Help me choose which Steering Bell Crank to buy

[Atarioldskool]

Hi all
Cant decide what steering bell crank to buy for my savage XL
I have been advised that the steering bell crank / servo saver part, is a part to replace with an aluminium version.

I have come across the following three Parts and i cant decide which one to buy.
One of them is an unbranded part from China "Looks OK" and the other two are Integy parts, I have no idea what the difference is between the two -Yes, i have come a cross quite a few mixed opinions on Integy parts, all i can say is my knuckles and front blocks are Integy and they seem ok.

Please suggest which one to buy or if you know any others that is aluminium and in silver that you would recommend over these three ? please let me know

Unknown brand = https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/STEERING...rentrq:525064861670a9c422146ed7ffff9586|iid:1

Integy T6988SILVER https://www.integy.com/st_prod.html?p_prodid=6304&p_catid=147&ratesortby=New#.W_x6WzieSHs

Integy T6717SILVER https://www.integy.com/st_prod.html?p_prodid=14986&p_catid=147&ratesortby=New#.W_yCLjieSHs

Many thanks

 

[Jam Racing 1]

I would get the 6988 because it has hex hardware with it, phillips screws are for decks and doors not R/C trucks....

 

[NightFlier X4.6]

I second jam.

 

[OnThatPipe]

Unsure why you were adviced to change from stock, but can we add a 4th option of “something else”)? Lol

I’ll keep it real and let you know all three of those will make your truck worse. Why not just keep stock, switch out the bearings for bushings and keep it moving? If you end up having a problem with it stock then do something about it? The steering assembly not a problem with this truck. They just need to be maintains like all steering assemblies.

Did whomever advised this give you a reason as to why? It will make the truck look nice, I give it that. Some don't mind the performance hit for that. I get it.

But yeah, my vote is to save that money and buy a T-Bome racing bumper and/or a Stock wheelie bar, or some fuel tanks/exhaust couples, or an inline pipe? Those 053/2013 both goes nice with that F4.6 if that's what you have in it. Change from stock and pair it with an 053 (on-road) or 2013 (off-road) and come tell us how you like it. I promise you will notice a difference. lol

Either way, just keep running it hard the truck will let you know what it need.

 

[Atarioldskool]

I would get the 6988 because it has hex hardware with it, phillips screws are for decks and doors not R/C trucks....

?????

?

 

[Atarioldskool]

Unsure why you were adviced to change from stock, but can we add a 4th option of “something else”)? Lol

I’ll keep it real and let you know all three of those will make your truck worse. Why not just keep stock, switch out the bearings for bushings and keep it moving? If you end up having a problem with it stock then do something about it? The steering assembly not a problem with this truck. They just need to be maintains like all steering assemblies.

Did whomever advised this give you a reason as to why? It will make the truck look nice, I give it that. Some don't mind the performance hit for that. I get it.

But yeah, my vote is to save that money and buy a T-Bone racing bumper, or some fuel tanks/exhaust couples, or an inline pipe? Those 053/2013 both goes nice with that F4.6 if that's what you have in it. Change from stock and pair it with an 053 (on-road) or 2013 (off-road) and come tell us how you like it. I promise you will notice a difference. lol

Either way, just keep running it hard the truck will let you know what it need.

Thank you for your input.

Firstly i need to buy a lot of new parts any way whether its because previous owner converted a lot of the plastic stock items to aluminium - so having to buy certain parts in plastic, some parts are worn out, bent and or rusty
and a few parts for cosmetics
My truck is literally in pieces at the minute - so no issues in buying new bits, If and when things brick then to buy new parts yes i get it, but the way I'm looking at it is, well i am rebuilding it and al the bits are in pieces so i might as well change the parts now.

My engine is 5.9 my truck is the XL version and not the X

As for who recommended to change the steering bell crank to aluminium - well i have read quite a few posts on here and also doing search on the net, also one of the main guys on here who i have been taking all his advise on rebuilding my truck is ^Jam
yes one of the reasons he may have suggested changing it to aluminium is because of my obsession of things being shiny lol - but the main reason is he said that is a part that you want it to be strong and not give way so aluminium is the best option for it.

May be Jam can elaborate more and explain his opinion on this ?

as for T-bone bumper - not feeling it at the minute but may look into it at a later stage, as for there wheelie bar that's definitely a possibility as its smaller and doesn't stick out as much.

thanks

 

[X]

If it's not broke, it doesn't need to be "upgraded" to aluminum. Even if it is broke, personally, I still wouldn't waste money on buying aluminum over just replacing the stock setup.

