Im done screwing around..need axle and wheel help!

[92hatchattack]

Ok guys. I'm tired of just being decent at this. I need serious help to get my sons car running faster for next years derby. Heres a little backround to let you know where I am right now.

Our pack is not super competitive like some other packs. Last year we took 1st in den and 3rd in pack. This year we dominated our Den and posted the fastest times on the track all day... but between our den races and the finals something happened to the car and the car ran really really slow and didnt even place in the finals. This was heartbreaking as no racer all day had even come close to our slowest times of the morning.

Anyway. Next year i need to perfect this so that even if the car has a speed meltdown in the finals it is still faster than the rest.

Here's yesterdays setup. 5.0oz. COG around 3/4" in from of rear axle. Stock axle slots with no predrilling. Graphite rubbed onto car body where bore could touch body. Horibly filed and polished axles, stock unmodified bsa wheels, and no alignment tool used.

I think my downfall is really in the axles. I turned them in a drill with a seemingly wobly chuck. I used a file to debur the rasied parts on the shaft and head. Problem is this thing came out really really out of round. I mean I can feel it with just my fingers. From using too large a file to debur the head i put that thing way out of round too. Then they were simply just highly polished on a machine at work we use for polishing watches. I think this may be one of my weakest links at this point. How can i precision turn my axles to get them perfectly round, shaft and head, without spending $1000 on a lathe setup? What else can I do to them to make them better?

And as for the wheels, will truing, working the hub, and polishing the bore really make a big difference? Is it one of those minor things that people use to go just a tiny bit faster, or is it really a big deal? Once again, do i need a $1000 lathe setup to make the wheels right, or do these inexpensive hand lathes from Derby Worx really work well? www.derbyworx.com/products/tools/pro-wheel-shaver/

As you can tell, even though weve been wining our den races the last two years I am a serious newbie to this. Please guide me to a place where we can start to dominate our pack. Good enough is no longer good enough!

Thanks everyone!

---Joe

[mike68]

there is a tool out there for truing your axles:
www.maximum-velocity.com/pro-axle.htm

I think the consensus on here is to remove burrs, do some light sanding followed by polish. Too much sanding is not good.

I think polishing the wheel bores does make a difference.

Mike

[92hatchattack]

Thanks. Do people turn their axles on a lathe, and can axles be made perfectly round on a lathe without removing too much material which would cause slop between the wheel and the bore? Are perfectly round axles a big advantage?

I was kinda hoping that there would be a simple hand tool like there is for the wheels to get the axle in perfect round. But it doesnt look like that.

Well, maybe im buying a lathe... LOL

[*5 J's*]

Jan 27, 2013 15:28:09 GMT -6 92hatchattack said:

Thanks. Do people turn their axles on a lathe, and can axles be made perfectly round on a lathe without removing too much material which would cause slop between the wheel and the bore? Are perfectly round axles a big advantage?

I was kinda hoping that there would be a simple hand tool like there is for the wheels to get the axle in perfect round. But it doesnt look like that.

Well, maybe im buying a lathe... LOL

The bore should be as round as possible - but the axle doesn't need to be. Remember the wheel only rides on the bottom of the axle. The BSA axle out of the box is an oval shape. In my opinion, if you try to make it round, you are going to reduce the diameter too much.

Our process is to use mark the wide axis (this should be the axis with the flashing under the head and 180 degrees out from the crimp marks on the shaft). Next we use a small file to remove the flashing under the head of the axle, and the crimp marks on the shaft. Now starting at 400 grit and moving up - polish the axle. Careful not to use the coarser grits too long. The goal is to remove the scratches from the previous process (filing or sanding) - but minimize any reduction of the diameter.

There are two school of thoughts on which way to orient the axle when you install it in the car - we choose to orient the wide axis horizontally. To me this provides the widest journal section for the wheel - however - this is the same surface that had the axle crimps in it - so care must be taken when filing off the axle crimps.

[3171scott]

The more prep you put in to the wheels and axels the better, no if's and's or butts!!!!!!

[92hatchattack]

Hmm, i didnt know there was a propper orientation to insert the axles. Im guessing the worst thing to do is instal them not knowing and have them pointed in all different directions?

[PinewoodPerformance]

There are lots of little things you can do that all add up to better performance but alignment should always be the final touch.

I would really like to see a little more focus on building it "Right" with all of the "Official" parts. Maybe we can start a thread on this, there are a lot of really experienced builders with a lot of knowledge here.

[92hatchattack]

^^^ I would like this. Its easy to go online and purchase pre worked axles and wheels but I feel like that is cheating. We want to work with the original BSA parts that come in the box. Thats the way it should be.

[obsessedderbydad]

I believe axles and wheels are the second most important thing besides weight. I don't get into the rail riding va whatever, because I saw a car get first in districts and his car was all over the place. I used my Dremel to polish my axles and remove blemishes. On a lower gear I used a 120 grit sand paper and lightly sanded off any surface blemishes. I then used 200, 400, 600 and 800 grit paper to begin polishing the axle. I then applied some metal polishing agent on a cloth and applied it to the axle. Afterwards, I took a clean piece of cloth to buff the excess off and cleaned the axle with alcohol. I polished the bore, hub and everything else inside the hub with plastic polishing compound. I also polished the inner wheel incase the wheel rubs the track.

This was my first year, so I'm no pro, but we took 2nd in our den and 1st in our pack with a track record time coming on our 2nd to last run of the day. Hope this helps some. I can take pictures of tell you the tools and products I used if you like.

[john]

Mar 11, 2013 17:27:15 GMT -6 obsessedderbydad said:

I believe axles and wheels are the second most important thing besides weight. I don't get into the rail riding va whatever, because I saw a car get first in districts and his car was all over the place. I used my Dremel to polish my axles and remove blemishes. On a lower gear I used a 120 grit sand paper and lightly sanded off any surface blemishes. I then used 200, 400, 600 and 800 grit paper to begin polishing the axle. I then applied some metal polishing agent on a cloth and applied it to the axle. Afterwards, I took a clean piece of cloth to buff the excess off and cleaned the axle with alcohol. I polished the bore, hub and everything else inside the hub with plastic polishing compound. I also polished the inner wheel incase the wheel rubs the track.

This was my first year, so I'm no pro, but we took 2nd in our den and 1st in our pack with a track record time coming on our 2nd to last run of the day. Hope this helps some. I can take pictures of tell you the tools and products I used if you like.