Pack race tomorrow. We are running tighter gaps than ever and the least amount of graphite ever also. Our migration test was right so we left very little gaps. We prepped the axles and wheels per Johns products. We burnished and buffed the bores with graphite. We barely added any graphite after we installed them. We tapped the graphite in and spun the wheels for a few. Then we aligned it and I blew the excess graphite off and put it in the box. After the past two years races I pulled the wheels and there was big clumps of graphite in the wheel bores. I don't want that to happen again so we pulled way back on the after wheel installation application of graphite. I think I'm doing the right thing but it's not the way we normally do things so I get nervous....
Nervous....
- Thread starter NeedforSpeed
- Start date
Great way to get faster is to send a few cars in and race with us. Next year, you will not be so nervous...
TRE, John. Kinser, Gravity and Bulldog are solid rockstars.. if you listen and learn and follow their advice you will blow the competition away. I get nervous too... I think these fellows must have icewater in their veins... Good luck..lookin forward to hearing about the big win this time tomorrow night
Like everything in life, do your best and forget the rest. You will always progress if you stick with something, the speed in which we progress is different. My first league race I had butterfly's just like I used to get in college football. I was hooked from that point on. Many of us work very hard at this and the race is won long before the cars hit the track. The race is won in the attention to detail. The guys who are at the top blow my mind at the detail. I think I'm on track and then learn one more thing I could do much better and it's back to the drawing board. If you applied this site in many ways to your build you will do very well at the race! Good Luck.
Been reading the info here for years. It's pure Pinewood gold.
My son has won his Pack every year and gone to District. This was the last year. And every year I worry about the check in and the race. Wonder if we "did it right" this year. Whether we should have "skirted" the rules and run oil, because an informal examination of cars at District by me found no trace of graphite anywhere on a couple. But we know this is the case every year. So you trust your prep process. That's what got you here.
And then the cars go down the track and that's when you know that you did it right and you should have never worried. But you still do.
Human nature, I guess.
My son has won his Pack every year and gone to District. This was the last year. And every year I worry about the check in and the race. Wonder if we "did it right" this year. Whether we should have "skirted" the rules and run oil, because an informal examination of cars at District by me found no trace of graphite anywhere on a couple. But we know this is the case every year. So you trust your prep process. That's what got you here.
And then the cars go down the track and that's when you know that you did it right and you should have never worried. But you still do.
Human nature, I guess.
Well we got it done. We won only by .004 though but we will take it. Little brother beat big brother who came in fourth overall. Big brother had an airborne collision off the stop strip in his second race. I tested the steer on his car after the race and it was at 7"! We had it set at 3.5" before the race so the high flying acrobatic act must have messed with the steer.
We still must be doing something wrong though because we should be beating these guys by more time. You guys on this site have helped us tremendously and we thank you for it. I probably share too much info also...haha. On to Districts this weekend so we will try to figure out some stuff this week to give us a little more of an edge.
Here's a pic of today's hardware.
We still must be doing something wrong though because we should be beating these guys by more time. You guys on this site have helped us tremendously and we thank you for it. I probably share too much info also...haha. On to Districts this weekend so we will try to figure out some stuff this week to give us a little more of an edge.
Here's a pic of today's hardware.
Too bad about the crash, We saw a national champs car do this on a solo run after it was setting record passes, he repaired it on site befor the race and won Nationals! Mr. ZEEEEBZOOOOB. Great win bud!
- Nov 24, 2011
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So I tore these bad boys down because I can't help myself and noticed two things.One is the rear wheels made a groove on the body but when I do the migration test the wheels go out to the heads. The other thing is the FDW wheel is making a groove on the front and rear OD edge. We cut a 1/16 off the block and sanded it smooth. Any suggestions other than what I think you all are going to say. Its kinda warm here and I don't need a fire.
A lot of guys use a material glued to the side of the body that is slippery, like teflon or delrin, you will still see grooves in this material as you race the car. It's normal but washers or slide glides are much better then wood for the wheels to rub. The rears don't cause a grove as fast as they don't rub much, but if you are migrating you should be o.k, congrats on the W!
We can't use washers so we did the ca coating on the FDW. Maybe I need to put a thicker coat on it. We didn't do it on the rears. Should I do that for them? We are running a .10 gap.
For scout racing in our area, washers are not allowed. As an alternative, we use UHMW film from McMaster Carr. Its very close to teflon and delrin, and it looks like scotch tape when applied. Very easy for the kiddies to do.
Another thread here really got me to thinking; especially for a graphite car like yours. You could get that .8mm lead refill, then drill a hole and put that lead into your car body, right where those grooves are. It's no bushing, definitely not a washer, and exactly the slick stuff you're using for lube.
Congrats on the win!
Congrats on the win!
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