We want your PIT TIPS!

[PeterV]

Would you like an RC Car Action decal pack? Would you like to feel the rush of seeing your very own name in RC Car Action? Then please send us your Pit Tips! We're looking for fresh, clever, original tips. Submitting them is easy: just email your best stuff to georgeg@airage.com. Include your mailing address so we can get your decals out to you. (If we publish your tip, you get decals). Got a photo of your tip? Send that too.

A few tips for Pit Tips:

> It's ok if the tip is specific to one type of vehicle, as long as it's a reasonably common vehicle. No matter how fantastic your tip is, we aren't likely to publish it if it only works on a Hirobo Alien.

> Tips can be simple. Not every Pit Tip can be a huge "eureka!" moment, and some of the most useful tips are the simplest. For example: "If you drain shock fluid into an empty soda can at the track, bend its pull tab up so you won't mix it up with the can you're drinking from."

> No old tips. If you've seen it 1,000 times, or it's something everybody does already, it probably won't make the cut.

> ...but variations on old tips can be cool. For example, using rubber bands to help glue tires is something everybody does, so it makes a lame tip. But using a Live Strong or similar thick rubber bracelet instead of a rubber band? That's a cool tip.

> No obvious tips. "A screwdriver is a great tool for installing screws!" Seriously, we get tips like that. We throw them away.

Also, please feel free to post your tip ideas here in this thread for others to see. Don't worry about someone else submitting your tip and stealing your prize; the decals go to the first person to send or post the tip.

[racer34v]

when adjusting body post height on touring cars, place a temporary body clip just below the current position so you dont lose your current body height if you are looking to just pick up one hole or two (put the temporary clip on top of the body post pad if you want to lower it)

[racer34v]

on the xxx-4 and xxx-s cars, use a zip strip around the battery hold down when using stick packs to help keep them from popping out.

[brc358]

After spending hours of masking and painting a new body, one of the last things you want to do is scratch the new paint inside, and if you use the water base paints, they scratch very easy.
After marking the body posts, and using the body reamer for the holes, use the Associated chassis protector sheet, and cut small pieces and place these on the inside of the body. Then use the body reamer to run through the protector sheet at the post location. I usually make mine around 1" square to give plenty of protection. On nitro cars, I make one a little larger than the cooling head so when I have to push down on the body to check the engine temp. there is some protection on the inside of the body from the engine temps on the head.

[tadium54]

the bombproof chassis for the e-maxx is great hop up. however, the battery mounting is up to you and the options are few at best. using a long strip of velcro with the opposite sides backed onto eachother(both sides together with the adhesive that comes with them) and drilling 2 holes in the chassis per side, slide the velcro through and you can now change the batteries quickly while keeping them secure

[Fluke]

this tip is for the ofna hyper7 but works with a lot of vehicles like the duratrax evader series

to hold the antenna in place slip a piece of shrink tube over the antenna tube and antenna mount.shrink it then secure it with zip ties
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v695/gaelv/rc/fc3cf10d.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v695/gaelv/rc/d9f16b80.jpg





specific to the hyper7

the hyper comes with a separate fuel guard.this means more screws and can be annoying while dissasembly.it can easily be replaced by a piece of scrap lexan glued to the tank.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v695/gaelv/rc/f142cbc4.jpg



general tip

sometimes the tank cap doesn't close tight due to a worn spring.a temporary fix would be placing an elastic band around the cap and tank
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v695/gaelv/rc/056625bf.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v695/gaelv/rc/f16819e9.jpg

[microrcdude]

When shaving tires, go slowly, going too fast can ruin the tire.

If you race a nitro vehicle, mount extra turnbuckles to the side of your starter box. That way if you break a turnbuckle, you can easilly find and put one on.

[pedeman]

Here is one...

On a body, if you lose clips often or have a body you use on different trucks, here is an idea-take a length of fishing line, about 2 inches long, and tie it to the body clip. then, drill two 1/16th's holes in a vertical line about 1/2 an inch away from the body post. This way, when you take the body clips off the body, you dont have to worry about losing the clips!

[tq_racing]

@ microrcdude,

I realy like the idea of turnmuckles. Makes sence.

[LasagnaCat]

Submitting them is easy: just email your best stuff to georgeg@airage.com.

(Duh.) :)

[Neon_Dave]

Would we be notified if our stuff is going to be posted?

Thanks,
-Dave

[rocknbil]

No. You just hang out at your mailbox and see if your stickers arrive.

:D


I dropped one in, they probably won't use it though. Low Bucks Shock Socks (ttp://www.rc-resources.com/guides/shock-wrap.shtml).

[quicklimegirl]

OH-BOY!!!!..STICKERS!!!!.How about a T-shirt or something.

[pedeman]

Submitting them is easy: just email your best stuff to georgeg@airage.com.

(Duh.) :)

i did send mine to his e-mail address, but i posted it here also so everyone could use it...

[HPI rally racer]

Well here is a tip..most antennas are longer than their tubes so here is what i did:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a320/coincopy/Antenna.jpg
cut a hole in the top of the antenna cap and slide the antenna through..then put a pice of fuel tubing around the antenna and it looks nice and neat..it also doesnt let your body get stuck kind of with the antenna in the way..hope this helps (btw i know it is small but it shows a before and after and how it is much more neater with teh fuel tubing which is in pink)

[car_maniak]

practical body pins

what we need?

2 wire ties ( small ones which can fit in a fuel tube )

1 body pin

2 - 3 cm long fueling tube

http://img366.imageshack.us/img366/10/dsc013356it.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

firstly put the pin in to the wire

http://img366.imageshack.us/img366/7956/dsc013372eb.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

then close it.. (than lock it )

http://img366.imageshack.us/img366/2986/dsc013380gf.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img58.imageshack.us/img58/4606/dsc013395rw.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

then put the wire tie into the fuel bottle

http://img366.imageshack.us/img366/7953/dsc013400xa.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

then put the other wire tie' lock into this ( this is some complex thing but with picture it's ok...

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/3489/dsc013414kk.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/8523/dsc013437sq.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

then cut the extra ties...

http://img366.imageshack.us/img366/1797/dsc013440co.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

here is your practical clips...

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/8034/dsc013451iq.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

it's very easy to hold and pull...

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/3772/dsc013461kk.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img366.imageshack.us/img366/5998/dsc013471il.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

i have lots of......

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/1687/dsc013493eu.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

PS: by the way my car is mtx-4 ;)

[HPI_freak]

make those for my big 1/8 scale body clips, those little buggers are a pain to get off without them

[pedeman]

Wasnt that was in RCCA about a year ago? Anyone remember?

[Neon_Dave]

Yep, it was. What I did for mine was I just left the zip tie like in pic 3 and cut the excess off. It has the same function, but I must admit... the ones with the fuel tubing look a lot nicer :p :)

-Dave

[car_maniak]

yeah i think so that this ones are so cool and it makes our things easier...

[GramdeGixxer]

On the INtegy 0-30 discharger, instead of plugging it in every time you put a battery in(or forgeting to like i always did) you can get a small lever switch from radio shack and solder into the power wire. then you attach it with servo tape where the lever that engages the contacts with the batteries comes down. This will actuate the switch and turn the fans on. When you lift the lever to take the batteries out, the fan turns off.

[JoeMAXX]

I like to stuff a little cotton in my Pivot Ball suspensions. I do it for my on-road MTX-3 and my TMaxx TRX 2.5. It works very well to keep dirt out of the suspension and the Oil in.

Fairly easy to do take a cotton ball and cut a little larger then the Hex head opening. Take a little 3n1 oil and squirt it into the opening on the outside of the Pivot ball suspension until it is full of oil. Roll the cotton into a ball and stuff it into the opening.

As we all know a free moving suspension means better run times and it handles better.

This helps keep the Pivot ball suspension clean and oiled.

JoeMAXX

[tadium54]

thanks joe. i might use that mod myself on my maxx

[LD3Furious]

Ok...every track has a prankster or two right? One popular joke I have seen guys do is to swap the fuel/pressure lines on their buddy's car/truck. Simple solution, use two different color fuel lines :)

[FESTER2004]

heres a pit tip for anyone who paints rc car bodies.if u get over spray or some paint seeps threw under the paint masks or masking tap. put a little wd-40 on a rag n wipe the areas of paint u dont want.wd-40 removes paint.then u can reclean the area u just wiped with wd 40 with some windex on a rag n presto ,you are done

[diesel]

See Dick run, see Dick race............don't be a Dick!
I've run across a couple guys at races that get offended when someone is checking out their ride. Honestly, you can have the fastest and best handling rig out there, but if you can't drive, it ain't worth squat. Be open to checking out the other rides and open to those who check yours out. Factory Team drivers are always open to share setup or driving tips with almost anyone (so long as you use a little discretion when approaching them). Steve Slayden posts his setups everywhere. Jun and Jacobsen are more than willing to help people when they're not wrenching.
Basically...........speak up and speak out!

[brc358]

See Dick run, see Dick race............don't be a Dick!
I've run across a couple guys at races that get offended when someone is checking out their ride. Honestly, you can have the fastest and best handling rig out there, but if you can't drive, it ain't worth squat. Be open to checking out the other rides and open to those who check yours out. Factory Team drivers are always open to share setup or driving tips with almost anyone (so long as you use a little discretion when approaching them). Steve Slayden posts his setups everywhere. Jun and Jacobsen are more than willing to help people when they're not wrenching.
Basically...........speak up and speak out!

I could not aggree with you more. Some of the best, freindliest,most helpful people that I have met, and been the guys from Ofna. Jeffery Lin is willing to help you anytime, share set-ups, and even help work on your car.These guys are outstanding examples, and Ofna should be proud to have these racers on their team.

[Sherminator]

using toothpaste or crome polish will make the stock motor armature spin even better, put the arm in a drememl and "polish" it for about 10 min on both ends and reinstall and put a few drops of oil in each bushing before installing.

[Dad-to-a-Marine]

To keep your u-joints, CV, and CVDs from tearing themselves up spary them with a graphite lube after each cleaning. The graphite lube will not hold or attrack dirt, will hold to the metal and help prevent wear on the joints. We started to do this after wearing out two sets of dog legs on our Savage. We have now had the same set on for three times as long as the pervious sets combined and still have no signs of wear.

