Car Body Treatment at Wheel Hub

Jan 18, 2012
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Albuquerque, NM
What is the best route to go? We have historically left the wood around the axle hole unpainted, then rubbed in graphite. This year, I was planning on burnishing the wood w/ a spoon to harden/polish it, leaving it unpainted and adding graphite like normal. I read here a recommendation to put enamel nail polish on the body. So, which is best?

Background info:
Our rules dictate four-wheels touching and running flat (no canting), and graphite.
We have set up our cars as somewhat of rail-runners: The front track width is the minimum 1-3/4", with the rear wheels outset to the max 2-3/4" width (this is done by sanding 1/16" off the body at the front wheels, and adding popsicle sticks to the rears). This is to prevent the rear wheels from ever coming in contact with the center rail.
TIA,

- Eric
 
[font="times new roman, times, serif"]It has been my experience in one of two things sometimes both. I paint the car like normal, and did not worry about the slots I just painted it, after it is dry I take some 1000 grit sand paper and sand where the hub is going to touch, that in itself is pretty smooth but then I burnish my graphite into the paint, it seems to work well for us. Second if you are set up to file and polish your own axles you can file a slot in the axle that the wheel will ride in and not touch the head of the axle or the body of the car...takes practice though. You could buy your axles from DD4H and still do the work on the axles out of the box that way you get the best of both worlds...you get to know how and what it takes to do it and you get to use the best products! Our pack has stiff rules like the slots in the block and you could glue your axles in with clear epoxy. Best of luck and glad you are on the forum![/font]
 
Thanks, Chief. Without a means to test, I'm still left wondering what method will provide the least amount of friction. Is nail polish faster than paint? Is lacquer faster than enamel? Waxed, or just shiny paint?
 
The nail polish is usually acrylic and acrylic drys to a very hard surface. I have even heard of graphite being mixed into the acrylic while wet. I haven't tried that but it would probably work. This is not my area of expertise but it should work very well. If it were me, I might use the nail polish, let it harden and then use DD4H #2 bore polish just as you would in the bore, on the polish. Use graphite and it would be very slick.

EDIT: I believe that nail polish is acrylic enamel. /images/boards/smilies/smile.gif
 
[font="times new roman, times, serif"]I would only use enamel. That is difficult for me to tell you as I am a professional automotive painter...so I use the same kind of paint on our derby cars that is on the cars we drive everyday. Lacquer never actually dries all the way, and what ever you do, DO NOT mix enamel and lacquer. Stay with the same kind whichever you choose. If you use enamel you might use some 800 grit as enamel is harder to sand[/font]