As @OnThatPipe said, replace bushings with bearings on the stock setup and you're good. Maybe tighten the steering bell crank down a bit and buy a better steering servo.

 

[Atarioldskool]

If it's not broke, it doesn't need to be "upgraded" to aluminum. Even if it is broke, personally, I still wouldn't waste money on buying aluminum over just replacing the stock setup.

As @OnThatPipe said, replace bushings with bearings on the stock setup and you're good. Maybe tighten the steering bell crank down a bit and buy a better steering servo.

Better Steering servo is defo on my list
But don’t want to be paying anything more than £50
not really sure if I can get a more than reasonable steering servo for my budget.

Being thick here ! What is bushings!! ?

 

[X]

Being thick here ! What is bushings!! ?

Part# 85058(10) below. There are four in the steering bell crank assembly. Essentially they are just solid plastic rings. We replace them with bearings for much smoother operation. HPI makes a "kit", linked below. You can also buy the bearings from Fast Eddy, or Boca bearings, etc.




https://www.hpiracing.com/en/part/b045

 

[Jam Racing 1]

Thank you for your input.

Firstly i need to buy a lot of new parts any way whether its because previous owner converted a lot of the plastic stock items to aluminium - so having to buy certain parts in plastic, some parts are worn out, bent and or rusty
and a few parts for cosmetics
My truck is literally in pieces at the minute - so no issues in buying new bits, If and when things brick then to buy new parts yes i get it, but the way I'm looking at it is, well i am rebuilding it and al the bits are in pieces so i might as well change the parts now.

My engine is 5.9 my truck is the XL version and not the X

As for who recommended to change the steering bell crank to aluminium - well i have read quite a few posts on here and also doing search on the net, also one of the main guys on here who i have been taking all his advise on rebuilding my truck is ^Jam
yes one of the reasons he may have suggested changing it to aluminium is because of my obsession of things being shiny lol - but the main reason is he said that is a part that you want it to be strong and not give way so aluminium is the best option for it.

May be Jam can elaborate more and explain his opinion on this ?

as for T-bone bumper - not feeling it at the minute but may look into it at a later stage, as for there wheelie bar that's definitely a possibility as its smaller and doesn't stick out as much.

thanks

I do not remember telling you that alloy is better, you are the one who wants all the shiny aluminum parts for your rig, I have stated time and again only certain parts are needed to be upgraded with alloy... I agree with X saying all you need are bearings in the steering cranks to make it smoother, if you want to put alloy all over your rig that is your choice, I have said time and again that alloy parts bend and are mainly useful for a shelf queen rig which mine is very far away from.....

 

[Atarioldskool]

I do not remember telling you that alloy is better, you are the one who wants all the shiny aluminum parts for your rig, I have stated time and again only certain parts are needed to be upgraded with alloy... I agree with X saying all you need are bearings in the steering cranks to make it smoother, if you want to put alloy all over your rig that is your choice, I have said time and again that alloy parts bend and are mainly useful for a shelf queen rig which mine is very far away from.....

I’ll leave this here....

 

[Jam Racing 1]

well I guess I did, but you were asking about all the blingy parts so I said that was a good thing, it is not a part that is exposed too extreme forces so it is not a bad idea , I still am using the stock plastic parts in most all areas of my savage.....

 

[Atarioldskool]

Part# 85058(10) below. There are four in the steering bell crank assembly. Essentially they are just solid plastic rings. We replace them with bearings for much smoother operation. HPI makes a "kit", linked below. You can also buy the bearings from Fast Eddy, or Boca bearings, etc.


View attachment 5945
View attachment 5946
https://www.hpiracing.com/en/part/b045

Ahh ... thanks for that now it makes sense to me
And I’m pretty sure they I broke my savage down there was no plastic o rings in either parts ?
Explains why it was either so tight or very loose on the verge of he bolt not screwed in

Thanks for this

 

[Atarioldskool]

well I guess I did, but you were asking about all the blingy parts so I said that was a good thing, it is not a part that is exposed too extreme forces so it is not a bad idea , I still am using the stock plastic parts in most all areas of my savage.....

Yes and I also said in my post that I do like the shiny stuff.. but it’s all fine

I do take on board peoples advise and to be honest most of the advise has come from you in terms of what should I Do or what to get..
Well I’ve placed my order for the bell crank early this afternoon but I will defo be putting bearings on.

 

[OnThatPipe]

yes one of the reasons he may have suggested changing it to aluminium is because of my obsession of things being shiny lol - but the main reason is he said that is a part that you want it to be strong and not give way so aluminium is the best option for it.

