Next, I installed the steering stops. I chose to use the middle length stops to start with. This is a really nice feature that Patrick requested when working with the prototype.
The front shocks were set up next. I used 35W oil in them, and chose to use the Blue (hard) springs.
Installing the motor was the next order of business. I installed the pulley on it before inserting it into the mount. I made sure that the tensioner was backed off all the way as well. To get the belt on, I started it onto one end of the pulley and began rotating it, keeping pressure on the belt towards the motor. It rotated onto the pulley completely, and after checking alignment, it was done. The motor gets held in with two screws through the inner ring, as well as the large clamp in the middle. Tip: Just barely snug the two screws on the motor face before tightening the clamp, then after the clamp it tight, tighten them up as well. This assures that everything is square when tightened up.
Eagle designed some nice features in this belt drive. There are large tensioners on each belt, that are very easy to adjust.
Once the motor was installed, I moved on to the front steering setup. I encountered a small problem with the way that it was set up from the factory. The tie rod adjusters would slightly hit the top of the steering knuckle at the end of travel in both directions. I made two simple changes to remedy this. First, I moved the steering arm mounts to the rear most position on the chassis.
Additionally, I moved the top pivot on the knuckle to the inner hole. This helped keep the top of the knuckle out of the way and added a few degrees of KPI to the geometry.
After making these adjustments, I am able to get full lock travel, that is very smooth, and maintains a parallel relationship of the wheels through the sweep.
I am starting out with zero degrees of toe in.
Electronics are next, so stay tuned...
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