RC Car Jet Engine Upgrade

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This is part 1 of this mini series.
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DISCLAIMER: This video is purely for entertainment value. Personal use of video content is at your own risk. Recreations of experiments, activities and projects are the sole legal responsibility of the person(s) involved in replicating them. I can not be liable for any information or misinformation, wrongful use, damage to personal property, death or any circumstances that result from replication of any projects seen. Be safe!

[@Project-Air]

If you own about 1000m of straight, perfectly smooth private road, let me know! 😉

[@johanlugthart7782]

Not private and a bit far away, but the Netherlands have a bike path on a former airport: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gpvTo56FpdegnZY

[@itsnorvinplayz4308]

i do

[@dorsalfinn89]

Colin fuze maybe like he uses a runway maybe ask him

[@dorsalfinn89]

Furze, sorry

[@Slide100]

@@dorsalfinn89 Bingo! That’s exactly what I was thinking! A collab with Colin, perhaps? 🤔

[@DIYPerks]

Dude, that was INSANE! The sound!! 🔥🔥🔥😃 Looking forward to seeing what it can do!!

[@Project-Air]

It is extraordinarily loud!

[@slickizu2709]

You loud

[@arifkg9673]

then make a video about diy jet engines 🤨

[@xxCEOofRacism69420xx]

Nice jet car bro

[@DIYwithBatteries]

Yeah it sounds really awesome you guys are making people to inspire a bit ;)

[@operatorflix6339]

I have a driveway that is quite long but was recently given a new tarmac layer, it is very smooth meaning the vehicle wouldn't have any issues with bumps etc.

[@operatorflix6339]

Not 1 Kilometer long sadly

[@Build_Eye]

Perhaps project air could use it (if you live in the uk)

[@operatorflix6339]

@@Build_Eye ik but its too short

[@Build_Eye]

@@operatorflix6339 fair

[@Getnoclipped]

I don’t think he’s coming to ur house

[@Dqtube]

Try redesigning the fuel tank and adding baffles to it. That might help increase stability when decelerating.

[@henryyandell3222]

Yes! Baffles will help a lot for stability. Look at milk tank trailers for example, they all have baffles

[@ryancurtis1881]

exactly!

[@8thofthe8th]

Came here to say add baffles. Good shout.

[@toolbaggers]

Fuel Cell Foam is a special, sponge-like material that is installed inside a racing fuel cell. The foam is mostly air, so it doesn't reduce the capacity of the cell. However, it provides a few key benefits: It reduces sloshing.

[@toolbaggers]

@@henryyandell3222 you can just stick a fuel safe sponge in the tank.

[@mrmurder75]

All I can say is, you gotta print a badass batmobile looking body for that. It would look sick af 😀 Maybe out of TPU so it's got a bit of give for the inevitable crash. 😏

[@DannySullivanMusic]

👍

[@danmerillat]

Or a new VW Beetle. kzbin.info/www/bejne/b2KwlH-Cms9jhJY

[@TheWebstaff]

You want to do the one out of dark night... You need to make a new chassis but imagine that thing screening down the road..

[@nyeleskettes]

At high speed I can guarantee it will tumble, rupture the fuel tank and spray fuel everywhere ending in a nice fireball, so make sure you record that. Or implement a roll cage. Btw the brakes are efficient if you have downforce, im not sure how much of it you will see if your parachute pulls the chassis upwards?

[@skyforce1983]

I agree plus his motor is high centered already a roll over risk in itself I’ma truck driver i know all about roll over’s i see them twice a week out here 😆

[@kristophersmith4525]

You could throttle the motor up so the thrust his the chute in turn pushing air forward to help slow the rc car

[@poemes]

I have a runway, never used as good as new, previously owned by old lady who only used it once a week to go to the grocery store, only down side is that its a bit long so parking might be a challenge

[@ralphbronzin9721]

Amazing video! If this car starts moving when on idle, I can only imagine how fast it will go at full power. You might need to add on an FPV system so that you can still control the car when it goes out of sight. I also noticed a crucial flaw in the car; it doesn't have a name!

[@allan80supra]

you will want a gyro stabilizer at a minimum for the high speed run, i'd recommend also looking closely at the wheel alignment and a body that provides some downforce.

[@lio1234234]

Gyro stabilisers are a good shout. Not sure how well they'll compensate since they're designed for working when the wheels are driven, not a thrust source above the centre of mass...

[@toolbaggers]

@@lio1234234 It would still work. It's not like the gyros turn off when you don't apply throttle. You can have gyro on a model glider which has no motor and no wheels.

[@TheWebstaff]

You can also adjust the suspension setup so its neutral and won't want to turn unless you really mean too.

