Here is part II:

Wheel to Body - I would start by squaring the inside of the wheel hub. For the pwd car body, I still like having a very smooth bare wood contact area. Sand the entire side of the pine block down to at least 600 grit as the first step. Then take some small circles of paper (the size of the wheel bore) and stick them to pieces of tape. Place these over the axle holes so that the paper is covering the wheel hub contact area and the tape is holding the paper circles in place. This allows you to paint the pwd car without allowing paint to get in the wheel hub to body contact area.

o Wheel to track contact - I would first select wheels with the best mold numbers as mentioned before. If possible, select a full matching set (4) of mold numbers or at least matching pairs for the front and back.

· Round smooth wheels – again, make your best selection from the available mold numbers. If you are allowed, true the wheels up in all dimensions by use of the Pro Wheel Shaver or other means. If you use a drill or drill press, use one with minimal run out (shaft wobble) or you may do more harm than good. Do not polish the wheel tread if you are running on an aluminum track as the small lines that run around the circumference of the wheel engage with the small lines from the aluminum extrusion process and help your pwd car run straighter down the track (sort of like a slot car). If you run on a wooden track, there may be some benefit in polishing the wheels as the wood grain may not run straight. If so, use a plastic safe polish to do so.

· Lift a front wheel – unless you are able to drill your own axle holes, it will be hard to build a pwd car where all four wheels contact the track at the same time. A car that is rear weighted will automatically lift one of the front wheels.

Hi,
Do we know you?
In any case, thanks for being so helpful in answering questions on the PINE-PRO Forum

Email  

Four years ago I was a new comer to the Pinewood Derby. This forum was very useful, and still is, to me and my sons in building fast racers. It's my pleasure to return the favor and be useful to others.
Best of Luck,
Yalda110