[OldSkoolRCRacer]

I keep a few 35mm film canisters on my workbench, and when I need to clean small parts, I drop them in one of the cannisters and add some laquer thinner and shake well..... then maybe a quick blast with some motor cleaner.

[thefasttrack]

ever run out of shock oil well just go to your local fast food and get a couple packets of ketchup or mustard it realll works ive done it my self

[JoeMAXX]

What I like to do when replacing parts so I remember where they go is to separate them into sections that I take it apart.

Let's say I am rebuilding the front suspension of my R/C and I have to pull stuff apart in different steps. I will separate the screws and parts into different tubs. I like to use old plastic butter containers. It helps me to remember the order in which I take it apart then put it back together. I also use one just for parts cleaning. For bearings, clutches, engines and everything else.

When you are cleaning up parts you have taken off with cleaner do it in a container instead of getting the stuff all over your work space.

[JoeMAXX]

ever run out of shock oil well just go to your local fast food and get a couple packets of ketchup or mustard it realll works ive done it my self

I have never run out of shock oil because I have 40w to 60w silicone oils always on hand but hey I will keep this in mind if I ever really want to incorporate fast food into my R/C suspension :D

It is not just for lunch anymore Bonus

[Dad-to-a-Marine]

Here are a couple of other tips dealing with silicone oils. Ever notice that sometimes 30wt is to thin yet 40wt just seems too thick? Try mixing the two. Use a clean 35mm film canister and poor in 1/2 amount of each fluid. Then make a fluid mixer by un-bending a paper clip then re-bending it into an s shape. Cut off the excess length and mix the fluids with a power drill or low speed dermel until you have one consistency.

If you are like me you’ll rub the labels off your fluid bottles long before you run out so you have to pull the lids off and check each one before you find the thickness you are looking for. What I do now is to and one small drop of different colored food dye to each bottle and mix thoroughly. Now all I have to do is look for the color that I want to use. This also helps me in catching blown and leaky shocks far sooner then before.

To help seal up those bolts that go into vacuum areas, such as the carb screw/bolt and those on the back plate (and to gain some extra grip on nearly stripped out plastic parts) warp the screw/bolt threads with one or two layers of the same Teflon tape used by plumbers to seal threaded water connections. Use a hobby knife to trim the width of the tape so that it matches the length of the screws threads so that none of the tape is sticking out into the throttle area or the engine’s case. The Teflon tape works a lot better then any silicone sealer in those threaded area.

[rcguy2477]

Pit tip #1-
When finished with spray bottles, keep one of the lids and drill four holes large enough to fit the shock ends. This serves as a great, cheap shock holder while you are waiting for the bubbles from the new shock oil to come up.
#2
Pro's often have their wiring done in all the same color. Often, doing this results in shorted speed controls and motors wired backwards. To fix this, put a small piece of colored shrink wrap to signify which one is which.
#3
For gas cars, filters are often used only for filtering fuel. If you install a fuel filter on the pressure line and remove the cleaning filter inside, it acts as a chamber to smooth out the pressure applied to the tank.
#4
Purchase some cheap, thin plastic used to replace windows, and bend it using a heat gun in a L shape to hold your chargers. This is especially nice for the chargers such as the ice that have the readout on the top.
#5
To remove scuffs from your body, traction compound buildup on the bottom of your chassis, double sided tape, or stickers, use goo gone. This cleaner serves many purposes for rc and makes the job that much easier.
#6 On hot days, electric motors loose a considerable amount of torque in a race. Increase the torque by spraying compressed air upside-down onto the motor. This will release carbon dioxide in its liquid state, cooling it down to below 0*.
#7
When building a kit, the suspension is usually very tight. To free it up, purchase a drill bit the same size as the hinge pin, and "drill out" the holesin the arm. This removes just enough material to make your suspension free.

[suckfish]

Well here is a simple way to keep all your spare tires organized. Take one of mom's metal coat hangers unwind it an just make a simple hook on end. Slip your tires on this way I dont get dead spots from them sitting on the tire.. Then all I do is hang them from a nail in my shop and when racing we hang them on the tent pole.

[brc358]

Speaking Of Tires, Here Is Another Cheap Way To Keep Them Organized.
Home Depot Sells Clear Round Plastic Containers That 10th Scale Tires Fit In Perfectly. You Can See The Tires Through The Containers, And You Can Serperate Them By Shore. The Containers Are Only About $2.oo Each.
Another Way Is "pringles" Potato Chips Come In Containers That Also Work Very Well To Hold The Tires. Plus Is, Can Can Eat The Chips While You Are Working On Your Car, Then Seperate The Tires.

[skylineTT]

i like to use magnetic strips to hold my screws in place while im working on things. place the sticky side onto my bench and it also holds drill bits well too. if at a race you can put some on your toolbox. i also use cardboard box cut into small squares as body spacers so that it more evenly distributes the pressure of the tower under my body, making id stay stronger longer!

[JoeMAXX]

After I fit a new body on my onroad cars I like to use double stick tape on the front end between the body and the bumper. This helps when you hit a wall dead on or scrape the wall. It helps to protect the body from damage. I have had many bodies rip at the wheel wells prior to adding the double stick tape trick. Let the bumper take the impact as it should.

Sure it adds a little weight to the front end but this also helps for keeping the front end on the ground.

[JoeMAXX]

#3
For gas cars, filters are often used only for filtering fuel. If you install a fuel filter on the pressure line and remove the cleaning filter inside, it acts as a chamber to smooth out the pressure applied to the tank.

You probably have had better luck then I have on this tip. I did this awhile back and the mesh in the filter caused my engine not to run because of oil buildup within the filter. I find it better just to make my exhaust to tank pressure line some where between 6" to 8" inches to help with pressure.

Regards

JoeMAXX

[d4man]

You can use an air compressor with a blow nozzle to spin your freshly glued wheels on your vehicle to see how balanced they are. I have a B4 and a T4 and heres what I do:

With NO motor in the car or truck, mount the wheels and tighten them up. Then just shoot air to the inside of the wheel to get it spinning fast, then see how wobbly your tires are.

[Fluke]

here's one really good one

from time to time i loose a dogbone on my hyper7(but this tip applies to all dogbone equipped cars) and its a pita to walk aroung looking for them.how not to loose them?zip tie them!form a loop around the dogbone tight enough so the dogbones ends can't slide through but loose enough so it doesn't bind.secure the other end to the car.so next time you loose a dogbone you know exactly where it is.



on my hyper
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v695/gaelv/DSCI0038.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v695/gaelv/DSCI0037.jpg

[Neon_Dave]

^^^ That's a really interesting idea. I figure you need two zip-ties for each dogbone, but sounds like it will work...pretty well too :D

Cheers
-Dave ;)

[tq_racing]

I realy like that idea as well.

[adrianderekluna]

do the outdrives ever catch on those ties?

dogbones are probably the only deterant in my buying a non team kit. i get universals just for thi reason. and it usualy sets you back about $200.

[Fluke]

upon testing the zip tie "knot" is to big to get entirely in the outdrives.when it does,it'll slip out

[chevythunder]

Use air tool oil on your electric motor's com after you clean or cut it. One drop is all you need. It doesn't get sticky when it's hot or gum up the brushes. It will actually free up about 100 RPM's.

Also, if you use ball bearing motors, a couple drops of synthetic motor oil of any weight placed on the bearing will prolong it's life and decrease friction. You can also use this tip on your tranny bearings and axle bearings.

This tip is specific to Traxxas electric vehicle owners that use stock intersplined half shafts. Spray a little WD-40 or white lithium grease onto the male end of the drive shaft and reassemble to the female end. This will reduce friction of the two halves when negotiating terrain.

Want to figure out your vehicles speed with a specific motor? Use this forumula to get a theoretical answer. This formula is pretty accurate for 1/10 scale models. Keep in mind this is theoretical only. The formula does does not take into consideration, friction caused by moving parts, aerodynamics, vehicle camber or toe setups, suspension set up, vehicle condition, motor condition, traction effiency, or environmental conditions.
Tire Circumferance divided by Final Drive Ratio multiplied by max RPM of motor divided by 12 (inches in a foot) multiplied by 60 (minutes in an hour) diveded by 5280 (feet in a mile)= MPH.

TC/FDRxRPM/12x60/5280=MPH

Instead of using body clips use medium to large paper clips. They are next impossible to lose.

[chevythunder]

ever run out of shock oil well just go to your local fast food and get a couple packets of ketchup or mustard it realll works ive done it my self

Won't the acidic properties of those products eventually wear out seals? Plus make a hellayshis mess if they blow?

[nitrothugg]

here's one really good one

from time to time i loose a dogbone on my hyper7(but this tip applies to all dogbone equipped cars) and its a pita to walk aroung looking for them.how not to loose them?zip tie them!form a loop around the dogbone tight enough so the dogbones ends can't slide through but loose enough so it doesn't bind.secure the other end to the car.so next time you loose a dogbone you know exactly where it is.



on my hyper
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v695/gaelv/DSCI0038.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v695/gaelv/DSCI0037.jpg




ok...now thats a great tip :)

[Fluke]

thnx.where's my sticker :D

[HyperBuzzin]

thnx.where's my sticker :D

Sorry, they sent them to me instead, and I already put some on my RC10T.

...............http://www.addis-welt.de/smilie/smilie/auto/autos14.gif

[JoeMAXX]

What I like to do when cleaning my air filters is clean it out in the kitchen sink with dishwashing soap. I will dump a few drops of dish soap into the foam air filter and then rinse it with hot water. I will do this a few times until all the oil and soap is cleaned out of the Filter. I then take a rag to dry the filter and let it set for 24 hours before I use it again so I know it is fully dried.

I also like to have a few on hand so I can just pull the old filter out when at the track and throw a new Air Filter in between runs when running. When running off-road this is very helpful to keep the air flowing into the engine.

I also like to use old parts bags to oil my air filters. I use them to squeeze out the excess oil and fully saturate the Air Filter with Oil.

[Tmaxxx-nt375]

Okay, I don't believe this tip has been shown before and it truly saves valuable time and thumb soreness. I am providing you with 7 pictures of how this tip works.