[@prodr0xxthefirst267]

I definitely suggest getting some startup and shutdown procedures down. Just turning the engine off after it's just been on can cause excessive wear and warping of the internal components of the engine. I'd say a 30 - 60 second at idle before powering down should do for an engine of that size. It's a big part of testing engines at full scale. The effect isn't as pronounced with smaller engines but is still there.

[@srck4035]

The ecu does that by itself

[@chuckels431]

I own and fly several model turbines to help with cooling I have a marine bilge blower with a length of dryer vent hose on the inlet..I put the hose over the tail cone and run the blower on a 3 cell lipo. it does a fantastic job of drawing cool air through the engine and keeps the turbine spinning till its cool enough ..only takes a minute or 2 and temp is below 90c.

[@Trust_me_I_am_an_Engineer]

That's a very good comment. There's a shutdown procedure in the manual. www.sw-jet.com/uploads/1/1/1/0/111064875/sw_manual.pdf . You can do that by RC command and the ECU will do it, BUT in case of a flameout( when fuel supply is interrupted) the ECU won't automatically do a shutdown and cool down the engine safely. That's also in the manual. I'm (fairly) sure James has read the manual :).

[@mikelarin8037]

@@chuckels431 or a used leaf blower works

[@Mike-oz4cv]

Is that really necessary? Once it’s shut down the maximum temperature can’t increase, it can only spread slowly from the hottest regions to other parts. If they are designed to survive those temperatures it shouldn’t really be a problem.

[@hammer_ttk]

I'd love to see some thrust reversers on that thing. Not only would it allow you to break at high speeds without deploying a parachute, but you can even taxi backwards with it. Should be fairly easy to make with some sheet metal and a servo.

[@poule1723]

Haha easier said than done... Do you think about the one that were fitted to the first 737s ? Those one should be the simplest but if he ever installs reversers he might have to shield a big part of the car I think.

[@illuminati.official]

Clamshell is really the only option with a turbojet. All modern reversers use bypass air. Cool idea though!

[@AuthenTech]

insane amount of work - well done man!

[@Mehrdad995GTa]

4:40 grinding the shaft instead of drilling and welding a mid section on a fairly cheap disc! brilliant dude, brilliant 👏

[@Juhujalp]

Check your area for flying clubs with asphalt runways. The often can't fly at night so if it gets dark or it's early in the morning, you can probably find someone who will let you use their runway. Also sometimes you can just "rent" the runway. It's sometimes done where i fly for vehicle tests, film recordings or even races.

[@kevo1163]

Can we just appreciate how much effort and time he puts in for every video and how good his content is

[@butterpupper]

A suggestion for future braking system: a thrust reverser with a cascade assembly

[@toolbaggers]

Yes, let's add more complexity and more mass.

[@fastlifedreamer868]

Pretty cool build , i hav a idea for brakes that maybe useful, it is used on real planes, maybe put a deflector of some kind behind the jet engine to send the trust forward , that will surely stop/ slow the car

[@omar.a5947]

Hmmm🤔🤔 I see some potential here

[@dronetalia8012]

You make this sport awesome, congratulations! Frank Whittle is proud of you!!

[@awood12345]

The second this car flips over this engine is toast.

[@JUK3MASTER]

No

[@GoldenCroc]

Yep, and the chances of that is very high as the car stands right now. Parachute being a large factor as well. Needs a lot more CG/thrust optimization and/or some cage protecting it if he wants it to survive.

[@JUK3MASTER]

@@GoldenCroc no

[@GolfFoxtrot22]

Nice. Have you got access to a bubble tank to fit between the main tank and the engine. It will give the engine a small reserve and also prevent bubbles getting to the engine and causing an inadvertent shutdown. I always used a bubble tank in my model jets for this very reason. Just a thought and keep the content coming.

[@lio1234234]

Great shout with the bubble tank!!!

[@kennethjanczak4900]

Absolutely great. Thanks for taking the time to make the car and video and share it

[@timgooding2448]

I'm just as excited to see the Thunder dragon". My first real RC car purchased over 30 years ago!

[@Slikx666]

Another interesting project. 😀👍 There are a few things that are worth looking at for various reasons. 1. Is the engine level? Most jet cars have their engine lower at the front so the thrust pushes the car into the ground, but your car has the engine high up not low down. 2. The parachute. Yours seems to want to lift the rear of the car up. Maybe trying a cross shaped chute (top fuel dragsters) made out of a lighter material? This would mean you can have a smaller box and I'll just add drag. 3. If you had some shock cord between the car and the parachute then it would soften any sudden jolts from the parachute. Less chance of the car getting out of control. Can't wait to see it stretch it's legs, it'll be awesome. 😃👍

[@RetiredTechnician]

Awesome project well done. Also Pendine sands would be a fitting place with it’s land speed heritage, get there early when the tide is out, hardly anyone out and untouched sand for miles, fpv headset would be a nice touch too or steering gyro if it gets a bit squirmy at high speed.

