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.

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

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

Learning from the mistakes of the first body I have