One of the worst feelings when you are trying to start your engine is when the pullstart has a problem or it magically pops off and the spring goes everywhere. This has happened to me several times and I finally developed a cure for this. The required tools are a drill, one way shaft (preferably old), flat head screwdriver, pull start casing, and pull start spring. The first thing you must do is tear off a paper towel and wrap it around the old oneway shaft to protect it. The tighten it into the drills chuck. Then put the spring on the pull start assembly (make sure it is on the right way) and flip it over. Because I had nobody to take the pictures for me, I just hammered the flathead screwdriver into the wooden bench to hold the hooked end of the pullstart. You then put the drill with the oneway shaft into the pull start assembly and wind up the spring. Once the spring is fully wound up, carefully put it back into the casing and your pullstart is fixed. Anyone who has wound these springs up by hand knows how painful it is on your thumbs and how long this process takes. With the drill, you are able to wind up the spring very fast, painless, and easy. The photos are in order of steps and walk you through the process. Let me know what you think. Thanks

http://img456.imageshack.us/img456/407/dcam02060ow.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/5492/dcam02129hm.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img456.imageshack.us/img456/4526/dcam02147fi.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img456.imageshack.us/img456/4240/dcam02207sl.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img456.imageshack.us/img456/1254/dcam02210xv.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/8820/dcam02229py.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img456.imageshack.us/img456/9731/dcam02246xg.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[GearheadXNT2]

this pit tip is almost too easy. use hot glue as a form of instant double sided tape it will work on anything from lexan rc wings, receivers, transponders and anything that has to be secured on the chassis without screws. to remove, just peel off your hot glued item slowly.

[skylineTT]

heres another i use..ill take my shocks apart..and then cut about a centimeter or more of fuel tubing(depending on the length of the shock) and insert it one piece on each shock shaft. this almost entirely prevents bottoming out when your racing or bashing. as your shock fully compresses it hits the fuel tubing and the tubing kind of acts as a hard cusion. it shouldnt harm your vehicle though because the fuel tubing is not solid. it also slides snug onto the shaft.

[JoeMAXX]

heres another i use..ill take my shocks apart..and then cut about a centimeter or more of fuel tubing(depending on the length of the shock) and insert it one piece on each shock shaft. this almost entirely prevents bottoming out when your racing or bashing. as your shock fully compresses it hits the fuel tubing and the tubing kind of acts as a hard cusion. it shouldnt harm your vehicle though because the fuel tubing is not solid. it also slides snug onto the shaft.

I use this tip but throw it one a little better because bottoming out differs from front to rear then from different rides with shock placement. I measure where the Truck will bottom out and then use that to cut my fuel line length. The rear is different then the front and can be adjusted. Each R/C has a different ride hieght and this also comes into factor when adjusting where it will bottom out the suspension.

[ambiotter]

this pit tip is almost too easy. use hot glue as a form of instant double sided tape it will work on anything from lexan rc wings, receivers, transponders and anything that has to be secured on the chassis without screws. to remove, just peel off your hot glued item slowly.
Sounds like an excuse for stickers, pretty lame imo. And its a pain to take off, i cant see how peeling slowly would help.

[Plaidfish]

I cut small .25" cuts of fuel tubing and stretch it over the ends of my fuel & pressure lines...after I place the lines on their respective nipple, I slide the small sections over the ends to lock the lines in place......saves a lot of zip ties for fuel lines....

lay out a towel under your work space, if you drop screws or small parts they don't bounce as far......


Keep spare parts as units (complete diff instead of just gears) usually faster to swap out in races.....

cheap dental picks and toothbrushes are so handy to keep for soooo many things in this hobby I can't list em all.....great for cleaning packed dirt out of screw heads.....holding wires apart while soldering....fixing bad solder joints.....cleaning out tight places......removing stubborn washers/seals....removing bearing seals.....

[CarbonMadness]

cheap dental picks and toothbrushes are so handy to keep for soooo many things in this hobby I can't list em all.....great for cleaning packed dirt out of screw heads.....holding wires apart while soldering....fixing bad solder joints.....cleaning out tight places......removing stubborn washers/seals....removing bearing seals.....
I use that tip allready, and I was one of the first at my track to do that. :D

[streetforcegp2]

i have a dtx .18 which uses two white clutch shoes....i notice that the groove wer da spring stay is not deep enough which allow da spring to grind on da clutch bell once it starts....so to keep da spring from rubbing against da metal part.....get a rotary tool like dremel n put on a cutter bit n use dat to make da groove deeper....but not too deep cause u might end up ruining it.....it actually work n good cause i dont have to take it out often....sorry i have no pic cause da clutch is on da car installed....but any further question ask me....also it works on other cluthes too....hope no 1 had posted dis yet....

[Philster]

Keep a cheap alkaline-powered glow starter as a backup to your rechargable glow starter.

Bonus use:

When breaking in a new engine, use the 1.5 volt alkaline-powered glow starter with a fresh battery to get extra zap to the glow plug, instead of the 1.2 volt rechargable glow starter.

Due to the rich needle settings on new engines, your glow plug is usually saturated with fuel/oil when firing up the new engine. Give it the extra 25% power kick with alkaline power.

[streetforcegp2]

dont you jus hate after each run rc car get hecka dirty.....hard to reach part can be a pain....using paint brushes will do the work for dat since dey come in many sizes.....also if u have air compressor dat would be even bette...jus hook up da blow gun tip n blow dos dirt away.....also air inflator dat have interchangable tips will also work but not as good as compressor....a hand ball pump will do da work too...jus lots of pumpin

[Davesboat007]

Here's one I use. When you rebuild leaking shocks, Chock the shaft in your rotary tool and polish it with crocus cloth (which is a super fine emery cloth that you can get a real hardware store) then polish it with jewelers rouge until it shines like chrome. This allows the O rings to seal very well.

[Steve323]

Heres a great tip I use. Place a small strip of magnetic adhesive on the top of your toolbox. At the track when you take off your body just place the body clips on the magnetic stip and walah youll never lose them :D

Great tip for the racer whose always losing body clips (me :D )

[rs4 rally boi]

lost your pipe hanger that came with you kit? just use a wire coat hanger and bend it the shape you need. you can use a piece of fine grit steel wool to smooth it to a shine or heat it over a stove to turn it black for a cool scratch resistent finish.

[z-man280]

ok, this is probably older than dirt, but it might be good for newbies:

clean up your chassis of wiring with this simple tip- wrap servo or esc wires around a screwdriver. Heat up with either a hair dryer, or if you are careful, a lighter,( dont let it burn!!!). the heat will soften the plastic sheathing of the wires, and when cooled for just a few seconds, pull the screwdriver out, and you have a nice coiled wire

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m8/z-man280/P7220036Small.jpg
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m8/z-man280/P7220039Small.jpg
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m8/z-man280/P7220041Small.jpg

sorry for the blurred photos, but my dumb camera wont do macro and flash :confused: :mad:

[X-MAXX]

is it the same to post tips here as it is to email them. are u still entered in to win stickers. ect by posting tips here? just couriuos because i have a pretty sweet tip, i think.

[X-MAXX]

is it the same to post tips here as it is to email them. are u still entered in to win stickers. ect by posting tips here? just couriuos because i have a pretty sweet tip, i think.

[SoonToBeLowS10]

Tired of not being able to see the stamp's in your Pinion? Color the "collar" of the pinion with a crayon, then wipe off excess with a rag. If done right, the stamp should hold the crayon.

Little tip i picked up from the AR15 guy's.

[balang_479]

Tired of not being able to see the stamp's in your Pinion? Color the "collar" of the pinion with a crayon, then wipe off excess with a rag. If done right, the stamp should hold the crayon.

Or use spray paint for a permanet effect. Get Lexan Paint, spray a touch near the writing (or even dab some on from your finger, or brush) Then wipe around it and let it dry.

[Secretsg]

Found an easy way to clean the dirt off your wheels. Take your truck/buggy onto a wide open grass field and run it full throttle for 2 passes. Grass acts like a towel and will wipe your wheels clean.

[B4 Stealth]

now thats creative :D

[Crana]

Not sure if it's been posted in this thread, but here goes:

Instead of burning your fingers cutting out your engine, just stick your shoe into the the flywheel from underneath the car and the engine cuts out no problem.

[balang_479]

HERES ONE SOMEONE TOLD ME AT THE TRACK: tried it and works flawlessyl.

If you pipe gets crushed by someone who hits you in the side, the fill the pipe with water afetr having dissinstalled it, tap the hole with cork and then stick in the freezer, the expanding ice will push the big dent out, if it doesnt expand enough, empty the water and then refill it and do the process again until it is perfect, tried it and works...

[tadium54]

heres one

when you spend the money on good tools, you want them to last. protect them from damage when theyre in your pit box by taking a piece of fuel tubing and putting it over the shaft. its a small measure, but it might make them last a little bit longer

[TamiyaRacer69]

Here's something that I've been doing for about 17 years. Either rubber o-rings (found in many shock assemblies) or fuel tubing, they both do the same thing.
Place o-rings, or fuel tubing inside the drive cups and gearbox joints. Don't forget to put grease on them. Stops driveshafts moving sideways, and also stops the drive shaft ends from slotting the drive cups and gearbox joints

[TamiyaRacer69]

Here's another one.
Poor man's battery discharger. Get an ordanary tail light bulb from your car, solder a male end (with wires) to the bulb. One wire to the side of casing, and the other to the bottom of the casing. (One of the two contact points)

And there you have it.

[GearheadXNT2]

Here's a tip that is almost too good to be true. If you have to sand a rim[this is ONLY the rim is new or if the glue bond went bye-bye], just keep it on the axle/ hub or whatever your case may be, and hold the sand paper to the rim and turn on your esc and roll onto the throttle. When you get to the desired size, the result is a perfectly round and smoothly sanded rim!
Enjoy,
Nick N

[IRELAND]

those fuel line body clips are sweet.. im definatley putting those on my truck (when I get it :-p)

[IRELAND]

i was planning on getting a new truck for my b-day
i know you guys know what your talking about and i want to know what is a better truck out of the 3, the Savage, T-Maxx, or the Monster GT...i want a good truck, and im willing to spend the money up to about $400.00 thanks.

[bankruptj05h]

i got a great tip, it requires a sonic jewelry cleaner(got mine for a dollar and came with everything). when you rebuild shock all the silicone and stuff, i also put alot of aluminum and stuff in it but if you do that the parts will be like brand new, just let'em dry and your set to go. this worked perfectly on my car when my engine cracked and unburnt fuel went everywhere. then what ever is grit is left you can use a toothbrush. but it works fine, and now everyonre has a sonic jewelry cleaner. :) http://yelims1.free.fr/Armee/Armee15.gif

[Demon-TC3]

Heres on for the elecy guys;
After using a comm stick to get rid of the crud from your brushes, CLEAN IT OFF with some motor spray or lighter fluid so the abrasivness of the comm stick will have an effect on the brush for next time! i have seen too many people trying to clean a brush with a totally smooth comm stick or people with 20 "one time use" comm sticks...ONE IS ALL YOU NEED!