[@harrygalvan6425]

Awesome content from ProjectAir as allways!

[@TheTonester2312]

Love your projects. Definitely my kind of hobbies.

[@danielt1g3r75]

Add thrust reverse braking ... Would be an interesting idea!!!! Nice Video!

[@danielt1g3r75]

Or an ABS System!

[@javac08642]

You Sir.... Are a Certified Champion

[@JKTCGMV13]

Did you take your wheel off for a 5 second shot of your disk brakes? That's dedication

[@kruleworld]

Try using rear brakes only in your real car (emergency brake) and it will do the same spin out maneuver. Definitely need a bias to the front brakes.

[@acomingextinction]

I'll be curious how car-like this is going to be at top speed, 'cause I suspect it's going to be more of an odd-looking plane. Hope someone is able to hook you up with a proper race track to find out.

[@TheWebstaff]

And that is why in the next video I can guarantee some wings will be fitter front and rear to hold it down..

[@brownie9948]

Floyd Bennet Field in NYC is exactly what you’re looking for. It’s an old airfield turned into a park. If you can’t get to NYC, look for an old WWII airfield no longer in use.

[@cheagle464]

Check out ¼mile dragster chutes. They have a way to keep the chutes from lifting the tail like yours does. Opening some of the chute panels in some sort of pattern but I know not what.

[@crazycons]

Well, Hildesheim in Germany has an airport strip which could potentially be used after official hours on PPR for such a project.

[@BlenderTimer]

Can't wait to see where this goes! Loving it so far!

[@elijahle7936]

u could use a reverse thruster shroud. Some commercial jet engines use a shroud that diverts the exhaust to the forward direction to slow the plane down.

[@cliffwright1970]

Looks very promising! ... Whilst the parachute is going to be pretty interesting engineering wise, I'd question whether it's the most effective / appropriate braking method for this though ... wouldn't the 4 wheel brakes, and maybe some kinda "active aero" approach (like an aeroplane does) be sufficient / simpler to build? If not, could you have a "U bend" type way of swivelling the thrust forwards to brake? Look forward to the next edition already 👍🙂

[@4acae86]

Love the Thunder Dragon cameo!

[@hetconaviation2624]

James, you are truly a man of your word... First, the ridiculously large carbon fibre rocket, and now the jet car! When you do your first podcast from space, I hope to be one of the first to tell you, "I told you so." You're a breath of fresh air on the Internet.

[@JasonWGamingnProd]

how crazy this is, I am in love with it

[@Dindonmasker]

Your videos are always really fun to watch!

[@EJ-74]

Very cool. Can't wait to see it at full throttle. 🔥

[@SommerAdric]

Looking to see a Kev Talbot collaboration and send this thing to the moon 🤣

[@locouk]

Have you thought of using a tether around a central pole, it’d be great to see the stability limits at higher speeds.

[@toolbaggers]

The world record for the top tether car speed is 214 miles per hour (344.4 kilometers per hour.)

[@scorchedparts8013]

Nice work James! Come and run with us RC speed freaks at ROSSA in August!

[@MikoG2000]

Might it be worth seeing if the people at Santa Pod drag strip are able to help? Total length of the strip is about 1.2 km.

[@jesse-pikman]

bro, your content is amazing, but please try building jet plane models

[@DIGITALRC]

That's insane 😍

[@josephreber525]

Well done. You never quit good on you. Your a great example to the young people today👍😎

[@lyonscultivars]

Look forward to the full throttle run!. Great build

[@ogiego298]

I think LTT once said “anything is compatible if you have a Dremel”

[@Artistlife4ever]

Amazing and inspiring 😇

[@freudmightcry]

awesome project!

[@matthewmann8951]

That sounds so good bro. Wow!

[@tygr0]

I love this videos, this car is fantastic

[@peteg3]

See if you could get in touch with Colin Furze, he used a nearby airfield for a lot of his high speed projects.

[@mozkitolife5437]

I said the same thing. Natural connection there. Only difference is Colin would ride it.

[@chrissugg968]

They're pretty old and bumpy though. Fine for a human-sized car but not great for an R/C car.

[@jansvasta2146]

What a cool project, I think it has potential! But I'd really give it a nice aero body for good handling at speed.

[@yassermasood3423]

Good job. There is an airport in Glister and that airstrip where they do the recording for Top Gear, maybe ask them. Otherwise a lot of people have private grass runways.

[@washoecreative595]

I lived in the UK for a couple years. It's a nice place. But now I live an hour and a half from a 30-mile-long dry lake (Black Rock Desert). It would sure be convenient for this sort of thing.

