Recent content by xjarcher

I don't know much and don't try to compete with the pros but I got excellent results on a very quickly built car using Griot's Garage Ceramic 3 in 1 this past season. I'll put more effort into it this season and see what it does. OTOH, makes the wifes's black Grand Cherokee look fantastic.

I think that there must be two vendors as the molds are slightly different as are the mold numbers on the wheels.

I don't know about changing vendors but the quality has definitely varied over the years! I don't have a " lathe" but I have had some success with a manual method with frozen wheels. Either working in the garage in January or putting them in the freezer next to my work table. FWIW, the dull no...

Very few of us Awana folks have 42' tracks. I've never raced on one. Most kids cars wouldn't finish. We all have 30's. I'd love to put one of mine on a long track though.

The no ejector pin wheels are older. I don't care for them as they are a bit more challenging to get raceworthy. The standard Awana block became non standard this year. We saw some that were pine, some poplar and one maple!!!!! I've been building Awana cars for 25 years and this year we had...

I am by no means fast compared to people here but my granddaughter has never lost a heat at her church race. (Most AWANA tracks are 30'. The 30' Best track record that I've seen was around 2.54x BTW. She races on a MW which will give 2.50x times for the same car. )I used Griot's Garage Ceramic...

I'm certain it was 3" over 4'. Those who watched didn't indicate any wiggling etc during its runs, just a "popup" on one lane, like many other cars. That validates the need for some work on it. I was actually in another room running the MW track. The BT owner is a long time friend who does not...

The build was pretty easy to determine, 12 cubes and a tiny amount of putty behind the rears. Long WB, 4.9oz and dad told me that the steer was 3". It tracked very well on the MW with no wiggles at all. One of the other dads who is a friend said several cars had issues with popping up at the...

At our regional (Awana GP) We had a 30' Best for one group and a 30' Microwizard for another. Times on a Best are always a little slower (2.53x vs 2.63x) due to the slope etc. of the track. One car ran consistent 2.53x times on the MW and was 2.75x or worse on the BT. Naturally the parent and...

I'm wondering if there is a significant benefit? The wheel has holes in it so if you put an air shield on it aren't you creating a trap for the air? Pretty much have to do a hubcap wouldn't you?

Just a thought, If you happen to run on a Microwizard (which we have), might the really long wheelbase be helpful? Much longer incline as opposed to the Best.

Interesting. I'm a 20 year Awana racer. Our tracks are all 30'. I've seen most of the shorter wheelbase cars struggle to keep up with the longer ones. Obviously a tuning issue as short= finicky. If our regional wasn't this Saturday I'd shorten my WB a bit and see what happens. I do have time to...

We've been dealing with this for about 10 years. Our region even outlawed graphite for a couple of years. There was so much WHINING that we brought it back with strict provisions regarding it's use. If they consistently lose to oil cars they either give up or ask and learn. ps. Jig has become...

A couple friends use Hater Sauce with pretty good results. I don't know all their prep though. I"ve been able to stay in front of them with Krytox and Jig though.

I drill everything. building Awana cars requires some slight changes and it's easier to use an angle gauge and my machinist vice with my drill press than trying to bend an axle IMHO. A machinist friend made me a jig that lets me do the rears too. Tuning grooves in the axle heads are still a...