Also, if you dont have any handy, lighter fluid makes a reasonable motor cleaner, just make sure its all dried off before use...for obviouse reasons...

[balang_479]

nearly all the 1/8 racing buggies come with lay-down steering servos, and really the only one that doesnt is the Inferno 777.

Now you can too.

Simply drill a hole into a plastic radio plate mount to fit the servo onto.

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g204/balang_479/364002.jpg

Than position the servo under the radio plate into the correct direction.

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g204/balang_479/364004.jpg


This conversion works flawlessly and ive done many club racers with it and never had any issues, infact (for some reason) it seams to give better leaverage..

[maxxmustang]

heres' one: stripped the end of your hex key? dremel it off at the right angle and its like new again. o, and dont try this on ur ball-hex (duh)

[TamiyaRacer69]

Well I will be come January 2007. :D :D Can't even remember which tip it was. Guess I'll find out next Febuary. (Once the magizine finally gets to New Zealand.) Got some free stickers too. :cool:
Thanks to all involved with the magizine.

[IRELAND]

yo tamiya racer, i think Associated picked-up on your tip because my GT2 came with O-rings in the drive cups already :D your a famous man

[Demon-TC3]

LOL! dont think so, schumacher have been using that approach since the old sst's!

No intention of takin your thunder tho!

[TamiyaRacer69]

Cheers IRELAND. Is that the one they used????

No worries Demon TC-3. I lost my thunder years ago. :D :D

[Demon-TC3]

Cheers IRELAND. Is that the one they used????

No worries Demon TC-3. I lost my thunder years ago. :D :D
Lol well in that case i re-instate it with your succesfull pit-tip!

[maxxmustang]

get a jumbo box of 1x1 inch alchol pads, thier soked in 70% alchohol and are an extremely tough, lintless fabric that i have used countless times to clean sensitive parts such as clutch shoes, clutch bells, slipper pads and disks, brake pads and disks and engine components. plus thier dirt cheap for hundreds of them ;)

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/maxxmustang/106_0997.jpg
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/maxxmustang/106_0996.jpg
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/maxxmustang/106_1005.jpg

[bigmike216]

Don't solder in your underwear.

[Demon-TC3]

well yea i guess thats true...bit if you are actually gona go ahead and instate that you can also instate a hole new line of pit tips "dont solder cans of propane" "dont run electric motors in the microwave" and finally "dont throw your brand new speedo in the bin just because you dont like the LED color"

[maxxmustang]

dont dump nitro fuel all over your brand new radio, it eats the plastic

[Demon-TC3]

Nitro fuel is not an expensive substitute for Cola....it is a substitute for "INSTO-BLIND"

[maxxmustang]

ya, burns like hell in ur eyes, DONT DRINK NITRO FUEL

[Winston]

Instead of putting your crankcase in the oven to heat it up to get the bearings out,use an old electric frying pan.

Stand the engine on its backplate face and gradually increase the heat with the thermostat until the bearing drops out.That way you'll only use enough heat to release the bearings.

.

[maxxmustang]

a good thing i always do when i install deans plugs is drill a small hole in the soldering tabs and put the wire through the whole, bend it over, and solder it. it makes the connection so much stronger.

[B4 Stealth]

taht is also a great idea, that deserves a sticker IMO

[JeffEmbracedDC]

Always replacing tips on your soldering irons?

Breathe new life in to them by grinding or sanding them back down to bare metal. This makes my tips last about 5 times longer than if I were just to replace it. Maybe that's obvious.

-J

[Eli the rc guy]

Maxx What do you use to drill the holes?

[maxxmustang]

1/16 inch drill bit and a dewalt drill. and i just relized that by doing this you lower the reasistance even more bc you touch the gold filling instead of just the silver coating (yes they have gold inside)

[Demon-TC3]

HEHE no, gold would be far too expensive (and pointless) to put inside deans!

inside deans is Copper, with either a gold or silver coating, pure gold is far too soft to use.

Also gold has a much lower resistance than silver..but its more expensive..so i doubt that they would coat gold with silver. copper when shaven does take on a gold like look so i cant say its entirely strange to assume!

however, you are right in saying resistance is less, but thats due to the increased surface area.


Still very good tip!

[Demon-TC3]

HERE is a tip that will be extremely valuable!


If you have ever dented your Tuned pipe racing,there is a way of restoring it!

Get some cork and plug the stinger up. then fill the pipe with water and plug up the other end, once done, shove it in the freezer. as the water freezes it expands causing the dents to surface.

you may need to do this a few times to get it perfect but this tip may very well save you several Bucks!

Hope people find this helpfull.

[chilledoutuk]

HEHE no, gold would be far too expensive (and pointless) to put inside deans!

inside deans is Copper, with either a gold or silver coating, pure gold is far too soft to use.

Also gold has a much lower resistance than silver..but its more expensive..so i doubt that they would coat gold with silver. copper when shaven does take on a gold like look so i cant say its entirely strange to assume!

however, you are right in saying resistance is less, but thats due to the increased surface area.


Still very good tip!

for gods sake how many people here think gold is a better electrical conductor than silver or copper.
http://www.myhrsb.ca/Functions/Curriculum/eng/science/9/SupplementaryPages/MetalsElectConductivity.htm

There is a specific reason gold is used to plate contacts and that is because it is much more resistant to corrosion. The idea is that oxidised surface of copper or silver can have a higher resistance than gold but when used in an application where the metal is constantly being worn there is little chance for corrosion to get in the way.
The metal they use seems to be some sort of brass alloy im not sure what it is exactly but they use it in corally connections as well.

[Demon-TC3]

wow... i had no idea...guess that shut me up!

i was going from the basis that it is used on connections and hence got the impression that it had better conductivity. - that said, i still doubt they would use real gold inside a deans plug.

[pjerry]

...i think its real gold, but not very much of it at all, cause when you think about it, 4 dollars is not that cheap for somthing that small...great product deans are and i love them, but they definatly do not skimp out on performance for overall cost.

And the oxidation is correct. silver's resistance pretty much doubles from oxidation, cause it puts another layer between the actual conducting silver and the wire. overal gold is better so you can use it over and over, but silver really would only oxidize (or copper for that matter) if you had it on a battery that is sitting in the off season, or in storage.

[rccardude04]

Put Traxxas shock bladders in the caps of Associated shocks. Makes them a lot easier to build air-free and they last a lot longer between rebuilds.
Putting a little drop of loctite on e-clips can make them stay a lot better (The Tamiya stuff works especially well because it's a gel).
-Eric

[balang_479]

QUICK REMOVAL FUEL TANK...

http://forums.radiocontrolzone.com/showpost.php?p=2149791&postcount=3165

this is so that you can see the gear mesh...

should work for any 1/8 buggy or truggy.

[Eli the rc guy]

Nice tip Balang. You know u spelt hole wrong right??

[HPI_freak]

HEHE no, gold would be far too expensive (and pointless) to put inside deans!

inside deans is Copper, with either a gold or silver coating, pure gold is far too soft to use.

Also gold has a much lower resistance than silver..but its more expensive..so i doubt that they would coat gold with silver. copper when shaven does take on a gold like look so i cant say its entirely strange to assume!

however, you are right in saying resistance is less, but thats due to the increased surface area.


Still very good tip!


just to inform:

i took a Digital Electronics class and in the first few weeks we learned about Leads. copper and silver are the best conductors of electricity. Gold however has a HIGHER resistance than silver. we are talking PURE gold, but its so little, its like $0.01 worth. resistors have a silver or gold tolerance band to limit the current that goes through it. silver has a 10% tollerance, and gold only has 5% tollerance. just thought i would share my education.

[welshy40]

Slipper setting for buggies on carpet

I hope this isnt a common one, but I have a lot of carpet racing experience with buggies. This setup for the slipper is also the simplest.

Hold the car flat to the carpet so your hand is firmly on the roof of the shell. Push the throttle to full and the car may try to wheely away due to the firm setting on the slipper.

Slacken the slipper off gradually until you get to the point where the slipper is fractionally slipping whilst also at the same time trying to pull away. Job done

Glueing Tires to wheels

Instead of glueing all around your wheel when putting your tires on, why not put 5 or 6 dots on either side of the wheel/tire (each one must be in equal distances from each other) so that when the tire needs replacing instead of buying a new wheel you just pull it off, scalpel away the excess glue dots and place a new tire on and start all over again. Easy

[balang_479]

Nice tip Balang. You know u spelt hole wrong right??

oh yeah...- :D

[bigmike216]

just to inform:

resistors have a silver or gold tolerance band to limit the current that goes through it. silver has a 10% tollerance, and gold only has 5% tollerance. just thought i would share my education.


Almost...


There is nothing limiting the current going through a resistor. Tolerance is the amount of error the actual resistance may have to the nominal value. So, if you have a 100 ohm resistor that is 5% tolerance, it could be anywhere from 95-110 ohms.

[catchin air]

if your like me and dont care for the different color iodizing you can remove rather easily

get a metal pan big enough for you parts and coat them with heavey duty eazy off oven cleaner OUTSIDE i will put off a odor (toxic)

rinse with water but DO NOT TOUCH parts

will have a residue left on the but can be remove with sos pad

if you would like to polish looks like chrome if not looks like brushed aluminum

try but heed the precautions may injure you

im new here and not sure how to post pics but i do have some and they look nice.

[Abednego]

don't pee into the wind!

acually i have another tip, but its a link, hope you don't mind
http://forums.radiocontrolzone.com/showthread.php?t=233002

[jedipirate]

when i broke the tip if my hex driver i set it down next to a drill bit...if you have removable bits,why not use your hex driver handle for a"finger "drill.if it is a spare you can carefully enlarge the hole to accept a larger bit.maybe grind a flat spot on the bit to make it hold better.

