Pit tips

HINTS, TRICKS, TIPS AND IDEAS FROM READERS LIKE YOU

DIRTY RECEPTION

You'd be surprised how much dirt can accumulate inside your receiver! To clean it out, gently pry open the snap-fit tabs that hold its case shut, or remove the screws that hold the case together (a no. 0 screwdriver is usually the correct size). Dump out the debris, spray off any dust with "canned air," then reassemble. To avoid future pile-ups of crud, cover any unused channel openings with electrical tape.

Jim Wright

Keene, NH

PIN PLIERS

It's easy to convert a pair of pliers into a roll-pin installation tool. Just chuck a cutoff wheel into your rotary tool, and cut a slot into one of the jaws of a pair of slip-joint pliers. When you squeeze the roll pin into the axle with the solid jaw, the slotted jaw allows the other end of the pin to pass through.

Bernie Cope

Lewiston, ID

TAPED TIRES

Wrap Scotch tape around the circumference of the tire to hold it firmly to the rim when gluing tires. It holds the tire to the rim even more securely than thick rubber bands, and you can peel it off and throw it away when the glue has cured. It's especially effective when you glue tires with firm foam inserts that want to push the tire away from the rim. Wrap the tape as tightly as you wish; it works on any size tire.

Jeff Pond

Norwalk, CT

SPILL STOPPER

To avoid fuel spills when you remove the carburetor or the entire engine for maintenance or chassis cleaning, connect the fuel line to the pressure inlet of the fuel tank. If you must have fuel in the tank, disconnect the pressure line from the muffler to the tank, then remove the fuel line from the carb and attach it to the fuel tank's pressure fitting. This traps all the fuel in the tank, and you'll be able to work on the engine/chassis without worrying about spills from an open fuel line.

David Turvey

Breckenridge, CO

SOAPY SPUR GEAR

Plain white soap makes a great pinion- and spur-gear lube; just swipe the soap bar across the gear teeth. It's dry, so it won't attract dirt or dust, and it won't be flung off the teeth as the gears spin.

Frank Goody

Cerritos, CA

CLOG STOPPER

Tire-glue bottles almost never clog as long as they are stored upright. Instead of laying glue bottles down in a drawer of your pit box, stand them up in the roomier top compartment. To prevent them from tipping over, glue dividers cut from sheet plastic into the toolbox to create close-fitting compartments.

Ben Frickman

Atlanta, GA

HEX HOLDER

If you have trouble preventing your Kyosho car's friction-fit drive washers from slipping, try putting a "star"-type lock washer under the axle nut. It will grab the plastic rim and help everything stay put.

Stan Harper

Paris, TX

SLIP 'N' SLIDE

If you have an antenna wire that simply won't slide into its tube, dab a light oil on the tip of the wire. It will get the wire through the tube, and it's easily wiped off when the job is finished.

Mike DelToro

Boone, KY

Copyright Air Age Publishing Oct 2003
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