Serpent Seven20 User manual

INSTRUCTION MANUAL
1/10TH SCALE 4WD COMPETITION CAR

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Rising to the challenge of improving upon their race-
winning Serpent 710, the engineers at Serpent once
again came up with a formidable challenger, destined
for the Winners’ Circle. The Serpent 720 is evolution
realized in a performance package, with a focus on
ease of assembly and tuning. You are now part of the
worldwide network of Serpent drivers, which gives you
superior technical support and access to many benets
that only Serpent drivers can enjoy.
The Serpent 720 offers many of the same specications
and features that made the Serpent 710 into a top-
competition racecar. The new, rened chassis design
allows for faster cornering and better overall handling in
high-grip conditions, while the optimized internal gear
ratios showcase the improved performance on smaller
technical tracks. The Serpent 720’s new, reinforced
parts are easier to assemble and maintain, and improve
on the already impressive geometry of its predecessor.
Other features include identical left/right wishbones,
new Serpent RCC shock absorbers, improved CG,
standard front and rear gear differentials, an improved
braking system, to name only a few.
Renement, attention to detail, and unsurpassed
performance can be summed up in one word...
Serpent.
INSTRUCTIONS
Serpent’s long tradition of excellence extends to their
instruction manuals, and this instruction manual
is no exception. The easy-to-follow layout is richly
illustrated with 3D-rendered full-color images to make
your building experience quick and easy. Following the
instructions will result in a well-built, high-performance
racecar that will soon be able to unleash its full potential
at the racetrack.
This instruction manual has been divided into sections
that will logically lead you through the assembly
process of your Serpent 720. Follow the assembly steps
in the order presented to ensure that no problems occur
during assembly. Each step indicates all the fasteners
and small parts used. Bag numbers identify the kit
bag(s) that contains the appropriate parts.
SETUP
In certain assembly steps you need to make basic
adjustments, which will give you a good initial setup
for your Serpent 720. Fine-tuning the initial setup is an
essential part of building a high-performance racecar
like your Serpent 720. The separate Serpent 720 Setup
Book is an invaluable resource for making adjustments
to your Serpent 720 and understanding the concepts
behind those adjustments.
EXPLODED VIEWS AND PARTS LIST
The exploded views and parts lists for the Serpent 720
are contained in a separate Serpent 720 Reference
Guide. The exploded views show all the parts of a
particular assembly step along with the Serpent part
number. The parts lists indicate the part number and
name of each part for easy reference when ordering.
SAFETY
Included with your Serpent 720 kit is a document
entitled “Read This First” that covers safety precautions
for the assembly and use of this product. We strongly
recommend that you thoroughly read and understand
that document, and follow all the precautions.
1.0 PREPARATION 4
2.0 FRONT ASSEMBLY 7
3.0 REAR ASSEMBLY 13
4.0 RADIO PLATE ASSEMBLY 19
5.0 RADIO PLATE MOUNTING 21
6.0 GEARBOX ASSEMBLY 24
7.0 SHOCK ATTACHMENT 26
8.0 CENTAX ASSEMBLY 28
9.0 FINAL ASSEMBLY 31
INTRODUCTION
CONTENTS

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Length after assembly
USING THE MANUAL
Each step contains a variety of numbers, lines, and symbols. The numbers represent the order in which the
parts should be assembled. The lines and symbols are described below.
LINE / SYMBOL DESCRIPTION
Assembly path of one item into another
Group of items (within lines) should be assembled first
Direction the item should be moved
Glue one item to another
Press/Insert one item into another
Connect one item to another
Gap between two items
SERPENT.COM
The printed instruction manual included with your
Serpent 720 kit is very complete, though due to
continuous product development, more up-to-date
information is provided at our Serpent.com web portal.
This state-of-the-art R/C technology portal is where
Serpent racers from all over the world meet and
exchange their ideas, and share useful information and
experiences about their Serpent cars.
All information about the Serpent 720 is accessible from
the Serpent 720 product page on Serpent.com. You can
access this page by going to the Products section, and
then search for the ‘Serpent 720’ product name. From
the Serpent 720 product page you will find the very
latest information about your Serpent 720: reports
by team drivers and other experts, tips and tricks,
FAQ, forums, setups, image gallery, downloadable
files, and even streaming video of the Serpent 720 on
how to further improve the car. The latest version of
the instruction manual (including team and racer tips,
and part lists and option lists) will be made available
as downloadable PDF-files and online viewable pages
under ‘i-Manual.’
Apply graphite grease (GR), threadlock (TL), CA glue (CA) or
Serpent’s One-way Lube (OW). (Items not included.)
OW
Step number; the order in which you should assemble the
indicated parts
1
Refer to Serpent 720 Setup Book - Section A: Basic Setup
Refer to Serpent 720 Setup Book - Section B: Advanced Setup

