as it arrived, all finished by hand



Rear end bolted on



Front end bolted on



Motor mount and clutch adaptor fitted



Finished!







Track ready!

As you can see the build is very straight forward and to convert a 410 over to a DARC takes around 30 mins.

No shimming or tinkering needed, just dropped together and it hit the track.

Many thanks to DARC for the car and all the support and advice

Please feel free to ask and questions

Race report's coming up!

[MHeadling]

Shake down test:

So off we went to Maritime for a shake down test prior to the off road wars weekend.

I left my normal 410 indoor set up on the car and built this onto the DARC chassis,this is the set up I ran ( minus any additional weights)

http://www.petitrc.com/setup/durango...ime2012022526/

The eagle eyed will have spotted I'm running big bore springs on small bore shocks, these are adapted using Core rc adaptors and Durango BB shock bottoms.
The springs are std Durango Dark Blue fronts and Light Blue rears, just put in paint stripper for a different look.

When the DARC 410 hit the track for the first time the first impressions were WOW! For a first run the car went really well, the main things I noticed were:

Improved drive out the corners (extended wheel base has helped this alot)

Superb Balance in the air

Great corner speed

Massive amounts of steering

Smooth predictable handling on all surfaces of the track (carpet, wood,astro)

As mentioned above the car had alot of steering, to chill this out I moved the inner ball stud backwards on the steering rack and dropped the front camber link at the hub (had 1mm under ball stud)

Second run and it was spot on now, the changes made above made the car alot more chilled out for my aggresive style and the laps times improved no end.

For the 3rd run I thought I would add the rear skid plate weight as Jorn and Ellis seem to run this indoors, I prefered the feel of the car with this fitted as it seemed to rotate better on the slippy sections of the track.
Mr DARC with Proto 1 runs no weight in his car but this is just down to personal taste really.

The good thing about the DARC is you can still fit and use the Durango weights on the car to tune to your style so no need so spend out on more parts for the conversion.

So overall a very good first race meeting under its belt with no major problems, then it was onto Off road wars!

[Origineelreclamebord]

Looks good, sounds good too! Are you going to make a pace comparison between the two cars on the same track (and same conditions)? And how long is it's wheelbase now?

[MHeadling]

Off Road Wars:

So off road wars was the next meeting with the car.

The car went to the meeting as per above but the only change was to try out the BB shocks, went with the following set up:

2 x 1.7mm front pistons, 55wt oil, 2 mm internal limiters
3 x 1.7mm rear pistons 35wt oil

Springs were:

Dark Red
Black Rear

The car seemed to go ok on the BB set up above but felt a little dull and dead on track (maybe I needed to give is some more throttle!), the SB shocks seemed to suit the me better so after round one on they went and have stayed there ever since!

I'll do some more testing on the BB shocks outside and get feedback from some other DARC users once there are some more out in the market.

The meeting went well with no major breakages or failures, the only weak link was me on the sticks!

I was well happy with the car and the way it drove with lots of nice compliments from fellow racers trackside.

In the end I qual in the G final in 10th and got up to 5th, so not bad for me!

The car is so good I said to a fellow 410 owner, 'it feels like cheating using the DARC!' (he is now on the waiting list! lol)

[MHeadling]

Looks good, sounds good too! Are you going to make a pace comparison between the two cars on the same track (and same conditions)? And how long is it's wheelbase now?

Thanks, yes as you can tell I rather like the conversion

I dont have any good data on lap times I am afraid as the testing done above the track changed its configuration. I have a normal 410 too so at some point will have to get the stop watch out and see!

But I can certainly feel more confidence in the car and have improved since using it

The std 410 wheelbase is 279-281mm, the DARC comes out at 295mm on my current set up (hub back on wishbone)

I'll post up a pic of my cars side by side shortly.

[MHeadling]

Pic of my 410's just to give you an idea on WB the blue 410 is kit setting on the inner of the rear arm and long on the hub.



Note: the carpet featured is not in my house, I have carpeted my workshop!