Chevy Stocker aka The Rumbler
The Chevy Stocker is a car that sometimes makes an appearance in the Fantasy League and this weekend it was racing down the hill and I was reminded that is a "rumbler" as it goes down the track. It registers EVERY bump in the road which typically makes it last in races. I checked out the car and realized there is zero give in the axles on that car. It's like the axles are welded to the chassis with no play to allow for transfer of energy whatsoever. Do all the Huffman cars behave like this or did I get a special edition?
Discussion
Brian, I think you've stumbled upon one of the characteristics I've been pondering as well....tight axles vs. loose axles. Cars w/tight axles tend to lose contact with the track surface while rolling over seams or during moments of weight tranfer(curves & transitions). On 'open track', these same cars are "twichy"...that is, they seem more prone to quick, lateral movements because they don't allow the body/chassis to 'sway'. I've actually seen 'tight axle' cars lift a wheel(ala:FWD autocrossers) while making subtle side-to-side manuevers on Fat Track. On the other hand, it is possible for axles to be mounted too loosely. You obviously don't want the axles to move far enough for the wheels to make contact w/the fenders...a common problem w/many of my "duds".
Yeah, man. That Stocker always has trouble staying on the track because it hits every joint and jumps. I remember reading somewhere about how the Huffman is a super-fast car so I was excited to get one but disappointed with its performance. So apparently I need to find another one with "normal" axles and see just how fast it really.
Thing is we kind of assume it's best to fix your axles - and it is because then they don't spin - but I guess you can't fix them too hard or all the way across otherwise you get too tight and problems ensue.
the reason that i j.b.weld the axles is so that i can align them... if they spin in the prongs you can't align them
Mine does not do that and is a beast on the track.
I know some people that consider this particular casting as one of the fastest Hot Wheels out there. So I think you got one of the rare ones that have the stiffest shocks possible.