Yeah, it's good. I firmly believe getting what you want out your vehicles is what this hobby is truly about. It looks very cool. (I've rocked the bling some).

He is correct, that is a part you want strong, and the stock is strong on the Savage.

• The actual posts are metal and pretty strong (as with the 1/8 buggies/truggies), so your actual steering should never be fully tweaked with those posts (unless they come loose...thread lock metal on metal, especially the steering posts.
  
  
• I am a 1/8 nitro buggy/truggy guy and all the top kits (which are as smooth and as durable as you will find) use the same type materials. Some are starting to use graphite, some use graphite collars fit the steering brace.
  
  
• In addition, they are actually protected much more on a TVP design vs a flat-chassis. If anything, they would get squeezed together on a collision but the chassis braces will prevent that.
  
  
• The servo arm can handle quite a bit of power. The most explosive I've put on it is 453/@.10 (It's had stronger and faster, but this combination will turn that steering assembly violently. Again....never had an issue with that.
  
  
• Is the stock "as strong" as those three you mentioned? Absolutely. It's the design that helps it. Do the ones above perform any better? I doubt it. I've worked on a few and they hindered the steering quite a bit. It was taking about ~40-60 oz of torque, I'd say.
  
  
• So our suggestion was, just like with all parts on the vehicle, allow the truck to show you what it needs. Or define what you want it to do better and then spend money.
  
  
• Those assemblies listed above will definitely not make your Savage steer any better. It most likely will hinder your steering some, and could maybe even hinder it severely. You'll be able to turn it I'm sure...but alum breaks. It's proven to be durable (I believe only have two sets of assemblies 20+ gallons and growing). Upgrading this stuff is a blast, I get it.
  
  
• Because the steering is important, it needs to be maintained. Due to it's quasi-King pin design, there are a lot of parts that need to be kept smooth and straight.

as for T-bone bumper - not feeling it at the minute but may look into it at a later stage, as for there wheelie bar that's definitely a possibility as its smaller and doesn't stick out as much.

Yeah man, I'm not much of a bumper guy myself, but jump that thing a few times and you'll not want parts to break anymore. lol Just please know I learned something many years ago about durability: protect the front end and rear end of these vehicles...that's a key in keeping them locked and loaded.

As for the T-bone racing wheelie bar, yeah I have one but usually rock with the stock as it's a single wheel. Two wheels doesn't make it seem like a wheelie bar to me. I do love the stiffner they have. I jump a lot while doing wheelies and I want to start landing while riding a wheelie. The stock flexes to much to allow that. :-(

The main thing is enjoy the truck however you make it. There are a plethora of "hop-ups" for this truck, and many are not needed. Many are. If it's durability and performance you want just the truck will let you know what it needs. lol

 

[X]

Ahh ... thanks for that now it makes sense to me
And I’m pretty sure they I broke my savage down there was no plastic o rings in either parts ?
Explains why it was either so tight or very loose on the verge of he bolt not screwed in

Thanks for this

I would look again, it's easy to miss them as they look part of the piece they're installed in. They won't just fall out during disassembly. Usually you need to pull/ pry them out.

 

[OnThatPipe]

Clean your steering posts in brake cleaner for 24+ hours (dry with cotton cloth the instant you take out of so you can wipe off all that gunk. Take a picture of how pretty it is), then:

1. Give it a light coating of degreaser/wipe, then a fine mist of Dry Lube or Graphite lube.
2. Make sure the bearings are smooth and are properly fitted. I know some of you have taken out a hammer (or some kind of blunt instrument) to fit ya'lls bearings in. lol...and on alum at that? lol
3. Most of the slop will come from the servo link's rod ends going to the saver arm and the servo horn arm. Replace that servo link with the HPI HD kit or another brand like XRay, Mugen, Hobao, TLR, Kyosho, Tamiya etc) . You can get them for under $5.00 sometimes.
4. Make sure the the step screws going in to spindle are straight and smooth. Same with the hinge-pins going in to the upright. It won't matter what you do to your steering if those are binding in any way.
5. If you switch bushings for bearings, it will require more maintenance because the bearings will go bad pretty quickly but while they last it's much smoother.

I promise you can make a 90oz/.23 servo look like a 200oz/.17 servo when the steering assembly is correct.
Pretty cool!

 

[Jam Racing 1]

Clean your steering posts in brake cleaner for 24+ hours (dry with cotton cloth the instant you take out of so you can wipe off all that gunk. Take a picture of how pretty it is), then:

24 whole hours???? and what is wrong with breaking out the hammer from time to time ???