[wvrednek]

well it may sound extremely crazy but it works.

the glow plug igniter that came wth my car used a C-cell batt. but it only worked for a couple starts then the batt wz dead.

heres what i did

i soddered 2 D-cell batts to the C-cell so that they stuck out on either side of the igniter. the catch is that they have to be wired in PARALLEL not series. that means that i hooked the 3 positives togeter and the 3 negatives together. and the C-cell is in its origonal position with wires to the connectors inside the igntr.

that way the plug only gets 1.5 volts but gets much more power and the batts last much longer

it has been my secondary igniter but gets used frequently and lasts a LONG time...

[HVNFNYT]

I've found that "Dr. Scholl's" ( or similar ) corn cushions make great replacement body mount cushions. The center hole is perfect, they are self-sticking, and they are available in the Health & beauty section of any of your friendly "Supermarts" for approximately 9 for a $1.

Whenever I remove the air filter assy from my engine, I always cover the carb inlet with a small piece of sandwich bag, or the like, and use an O-ring to hold it in place to prevent any foreign material from sneaking in when I'm not looking.

[Y2KGTP]

well it may sound extremely crazy but it works.

the glow plug igniter that came wth my car used a C-cell batt. but it only worked for a couple starts then the batt wz dead.

heres what i did

i soddered 2 D-cell batts to the C-cell so that they stuck out on either side of the igniter. the catch is that they have to be wired in PARALLEL not series. that means that i hooked the 3 positives togeter and the 3 negatives together. and the C-cell is in its origonal position with wires to the connectors inside the igntr.

that way the plug only gets 1.5 volts but gets much more power and the batts last much longer

it has been my secondary igniter but gets used frequently and lasts a LONG time...

Good idea....you prob could get a 2 D cell holder from radio shack to make it easier to change batteries.......

[maxxmustang]

Hehehe! :D :D :wow: :cool:
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/maxxmustang/100_1390-1.jpg
wish they spelled my last name right, but o well! RCCA Rocks!

[Demon-TC3]

:( cant beleive i didnt win :P My tip saves tuned pipes man!!!!

Hehe congrats!

[blktransam]

not much of a pit tip but more of a painting tip...if you are like me you paint alot of bodies for no reason, after you are done painting all of your colors and have backed it with several coats of your backing color, spray a coat or two of PLASTI-COAT truck bed liner you can get it at walmart for like 6.00 a can which lasts a long time..you will NEVER have any flake paint again and makes ther body strong as hell too!

[Y2KGTP]

not much of a pit tip but more of a painting tip...if you are like me you paint alot of bodies for no reason, after you are done painting all of your colors and have backed it with several coats of your backing color, spray a coat or two of PLASTI-COAT truck bed liner you can get it at walmart for like 6.00 a can which lasts a long time..you will NEVER have any flake paint again and makes ther body strong as hell too!

This seems like it is also good if you have trouble making minimum weight in your class :D

[blktransam]

dont weigh much at all..

how do i get my SWEET stickers? popcorn

[Y2KGTP]

dont weigh much at all..

how do i get my SWEET stickers? popcorn

Print out on sticky paper...you earned it!

http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/2182/stickersdd8.jpg

[blktransam]

awsome...can you make me up some blue and green as well as yellow?...

if so that would be much app. popcorn

[Demon-TC3]

hello lawsuite :P

[dude7422]

heres a tip for removing paint job that looks bad . use brake fluid to remove that nasty paint and start all over

[dude7422]

more tips old tire good rims or bad rim and good tires unglue by boiling in water to brake super glue bond

[seanmanibog]

ok well you know how some people have those rubber like handle things attached to their fuel tank so they can open it easily with the body on? Well heres a way to make one thats really cheap and looks great. Take a zip-tie and attach it to the lid of your tank, without cutting any of the excess off. [this works best with a long zip tie]. Cut a piece of fuel tubing and slide it over the top of the excess zip line, leaving about 1cm of zip the sticking out the end. then, take another zip tie, and attach the securing part to the 1cm that you left sticking out, then cut off the zip line. Now you have it! a nice home made fuel tank opener!

[seanmanibog]

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o213/seanmanibog/raze018.jpg Theres a example

[blktransam]

to add to ur fuel tank "opener" take a servo horn the one where its "long and skinny" hard to descirbe which one but slid the zip tie through the "servo horn hole" and then use another zip tie to clinch it on..i will take a pic when I get home so u better under stand it but its like having a "handle" on the end of it

[Demon-TC3]

silicone tubing is fairly grippy stuff, good tip all the same though.

[ron6311]

To stop body burns from pipe on my jammin x1crt i glued a piece of fule line heat tube to the body to protect it

thanks rcron











[QUOTE=PeterV]Would you like an RC Car Action decal pack? Would you like to feel the rush of seeing your very own name in RC Car Action? Then please send us your Pit Tips! We're looking for fresh, clever, original tips. Submitting them is easy: just email your best stuff to georgeg@airage.com. Include your mailing address so we can get your decals out to you. (If we publish your tip, you get decals). Got a photo of your tip? Send that too.

A few tips for Pit Tips:

> It's ok if the tip is specific to one type of vehicle, as long as it's a reasonably common vehicle. No matter how fantastic your tip is, we aren't likely to publish it if it only works on a Hirobo Alien.

> Tips can be simple. Not every Pit Tip can be a huge "eureka!" moment, and some of the most useful tips are the simplest. For example: "If you drain shock fluid into an empty soda can at the track, bend its pull tab up so you won't mix it up with the can you're drinking from."

> No old tips. I

[overdosed]

ok, here is an oldy be ME but a goody. note: wear gloves or hold the pin using pliers, etc while heating up the heatshrink. it is your responsibilty not to hurt yourself and if you do you cant blame it on me.

video link: http://media.putfile.com/new-how-to-make-easy-pull-clips

[Kdogracer]

lol i am new...srry but i just wanted to post up and see with it is like....

[maxxmustang]

this is on a losi 8ight but it will work on any buggy with a spill guard, drill two holes it the guard and run a ziptie through them, tie you your fuelines there to keep them out of harms way. dont tighten it too tight and pinch the lines, only tight enough to hold them.
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/maxxmustang/100_1510.jpg
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/maxxmustang/100_1511.jpg
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/maxxmustang/100_1512.jpg

[savage100]

You like zip ties huh? There are about 50 of them on the engine head alone. :D

[seanmanibog]

Hey you know what savage, be quiet!! Zip ties are our friends. They come in peace. lol

[maxxmustang]

zip ties are kinda like crack, once you start using them you cant stop. hot glue too

[savage100]

Ha, good way to put it. You know what else is like crack? A dremel with a sanding blade. It's too hard to stop grinding where you need to.

[seanmanibog]

Yeah. Tell me about it. I see one microscopic raw edge and Whip out the dremel and go crazy lol

[maxxmustang]

^^mhm. when i get bored i just go over my car with a sand blade

[dam3d]

From me! :) http://forums.radiocontrolzone.com/showthread.php?t=234347

Darin M
Portland, Oregon

[Eli the rc guy]

Hey dam3d, I just came back from Oregon/Portland. Its nice up there, good weather. =O I didnt know someone from the forum was up there XD we live pretty close.

[dam3d]

cool, I race at hometown hobbies/Amain raceway, in portland, and thier site is Amain Raceway (http://www.amainraceway.com/) and my site is Oregon RC (http://www.dam3d.com/rc)

[outfitter540]

I got one i think is original.

For soldering dean connectors to wires I tin both the wire and plug with enough solder to make a solid connection. I then use an alligator clip to clip the wire to the tinned terminal. I take my soldering iron and heat up the solder and the clip will press the wire directly onto the terminal creating the best possible connection and hopefully decreasing your lap times.

[Demon-TC3]

hopefully increasing your lap times.

Emm....isnt that what we are trying not to do?

Hehe good tip though.

[outfitter540]

good catch, i proofread my posts too, lol. My buddy lost about .1-.2 sec on his lap times when i resoldered his plugs

[Demon-TC3]

wow thats actually allot for such a simple job!
But i agree, a good solder job is a vital aspect of a well performing car...that and a good clean motor! (well in the right hands :roll2: )

[SSexton]

New brakes?
I made new brake shoes from Mr. Gasket header gasket material- It's a hard asbestos material that lasts a long time and you can buy in sheets for virtually unlimited reshoeing!

Also this might be an old trick, but I saw somewhere that you can insert the small silicon ORings , like from your shocks, inbetween the brake shoes, and on the brake locating dowels, to spring them back out when brakes are released for less drag.

[duratraxxman]

plug the holes in the wheel on very wet muddy tracks so water doesent soak in the foam and make you're wheel out of balance thats what i did to my monster trucks


a quick easy spring dampener

items needed two medium sized zip ties

some kind of cutters

and a spring

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o47/blaake93/pittips002.jpg

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o47/blaake93/pittips003.jpg

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o47/blaake93/pittips005.jpg


http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o47/blaake93/pittips004.jpg

i hope i get some stickers :cool: :D

ignor the dates lol

[overdosed]

i dont get it?

[Demon-TC3]

it would lower ride height a little...wouldn't it make your shocks stiffer though?

Also it would damage the shock spring since once you go to remove the ties that specific part of the shock will not open up as well as the rest...that said it will probably be so minute noone will be able to tell...very original tip though.

[duratraxxman]

yea but a spring damper is spose to lower ride hight also what u said bout the spring is very true

so does that mean i get stickers hopefully :D :D :D :D :eek: :teacher: :confused:

[quick5pnt0]

Only cheap decals now? What happened to the six month subscriptions?

I once submitted multiple pit tips to George and he told me he was going to use two of them, but wound up only using one. When politely asked why the other one wasn't run I never received a reply. I guess George is too good to take a second and reply to one of his loyal readers. No wonder why everyone is going to the other rags.

[gav]

This is a very general tip and should be only used as a last resort. I looked but it could have been up before..

When the head on your phillips screw strips and nothing else will work,try this.

1) Take the cooling head and any other part that sticks out anf might get scratched off the car.
2) Find a hammer and a screwdriver(maybe a bit bigger than the actual screw)
3) Hold the car firmly in place and stick the screwdriver in the hole.
4) Lightly tap the screwdriver into the screw with the hammer and it will make a larger head for the screwdriver.
5) Take out the screw.
6) Buy hex heads whenever you can afford them. ;)

I know this seems a bit rough and kind of a bodge job but I was in this situation today and I had to do it. I don't take any responsibility if you wreck up your car but you really should unless you try really hard to..

