Car First Aid Kit

[gpraceman]

I put together a Car First Aid Kit, as I call it, many years ago. It has come in handy so many times in trying to get cars to cross the finish line. I keep it handy as we are testing cars down the track, before racing begins. Any car that doesn't finish or has a lot of trouble finishing will get a tune up. Of course, during the race, if any car is having problems, it will get a tune up as well. Kids enjoy the race far more when their car can at least cross the finish line.



Here's what's in my kit:

Axle Extraction Pliers - https://www.maximum-velocity.com/produc ... on-pliers/
This tool is so handy when dealing with axles and wheels. You can grab just the head of the axle and make adjustments as needed.
+ Axle sticking out too much - Grab the head of the axle and twist it back and forth while pushing it into the car body.
+ Axle pushed in too far - Grab the axle head and twist it back and forth while gently pulling on it.
+ Wheel or axle swap out - Makes it easy to swap out a bad wheel or bent axle.

Pin Vise - https://www.maximum-velocity.com/product/pin-vise/
#44 Drill Bit (BSA axles) - https://www.maximum-velocity.com/produc ... drill-bit/
3/32" Drill Bit (Awana axles) - In most any SAE drill bit set
This is basically just a compact manual drill. Twist the pen vise shaft to drill a hole. This used along with an appropriate sized drill bit for the axle being used, can make mounting a wheel easier.
+ Axle can't be pushed in - Pull the axle and use the pin vise to drill the hole deeper. Can even be used to get axles into tight slots.
+ Bad hole position - Some people can be in a rush and willy nilly slap the wheels on the car, without consideration as to the proper position. I've seen axles that are too high on the car body or are at extreme angles to the body.

Graphite Bottle with Needle Applicator - https://www.maximum-velocity.com/produc ... -graphite/
I am always amazed at how many cars that I see checked in that have not been lubed at all. Sometimes all it takes to get the car to finish is to apply some graphite to the axles and spin the wheels to work it in. The needle applicator makes it much easier to get the graphite into the wheel bore than the tubes do. If the tip clogs, just tap the bottom of the bottle against a table.

Utility Knife - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003UHUZ3M
Good for trimming off excess hot glue or for the Awana cars that you see skipping down the track (wheel nubs not trimmed off).

Small Flat/Phillips Screw Driver - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002PIBWJI
Some commercial weights come with tiny screws to secure them. Having a flat head and a phillips head on the same screwdriver adds to the flexibility. This is also good for prying off stuff.

Storage Case - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HW8ENDM/
Of course, you need something to store all of these items in. Something small and holds the tools well.

Patch - https://www.etsy.com/search?explicit=1&q=custom+patches
Have a custom patch made up, with your organization's name or something like "Car First Aid Kit". You can fit up to a 2" x 3" patch on the front of the case. Sew some velcro hook material onto the back of the patch. The case comes with the loop material on the front.

[Darin McGrew]

I am always amazed at how many cars that I see checked in that have not been lubed at all.

Ditto. We had our lube station just outside the room where we checked in cars, and the crew checking in cars tried to verify that everyone had lubed their wheels and axles. Still, we occasionally had cars that didn't cross the finish line because they hadn't been lubed. (We provided Krytox 100 rather than graphite, but the idea is the same.)

The only other thing we used regularly to repair cars on race day was gel-style CA glue. That usually allowed us to repair broken cars, whether the wood structure had broken, or decorations had fallen off.

Occasionally I would use one of the tools on my Leatherman Micra to fix something else, but most of the time, lube or CA glue got the job done.

[FatSebastian]

We maintain an old Plano tackle box that keeps most of our derby construction equipment and supplies together, including lubricants, weights, adhesives, pin gauges, drill bits, specialized derby tools, a small electronic scale, etc., etc. But it has several drawer-like compartments that slide out; these are actually self-contained small-parts organizers. The organizers are intended for fishing tackle, but we keep some tools in one, weights in another, spare car parts in another, and so on.

Your First Aid Kit looks a lot like the contents of one organizer , but we inefficiently lug the entire tackle box to the build days and race events. Perhaps we should rearrange the contents and dedicate a removable compartment as a first-aid station...

[Eagle]

You have not seen a kit unless you have seen Greg Dawes set up.

[FatSebastian]

You have not seen a kit unless you have seen Greg Dawes set up.

Perhaps xanthrum can post about it...

[Eagle]

Perhaps.
You have an idea on bringing him out of retirement?