24 replies to this topic

[BMR]

There are plenty of handy hints and how to repair hints posted on Auslot for new and older readers to look over but how about one thread with most of the ideas in one place ?
Dunno if its worth it but posting pictures and notes on how to do it all in one place could make it easier for people to find answers ?
If you have some good pics etc on things like repair jobs on broken chassis or how to fit a slot it flag into a non slot it chassis , fixing broken plastic rims etc etc why not post it .

I have done this cheap trick to fix loose standard axle bushes , ideally the way to go is replace the standard bits with some quality parts but if the budget is tight or the rules say its gotta use the stock parts then this works.
Loose axle bushes allow the axle to move back and forth or side to side too much and can cause the gear mesh to be less than ideal and the car can also bounce about when it accelerates on the straight. I have used the gap filling super glue to tighten up the slop between the axle and the bush.
This works on plastic and brass bushes and lasts for a surprisingly long time
First step Are your bushes glued to the chassis so they can't spin in the chassis itself if not then I recommend doing that before going further
Second step- have the track or power supply of some sorts turned on ready to go and have it set so the rear wheels turn slow 3-6 volts
Third step- remove the body
Forth step - a light oil of the axle and bush , then let a little gap filling super glue wick its way between the axle and bush
Fifth step - run the car at slow rpm until the glue sets around 5 - 10 minutes should be plenty of time.
Don't let it sit still or the axle will glue tight to the bush , when the glue is set the slop in the bushes will be taken up by a super glue sleeve that has been formed between the axle and bush.
Give it another oil and away you go. No more sloppy bushes .
This trick can help with the side to side slop between the rim and bush a bit as well but that slop is usually because the plastic factory rim isn't pushed on all the way.

Edited by BMR, 27 June 2008 - 03:29 PM.

[slots]

Interesting trick. What happens if the wheel takes a hit? Does it break the super glue? Super glue does have a tendency to be brittle.

[munter]

Being somewhat budget conscious I'm quite pleased when a cheap option presents itself and one that I will pass on is for 3/32 axle spacers you can use Chuppachup sticks.You win twice with this as you get to suck on something sweet then use the stick for any length axle spacer.
The plastic is firm enough to cut with a craftknife.
Saw this on another forum

[BMR]

slots, on Jun 27 2008, 05:59 PM, said:

Interesting trick. What happens if the wheel takes a hit? Does it break the super glue? Super glue does have a tendency to be brittle.

I have a few cars done this way and they have been through a few knocks - My NASCAR is 4-5 years old and it still goes quite well so I can say that the super glue trick has lasted for ages on that car.
Best thing is if the glue does wear away its easy to redo it again. I generally use drill blank axles and alloy rims so to use new plastic bushes would be an easy fit and they are not that expensive.

The reason I use super glue is for the cars that still have stocky axles and rims I don't like pulling the plastic rims off if I can help it as they usually don't seem to fit as tight again and eventually give out Im sure you know the standard bushings are slightly oversize to allow for the knurl or cross hatch pattern on the axle to slide through the bush when they are assembled , that cross hatch area is larger in diameter than the axle so for it to fit through the bush must be oversize compared to the axle , the glue just takes up that gap in between the axle and bush.
Im not so tight on the cash that I won't spend $2.50 on new bushes its just this trick works and the rear axle assembly doesn't have to be dissassembled to do it . Easy peasy huh

[slots]

Love it. Will keep it in mind. Thanks

[BMR]

Another cheap trick , some clubs allow the chassis to be trimmed a little so the body can float around with the body mount screws loosened off a bit. I have found it also helps to open out the hole in the chassis that the mount screw goes through a little (don't go too far the screw head needs to sit on the lip ) With the hole opened the body moves easier but it also helps if you file off some of the thread at the top of the screw up near the screw head , file it carefully so there is no thread left anymore and the screw will no move more freely through the hole in the chassis instead of catching on the threads.

