Pit tips

Radio Control Car Action, Sep 2003

HINTS, TRICKS, TIPS AND IDEAS FROM READERS LIKE YOU

EASY DE-CHROME

If you want your tires to stick securely to chrome rims, you must thoroughly remove the rims' shiny surfaces (unless you have the latest Pro-Line chrome rims). Use an eye dropper or a rolled scrap of Lexan to funnel a little lacquer thinner around the rim. This will soften the chrome plating enough for you to wipe it away. Be sure to work in a well-ventilated area.

Hadley Jr. High School RC Club

Wheaton, IL

STICKY SITUATION

Liquid mask that has been spread too thinly can be difficult to peel off an RC car body. Don't try to scrape it off; when the paint is dry, apply overlapping layers of masking tape to the thin sections. The liquid mask will lift off when you remove the tape.

Chris Gable

Lancaster, PA

SUPERIOR SHAKEUP

Improperly mixed paint may leave streaks on your RC body, and it can also adhere poorly. Add a few large, clean diff balls to your paint jars so the paint will mix more thoroughly when you shake it up.

Harry Gee

Queensland, Australia

PIN THOSE POWERPOLES

Instead of gluing powerpole connectors together with CA, just use a roll pin to prevent the halves from sliding apart. You'll be able to easily separate the halves for individual replacement, and it's just one less thing to superglue your fingers to.

Peter Sout

Cranston, RI

TETHER YOUR TEMP GUN

Pick up one of those recoil-type key-chain tethers and attach it to the loop on your gun. The gun will retract out of the way when it isn't being used, and you won't leave it on the pit table by mistake.

Tony Caruso

St. Louis, MO

E-CLIP REPLACEMENT

Losing an E-clip-and subsequently, your hinge pin-will surely take you out of a race. If you want to switch to something more secure, try automotive snap rings. It will mean investing in special pliers, but it may also mean the difference between ending up on the podium or back in the pits.

Glenn Hart

Pleasant View, UT

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE

If you use water-based paint in your airbrush, keep one of those sport bottles of water (the ones with the flip-up straws) at your workbench. Modify the straw to fit inside the bottle inlet, and you'll never have to get up for wate again. [email]

Ben Broderick

ANODIZING IN A CAN

If you like the looks but not the prices of anodized-aluminum wheels, spray your chromed-plastic wheels with Tamiya's clear red or blue paint. The paints are translucent, so they let the chrome's natural shine through and look as exotic as those big-dollar wheels. [email]

Chad Harper

TIRE TAMER

Chevron-pattern tires provide great traction on softer terrain but can be rough handling on harder surfaces. With a hobby knife, make a series of small slits in the treads; this permits the treads to give a little, and you'll have excellent traction, regardless of the terrain.

Frank Porter

Dover, DE