[@alainbellemare2168]

Use the electric motor on reverse polarity on the drive shaft with a metal gear to slow down

[@MCsCreations]

Fantastic, James! Really well done! 😃 Looking forward to the speed tests! Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@nelsongaldeman]

Awesome work, keep it up man

[@DaveWhiteInYoFace]

Your channel is coming along quiet nicely! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🤘🏼

[@simonabunker]

That already looks like a beast! Do you have enough downforce to keep it on the road?

[@alanmalcheski8882]

You don't need down force. You need suck force. You need a vacuum under the car.

[@OverlandOne]

Awesome job so far.

[@timwegman5776]

Man that things sounds amazing. I'm an RC guy so this is candy to my ears. I can't wait to see it fly down the runway/driveway lol

[@toftimsecondaire]

very nice work !

[@axem.8338]

I have a super rich friend who has his own race track but I live way far away from you. But would be glad to have you anytime. Can you also make the car a bit aerodynamic?

[@BirolUzun61]

Loved it!

[@rayh594]

I think some slosh baffles in that fuel tank would be a very very good idea.

[@henrywood5462]

YES!!!! Finally the video is out!!

[@oliverandersen9917]

That is so Cool!!

[@german_autowerks]

If you go to Donnington park circuit in the evening around 5pm and ask nicely at the gate I’m sure they will let you use the huge paddock, it’s relatively smooth and noise won’t be an issue. Worth a call to MSV who own the track.

[@LiteLotus]

good god man. the power!

[@koenigsegg888]

I think for straight line braking you'd be better locking the differentials. At the moment, if one side locks up, you will spin where as with a locked diff, you'd have a better chance of keeping traction and not locking up.

[@filippocorsi8780]

I want to challenge you. Can you build a plane where you can recharge drone during a flight?

[@mesxtroid6862]

Can you make a diy ballistic or cruize missile... If you can🙂

[@David-yy7lb]

That's awesome..it would be cool if you could make a horizontal clamshell thrust reverser

[@B0aws]

Sweet! This is awesome. I wish you the best of luck. And drink your water!

[@nbfs0001]

What we were all waiting for!

[@coconimbus]

Awesome

[@itsCN]

I suggest lots of down force, at high speeds it will probably go flying once it hits a pebble, The jet engine can overpower the downforce drag anyways so you wouldn’t have trouble going insanely fast, Also I’d protect the car more with at least a cool looking body and maybe a roll cage or something over the jet If this works you might as well make a flying car with pop out wings 😂

[@kerrycorcoran4885]

Dude, your experiments and content are great. Keep up the great work.

[@Just-Finn.]

I’ve been waiting for this for so long

[@Ryan_Tidwell]

I have watched all of your videos. Always excited when another one comes out. Can't wait for the next one. 👍

[@gower1973]

I think you should put a baffled fuel tank in to stop the fuel sloshing around and altering the centre of gravity of the car, I think it would help with stability at high speed

[@cowboyross]

Awesome video bro. Differently need a runway to open her up. That's a awesome project. Nice job 👍🏾

[@sjoerdb1505]

I think the rope between the chute an car should be a little longer rather than short. Just like with towing a boat or another plane (i.e. glider) the rope is a lot longer for stability. Also a cool aero focused body would be cool

[@davenezrapappas4589]

Alright kid u gonna get my life's dream. I wanted to make the fastest car ever! problem is killing the pilot. NOW the electronics are good enough to make a USV that smashes all records.

[@vytasrauckis6703]

What you really need is a proving ground for an auto manufacturer. These grounds are made to be perfectly flat and free of debris. I used to live in Michigan and there were a number of those there but I have no idea where there would be one where you live.

[@P8FPV]

Dam cool project 👌 Can't wait to see part two

[@toolbaggers]

Damn it! This is a car not a beaver dam.

[@KionLionGuardOfficial]

Nice!!

[@C-M-E]

While if I were persuaded to attempt this, I wouldn't locate your heaviest component at the very top of the vehicle which is also the powerplant. I know, bespoke chassis=PITA, but at the very least, I would cant the engine slightly nose down to avoid catching air and turning into a wingless plane. Best of luck with the ensuing -wreckage- test!

[@vichetdragoncars3186]

Amazing

[@Vfulncchl]

Very cool!!!

[@silverblob5284]

In Berlin there is an old AirPort which is now a sort of public park but it still has the runways where you could test your car.

[@ram358]

That car must be crasy fast!

[@FredrikElgstrand]

Super content, quality 👍

[@davidpayne4315]

Pretty cool stuff you might want to consider adding some components from the F1 down force build up

[@washingelement5855]

Connect the shaft mate ! :) :) :) The one from the reactor to the one of the car ! With a sort of simple clutch 👌