Steel Links On A Budget

Aug 2, 2016
2 min read

"RC parts born out of necessity through redneck ingenuity" -That might be a good slogan! (Oh, and I claim no responsibility to any injuries incurred by anyone trying this method...)

So, here's what you'll need:

-A drill press

- file

- 8/32" die

-thread cutting oil

- hack saw

- Emory cloth

-Traxxas Rod ends, pt# 5347

-3/16 steel round stock

I had the tools in the shed so all I had to purchase was the rod ends and round stock. The steel rod came in a 6 foot stick for around $7.00 US. The rod ends are $6 to $8.

I'm not going to go into measuring lengths and all that. The rod ends need about 8mm of threads. Once you get your lengths figured, cut the rod. Chuck the link into the drill press and turn it on. Now, at this point it should be pretty obvious that you will need eye protection and maybe even some light gloves.

However, if you must, feel free to experiment with metal dust becoming imbedded in your cornea... be my guest. (It does hurt and will put a premature end to your link making for a trip to the emergency room.)

This part requires a large amount of patience. Drill presses are not made for this. As such, it will take time using the file to wear down the section of the link to the approximate diameter needed to run the die over them. If you happen to have a cheap set of digital calipers on hand 3.80mm will work nicely. Once you've ground the link end down simply flip it over and repeat.

After both sides are done, I use some Emory cloth to clean up the links while the drill press is turning. Repeat this process for the remaining links then move on to the next step.

Using the 8/32" die and a bit of thread cutting oil run your die down on each of the segments threading the ends. Attach the rod ends and now you have links for your RC cheap enough that mama will be happy. They're pretty durable. I've ran the set I made on my Deadbolt for close to a year without issues. You will end up with enough rod stock to make many more sets of links. Just buy more rod ends.