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by FatSebastian
Wed Mar 06, 2024 4:22 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Cutting the DFW notch?
Replies: 19
Views: 616

Re: Cutting the DFW notch?

FatSebastian wrote: Wed Mar 06, 2024 3:50 pm
  1. Notch out the DFW hub recess by ~1/16", and then make separate notches for tread clearances (so three notches)
Here is a stand-alone illustration of the three-notch approach courtesy of Doc Jobe:

https://twitpic.com/bze4ui
by FatSebastian
Wed Mar 06, 2024 3:54 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Cutting the DFW notch?
Replies: 19
Views: 616

Re: Cutting the DFW notch?

Vitamin K wrote: Wed Mar 06, 2024 3:47 pmMy little 1x30 HF belt sander makes it pretty easy...
I don't have one of those myself, but I thought that this subject could be a good application for one. If only it was a 1.18+ x 30 belt sander! :lol:
by FatSebastian
Wed Mar 06, 2024 3:50 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Cutting the DFW notch?
Replies: 19
Views: 616

Re: Cutting the DFW notch?

I think "You'd need a notch for the wheel edge as it spins to ensure clearance, but also a notch for the hub to be closer to the center of the body". Yes, there are two generic approaches: Notch out the DFW hub recess by ~1/16", and then make separate notches for tread clearances (so...
by FatSebastian
Wed Mar 06, 2024 1:54 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Cutting the DFW notch?
Replies: 19
Views: 616

Re: Cutting the DFW notch?

I still kind of tend to want to bring the DFW side in a 1/16", though I haven't really done extensive comparison testing to see if it makes much of a difference. I guess I just feel better about the car when we do. The need, and depth, of an inset can be argued via geometrical consideration fo...
by FatSebastian
Wed Mar 06, 2024 11:22 am
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Cutting the DFW notch?
Replies: 19
Views: 616

Re: Cutting the DFW notch?

...we've started putting a lot more camber on our DFW axles, and I think that keeps the edge of the [trailing rear] wheel further from the body. Ah. So, the more extreme positive camber of the DFW obviates the need to add a recess / cut-in behind the DFW. Makes sense, although TurboDerby's ebook (p...
by FatSebastian
Tue Mar 05, 2024 6:47 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Finalizing my car - 3 questions for the PWD masters
Replies: 20
Views: 648

Re: Finalizing my car - 3 questions for the PWD masters

...how do you personally like to precision tune your rear wheels ...? ...we like an adaption of Sporty's rather straightforward "no front wheels" alignment method ... using a thumbtack to elevate the front of the body into its racing configuration. I see that during our extended derby hia...
by FatSebastian
Tue Mar 05, 2024 6:30 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Tips and tricks for storing sized axles
Replies: 2
Views: 66350

Re: Tips and tricks for storing sized axles

This is how I like to store my different sized axles and keep them all together... Corrugated cardboard is how we always stored our numbered drill bits, and pin gages, for PWD purposes. But it never occurred to me to collect axles this way too. IIRC it requires a thinner-than-usual corrugated cardb...
by FatSebastian
Tue Mar 05, 2024 5:31 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Cutting the DFW notch?
Replies: 19
Views: 616

Cutting the DFW notch?

I am curious how others cut the notch / recess / inset into the body to accommodate the offset of the dominant front wheel (DFW). In our racing heydays we pretty much just shaved off the entire body by ~1/16" from the front until just past the back of the wheel ( here's a body so cut from Vitam...
by FatSebastian
Tue Mar 05, 2024 1:48 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Finalizing my car - 3 questions for the PWD masters
Replies: 20
Views: 648

Re: Finalizing my car - 3 questions for the PWD masters

Hyperfocus wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2024 1:29 pmlooked to be about 0.9 oz at the DFW, with the 3/4" COG.
:thumbup:
by FatSebastian
Tue Mar 05, 2024 1:05 pm
Forum: General Car/Truck Racer Topics
Topic: Post-Race Feedback, please!
Replies: 13
Views: 445

Re: Post-Race Feedback, please!

Your car has a flaw that went unnoticed (like a wheel binding or rubbing)... A few more thoughts... Did you narrow the block or sand the sides down at all in your design? If your block isn't a full 1.75" wide where the nails insert, then the wheels can drag against the rail. I've seen this hap...
by FatSebastian
Mon Mar 04, 2024 2:16 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Finalizing my car - 3 questions for the PWD masters
Replies: 20
Views: 648

Re: Finalizing my car - 3 questions for the PWD masters

...how do you personally like to precision tune your rear wheels (given the axles are bent with 3 degrees camber, not drilled into the block at 3 degrees)? We first ensure that the rear wheels migrate out while the car is rolling frontward and backward, after which we like an adaption of Sporty's r...
by FatSebastian
Mon Mar 04, 2024 2:03 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Finalizing my car - 3 questions for the PWD masters
Replies: 20
Views: 648

Re: Finalizing my car - 3 questions for the PWD masters

Would it matter if the weight is embedded center of the car, or closer to the side of the DFW? Considering that the car is supported by three wheels, putting trim weight close to the DFW also puts a wee bit more on both the DFW and the rear wheel behind the DFW, and a wee bit less on the opposite r...
by FatSebastian
Mon Mar 04, 2024 10:15 am
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Finalizing my car - 3 questions for the PWD masters
Replies: 20
Views: 648

Re: Finalizing my car - 3 questions for the PWD masters

You've done your homework, and gotten an excellent response from VK (as usual), and good info over in the wheel wax thread. I'll only add a couple of thoughts... Still deciding between a 3, 2.5 or 1.5 degree camber on the rear axles. One of the under-advertised benefits of camber is that it lifts th...
by FatSebastian
Sat Mar 02, 2024 9:00 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Paint compatibility! Duplicolor + Water based Acrylic
Replies: 17
Views: 671

Re: Paint compatibility! Duplicolor + Water based Acrylic

:goodjob: Tons of work that shows - and paid off! Impressive all around. The reflections painted into the Pontiac windows are an especially nice touch.
by FatSebastian
Fri Mar 01, 2024 6:50 pm
Forum: General Topics
Topic: In Memoriam: Dr. John D. Jobe
Replies: 6
Views: 8553

Re: In Memoriam: Dr. John D. Jobe

I wish I would have picked up one of his books. It appears that reprints of The Physics of the Pinewood Derby are now available via Amazon at a price that is significantly discounted from the $100 price Jobe charged . Please report back if you get a copy; it would be great to affirm that the "...