[ltrack]

well thank you for such easy to do tips, which most of us probably dont know (no insult intended to the informed and the others & the experts who contribute greatly to this forum)
i would not call yours ideas "cheap" tricks the word cheap normally infers a lesser quality/value .
there are many of us ,myself included, who really appreciate/need pics to understand the interpretion which to the poster seems a simple process but to the uninformed, as they say ,a picture is worth a thousand words

[BMR]

ltrack, on Jul 8 2008, 12:17 AM, said:

well thank you for such easy to do tips, which most of us probably dont know (no insult intended to the informed and the others & the experts who contribute greatly to this forum)
i would not call yours ideas "cheap" tricks the word cheap normally infers a lesser quality/value .
there are many of us ,myself included, who really appreciate/need pics to understand the interpretion which to the poster seems a simple process but to the uninformed, as they say ,a picture is worth a thousand words

The pictures I posted were drawn up on a program called "Emachine" its a free download and comes with a tutorial that guides you through as you draw up a couple of products. I would post a link but internet explorer is having a fit trying to locate the site at the moment . Im no CAD designer by a long shot but if I can figure it out then anyone should be able to use it , I have used it to draw an accurate top view of my house and property lay out with room sizes and alike , I managed to draw up our kitchen accurately and got custom fit cupboards made and even designed a laser cut chassis and got it cut using the saved Emachine DXF files . It does want to download a price file every now and then so you can get online quotes if you wanted to , I let it update the price file then I ignore it as I only want to draw accurate plans / pictures I don't really need a quote , you will need a decent computer to run it well though.

[neophytte]

Emachine:

http://www.emachines...nload/index.htm

Cheers

Richard

[BMR]

neophytte, on Jul 8 2008, 11:19 AM, said:

Emachine:

http://www.emachines...nload/index.htm

Cheers

Richard

Thanks for finding and posting that Richard

[BMR]

Emachine link doesn't work anymore ?? My current version cannot give a 3D view anymore unless it updates the pricefile and it seems there is no way to access it to update it via the normal website update buttons when emachine is up on my screen ? Anyone got any clues on this ? Maybe the company has gone broke ? Or changed names . HELP Wanted here please

[inveterate retiree]

Bringing this old one back to life:

I just had a look for the emachine software & came across this site which looks like it might do the job. I couldn't test the software as I'm on Linux. Hopefully it will allow you to keep your drawings & post them if required:

http://www.emachineshop.com/

Edited by inveterate retiree, 04 February 2011 - 10:51 PM.

[BMR]

inveterate retiree, on 04 February 2011 - 10:50 PM, said:

Bringing this old one back to life:

I just had a look for the emachine software & came across this site which looks like it might do the job. I couldn't test the software as I'm on Linux. Hopefully it will allow you to keep your drawings & post them if required:

http://www.emachineshop.com/

When you have your drawing done in the emachine program use the {shift / print screen } buttons on your keyboard to copy whats on your computer screen , remember to centre your drawing on screen as large as you can , then paste it into a program like the Microsoft paint program where you can then save the picture as a JPEG . After that you can upload the JPEG to photobucket or similar photo video hosting site and then from there you can post your drawing onto Auslot

[paulthetexan]

Here's a cheapy

I make shims and washers out of old credit cards etc. I use a leather hole punch on the largest diameter setting and punch out a few disc's and then use the second smallest diameter to punch holes into the centre . Viola . Light weight free shims . BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE..........

You can splice them and they will slip over axles without removing wheels . Great for Scaley , Carrera and Revell .

Also you can crimp them or squash them between plyers and fine tune the thickness to the precise setting . Lowered the body too much , nothing a credit card won't fix .

You can also cut larger shims with scissors and punch a larger hole in the centre and use them as guide shims .

That's about it

Paul

Edited by paulthetexan, 13 March 2011 - 04:23 PM.

[munter]

Hey Paul,that is cheap and cool.....you get to cut up the credit card and fix your cars.
A real neat trick for sure but did you use your credit card to buy the leather punch?

[paulthetexan]

munter, on 13 March 2011 - 05:13 PM, said:

Hey Paul,that is cheap and cool.....you get to cut up the credit card and fix your cars.
A real neat trick for sure but did you use your credit card to buy the leather punch?

Now that's funny , probably the only thing I got to but with it , My wife seems to be training for the credit card Olympics !

Paul

[FLY in the wall]

Generic

Buy the wife some Chuppa Chups.

1- Shuts her up for 10 mins will she consumes one

2- The stick is a perfect fit for 3/32.

[FLY in the wall]

Generic

Buy the wife some Chuppa Chups.

1- Shuts her up for 10 mins will she consumes one

2- The stick is a perfect fit for 3/32.

[BMR]

This is an old thread now - started june 2008 - seems not too many people are keen to give away any secrets

Are there any limits on the credit card trick

[Sports Racer]

Another trick with the credit cards is to have a few so they have a chance to cool down between purchases. At least that's what my wife tells me.