Hello, first posting. Just recently found this site and have realized I've been looking at a lot of bad info. Lesson learned for next year. I was lucky enough to get my son to district's at least on straight axel/slots 4 on the floor. My question is would it be ok to just cant the back wheels and leave the front straight? I know it's probably not ideal but I don't have much time to work on it before district's to bend front axel. Will just doing the back for this year help me with speed if I can get it tuned fairly straight? Forgive me in advance for my inexperience.
canting back wheels
- Thread starter robo4881
- Start date
It's almost pointless if you don't steer into the rail. It literally takes 1min to bend a DFW axle. Anyone can do it.
But in direct answer to your question: As long as your rule set allows for wheels to not be running flat, then you are fine. Running on the edges of the wheel is faster than running flat.
Bending a front axle and setting steer is actually quite easy — but quite daunting the first time. If you have a spare, polished axle, give it a go. If it works, great! If the axle gets bent into a right angle, you've still got your original, so no loss. /images/boards/smilies/smile.gif
Good luck in Districts!!
Bending a front axle and setting steer is actually quite easy — but quite daunting the first time. If you have a spare, polished axle, give it a go. If it works, great! If the axle gets bent into a right angle, you've still got your original, so no loss. /images/boards/smilies/smile.gif
Good luck in Districts!!
That was the most direct question, with the most direct answer, for the most speed gain, I have seen on this forum...Ha! Nice work ODD and Crash...you may have just won districts for him!
I tried to bend one last night and it didn't work out great but it wasn't too horrible. I think I may be able to get it decent with another try today. I'll practice on a couple stock axles before I try on the couple extra polished ones I have left. Where do I want to start the bend, right where it would come out of the back of the hub? Thanks for you're help. I've got more useful info off of this forum in the last few days than I have in months looking elsewhere. Sure wish I would have found it a couple months ago. I've definitely wasted alot of time and money on what I have found are pretty much junk tools. And I hate to admit I even tried the treadmill tuning and graphite break in. After I started doing it I thought to myself that it sure didn't seem like it would be good for the wheels. Not to mention my wife wanted to kill me for getting graphite all over the place. Live and learn I guess. I will be doing my business with DD4H from now on.
It doesn't need a lot of bend. Just mark where it sticks out of the wheel, put it in a vise, line up a flathead screwdriver on your mark, and tap with a hammer. Just a slight noticeable bend is plenty to get good steer ability.
You could also just put it in a spare wheel and bend it by hand. I feel pushing by hand leads to over bending more easily though. The reason being that you build up pressure from the resistance but once it gives your built up pressure over bends the axle.
You could also just put it in a spare wheel and bend it by hand. I feel pushing by hand leads to over bending more easily though. The reason being that you build up pressure from the resistance but once it gives your built up pressure over bends the axle.
I insert the axle into a wheel bore. I use a sharpie to mark where the axle comes out of the bore. I then use a dremel to spin the axle and another dremel to make the cut where my mark is. Dont go too deep! If you dont have the tools for that, no biggie. Put the axle in a drill press and use a file to score it. Dont have that, well then it'll be harder on stainless steel axles to get a good bend. If you're using stock axles, you dont even need a score mark as they're easy to bend. I then use my crappy product axle straightener in my vise, chuck the axle in it to where the mark is sticking out of the axle straightener. Take a chissel and hammer and smack it a couple times until you get your desired bend.
V
Vitamin K
Guest
The method I use to bend axles is as follows:
- Get a pair of pliers, a rectangular piece of soft wood (like pine), -- 1x4 will do, a sacrificial axle and a sharpie
- Take a throwaway axle, insert into wheel, find the area where the axle comes out of the hub. Decide on your desired gap and add that space just beyond the protrusion point. Mark it with a sharpie.
- Draw a perpendicular line in the middle of your block, cutting across the 'short' dimension.
- Clamp the throwaway axle with the pliers, with the axle head protruding, at the mark you made on the axle. Keep it straight.
