Derby Talk

AXEL REMOVAL Use 50 lb test braided (superbraid not mono) fishing line doubled then fashion a slip-knot noose on one end with the other end fixed to a block or some other convenient lever (it will slice your hand if you try to hold it). Simply slip the noose around and under the nail head, tighten a...

Another important note: The probe of the dial indicator should move in a horizontal direction (perpendicular to the axis on which the nail rotates). Good point. 90 degrees gives the full dial indicator deflection which is what you are after. I find that a long needle style tip on my dial indicator ...

I don't know how others measure bend, but here's how I do it to get a fairly precise result. Unitl you've actually bent a few axles and reliably measured the angle you're just guessing. I believe most people would be surprised what a true 2.5, or 4 deg bent axle looks like. Personally, I don't like ...

Best congrats to you Priority et al. It was a pleasure to meet you. AK got top WEBELO but that had to do this year. I am proud that it was completely his car that raced and his 2.97 was certainly respectable, but he was dissapointed that his car ran a full 10th slower than the "old man's car&qu...

Nice post Stan. I would like to add, however, that one must be using two blocks with identical dimensions and that they should be verified flat and square on relevant sides. In my opinion, ensuring one has a flat, square block is an often overlooked early step that may result in headaches later. Hea...

BTW, to get optimal performance you actually want the DFW to have the opposite cant that you have. (Top out, bottom in) I must disagree with this advice as written. If you are talking about the dominant front steering wheel on a 3-wheeler, I strongly recommend negative camber versus positive camber...

On the empirical side of things, I wonder how different lubricants factor in? Particularly between dry and liquid lubes, I suspect there is an optimal range of "clearance" needed to get the best out of each type of lube. Without a track handy I cannot prove it, but I strongly suspect this ...

You might take a page out of the rc airplane builder's book and use monokote or similar film. Application is pretty easy once you see it done using a small heated iron. The heat triggers the glue on the film to stick to the wood. It is extremely light-weight and durable, very shiny and comes in a wi...