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When you get your bearings make sure to clean them well Do not use any lube! I clean mine this way:
Spray clean with "Brake Clean" or similar solvent
Wash again with Acetone
Ultrasonic clean with Dawn detergent and water solution
Rinse in clean running water
Dry with filtered hot air blower/and or canned air
I can't compete with the top unlimited racers but the above process gives me the best spin times after installing the bearings. I have reached 35 seconds with a 0.5 gram razor wheel (weight before the bearings are installed). But, I do see some spin time differences with a variety of bearings, even if all are cleaned the same way. I guess this is due to manufacturing tolerances, or other variables I can't define.
Spray clean with "Brake Clean" or similar solvent
Wash again with Acetone
Ultrasonic clean with Dawn detergent and water solution
Rinse in clean running water
Dry with filtered hot air blower/and or canned air
I can't compete with the top unlimited racers but the above process gives me the best spin times after installing the bearings. I have reached 35 seconds with a 0.5 gram razor wheel (weight before the bearings are installed). But, I do see some spin time differences with a variety of bearings, even if all are cleaned the same way. I guess this is due to manufacturing tolerances, or other variables I can't define.
G
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Get an old JE (Jewkes) wheel, or one that is not affected by break cleaner. Put an UNLM axle on the end of a 12" stick. Mount a single bearing on the axle (w/o)wheel. Spray it with Break Cleaner (the tiny straw of the BC will fit over the axle). Blow it out with 100 PSI air. turn it over and do it again. Mount a single bearing on a wheel (bearing underneath). Flip/spin the wheel AND spray with BC again while it is turning. Blow it out again. THEN, flip/spin the wheel and count how long the wheel spins. Anything under 60 seconds is a bad bearing. I bought 50 or 60 of them (terrible expensive way to go), but I only use bearings that will spin over 100 seconds. Out of a 100 bearings, only 10 - 15% will spin that long. Also, about 10% spin under 40 seconds, which means throw them away. PM me if you need more info. Oh yes, you have to use wheels from either Joel (QT) or DD4H (John). Maybe there are others, like Goatboy that make them extremely light. But they are super fragile.
I am not a champion and probably never will be, but have had a LOT of fun in this class. It is unlike all others.
Is this for an Outlaw race or NPWDRL ? You need the best of the best parts for league competition, for an Outlaw race, anything decent should do.
- Drill all axle holes flat, preferably straight through. I drill all of mine at the same height, but also have the ability to swap different size wheels in (front is always smaller).
- Make your life easier and use a solid rear axle from Goatboy or John. Solid axle holes need to be cleaned out with a 3/32" reamer or drill bit.
- You can use separate axles, just makes for more critical drilling and potential repeats. Also different vendors' axles need more/less sanding to allow for the bearing to slide on properly. They bearing shouldn't move too easily on the axle, it's not like a wheel that spins on the axle. The solid rear axles don't need to be sanded (another plus).
- Plan for a very aggressive COM, as always respecting your chosen wheelbase. There are no absolutes on wheelbase, despite what is popular.
- Bearings need a good cleaning when you get them (there is a dozen different ways using a variety of fairly harsh solvents from denatured alcohol 'on up'). Give them a good shot of dry air too when they are on the car. After that, they don't need to be cleaned after every race, just hit them with some air. After using them for a while you will be able to tell when they need to be cleaned (I go by sound right next to my ear).
- Handle the wheels and bearings as cleanly as possible. If you drop a bearing on the floor, clean it again. The bearing should fit snug, but not too tight.
- I wouldn't attempt to use ANY lube, run the bearings dry.
- You will have to bend the front axle by hand with a pliers or something similar. Lots of personal choice on how much.
- Adjust the plastic retainers for fairly tight wheel gaps.
- When you need to remove bearing, use a very thin knife edge to pop the one at the end of the hub first, then use something close the ID to pop out the other while you support the wheel. If they are acrylic or not, be careful with them. (I think Opa is talking about the old wheels made of delrin, which was pretty tough stuff but heavy.) Take your time.
- Read all the info here from John on how to cut out the foam in the box to protect those wheels in shipping.
Hopefully some pros add more. Good luck and have fun !!
Is this for an Outlaw race or NPWDRL ? You need the best of the best parts for league competition, for an Outlaw race, anything decent should do.
- Drill all axle holes flat, preferably straight through. I drill all of mine at the same height, but also have the ability to swap different size wheels in (front is always smaller).
- Make your life easier and use a solid rear axle from Goatboy or John. Solid axle holes need to be cleaned out with a 3/32" reamer or drill bit.
- You can use separate axles, just makes for more critical drilling and potential repeats. Also different vendors' axles need more/less sanding to allow for the bearing to slide on properly. They bearing shouldn't move too easily on the axle, it's not like a wheel that spins on the axle. The solid rear axles don't need to be sanded (another plus).
- Plan for a very aggressive COM, as always respecting your chosen wheelbase. There are no absolutes on wheelbase, despite what is popular.