- Still holding the axle in the pliers, line the tip of the pliers up with the base of the wood, at the line you drew. Align the axle shaft with the line.
- Press down hard to make an indention into the wood. Throw the sacrificial axle away.
- Take your good axle (that you've polished) and place an alignment mark on the head. Lay the axle into the indention you've made, with the alignment mark at the 12 o' clock position. Clamp it with the pliers at the edge of the wood. Place your other hand over the one holding the pliers and apply gentle, steady downward pressure. Less is more, and it's better to underbend than over. If your bend is not deep enough, place it back into the indentation with the mark at 12 o' clock, re-grip, bend further.
- Save the wood, as you can use it to bend future axles without having to make a new indentation.
Also: If time permits, I think you would be helped by making a simple tuning board. Just a smooth piece of some kind of stiff material, at least 4' long, that you can use to assess your drift. You can buy MDF board for shelving at Home Depot that's pretty cheap (I'd go with the unfinished stuff, over the stuff with the textured vinyl finish). If you wanna take it a step further, nail a yardstick on the other side and use it to watch what your rears are doing when you roll down it.
- Get a pair of pliers, a rectangular piece of soft wood (like pine), -- 1x4 will do, a sacrificial axle and a sharpie
- Take a throwaway axle, insert into wheel, find the area where the axle comes out of the hub. Decide on your desired gap and add that space just beyond the protrusion point. Mark it with a sharpie.
- Draw a perpendicular line in the middle of your block, cutting across the 'short' dimension.
- Clamp the throwaway axle with the pliers, with the axle head protruding, at the mark you made on the axle. Keep it straight.
- Still holding the axle in the pliers, line the tip of the pliers up with the base of the wood, at the line you drew. Align the axle shaft with the line.
- Press down hard to make an indention into the wood. Throw the sacrificial axle away.
- Take your good axle (that you've polished) and place an alignment mark on the head. Lay the axle into the indention you've made, with the alignment mark at the 12 o' clock position. Clamp it with the pliers at the edge of the wood. Place your other hand over the one holding the pliers and apply gentle, steady downward pressure. Less is more, and it's better to underbend than over. If your bend is not deep enough, place it back into the indentation with the mark at 12 o' clock, re-grip, bend further.
- Save the wood, as you can use it to bend future axles without having to make a new indentation.
Also: If time permits, I think you would be helped by making a simple tuning board. Just a smooth piece of some kind of stiff material, at least 4' long, that you can use to assess your drift. You can buy MDF board for shelving at Home Depot that's pretty cheap (I'd go with the unfinished stuff, over the stuff with the textured vinyl finish). If you wanna take it a step further, nail a yardstick on the other side and use it to watch what your rears are doing when you roll down it.
Thanks guys, I got it bent. Think it turned out ok for my first time doing it. I did make a tuning board out of some Shelving board for now. I plan to make one out of glass at some point. You can't buy a tuning board can you? I've looked a little but haven't found anywhere. My work schedule keeps me pretty pressed for time. I have it steering away from DFW about 4 inches or so at 4 feet. I bought a pair of tuning pliers a couple months ago. Didn't take me long to assume that they were a bad investment as they left small rough indents on the head of my axles.Also how much wheel gap should I have. I have a couple of the gap gauge cards and a couple other different gauges but I read somewhere on here that they gave too much of a gap.
Hey Robo,
It is cheaper to build one than buy one... I used a piece of 3/16 acrylic sheet, instead of glass, over my graphic.
I laid the graphic on top of 3/4 plywood, but could have gone smaller, then I used 1x4 for the sides and set the acrylic on top and nailed something similar to 1/4 round to hold it in place.
Works great !
It is cheaper to build one than buy one... I used a piece of 3/16 acrylic sheet, instead of glass, over my graphic.
I laid the graphic on top of 3/4 plywood, but could have gone smaller, then I used 1x4 for the sides and set the acrylic on top and nailed something similar to 1/4 round to hold it in place.
Works great !
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