Installed Bearings, Motor Test for New Right Drivetrain

Tonight I was able to get a little further in my effort to replace the drivetrain bodies for droid #1 so that I can use bearings instead of flanges to house the axels. Tonight's work was on the new right drivetrain body.

After getting R2 back together late last week, I had to explode things again.



I had paused on installing the bearings into the new drivetrain bodies because I wanted to ensure that the wheel would fit. It does, with just a little room to spare.



Confident now that there'd be room for everything, I placed some wood on the inside of the drivetrain body to avoid deforming it, as I used a mallet to tap on a piece of wood on top of the bearings to fit them into place.



Once I had the first pair in, I tried to fit an axel through, to make sure things lined up properly, and they did.



Then I fitted the wheel in as well.



Next, I transferred the drive wheel gear and the motor mount from the old drive train to the new one.



And finally, the motor, as I prepared to test everything. I also used the old chain and the 1/32" steel shim between the motor and the motor mount. The fit seemed pretty much perfect!



I ran the motor both with the drivetrain upside down and rightside up, and it ran fine. Through the magic of backdating and editing, I can show how this turns out.



I also took care of a couple nagging issues. Ever since I first installed this motor, one of the holes that receives a mounting bolt had its threads slightly stripped. I decided thoroughly clean the hole with acetone (along with its corresponding bolt) and line the threads with JB Weld.




I also applied JB to the the threads of the bolt, and screwed it into the hole as far as it would go, to let it dry overnight. The JB Weld isn’t so strong that I won’t be able to unscrew the bolt.



Finally, one of the new bearings isn't sitting very tightly, so I cleaned the hole with acetone as well, and applied JB Weld along the circumference of the hole in the drivetrain.



Then I pressed in the bearing, and I'll let it set overnight. Hopefully it's in there to stay now.



Still lots more to do, like the other wheel, the rest of the gears, and drilling the hole for the idler gear. Oh, and the left drivetrain.