- Bearings need a good cleaning when you get them (there is a dozen different ways using a variety of fairly harsh solvents from denatured alcohol 'on up'). Give them a good shot of dry air too when they are on the car. After that, they don't need to be cleaned after every race, just hit them with some air. After using them for a while you will be able to tell when they need to be cleaned (I go by sound right next to my ear).
- Handle the wheels and bearings as cleanly as possible. If you drop a bearing on the floor, clean it again. The bearing should fit snug, but not too tight.
- I wouldn't attempt to use ANY lube, run the bearings dry.
- You will have to bend the front axle by hand with a pliers or something similar. Lots of personal choice on how much.
- Adjust the plastic retainers for fairly tight wheel gaps.
- When you need to remove bearing, use a very thin knife edge to pop the one at the end of the hub first, then use something close the ID to pop out the other while you support the wheel. If they are acrylic or not, be careful with them. (I think Opa is talking about the old wheels made of delrin, which was pretty tough stuff but heavy.) Take your time.
- Read all the info here from John on how to cut out the foam in the box to protect those wheels in shipping.
Hopefully some pros add more. Good luck and have fun !!
G
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cycrunner said:
Rather than "seconds", I should have said "my count", which I think might be slightly faster than a second. But somehow or other, I have found that my "count" remains the same, even as compared to other day's testing.
I also do all my testing with the same JE wheel AND the same axle (because different axles can actually change the results). To me, it doesn't matter that the test is not done with the "running" wheels, because not matter what wheel I use for testing, I am only testing the integrity of the bearing. The fact that it eventually is installed on another wheel and axle doesn't change the test results.
However, once everything is installed on the actual car, I do another "count test". As you mentioned above, the count changes because the running wheels are much lighter. But I only do this second final test to make sure I haven't a problem with either the installation, or the actual axle being used. AND, I have often discovered a flawed axle this way, usually the DFW axle (probably because when bending those front axles, it can happen that you might have put a flaw on the axle's running surface).
GravityX said:
Almost everybody who has been running UNLM for a while has a set of older wheels. For me the best ones are the older Jewkes Engineering wheel. But a lot of older wheels made by John, GoatBoy, or QT work fine.
quadad said:
This is a very good post.
The only difference I make is how tight the bearing is on the axle.
I don't like it to be too tight, either on the axle or the small plastic "stays".
I like the bearing to slide on the axle very easily, and my stays are 1/1000 play.
OCDerbyDad said:This is the perfect information. Thank you to everyone.
This is for our local District PWD race with an Outlaw adult division.
Is the weight of the car body as important in the Bearing Class as the others? The car I have currently is 7 grams dry, no paint. The stop section is a pillow sandwich. I will go the cheap way this time to see the competition out there and go all out the next race. It’s a last minute thing and I have some spare things around the house. I plan on turning stock BSA wheels with my lathe and making them into razors. I also plan to flatten the hub and I plan to ream it out 3/16 to fit the bearings I ordered. Should I grind the hub all the way down or should I reverse the wheel, put the bearing on the spoke side, and run them that way. Should I even use razor BSA wheels with a pillow sandwich anyways? This time around is the cheap way since there seems like no competition around my area. Next time I'm going to make a local record, if possible...lol. If all goes well with this I may enter with the NPWDRL for next time. Sorry for so many questions, but I only see so much information on the other threads. I want to make the same jigs, but I want to see if I like it first.
Here is the body:
In an earlier post, I mentioned abandoning the older UNLM wheels (including those from JE, DD4H, GoatBoy or QT). Their new ones are much lighter, BUT UNFORTUNATELY MUCH MORE FRAGILE. That being said, for the various OUTLAW races that are being held all over the place, DON'T use the newer much lighter wheels. You can win any of these events with the stronger older wheels, even the JE wheels, which are the most obsolete of all.
Opa has it right about using good wheels in a Scout race - don't waste your money ! If the stop section doesn't bust your body (or front wheel), the joints will put nicks in your wheels (at best).
ODD - That car looks like a lot of work with all those weight pockets and you might want to go beefier for a Scout track (unless you know your track is good and set up good). I have had good luck with 1/4" poplar from Lowe's, etc. Make one weight pocket ahead of the axle, one from behind, slap 1/64" plywood on top (or the 1/32" stick on edging) and you are ready to drill and shape. I do skinny bodies to save all the time of doing the ladder style. They are plenty light (maybe too light) and solid. Thanks to QT for winning with shapely car bodies, there is room for the classic board as well as unique curvy cars. From there it's all about packing in as much weight in ther rear as you can with these cars.
ODD - That car looks like a lot of work with all those weight pockets and you might want to go beefier for a Scout track (unless you know your track is good and set up good). I have had good luck with 1/4" poplar from Lowe's, etc. Make one weight pocket ahead of the axle, one from behind, slap 1/64" plywood on top (or the 1/32" stick on edging) and you are ready to drill and shape. I do skinny bodies to save all the time of doing the ladder style. They are plenty light (maybe too light) and solid. Thanks to QT for winning with shapely car bodies, there is room for the classic board as well as unique curvy cars. From there it's all about packing in as much weight in ther rear as you can with these cars.
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