:wave:

[Demon-TC3]

Theres a similar affair with associated alluminum screws, they strip very easily and if they do, take a Torques screwdriver (slightly larger than stripped hole) and tap it into the screw, unscrew the screw and replace it.

[mailboxck]

If you want to drift around your living room or anywhere you don't want the floor to get scratched by using pvc tires, use your regular slicks or radial tires and wrap masking tape or just regular tape over the tires and drift away! :D Instant drift tires.

[mailboxck]

Have you ever used up an old set of tires till rubber nearest to the side wall gives and creates a gap? It just sucks coz you know that the tires should last for a couple more runs before it gets all worn out. To prevent this from happening or just to make your tires last longer, dab a small amount of CA glue on your tires where it wears more before the tire rips apart.

[Figit090]

hopefully this one hasn't been said quite like this before;

I've tried using fuel tubing for a better grip while opening my fuel tank filler lid, but my fingers kept slipping and i had to really grasp the lead hard to grip it, usually from sweat or fuel/oil/dirt on my fingers causing the rubber to slip through my fingers. This has even made me scratch my fingers when the plastic zip-tie end is pulled rapidly out of my hand by the stiff lid spring.

To remedy this, i took the fuel tubing and sliced it into tiny pieces, about as long as the tubing is thick, and threaded them onto the zip-tie as normal.

This provides more flexibility so you can grip it easier around your finger, and the cracks between the "beads" of tubing allow more fr-iction and therefore keep your fingers from slipping as easy.

another good thing to do is to thread two small zip-ties through the tubing, or one larger, more durable one because I've had the smallest of ties break after frequent use.

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g252/rcfreak090/DSC06392.jpg
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g252/rcfreak090/DSC06396.jpg

[badassrevo]

If your tired of loosing your fuel bottle then attach a bicycle water bottle cage to the side of your pit box. it will always be with you and you can carry all of you stuff much easier.

[duratraxxman]

Ok if you're in need of testing you're feul system. take an aquarium air pump and attach it to youre feul system then submerge the part of the feul system you are testing in water.

-blake

[Demon-TC3]

One problem with Skimming your Electric motor comm is that when you lose the material fromt he comm, it heats up faster, so, only skim the comm from top to just a little after where the brush makes contact, this means that there is still allot of copper there (not making contact with the brushes) and will be an excellent internal heat sink.

[JeffEmbracedDC]

Tip: If you have trigger slop when in neutral position, this can make your throttle/braking in racing really sketchy. Here's one fix:

http://rc.jeffjassky.com/images/RCCA/IMG_4295.jpg
http://rc.jeffjassky.com/images/RCCA/IMG_4300.jpg

A small piece of flexible plastic tube found at your local hardware store sold by the foot.

There are other ways of doing this. For instance, wrapping with electrical tape of cloth tape. However, those look messy in my opinion.

Hope this helps someone.

-Jeff

[Demon-TC3]

:eek:

GIVE THAT MAN SOME STICKERS! - No more complaining "my finger slipped"!

Hehe, nice...

[zueslilbuddy]

Ok this is for the Drifters
Instead of using silly puddy, play dough, or glue to lock you're diff use 3 short pieces of a soft compound fuel tubing.
Cut them just long enough so when put in the diff that they just touch the small diff gears and reassemble it.
It will lock the rear and is way easier to undo than the other options if you want to go back to using you're car as a touring car.


Works for TT-01 and others with simalar type diffs.

[LD3Furious]

When piecing together your air filter assembly ( nitro vehicles, naturally ) , use some heavy grease on the top and base of the foam. This will seal them to the plastic and help to prevent air and dirt from entering the carb this way. Moto Xers have been doing this for years....time for us RCers to as well :)
Thx for the stickers RCCA :)
I also like how the letter stated which issue the tip would be in.

[stanmondz]

i watched a guy at a local track help out a new guy and his boy get through the day they had a new rc10GT nitro and the fuel filter and pick up tube in the tank came off
the fix. he slightly enlarged the fuel outlet hole enough to push a small peice of antanna tube in the hole,dont bottom it out(give it a little CA) and just put the fuel line back on. the truck held up for the rest of the day

[Straick]

My little trick to cleaning a com without a lathe is to take a Dremel with the large felt polishing wheel and the finest polishing compound I can get. I just polish the comm with the compound. When you are done, wipe off the residue with a clean rag. Then take a ballpoint pen and run it through the gaps between the contacts on the comm(prevent snagging of new brushes).

Figured this one out before I learned about comm sticks. I still use it whenever I take apart a can in prep to replace the brushes(clean out the whole thing).

[JeffEmbracedDC]

My little trick to cleaning a com without a lathe is to take a Dremel with the large felt polishing wheel and the finest polishing compound I can get. I just polish the comm with the compound. When you are done, wipe off the residue with a clean rag. Then take a ballpoint pen and run it through the gaps between the contacts on the comm(prevent snagging of new brushes).

Figured this one out before I learned about comm sticks. I still use it whenever I take apart a can in prep to replace the brushes(clean out the whole thing).


Here's another great way to clean a motor commutator

Rub the commutator down with a pencil eraser. It polishes the dirtiest comm almost like new. Since the eraser is so soft it won't remove any of the comm material and will retain shape so break-in is even faster. Afterwards brush off the comm and spray it down with motor cleaner

The pencil eraser works great to clean brushes as well without changing the shape of them.

http://images.inmagine.com/img/photodisc/pdgp035/pdGP035005.jpg

Erasers are less than $1 each and it will last you for years. Fits in your pit bag even better than a dremel and will do a job 99% as good. Give it a shot!

-Jeff

[ritz59]

Ever have a hard time picking up those tiny body clips or diff balls???

Take a flat head screwdriver, put a small dab of grease on the end and bam, you've got a tool that can pick up those tiny pieces with ease.


Thanks,
Jordan

[davec-nitro-rs4]

[QUOTE=JeffEmbracedDC;2262120]Tip: If you have trigger slop when in neutral position, this can make your throttle/braking in racing really sketchy. Here's one fix:

http://rc.jeffjassky.com/images/RCCA/IMG_4295.jpg
http://rc.jeffjassky.com/images/RCCA/IMG_4300.jpg

A small piece of flexible plastic tube found at your local hardware store sold by the foot.

There are other ways of doing this. For instance, wrapping with electrical tape of cloth tape. However, those look messy in my opinion.

Hope this helps someone.

-Jeff[/QUOTE

Jeff, on a similar thought...for stock radios without EPA's, you can use a little tubing on the backside of the trigger to give less than full-pull throttle operation. I use this when giving a first timer a try driving my trucks. I also use it when my leadfoot teenager drives on the racetrack..he still won't uses brakes, but thinks "more throttle" will solve any problem. Removeing the tubing is quick and you'll never forget to reset the throttle EPA to full travel for when you need it again.

[racerrandy]

Never clean the diffs from your 8th scale in a cup that is similar to the one your drinking pepsi out of!

Yup, I did it, and was sick for a week!


Later,Randy

[Bobdude]

wow all this stuf does help :D:D thanks guys

[Demon-TC3]

Just as a side note, the reason you Lateh a comm is not just to get it shiney and remove burn marks (although it does help a fair bit) the reason you lathe is to get it round so the brushes dont bounce arround :P

But, before i had a lathe i used very fine steel wool which works damn well too.

[rampbrian]

keep it clean tip.

when packing up your off road rc kit, toss in a couple of clean rags, and a tub of gojo ( waterless hand cleaner ) commonly used by garages and car fix it shops. it requires no water to clean oils, dirt, and grime off your hands. that way you can clean your self up before attempting to drive your real car home covered in grime and staning your car interior.

if you take your rc places in your real car, put some extra ( un used ) garbage bags in a storage compartment. that way if you run your rc thru some mud ( or dog poop ) you can put the whole rc viechle in the garbage bag so it will not muck up your cars interior.

finaly my favorite rc tool is ...
a dremel tool.
there are unlimited uses for it. from customizing parts, to sheding weight, the dremel tool is a must have for a serious rc enthuseast.

[Figit090]

keep it clean tip.


if you take your rc places in your real car, put some extra ( un used ) garbage bags in a storage compartment. that way if you run your rc thru some mud ( or dog poop ) you can put the whole rc viechle in the garbage bag so it will not muck up your cars interior.


WARNING
good stuff but i see a major issue i have to post about in light of just reading about it in another forum. good tip for keeping stuff clean, but BAD way of doing it!!!!!

why? you might literally TRASH your RC! I am NOT kidding here there was a user on those boards who threw away his 430 somthing dollar savage after doing just what you suggested. picked up the garbage bag and by the time he realized where his truck went it was too late.

see the thread! its actually kinda funny - http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_6599347/tm.htm
most likely will never happen unless someone you know grabs the bag and tosses it without looking at it...

[Demon-TC3]

ROFL im sorry but didnt he even notice a Savage shaped bulge comin out the bag???

[Karadjas]

Yeah, one person's, well, not-smartness doesn't make this a bad tip.

[Figit090]

yeah it was pretty dumb. i partially posted since it was so funny...heh, not that i think everyone will throw away their trucks.

i never said it was a bad tip. and i could possibly see it happening to someone in a hurry or maybe a famly member who doesnt think to look at the bag as they pick it up to throw it in the trash...

[rampbrian]

if I run my rc thru dog poop you had better believe its goin in the plastic bag before im gona toss it in the back of my corvette.

maby you could keep a roll of masking tape with the bags, and mark it " THIS IS NOT TRASH. do not throw away"

hahaha, I cant believe that guy threw away his savage. lol

[ironoutlaw]

that is very funny and sad at the same time

[Demon-TC3]

Here is a method of being able to quickly change shock mount positions on most cars, instead of tightening the screw threw one side of the shock and tightening the shock bushing and nut on the other (and hence, needing to unscrew shock bushing and nut) every time you need to change mounting positions, screw the shock bushing (which is already within the shock cap) directly onto the screw, pass the screw through the shock mount and secure it with the nut – this way, when you want to move the shock mounting position, all you need to undo is the one nut!


Take care all,
Demon
P.S sorry for bad pic


http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/5233/pittipnt2.jpg

[zueslilbuddy]

New variation of the Body Pull

Ok after loosing 1000,000 body pins I came up with a new idea.

build your pin pull as you usually would but make it longer.
after you have put on the fuel line, drill a very small hole in your body and slip the rest of the wire tie through the small hole in the body then put on the backer wire tie and snug it up.
Will end up with your body pins attached to your body and wont lose them again.

