Serpent 1/8 scale 4wd gaspowered racing car chassis. Serpent 966 is the next generation race-car based on the highly successfull Serpent 960 platform. Main new features: - new rear end - new brake - new chassisplate - improved RCC shocks Release march 2009.

Introduction

Serpent is pleased to announce the release of the Serpent 966, the next stage in the development of the highly successfull 960 platform.

The new rear-end parts in the car together with the new brake-system are the main changes, but many other small and bigger changes have been made.

Below all details are shown, step by step.

Chassis Plate

The backbone of the car is the chassis plate, which has been CNC-machined from extremely stiff american 7075 T6 - 5mm aerospace-quality aluminium and sports a wide front opening to adjust the front anti-roll bar. A cooling slot under the engine helps aid temperature control while chamfered edges prevent the chassis from catching on kerbs giving it better overall ground clearance on the track. It houses the battery pack, which is mounted into the newly-designed carbon fibre battery mounting plate and is held in place by four screws, screwed directly into the chassis plate itself. This new 966 plate has also been machined to accept the optional front stiffener plate.

Brake-system

The brake system ensures strong and efficient stopping power. The brake pads consist of two steel plates with the friction material pre-baked to the plates, and the brake disk is made from twin ventilated discs with an air-cooling alu centre.

The new braking system sits lower in the car to help LCG.  The system is easily accessable for maintenance, due to its very open design.  

The spring-loaded bar-pads slide on polished steel pins and are activated through the ball-raced brake cam, a large pin moves horizontally to activate the brakes. Due to the horizontal action of the pin, and not the twisting of the brake cam, all distortion in this area is removed and the brake pads are evenly pressed together. The brake cam is supported by ball-bearings for smooth, precise action.

This further adds to the precision and exceptional stopping power of the braking system.

Brake 966

Lower mounted brake-assembly for lower LCG.  Spring-loaded brake-plates slides on polished steel shafts.  Ready-to-run brake plate/pads assembly with new friction brake material.  The ball-raced hard anodized brake-cam  push the 2 larger pins which are seated in the  aluminium bracket, against the brakeplat, to create very smooth and even pressure to the plate. 

Main rear brackets

Anodized, cnc machined, aluminum main rear axle supports with coated alu eccenters; more rigid,  better rear axle support for a very true running rear shaft, easy belt-tensioning,  easy access for maintenance. With the eccenters you can choose 3 positions for rear- belt tensioning. By removing the eccenter on one side the rear shaft with pulley  and belt can be accessed very easily.  Main rear supports are machined maximum to reduced weight, but retain rigidness at the same time.  Pins are pre-pressed into the bottom of the brackets which then seat into the positioning holes in the chassis. Precise and secure.

Improved RCC Shock Absorbers

The RCC shock absorbers are super-smooth and very easy to build.

Machined from metal and unique in that the shock bodies only open on the bottom half, they are really simple to assemble. They come with a fixed piston and no longer use a diaphragm as with the previous shocks but a foam. The result is an ultra-smooth and air-free shock absorber thanks to the self-bleeding system incorporated into the design.

The seal-package on the shocks is improved ( new x-ring / bushing) and offers better support to the rod. Small change, BIG advantage. 

Front Axle

The front axle is made from high-grade aluminium and contains the best quality one-way bearings lubricated with one-way lube. This ensures a consistent drive to the front Spring Steel drive cups.  

Front Anti-roll Bar

The Serpent 966 comes standard with an adjustable front anti-roll bar. By rotating the 2 blades, you can easily adjust the stiffness. Centering with an improved adjuster eccentric.

Front Bumper and Body Mount

The front body mount of the Serpent 966 is screwed down along with the bumper, which allows for some flex in the body post mounts whilst maintaining the stiffness of the overall assembly. The body mount is held further through two screws mounted from the side.

As with the rear roll centre, the front roll centre can also be easily adjusted. The adjustment is done by removing the front upper suspension brackets and inserting spacers below the brackets and then re-attaching them to the car.

The 966 comes with anodised aluminium front upper suspension brackets that are machined from a single piece of aluminium. These attractive pieces are extremely strong and offer great protection in the event of a heavy impact. The other great advantage of this part is that due to the use of inserts, with an offset hole, you can now adjust the pivot position of the upper front wishbones.

Another nice design feature is that the same front suspension bracket can be used on both the left and right sides of the car.

Steering Blocks

These Wide offset (WOS) steering blocks can be used in 2 different configurations by swapping the side of the car they are mounted on. These changes, depending on the side the steering blocks are used on, will either give you more turn in on corner entry, or more on power steering at corner exit.

The included eccenters ensure that the axle is raised higher than centre line, which enhances the effect caused by this new configuration and due to the use of eccenters the bearings are now also smaller and lighter, reducing un sprung weight.

Front Suspension

The front anti-roll bar levers, that are combined with the down stops allowing for easier tweak. They placed inwards, inside the bearing-blocks, which makes them more effective due to less flex. The front lower arms accommodate the front anti-roll bar position. 

Adjustable Front Belt Tension

A great feature is the ability to adjust the tension of the front belt. The simple-to-use bearing eccentric holders allow for quick and easy setting.

Front Shock Tower

The front shock tower of the Serpent 966 is made from 3mm carbon fibre, which makes this part ultra crash resistant. The front shock tower also features two shock mounting positions to enable you to fine tune your car for any track conditions.

Driveshafts / wheelaxles

Serpent use only the highest-quality drive train in their cars. The 966 car comes supplied with the finest Spring Steel drive shafts capable of withstanding constant punishment; these shafts are ultra durable and very stiff allowing you to put all your power to the tarmac.

Front CVD and rear regular dogbones.

Made from Spring Steel, the front and rear wheel axles are very durable and ultra strong. They are a precision fit for the main bearings when mounted with the supplied shims to ensure a tight precise wheel fit. The front axle also makes up part of the CVD shafts that are included in this kit and can therefore be used with both the supplied quick release system or the optional wheel nuts.

Pivot Balls

Made from Spring Steel, these polished 8.5mm pivot balls are virtually unbreakable and ensure the smoothest suspension movement possible.

Adjusting nut for pivot balls