First time taking a car apart
Okay, I was going to title the subject; How do I fix my wiener? But MamaGnome said "you can't say that!". :-)
I have a Street Weiner that I am modifying for an upcoming race, and when I opened it up, I can see the bent axle clear as day.
As this is my first time ever taking a car apart, I was not ready for what I ran into. I have read that I would drill a small diameter hole, then hollow the top with a bigger drill to clear the plastic off, and then you would just pop off the car into pieces. When I did this with the wieiner, it was Hollow, so didn't understand why I didn't hit some form of metal or interior hardness. This has me now trying to figure out how to fill the cylinder hole so that when I try to screw the two main components back together, there is something to tighten onto. Another issue to deal with and I learn as I proceed forward.
I tried spinning the wheels, and when I spin 1 wheel, connected to the axle and with the other side of the axle and it's wheel, my wheel will spin. But the other side might only spin for a little, and it stops on that side, wihle the one I spun by hand might still spin a couple of more revolutions. How is this possible?
In my head, I was thinking it was some kind of positraction assembly that if one side is moving, the other side is also moving at the same speed. However, it seems like the wheels have their own spin on their side of the axle? But that can't be right that they both roll independantly as then you would not need a full axle across attached to each other, just an axle with wheel centered and aligned would all that would be required. That don't make sense either because the axle must serve a purpose and that is to move both wheels at the same time, but why do they spin independately? I don't think I am dense, but am trying to figure it out in my head. Is there an article/video explaining how that works/happens? Or is it some simple explanation that can be told here in a reply?
My next step is to actually cut the axle 'holder' clip that holds the axle in place so that I can get the axle out with the wheels attached. I will try to straighten the axle out a bit as much as I can, then put it back in the exact same spot I took out of, and use some JB Weld to attach the axle to where it came from. Noting that once I use the JB Weld, the axle is stationary, whereas right now before I clip that holder, the axle is free to spin it's current format. Which leads back to the axle is will be frozen in one position, and the wheels will be rolling on their own. Is there some kind of connection between the wheel and it's axle that allows it to roll while the axle stays put? Has to be right?
As you can see, I am confused. If I go and polish the axle, and then turn around and secure the axle in place where it can't turn, how do the wheels turn? Why polish the axle if it doesn't move?
Okay, as you know, I am new, and this is the first car I took apart. I did decide to get my other car for another race coming up and see how it goes. I was able to drill a small 1/16" hole, then use a 9/64" drill bit and remove the plastic 'pin' type of material; and the car came apart as it should. This time, I can see the metal material inside the car that could be tapped out and a screw can go in for putting it back together. I happy for that and realized that maybe some cars will just have a simple piece of hollow plastic holding their bodies together.
Here are the two cars I took apart, and a picture of my bent axle that I will try to straighten up using a vise and some pliers.
Discussion
it looks like you drillled to far into the post. Easiest is use another weiner, being as ya need wheels, too.
if not, then fill the posts with JB and drill them out for screws.
this is why I often start with 2 cars. if I don't need the 2nd car into the stockpile it goes
but 3 different times, the emergency car saved my bacon when I messed something up.
nice to solve the "glue disaster" with the trashcan vs trying to clean it up
dr
As far as to your question about the wheels spinning independently from the axle, some Makers of castings like Johnny lightning Or M2 or some other of the more show models do have fixed wheels on the axles so that both wheels spin at the same time whereas with most hot wheels and matchbox cars the wheels can spin independent from the axle. Cars with wheels on fixed axles generally don't do as well on drag strips or road courses and are more for show and will many times have defects that will cause them to run horribly. Gluing the axle in place In effect gives the car a stiffer suspension whereas leaving the axle loose or free to move up and down a little bit gives it a looser or softer suspension. There are various forum articles on doing suspensions for vehicles On the site here.
When doing wheel and axle swaps I tried to damage as little of the center clips as possible so that the axle is still held in place somewhat. The interior of the car will usually have little notches that sit on top of the axle keeping it in place from above.
Okay, when I clipped out the little clip by itself on one side of the axle; left the other two clips in place; the front wheels came right off.
Well Son of Gun! Eureka Moment!
Now that I have an axle in my hand physically, it all makes sense. I can look at pictures, watch some videos, touch the car and spin the wheels myself; but until you see how that axle comes out and how it all works, I just didn't know. Rookie type experience I suppose. :-)
I am arranging to go get some donor cars this weekend from a friend in town. So I will continue onward.
BTW, for the weiner car, I did not drill too far, it actually is hollow in there. But the jb-weld looks to be a good substitute for material when I put it back together.
Thank you to all for helping me over this little hiccup.
- Go to a second hand store or a garage sale or what have you and buy a handful of wrecked cars. Practice drilling and taping those first, get your eye in so you don't ruin a car you intend to race and have to search for another or use a different one altogether. I drill through the centre hole of the rivet with a 1.6mm drill and use anything from a 3.5mm to 5mm to destroy the head of the rivet. I've seen guys doing the head of the rivet with a Dremel as well. — Chipped_Paint_Racing
For the cars with plastic bodies, I use a T-bar with a drill bit chucked in it. That way I can just go slow by hand, and not overdrill (which has happened before).Then when I pop the body off, I just clean up the posts with an xacto knife, and the car is ready to go back together again.
Since it's a plastic body, I run a line of E6000 down either door panel on the inside, and press the car back together. After wrapping a rubber band around the car, I let it sit overnight to fully cure and dry. Good thing is, I want to pull the car apart, I just run a knife blade between the chassis and the body, cut the glue, the body pops right off. Haven't had a car blow apart on me yet in the six years I been racing.
- I do the same but with clear nail polish. Holds tight but easy to seperate with a knife. — JBlotner42
Don't bother straightening an axle. Just replace it. It's not worth the effort to straighten it...it won't end up that way no matter what. Swapping out matching axles/wheels from a donor car is the easiest way to get started.
Cutting those axle clips on the wiener will need your Dremel since that base is metal, just be careful with that.
Take the donor axles/wheels and JB Weld those onto the metal wiener chassis in the same spot where you clipped them. And then the wheels will just spin on those like normal around the axle. Don't glue your wheels to the axle!
Doing a straight axle/wheel swap is the best thing to do with your first builds. Maybe just polish the donor axles before you glue them on the wiener.
Here's a post with some videos that could help: www.redlinederby.com/topic/modding-basics-videos/3583
I mean, you're half way there, dude! Just take out the axles/wheels on both cars, throw away the wiener's and then put the donor car in the same spot, glue it...put it all back together.