Dont know if anybody has done this before and a quick search of the threads didnt turn up anything.

Hope it helps a few of you guys out to stop loosing pins.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/zues_lil_buddy/IMG_1816.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/zues_lil_buddy/IMG_1815.jpg

[zueslilbuddy]

Little after thought.
On thinner lexan bodies I would suggest a washer od some scrap lexan as a backer before putting on the backer wire tie so the wire tie is less likely to pull through the body.

[zueslilbuddy]

Ok I did a little tutorial for ya man no problem.
I just cut one off and redid it lol.

Whats needed for this mod.
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/zues_lil_buddy/Forum%20stuff/IMG_1834.jpg

Take wire tie #1 loop it around the body pin.
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/zues_lil_buddy/Forum%20stuff/IMG_1835.jpg

Pull it tight.
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/zues_lil_buddy/Forum%20stuff/IMG_1836.jpg

slide on a section of fuel line.
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/zues_lil_buddy/Forum%20stuff/IMG_1837.jpg

Slide wire tie #1 through very small hole in body the wire tie will fit through. (make thie hole near where body mount hole is)
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/zues_lil_buddy/Forum%20stuff/IMG_1838.jpg

Put small washer or scr@p lexan on wire tie #1 on inside of body and put wire tie #2 on wire tie #1 on inside of body.
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/zues_lil_buddy/Forum%20stuff/IMG_1839.jpg

Push on wire tie #2 untill snug.
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/zues_lil_buddy/Forum%20stuff/IMG_1841.jpg

Trim off excess on wire tie #1 and #2
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/zues_lil_buddy/Forum%20stuff/IMG_1842.jpg

Your done.
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/zues_lil_buddy/Forum%20stuff/IMG_1844.jpg

[Mister 4x4]

ROFL im sorry but didnt he even notice a Savage shaped bulge comin out the bag???

Maybe we could use those 'clear' trash bags as opposed to the black/brown ones? I think it would be worth any cost differential in the long run to not make that kind of mistake.


I don't know if this is an old tip or not - I've been out of the game since about '99.

Here's one for the Touring Car guys (all 27 of us that are left): Don't like the high price of belted tires? Get some cheaper non-belted tires. Cut some duct tape strips to approximately 1/16" narrower than the flat part of the 'tread.' Before mounting, turn them inside-out and mount the duct tape strip right down the middle of the 'bulge.' Make sure you smooth out any wrinkles and keep the strip as straight as possible. Cut the strip so that it meets up with the other end of itself - do not overlap, it can throw the tire out of balance. Turn the tires right-side-out, and smooth out the duct tape before stuffing the foam and mounting. Mount up as usual.

Duct tape has fibers in it that act the same way as the 'belting' molded into the more expensive tires.

[wvrednek]

ooo good one^^

[rcfreak7]

if you are racing you should always put your body clips facing backwards see pic like the top clip this way if the clips get hit the movement will push them back and not off

[wvrednek]

^^ works on the front but i have had the rear ones knocked out from getting nailed in the ass by a lead finger? :D:mad:

[rcfreak7]

^ lol but you have a point!!!

[Demon-TC3]

allot of cars nowadays have the body clips perpendicular to the direction of travel...i.e rotated 90 degrees from that in pic. that does help allot, but still no guarantee. was looking arround the net a while back and found a company selling "locking" body clips which apparently need to be twisted and removed - looked interesting.


take care,
Demon

[wvrednek]

yea tower hobbies has those^, they are made by one of the teams...

[rcfreak7]

rccaraction liked it:cool:

[TonyStewart1]

OK,This is for foam tires, like dirt oval tires, asphalt tires, or carpet foams.
A couple of heats before you race, clean your foam tires with GOOP (brand) hand cleaner, apply generously let it soak into the foam, and just before you race wipe it all off with a clean rag.
The GOOP will soak into the foam and clean out all the dirt, also it conditions the foam and keeps it super soft.
The tire will remain very consistent, and clean, it works better than any tire treatment product out there, and you can get a 4 1/2 oz bucket for 3 to 5 bucks at Harbor Freight Tools.
Make sure the cleaner does not have pumice or lotion in it.
Original Formula
http://www.goophandcleaner.com/original_v2.htm

[rcfreak7]

we use sunscreen for our tires

[timie1]

Here's a tip if you only have a normal RPM camber guage, but you also have a monster truck or truggy or 1/8 vehicle.

The top photo shows the problem, the vertical part of the gauge being too small to contact the tire or even rim of the wheel. Measurement is impossible to accurately check camber.

My solution is to stick a ruler on the guage using blue-tack (or any other form of temporary adhesive like clear tape) as shown in the second photo. Blue tack is excellent because it sticks really well and the ruler doesn't wobble. It is also easy to get the ruler into place perfectly along the vertical.

[chevy camaro]

Free xtal holder take the foam tray that hamburger meat comes on cut 2 peices the same size as the compartment your going to use then stack them on top of each other . Slide x tals prongs in. Another thing take magic markers and color code the foam to the band of the xtal.

[chevy camaro]

Solder helping hands take a 2x4 block of wood 16 inches of 3/32 copper tubing and gator clips . Cut the copper tubing into 8 inch pieces then screw them to the block of wood then slide the gator clips on the end of the tubing. Tack the gator clips in place with silver solder. It doubles as a car stand in case you are installing deans conn.on the battery leads to the esc . Or to hold a shock to rebuild. There are endless uses for this rig

[chevy camaro]

When painting your body wear rubber gloves. I got tired of getting colored fingers. Nail polish remover works well to strip it off and for stripping anadized aluminum too.

[George Gonzalez]

Thanks for the awesome tips!

TonyStewart1 & timie1. I plan to use your tips in my column. Please email your address to georgeg@airage.com so I can send you some swag. Thankks again and keep those tips comming.

[wvrednek]

ok heres one i picked up in the pits at a world of outlaws sprint car race, put an old used o-ring on your shock shaft outside of the shock. before each race push the o-ring up to the top of the shaft next to the shock cylinder. by doing this you will be able to see how far your suspension went down, if the o-ring is on the bottom of the shaft after the race, then your suspension is bottoming out and you need a thicker oil in your shock...

this is especially helpfull for offroaders but i dont see why it wouldnt work onroad...

[Six Nine Six]

dunno if its been said or if this is common sense, dont flame me lol

if youre making stencils out of masking tape/hobby tape to put onto your shell while you spray. to have them 100% symetrical, layer 2 layers of masking tape onto each other and then cut out your template. you can then pull apart the 2 sheets of masking tape for your 2 stencils.

if youre making very small stencils, use multiple layers of masking tape, so instead of trying to pull apart 2 layers of masking tape which will be difficult, you can split 3 or 4 layers which is alot easier to get your nail or knife under.

[ritz59]

Dont want to spend 20 dollars on a set of 4 or 6 markers from proline or other manufacturers. Pick up a box of clay pigions. They come in colors such as bright orange and bright yellow. Thes can be used to mark the trail for rock crawling, or the corners for a neighbor touring car track. The bright colors make them easy to see. Also a set of 90 will run you about 15 bucks.

What a deal!!!!!!!!!!!

[garchpaul]

Do you break off your antenna when you roll over your car/truck/truggy right at the body hole...Slide a Piece of Fuel tubing down the Antenna to act as a bushing. Leave it 1/2" below and 1/2" above the body and color coordinate it with your body color...

[wvrednek]

when running in gravel (i know you probably shouldn't but anyway) cut out a circle of poster board to fit inside the wheel to cover up the ribs on the inside of the wheel

i cant tell you how many times i have lost races in the gravel parking lots due to a small stone lodged inbetween the ribs of the wheel and a a-arm or a hub carrier

p.s. if you want to get fancy, you can laminate it or cover it in clear tape

[garchpaul]

Do you go through alot of shock oil and hate the small bottles? Save your bathroom liquid hand soap dispensers and fill them with shock oil. It has a convenient pump that will allow you to fill up the shock with no mess...

[Thai]

Hope it's not already been said...

To prevent your engine dying when you've flipped upside down (and not close to you), install either a heli header tank (with a weighted fuel line tip) after your main tank, or run some extra length fuel line to buy yourself that much more time to recover the truck before it starves of fuel (and could also save you a glow plug). I've got the heli header tank on mine. It works great and also a great reserve for when you periodically forget to check your fuel level.

Another bonus with the heli header tank with weighted fuel line tip is that it will never pick up any air bubbles or foam from harsh vibrations because the weighted tip forces fuel to be picked up at the bottom. Whether the truck is upside down or rightside up.

Concept:
http://www.lferc.com/Tips/headertank.jpg

Working on my TNX 5.2R (dated photos, lots of upgrades since :P ):
http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q124/Thai_M/Tamiya_TNX_52R/IMG_0129.jpg
http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q124/Thai_M/Tamiya_TNX_52R/IMG_0133.jpg

Here's another example, look closely you can see inside the tank is a hose with a stainless steel weighted pickup tip.
http://www.modelhelicopters.co.uk/acatalog/K&S610.jpg

[marzac2]

Yaa, the weighted tip idea has been incorporated in to the LOSI 8ight buggy/truggy fuel tank designs. Works great!

[cuzican]

I don't know if this has been mentioned before I'm too lazy to read all the tips to find out. I was just moving some r/c stuff around today since I bought a new work station/toolbox and the wife has been complaining about my r/c stuff all over the house. I was cussing because some of my stuff was all dusty....or had been leaked on by some after-run-oil. We were out of paper towels so looking around the house...I grabbed some baby wipes since they were close.

Baby wipes work awesome for cleaning up your R/C stuff....they do leave some spots behind so they aren't the greatest for bodies...but tools and other parts and stuff are way easy to clean with them. They are cheap, and you can easily toss a package in your r/c toolbox.

[BaronVonGareth]

Run a 4wd and bust a rear outdrive cup? I did. FWD monster trucks don't move very well. Take your front diff and put it in the rear. Put rear in front. Remove shaft going from trans to front diff. You should now have a floppy axle in the front. Three zip ties will locate this axle and not bind up. Just thread one on from the bottom control arm, making it as close to a 180º bend at the axle as you can. Then, loop two more loosely, from the top arm, one on each side of the first zip tie. You will now be able to enjoy your truck while you buy new outdrive cups! If you smoke the zip-ties down, you'll bind up the suspension. They need to be loose enough to allow the suspension to cycle entirely, yet tight enough to control the axle. Best place for them is about halfway up the axle.