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STEP 1.1 BAG D
1.0 PREPARATION
STEP 1.2
1
2
Unscrew the bottom half of
the pre-assembled shock
absorbers.
FILLING
Fill the shock body with the supplied
shock absorber oil.
BLEEDING
Let the oil settle and allow the air to
escape.
With the shock body lled with
oil, slowly screw the bottom half
of the pre-assembled shock back
onto the shock body.
IMPORTANT! Do not cross
thread!
Oil will overow through the
built-in bleed channel in the
threads.
Shock Length
68mm
for all shocks
Learn about shock
damping
SHOCK ABSORBERS
Fill ALL 4 shock absorbers with shock
oil using the following steps
Massage some shock oil into the
shock sponge before re-assembling
the shock absorber.
1
2

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STEP 1.3
STEP 1.4
STEP 1.5
Fill the space around the gears with the
indicated Serpent Diff Oil until level with
the top of the casing. Rotate the output
shaft to allow the grease to ll all gaps in and
around the gears.
GEAR DIFFERENTIALS
Fill BOTH pre-assembled front &
rear gear diffs with diff oil using the
following steps.
FRONT DIFF: Use 50,000 diff oil
REAR DIFF: Use 30,000 diff oil

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STEP 1.6
STEP 1.7
IMPORTANT!
Make sure to set O-ring in place
Do not overtighten screwsIMPORTANT!
The mounting screws are different for
the front and rear differential so please
be sure to use the correct ones.
Front Diff - Long Screws
Rear Diff - Short Screws

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STEP 2.2
H11
M3x8mm
STEP 2.1 BAG 1
H9
M3x4mm
2.0 FRONT ASSEMBLY
H10
M3x10mm
4
1
1
2
3
3
4
1
1
2
3
3
Set front anti-roll bar Press anti-roll bars into mounts far
enough so the bars do not bind when
the suspension is compressed.
2
Learn about front roll
center adjustment
4
Make sure L + R inserts are in
equal but opposite positions
(mirrored).
BAG 2
H9
M3x4mm
H9
H9
H10
H10
H11
H11
H9
H9
Left
Right

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STEP 2.3 BAG B12
STEP 2.4
G11
M3x8mm
L3
M3
1
3
4
1
3
2
2
1
2
BAG 3
B12
3.5x9.5mm
E14
M3x16mm
E14
B12
B12
B12
B12
E14
G11
G11 G11
L3
L3
L3

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U13
12x18mm
STEP 2.6 BAG 4
B13
3.5x13mm
H11
M3x8mm
STEP 2.5
2
1
3
1
2
LEFT FRONT ECCENTER
Set front downstops
Change the position of BOTH eccentric
hubs to adjust front belt tension. Both
hubs should have the same position.
Tighter
Default
Looser
Front
Note proper orientation of diff.
Downstop screws
BAG U
U13
U13
B13
H11
H11

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STEP 2.7
E14
M3x16mm
STEP 2.8
5
4
2
5
1
Assemble both front upper arms
using the indicated steps.
Set caster
IMPORTANT!
Install front inserts so they match their
corresponding rear inserts (step 2.1)
3
Spacer placement
4mm
2mm
1mm
E14
E14

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STEP 2.9
H8
M3x3mm
STEP 2.10 BAG 6
B5
2.9x9.5mm
STEP 2.11
1
1
2
3
4
2
1
1
Assemble both steering blocks
using the indicated steps. L + R
steering blocks are mirrored.
Set front track-width
and camber
TOP
BOTTOM
BAG 5, U
BAG U
17mm
15mm
P1
2x10mm
U11
10x15mm
U6
6x13mm
P1
U11
U11
H8
B5
B5
B5
U6
U6

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STEP 2.12 BAG 7
STEP 2.13
B5
2.9x9.5mm
G10
M3x6mm
H16
M4x4mm
R7
7mm
4
3
1
2
5
1
2
Completed assembly
H16
H16
R7
R7
B5
B5
G10
G10

