SERPENT NATRIX 748 BUILD 10TH GP

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This was a new venture for me as I never intended to race the Onroad 1/10th GP class. As I started to build the car I had recently watched the EFRA 1/10th Euro races, I liked what I saw and the car build had a nice feel to it.

So I decided to build the car for myself and do a diary of how to start racing in this new (to me) class.

I would like to thank the following for their help and sponsorship:

Serpent, AytemizHobi (Serpent Turkey), Team-NCRC, RatPaint, all the community on the Facebook Natrix page for their help and guidance.

Links to official pages:

Serpent Product Page

Serpent Promo Page

Serpent Natrix FaceBook Page

Shopping List:

2 x Sanwa SRG-BLS Ver.2 servo low profile
1 x Vampire LIFE 1600 mAh
1 x Novarossi FLASH.12-PT/A Motor NEW
1 x Hipex Exhaust and manifold (Novarossi not available at the time)
1 x Novarossi Air filter and box 30004
1 x Sanwa Reciever RX-471
1 x Set wheels and tyres Xceed
1 x Body Lightweight protoform SRS-N

Parts Gallery:

One other thing to add is a good paintjob:

I received my new body from RatPaint which was a replica of the Serpent paint job.

ratpaint

Body Lightweight protoform SRS-N and RatPaint:

Important videos to watch if like me you are new to this class:

Although these videos are for a 1/8th scale car a lot of the information can be used on the Natrix 748, especially the clutch settings.

My overall impressions:

The kit was as per usual the kind of quality I have come to expect from Serpent, the build was a slow process but this was what was needed to build the car in the correct way. I was given so much advice by a lot of people and so I took it and hopefully used it in the right way. I cannot wait to start running the car which I hope will be very soon.

Things the manual do not tell you:

1.) You will need an RX male female extension lead to run for your battery wiring this is used in step 29, see below.

2.) Battery placement, your battery needs to be no wider than 30mm, this is very important as it could rub against the drive belt

Tips on build:

Step 11
Make sure your pivot pins move freely in the arms, if not use a 3mm reamer to free them up. Also you may want to sand down the castor shims a little if the arms when fitted with shims go tight, do this a little at a time until the arm is free when put together with shims

Step 18.1 (thanks to Serdar Aytemiz from www.aytemizhobi.com)
Leave out the m3x3 grub screws top and bottom

Step 20
you need a 5mm allen key for the bushes. Make sure when you set the pivot balls that you have free movement but no free play in them either, take your time, tighten up then back off a little at a time

Step 21.2 (thanks to Daniel Jones on Natrix Facebook page)
The inner link position should be on the inner middle or lower hole. That’s why it looks like you have loads of positive camber set! The manual is wrong but the basic setup sheet is correct.

Step 24
Again Make sure your pivot pins move freely in the arms, if not use a 3mm reamer to free them up. Also you may want to sand down the castor shims a little if the arms when fitted with shims go tight, do this a little at a time until the arm is free when put together with shims.

Step 27
Again as in step 20 Make sure when you set the pivot balls that you have free movement but no free play in them either, take your time, tighten up then back off a little at a time.

Step 29
All wiring for servos need to be done but also I suggest running the battery wire as well from step 36 this needs to be done or you will have to remove the radio box again later. At first I fitted an on/off switch but was advised not to use it as it could go wrong, so I later fitted just the wire.

Step 38
This when you fit the battery, you need to double side tape the battery to the carbon plate, I also recommend you use standard battery tape as well to be safe.

Step 44.2
you need a 5mm allen key for the bushes. Make sure when you set the pivot balls that you have free movement but no free play in them either, take your time, tighten up then back off a little at a time

Step 54
All here is about clutch etc, the best advice I can give you is seek out someone with the knowledge to help you set this part up correctly, it is crucial to get this right.

I watched Michael Salven’s video of clutch build on YouTube Above.

clutch shoe positions by Michael Salven

The car is now finished …. Let the adventure begin.

Video Gallery of Build with over 240 Pictures:

Static Picture Gallery:

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