I had to use this trick on my CEN MT2, btw. Works excellently. My ziptied axle actually spins freer than the other one that's still in the non-powered front diff. Also, I lucked out. All four outdrive cups are identical, so I only swapped the cups. If yours are, that's much easier. I didn't have to split my diff cases to do this.

[BaronVonGareth]

I've got another tip for ya, one that comes from the way far away land of overclockers.


If your engine has a two-piece cylinder head, that is, the actual head is seperate from the fins, you can make more efficient use of your fins by applying some thermal paste, which is normally used between a computer CPU and it's heatsink, to aid in thermal transfer between the two. This can allow you to use smaller holes in your bodies, for improved aerodynamics, or allow you to run just a smidge leaner for that extra bit of power, without overheating your engine. Artic Silver 5 is reccomended as it's safe to use up to 180ºC, much hotter than our little engines can run at. Just don't use so much that it's allowed to ooze down the sides and into the combustion chamber in any way, or it WILL sandpaper the hell out of your piston and sleeve. One-piece heads cannot benefit from this as they don't have that joint, and under NO circumstances do you want any paste getting into the engine at all. The stuff works by closing off air gaps between the heatsink fins and head button, allowing more efficient heat transfer between the two parts.

AS5 can be purchased online at many places that sell individual computer parts, newegg.com reccomended, and at any local computer store. Some Best Buy/Cricuit Cities might have it too, so don't be afraid to ask.

[traxxas-dude]

I've got another tip for ya, one that comes from the way far away land of overclockers.


If your engine has a two-piece cylinder head, that is, the actual head is seperate from the fins, you can make more efficient use of your fins by applying some thermal paste, which is normally used between a computer CPU and it's heatsink, to aid in thermal transfer between the two. This can allow you to use smaller holes in your bodies, for improved aerodynamics, or allow you to run just a smidge leaner for that extra bit of power, without overheating your engine. Artic Silver 5 is reccomended as it's safe to use up to 180ºC, much hotter than our little engines can run at. Just don't use so much that it's allowed to ooze down the sides and into the combustion chamber in any way, or it WILL sandpaper the hell out of your piston and sleeve. One-piece heads cannot benefit from this as they don't have that joint, and under NO circumstances do you want any paste getting into the engine at all. The stuff works by closing off air gaps between the heatsink fins and head button, allowing more efficient heat transfer between the two parts.

AS5 can be purchased online at many places that sell individual computer parts, newegg.com reccomended, and at any local computer store. Some Best Buy/Cricuit Cities might have it too, so don't be afraid to ask.

I've never thought of that...I'm an overclocker and I must say AS5 works very well. Its great stuff, but kinda pricey. As they say, you get what you pay for.

[BaronVonGareth]

I've never thought of that...I'm an overclocker and I must say AS5 works very well. Its great stuff, but kinda pricey. As they say, you get what you pay for.


Someone on OCN bought a Savage XL, and was paranoid about it overheating, so he came up with the idea. I just crossposted it :P Apparently, the K5.9 has a two-piece cylinder head...I didn't know that, but then, it doesn't surprize me either as HPI has always had two-piece heads in their inventory.


Edit: Reason AS5 was chosen is not because of it's thermal conductivity. Shin Etsu is just as good, sometimes better. IT was chosen because it won't break down due to the massive heat loads our engines put out compared to even superclocked quad cores. It's peak is well over 400F, and can run continuously at 320F or so, which is above the safe limit our engines can run at.

[dont slow down]

This just might be one of those tips that you probably could have thought of yourself but its so simple you just dont bother. Many pinion gears do not have the tooth number stamped on them. I would always resort to counting the teeth but usually ended up counting two or three times because I forgot which tooth I started at. So if you carry a sharpie in your pit box then try this. Put a small mark on one tooth so you know where to stop counting. So simple but you only have to count once.

[BaronVonGareth]

Got an engine that just won't start no matter what? Here's a quick and easy way to rule in/out a worn Piston/Sleeve without a teardown.


Reset carb to breakin specs, then install a fresh glow plug. Prime the engine and prepare to start it, but stop just short of attaching glow starter and cranking. Set the piston to BDC, then take a can of canned air, turn it upside down and give the cylinder head, but not the block, a quick second-or-two burst. Quickly install the glow ignitor and try to start. If the engine fires right up, chances are your P/S is very worn.


This works because the head cools the sleeve off considerably more than it does the piston, which is maintained at a higher temp by the rod and crank, as well as distance from the head itself. The sleeve will then contract slightly, increasing the compression and allowing an engine start. If the engine stalls out shortly, the sleeve is so fried that it is needing replacement bad, if it will stay running you can continue to milk that sleeve for every CC of fuel it will take. :D I realised this will work by playing with an old P/S out of my CEN NT16. Sticking the sleeve in the freezer while the piston sits ontop of my CRT causes a much better seal between the two, then when their temps equalize, the seal goes back to crap.

[30percent]

A vacuum chamber to pull the air out of the shock oil after you pour it in the shock body.

Parts
12-24 volt Vacuum pump
12volt battery
Stiff Air Line
Stiff Container with air tight lid
wiring, connectors, etc


http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p176/OGlonniesexton/Vaccum%20Shocks/1.jpg
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p176/OGlonniesexton/Vaccum%20Shocks/2.jpg
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p176/OGlonniesexton/Vaccum%20Shocks/3.jpg
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p176/OGlonniesexton/Vaccum%20Shocks/5.jpg
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p176/OGlonniesexton/Vaccum%20Shocks/6.jpg

Results in perfect air free oil in seconds
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p176/OGlonniesexton/Vaccum%20Shocks/7.jpg

Finished Prototype. Glass Jar, Large Project box used in place of plastic container.
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p176/OGlonniesexton/Vaccum%20Shocks/8.jpg

[davec-nitro-rs4]

Painter Pit Tip

Much of what a painter does uses liquid masking film or masking tape, so the stock window masks that come in the body bag often go unused.

I save these sheets and put them to work for small detail masks, like stars or other small shapes. They are easier to cut with scissors and then place in the body.

[dont slow down]

Dont have a place to mount your antenna? Need a mount you can put anywhere? I used a Traxxas rod end and modified it to hold an antenna. It is a regular size rod end, not the Revo size.


Drill an angled hole in the side of the rod end. Make sure you drill into the opening where the rod is usually threaded in.

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee105/swashbuckler1998/100_0561.jpg


Remove the "ball" from the end. Use a washer and screw to mount the rod end where you want it. Thread your antenna in and slide the antenna tube over it and down into the rod end. The rod end should hold the antenna tube nice and snug.

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee105/swashbuckler1998/100_0562.jpg

[Chickenthief]

I dont like them. Yanking the wires to get them apart i just plain wrong, so i made this:

A clothes¨peg and 2 small pieces of pianowire, thats it!
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm153/Chickenthief/DSCN2004.jpg
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm153/Chickenthief/DSCN2006.jpg
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm153/Chickenthief/DSCN2008.jpg

[BigBlock61]

Painter Pit Tip

Much of what a painter does uses liquid masking film or masking tape, so the stock window masks that come in the body bag often go unused.

I save these sheets and put them to work for small detail masks, like stars or other small shapes. They are easier to cut with scissors and then place in the body.

I've always thought of doing that because I've got a ton of those masks. Good tip, thanks.

[rcfreak7]

chances are you have some old tires lying around to get a little more life out of them you can remove them from the rim and flip them inside out

"new" tire on the left old worn out tire on the right


http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk154/rcfreak7/wentzfamilyroomtrim024.jpg

[davec-nitro-rs4]

Hope it's not already been said...

To prevent your engine dying when you've flipped upside down (and not close to you), install either a heli header tank (with a weighted fuel line tip) after your main tank, or run some extra length fuel line to buy yourself that much more time to recover the truck before it starves of fuel (and could also save you a glow plug). I've got the heli header tank on mine. It works great and also a great reserve for when you periodically forget to check your fuel level.

Another bonus with the heli header tank with weighted fuel line tip is that it will never pick up any air bubbles or foam from harsh vibrations because the weighted tip forces fuel to be picked up at the bottom. Whether the truck is upside down or rightside up.

Concept:
http://www.lferc.com/Tips/headertank.jpg

Working on my TNX 5.2R (dated photos, lots of upgrades since :P ):
http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q124/Thai_M/Tamiya_TNX_52R/IMG_0129.jpg
http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q124/Thai_M/Tamiya_TNX_52R/IMG_0133.jpg

Here's another example, look closely you can see inside the tank is a hose with a stainless steel weighted pickup tip.
http://www.modelhelicopters.co.uk/acatalog/K&S610.jpg


Standard on the Hot Bodies D8.
I think they owe you a buggy kit for the idea!

[FESTER2004]

heres a tip,i dont if its been used before.

when installing the antenna threw the antenna tube,do this take a a piece of thread and loop it threw a decent size sewing needle that will pass threw the antenna tube.now gently tie a knot around the antenna wire you plan to pass threw the tube.now drop the needle threw the anteena tube using gravity to your advantage,now when the sewing needle comes out the bottom,gently pull your antenna wire threw!you should be good to go in under a minute with this trick.no more sore fingers from trying to slide it threw!

[zueslilbuddy]

Dont have a place to mount your antenna? Need a mount you can put anywhere? I used a Traxxas rod end and modified it to hold an antenna. It is a regular size rod end, not the Revo size.


Drill an angled hole in the side of the rod end. Make sure you drill into the opening where the rod is usually threaded in.

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee105/swashbuckler1998/100_0561.jpg


Remove the "ball" from the end. Use a washer and screw to mount the rod end where you want it. Thread your antenna in and slide the antenna tube over it and down into the rod end. The rod end should hold the antenna tube nice and snug.

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee105/swashbuckler1998/100_0562.jpg

Thats a great Idea THANKS

[zueslilbuddy]

I don't know if this one has been posted before.

Kinda 2 tips in one.
When putting on window masks when painting a body they don't always like to conform to where they need to go.
Pull out you're trusty hair dryer and heat the mask up in place, it will soften it up and then will conform to most any contours.
This also works great for stickers that need to go in rounded or oddly shaped areas and makes stickers stay in place quite well.