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STEP 3.2
H17
M4x6mm
R7
7mm
B13
3.5x13mm
STEP 3.1 BAG 8, E10
E10
M3x6mm
3.0 REAR ASSEMBLY
P7
2.5x14mm
R3
3mm
3
4
2
5
7
1
1
8
4
2
2
3
7
5
6
Left Block Right Block
Note orientation of front inserts. Ensure
BOTH inserts have the same position.
Roughen the metal plates
with sandpaper before gluing
6
Learn about rear roll
center adjustment
BAG 9, 10, B13, U
U6
6x13mm
E10
E10
E10
R3
P7
U6
U6
R7
H17
B13
B13
B13
Roll centre insert orientation

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STEP 3.3
E10
M3x6mm
STEP 3.4
U13
12x18mm
E11
M3x8mm
H12
M3x10mm
STEP 3.5
E11
M3x8mm
1
3
2
1
2
3
2
1
1
LEFT REAR ECCENTER
Assemble both rear lower arms
using the indicated steps.
Set rear downstops
Learn about rear
camber rise adjustment
Change the position of BOTH eccentric
hubs to adjust rear belt tension. Both hubs
should have the same position.
Tighter
Default
Looser
Front
BAG U
BAG 11, E11
LEFT REAR
E13
M3x12mm
E10
E11
H12
U13
U13
E13
E13
E13
E13
E11
E11
E11
Upper camber link mounting hole
1

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STEP 3.6 BAG E11
E11
M3x8mm
STEP 3.8
P1
2x10mm
STEP 3.7
E11
M3x8mm
2
2
14
4
3
3
1
3
2
Learn about rear roll
center adjustment
IMPORTANT!
Install rear inserts so they match their
corresponding front inserts (step 3.2)
BAG 12, E11
Completed assembly
E13
M3x12mm
E11
E11
E11
E11
P1
P1
E11
E11
E13
E13
Roll centre insert orientation

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STEP 3.10
H8
M3x3mm
P1
2x10mm
STEP 3.11
STEP 3.9 BAG E11
B13
3.5x13mm
2
4
3
3
1
2
1
1
3
4
Assemble both rear uprights
using the indicated steps.
BAG 13
E11
M3x8mm
U11
10x15mm
E11
E11
B13
B13
B13
B13
U11
U11
P1
H8

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STEP 3.13
STEP 3.12 BAG 14
R2
2mm
1
1
3
3
4
4
5
52
2
1
2
1
Set rear track-width,
camber and toe
Learn more about
camber rise adjustment
TOP VIEW
46mm
1:1
FRONT REAR
16.5mm 16.5mm
U3
4x8mm
R2
R2
R2
R2
U3
Upper camber link mounting hole
4

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STEP 3.14
E11
M3x8mm
STEP 3.15
H16
M4x4mm
2
3
6
5
5
4
7
7
1
1
1
42mm
1:1
1
Completed assembly
BAG 15, E11
H8
M3x3mm
R7
7mm
E11
E11
H8
H8
R7
H16
7
Anti-roll bar wishbone mounting position

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STEP 4.2
E14
M3x16mm
STEP 4.1 BAG 16, E11
E10
M3x6mm
4.0 RADIO PLATE ASSEMBLY
1
5
2
2
4
3
1
2
1
2
Use the following servo arms
with these brands of servos.
23 - Sanwa / KO / JR
24 - Hitec
25 - Futaba
Note the orientation of the servo mounting
screw blocks. Reverse the default orientation
to mount a smaller servo.
Note the orientation of the servo
mounting screw blocks. Reverse
the default orientation to mount a
smaller servo.
Securely attach receiver to mounting plate.
RACING TIP: To protect the receiver against
fuel and moisture, seal the wired receiver
into a rubber balloon before mounting it.
STEERING SERVO:
Servo output shaft must
be towards FRONT of car.
BAG 17
E11
M3x8mm
E13
M3x12mm
E13
E13
E11
E11
E11
E10
E13
E13
E13
E14
E14

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STEP 4.3
E11
M3x8mm
STEP 4.4
E11
M3x8mm
E12
M3x10mm
H9
M3x4mm
3
1
2
1
2
6
5
5
7
7
4
3
FUEL CAP FITTING PLACEMENT
CW tracks: Fitting on RIGHT side.
CCW tracks: Fitting on LEFT side.
BAG 18, E11
E12
E12
E12
E11
H9
E11
E11