1st time fenders

[Thinkin'Bout Racin]

We are considering trying fenders on my sons scout car. Easy right ....just color the GEE fenders and glue them on.

Well I thought it was going to be that easy but then I got thinking about it ... (Ballistic, B Regal, TRE, - go easy on the puns please)

There is way more to consider than the color and what glue to use!
1) axle angle and how to match the fender to the axle/wheel cant
2) getting the tune close before attempting to place the DFW fender so that it aligns correctly
3) proper spacing of the fender to the body so that the fender surface centers on the wheel face
4) wheel gap - see #3 above , as one affects the other
5) how much to space the fender off the wheel - too far and loose performance - too close and the wheel rubs on the body
6) wheelbase - it appears that the wheel base can be no longer than 5" in order to get some semblance of a proper transition from the body to the front fender
7) 2 fenders, 4 fenders, or add the trailing fenders - does the overall aero benefit help more than the loss of a more aggressive COM
8) make sure to include the notch/cutout on the underside to clear the track rail

Anyway, I am sure there are more considerations, but for this Scout dad not wanting to screw up our hard work by installing the fenders and having the car not perform, the fender consideration is NOT as simple as it first appears.

So guys, anything else that I need to consider so I don't screw things up?

Ok, time for the puns ...I know, I know, I am probably over thinkin' it !

 

[bracketracer]

Don't forget to include the cutout in the underside of the fender so it clears the guide rail.

 

[gdurban]

I'm also considering adding fenders for our District race, so interested in the responses here.

How much speed improvement have you guys seen with fenders?

 

[gdurban]

good discussion here: http://www.pinewoodderbyonline.com/threads/using-gee-fenders.5250/

 

[B_Regal Racing]

We are considering trying fenders on my sons scout car. Easy right ....just color the GEE fenders and glue them on.

Anyway, I am sure there are more considerations, but for this Scout dad not wanting to screw up our hard work by installing the fenders and having the car not perform, the fender consideration is NOT as simple as it first appears.

You're really thinking about it and that's good. Before I built my first set of fenders, I had the opportunity to look at another car, which helped a great deal. BUT, for GEE fenders, it really is that simple (assuming that you not considering on building fenders at the moment).

Regardless if I am building my own or installing GEE pre-built fenders, I do it all the same way. I use a spare wheel wrapped with masking tape to ensure I get the spacing between the fender and the wheel that I desire. I probable have enough tape wrapped on a spare wheel to increase the radius of the wheel the neighborhood of 1/16". I install the wheel with whatever spacers/washers/etc. I plan to use and glue the fender up against the wheel in the desired orientation (e.g. match the angle of the wheel). When the glue dries, you can pull the spare wheel off and install the race wheel and have perfect spacing/fender placement - every time. For the FDW, I try to dial in the steer with the spare wheel and maybe add 2 or 3 inches and again, glue the fender on.

The trick is to have a spare wheel that is 1/16" larger in radius than the wheel you plan to race. As I order wheels from John, some are tall, short, etc. and I make sure I have the appropriate sized spare wheel reference the wheels I plan to race.

And for my Fender joke:

What’s the difference between an electric guitar player and a vacuum cleaner? When you unplug a vacuum cleaner it doesn’t suck anymore.

 

[Thinkin'Bout Racin]

Don't forget to include the cutout in the underside of the fender so it clears the guide rail.

Yep, thought about that one, but did not have it on the list. Good catch - I will edit the original list and add it.

 

[Thinkin'Bout Racin]

You're really thinking about it and that's good. Before I built my first set of fenders, I had the opportunity to look at another car, which helped a great deal. BUT, for GEE fenders, it really is that simple (assuming that you not considering on building fenders at the moment).

Regardless if I am building my own or installing GEE pre-built fenders, I do it all the same way. I use a spare wheel wrapped with masking tape to ensure I get the spacing between the fender and the wheel that I desire. I probable have enough tape wrapped on a spare wheel to increase the radius of the wheel the neighborhood of 1/16". I install the wheel with whatever spacers/washers/etc. I plan to use and glue the fender up against the wheel in the desired orientation (e.g. match the angle of the wheel). When the glue dries, you can pull the spare wheel off and install the race wheel and have perfect spacing/fender placement - every time. For the FDW, I try to dial in the steer with the spare wheel and maybe add 2 or 3 inches and again, glue the fender on.

The trick is to have a spare wheel that is 1/16" larger in radius than the wheel you plan to race. As I order wheels from John, some are tall, short, etc. and I make sure I have the appropriate sized spare wheel reference the wheels I plan to race.

And for my Fender joke:

What’s the difference between an electric guitar player and a vacuum cleaner? When you unplug a vacuum cleaner it doesn’t suck anymore.

I really like the idea of a tape build up around a wheel. I may try to mock up a wheel and see just how much movement there is on the wheel on the stock BSA axles. That should give me an idea of what kind of clearance will be needed. Thanks to your guidance, I will be sure to measure the test fit wheel and the actual wheel that I am using and adjust accordingly.

Actually this conversation made me think about an axle question, but I will start another thread for that. Thanks!!!