RC Body

by DualPhase

49K9625

Intro: RC Body

This instrucable will show how to create a couple varieties of clear bodies for your Remote Control Car. I made this one for a 2011 Traxxas Slash but any RC with a mountable body will work.  Note that this is my first instructable so I am open to any recomendations or suggestions.

STEP 1: Required Tools

Blow Torch (or Heat Gun)
Sawzall (or Grinder or Cutter or Saw)
Dremmel (or Drill)
Sander (Optional for clean look)
Safety Gear

STEP 2: Required Materials

1) Remote Control Vehical
2) Acrylic Sheet

Thicker or impact resistant Acrylic would be a good recommendation.

Sintra (a PVC variant used for outdoor signs) would also be a good recommendation. It is light, durable / indestructable and cheep.

STEP 3: Cut Wheel Wells

Hold the Acrylic sheet over the vehical and mark the mounting holes.  Also decide the shape and bending points.  Cut wheel wells and cut to shape.

STEP 4: Bend Acrylic Body

Heat the Acrylic to make it bend.  The best way to bend Acrylic is with a heating strip professionaly developed for the purpose of bending Acrylic.  My father always told me to use the right tool for the job but my repertoire of tools is not as robust as his so I used a blow torch.  You can also use a heat gun but I found a more concentrated blast of heat from the blow torch heats up only the area that you want to bend and provides for a cleaner bend.

The trick with bending Acrylic is to only heat up the areas that you need at just the right tempature.  If you heat up the Acrylic too much it will carmalize, bubbles will appear and it will turn cloudy.  Heat it up until it starts to bend and then stop.

I used the edge of my counter as a brace / mold. 

STEP 5: Drill and Sand

After the body is cut and bent to shape drill out the holes that were previously marked to the size of the mount.  Sand the wheel wells and edges uniformly.  You can go back over the sanded edges and holes quickly with the blow torch to give them a better look and smoother texture.

STEP 6: Remove Bumpers

Dismantling the bumbers was needed to allow the Acrylic to rest on the body.  Once the body is placed on the RC the bumbers will be in the way.

STEP 7: Assembly

Put the body over the mounts, pull antenna through the hold and insert the body clips.

Note that the Acrylic that I used did not have the durability of a normal body when I tested its limits with 20 foot jumps.  I was however fun to drive around the neighborhood, neighborhood and the track.  Thicker or more impact resistant Acrylic would be a good recommendation. 

Sintra (a PVC variant used for outdoor signs) would also be a good recommendation.  It is light, durable / indestructable and cheep.

Again this is my first instrucable so I am open to any comments or suggestions.

STEP 8: 2nd Body

Learning from the mistakes of the first body I have 

25 Comments

mcfunworld 8 years ago

go to my Chanel if you want to know how to fix rc body's and how to use a $1 battery string to make off road lights for a rc car (on those I use a traxxas). and would this work with acrilic?

OrangaCHANG 8 years ago

Love your instructable. How long have you been into the hobby?

DualPhase 8 years ago

Thanks. This instructable was with my first rc. It's been about 4 years

redneck2187 9 years ago

nice instructable. try using aluminum siding. easy to work with, strong and light weight

charles gray 10 years ago

Great idea and nicely done i really looks flawless. I'm also in the process to build up like this RC body and your post is really helpful for thanks for sharing.

DualPhase 12 years ago

Ha, I went step by step how to make your own and you still want to buy it? Isn't this a do it yourself website? :)

DualPhase 12 years ago

Ah, true. Its made custom to my RC though. Every RC is different.

DualPhase 12 years ago

The RC including Batteries and Charger was about $300

halfshaft 12 years ago

I would recommend something more in the line of a polycarbonate for the body. You can easily buy it in sheets the same sizes and thicknesses as the acrylic you are using. Acrylic tends to be very brittle and will shatter and crack easily while polycarbonate bends and flexes more readily, you might have heard it by the name Lexan with is a brand sometime associated with "bullet proof" glass. Other than that great job bending the plastic without bubbling... I never have any luck with that.

DualPhase 12 years ago

Thanks! I just had a small square of acrylic laying around from another project so I tried it out. It was free, ha. Poly carbonate would really work better if you are buying material especially for this.

AndrewDouglasBird 12 years ago

Just a suggestion, use polycarbonate instead of acrylic. MUCH stronger and will not crack like acrylic. Lexan, the stuff normal RC car bodies are made out of, is polycarbonate.

DualPhase 12 years ago

Great idea. I used this acrylic sheet because thats what I had laying around the house. It looks like Polycarbonate is 30 times stronger than Acrylic and 250 times stronger than glass. Its the same thing the make 5 gallon water bottles from. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycarbonate This describes it all...
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