Shaving the DFW side

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*5 J's*
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Shaving the DFW side

Post by *5 J's* »

I read in another post the shaving 1/8" off the DFW side is too much. This all depends on the build and alignment of the car - but in general if you use an aggressive positive cant on the DFW 1/16" is a good starting place, however if you don't put that much positive cant on the DFW then you may need to shave 1/8" off the DFW side. It also depends on whether or not you shave anything off the inner hub on the DFW.

What you want is for the bottom inner edge of the DFW to be half the width of the center rail from the center of the car. So if you have a 1 5/8" rail you would want the inner edge of the DFW 13/16" from the center of the car.

So if you have enough positive cant and/or have shaved the inner hub to place the bottom inner edge of the wheel directly under the body - then 1/16" off the DFW side works perfectly. However if you have less positive cant such that the bottom inner edge of the wheel is further out then the body then you will need to take more then 1/16" off the DFW side. For example if you had nearly zero positive cant then you would need to take the full 1/8" off the DFW side.

The goal is to get keep the rears equidistant off the rail. If you have a test track or at least a curve you can check this by placing the car just slightly up the curve and releasing it and see where the rear wheels end up in relation to the rail - again - goal is to have them equidistant from the rail.

I think most people are between 1/16" and 1/8" - but think about it before you sand the DFW side - if you plan on little or no positive cant use 1/8" - if you plan on canting 3 degrees or more use 1/16" - if you are using an angle of 1.5 degrees, maybe 3/32" is ideal.
gowings23
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Re: Shaving the DFW side

Post by gowings23 »

What is the best way to shave the DFW side? Is it just a notch that goes back just behind the front wheel, or is it on an angle from the front of the car to the rear?
*5 J's*
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Re: Shaving the DFW side

Post by *5 J's* »

gowings23 wrote:What is the best way to shave the DFW side? Is it just a notch that goes back just behind the front wheel, or is it on an angle from the front of the car to the rear?
Your preference - I square it off until 1/2" behind the axle hole - then taper it to 1/2" in front of the rear axle. But again, that is just personsal preference. A notch will work just as fine.
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FatSebastian
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Re: Shaving the DFW side

Post by FatSebastian »

*5 J's* wrote:
gowings23 wrote:What is the best way to shave the DFW side?
Your preference...
I agree with *5 J's*. Your approach may depend on how obvious you want the notch to appear.
rpcarpe
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Re: Shaving the DFW side

Post by rpcarpe »

In our workshop, the 'shave' looks more like the Cub just sanded that side too much.
Very UNobvious, but effective.
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j.m.
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Re: Shaving the DFW side

Post by j.m. »

Just have to be carefull. Our rules give a minimum distance between wheels, and it gets pretty tight if you shave 1/8th or more. I used to actually add 1/16" to the rears and then shave 1/16th to the front DW side and blend. Then get the kid involved and have him sand and finish prepping the body. It gets pretty hard to tell after he gets done sanding the edges and what not.
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Scrollsawer
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Re: Shaving the DFW side

Post by Scrollsawer »

We shave 1/16th off of the DFW side, and it is not really noticeable when the car is finished/painted. Etc.

Scrollsawer
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