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FWD Beginners Build Guide - Schumacher FT8 Frontie Build tips

Welcome to the Schumacher FT8 build guide! This guide will take you step by step through the build of the Schumacher FT8. It's aimed at beginners who are getting their first taste of front wheel drive racing and possibly RC racing entirely.

Before we get started I'd like to thank everyone involved in this wonderful collaborative project to help bring new racers to our sport.

Schumacher and HRCC (Hertford Radio Car Club) have provided a full set of racing equipment, not just a car. This will be available for new racers to hire for a small fee before committing to buying their own equipment. HRCC are the hosts and organisers of the popular Rug Racers series, where FWD has become very popular and a focus for the club and series. Thanks also need to be given to the wonderful Mitzi Paint for preparing, painting and fitting the body shell and of course The RC Racer too for publishing.


Equipment

Let's take a look at what we have in our racing kit:


  • Schumacher FT8 kit
  • Ride FWD control tyres
  • Sanwa MX-6 transmitter
  • Hobbywing fixed timing electrics combo
  • Core RC low profile servo
  • Aerox 2S shorty LiPo battery
  • Sky RC battery charger
  • Schumacher set up board and cover
  • Sky RC car stand
  • Core RC driver set
  • Core RC tool bag
  • MR33 Ride height gauge
  • Arrowmax pit mat
This is almost everything you need to go racing. I used only a few extra tools along the way that are either common or only needed for the build.

The focus of this article is on the Schumacher FT8 kit. Whilst this isn't a review of the kit it is an excellent choice. The manual is detailed and the build is straight forwards. Whilst the manual may seem daunting at first be aware only the first half of the manual is used to build the car whilst the second half provides a user guide and explaination of the settings available on the car. This is highly beneficial to a beginner just getting to grasps with racing.



The box contains a lot of goodies. The carbon upper and lower deck are loose but all the other parts are bagged and labelled for each step in the manual. These are then grouped into three bigger bags A, B and C. There's also a bag of tools and consumables that we'll need for the build.


Before getting stuck in it's a good idea to read the manual and organise your work area. The build can take some time and shouldn't be rushed so ideally set up somewhere your build can be left out for several days.


Bag A

Step 1



The build begins with the bulkheads being fitted to the lower deck. Be sure to read the notes in the manual. In this case they show the ballstuds require some threadlock but the screws do not.


Only a drop of threadlock is needed.


Step 2


Step 2 deals with building the differential. The manual says to adjust the number of shims so you may need to repeat this step several times to get it right. It's pretty obvious when you have too many shims as the outdrive won't turn freely, if you can get the pin in at all. So when you reach this point remove just one shim for the perfect set.

You should also note the pin will only go in from one side. Look carefully at the outdrive and you will see which side has the relief cut to fit the pin.


I found it easiest to put the bearings on the case first before inserting the outdrive.




Step 3


To add the chamfers to the side plates I used a Stanley knife and scraped around the inner circumference a few times. This is safer and easier than trying to use the blade to cut the chamfer.




The oil we use is very thick so be sure to coat all the contacting surfaces during assembly.


Our car stand was perfect for holding the diff whilst filling it with oil.


I used one of the hex drivers to scoop the oil into the diff.

Step 4




The team supplied me with a 74T spur gear required to reach the gearing for our rules.


Step 5


Fit the belt to the pulley before screwing the pulley to the motor mount.


Install the spur gear pulley first then the differential.

Step 6

Time to fit the shocks towers and top decks.


Step 7

When fitting the threaded brass inserts into the carbon parts take care you have the correct orientation of the parts before pressing them in. Once fitted they shouldn't come out again.




There are access holes for the differential eccentric screws underneath the chassis.



Step 8

Whilst assembling the wishbones I pressed in the threaded inserts first.


A pair of pliers makes snapping the plastics onto the ball studs easy.




Here's a look at how my work bench looks. Keeping the work space clean and organised always helps.

Bag B

Step 9

Rear wishbones are very similar to front wishbones.



Step 10

With the wishbones built it's time to fit them. Schumacher supply a variety of spacers that can be used to change the handling of the car on the track.



Step 11

The driveshafts come preassembled and greased ready for use.




Step 12

The rear hub assemblies are similar to the front but without driveshafts.


Step 13

When building links a drop of oil can really help. Anything will do so long as it's plastic safe, our silicone shock oil is ideal.



To check the lengths I used a cheap pair of vernier calipers.





Step 14


Take care to fit the anti roll bars centrally.



Step 15




Check the bell crank moves very freely before fitting the assembley into the car.

Step 16





I found it much easier to remove the steering assembly and refit it after snapping the links in place.


Step 17



Step 18


The springs come in matched pairs so to make sure they don't get mixed up I added a small dot to the sleeving on one pair.




To hold the shock shaft I used a pair of side cutters.



Leave the shocks to sit so the air bubbles come out.



To drill the small hole in the shock caps I used a 1mm drill bit in a pin vice.



Step 19

Fitting the shocks to the chassis is straight forwards but be sure to make sure the shocks are connected to the correct holes in the shock tower.






Step 20





Adjust the battery mounts so there is a small amount of space for the battery to move. This allows the chassis to flex without pinching the battery.



Step 21







Step 22

Installing the electrics might seem challenging at first but with the correct tools and preparation it can be one of the most enjoyable parts of the build.




Fit the pinion gear first to set the position of the motor.


Then to test fit the ESC placement use a small piece of double sided tape to hold it in place temporarily.


First work out where the battery wires will go. I chose to route them under the top deck at first but later found it easier to go over the top deck. Then hold them in place on the battery and cut them to length.


To make the solder joints a high powered soldering iron with a big tip is required. This is a 100W iron which I have used for many years, it is cheap and effective.

The type of solder you use is also important it 60/40 rosin (flux) core is the only solder you need consider. Do not buy solder that is lead free or does not contain flux. 1mm or 1.5mm diameter is ideal.

Flux is one of the key ingredients to soldering. It cleans and removes impurities and helps the solder to stick. When you heat solder the smoke coming from it is the flux burning away, no smoke means the flux is all burnt up and fresh solder is required.

Neither the brass cleaning pot or wire strippers are required but both will make the job easier and will serve you for years to come. You can use a craft knife or stanley knife to strip the wires if needed and a wet rag to clean the soldering iron.

Always keep your soldering iron clean and freshly tinned. If a joint isn't melting within a few seconds you likely need to retin your tip to make good contact again.



As a matter of safety I use a piece of wood with a hole drilled in it to hold the bullet connector when I solder them. Keep this in the same orientation as the battery so the wires will sit in the same place.

Tin the wire and the bullets by melting a little solder onto them then hold them in place and melt them together. A pair of tweezers or pliers can be used to hold the wire but don't be tempted to over heat the joint. It should melt within a few seconds and cool in a few seconds.


Now the ESC can be more permanently fitted with a bigger piece of double sided table. We also need to fit the sensor lead now.

I find if I cut and solder the wires one at a time I can more easily get a neater result.

As with the battery connectors tin the wire and the motor terminal separately then melt them together.

Repeat the process for the other two wires.


With the motor soldered in we can now fit the reciever with double sided tape.


Plug the servo and ESC into the reciever and fit the switch with more double sided tape.



Finally we can fit our wheels and tyres and the build is complete!

Complete!

Here's how our club car looks now the chassis build is complete.




Schumacher 1235864307207017564

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