…like depression and Paxil!
And if you didn’t like that rhyme, you come up with a word that rhymes with “axle.”
Of course its no surprise that fitting custom wheels to a slot car also requires custom axles. The front axles of the Auto World chassis are a straight pin that cannot be reused with either the Vincent or the Road Race Replicas wheels.
I have found 2 solutions for this:
The best solution by far is once again courtesy of Road Race Replicas, who sell shortened axles specifically designed for T-Jets. They are high quality and affordable, and have the perfect amount of slack from side to side for almost all wheels one would want to fit. I highly recommend these.
Another option which I have also used extensively is to simply shorten the ends of the AW splined rear axles by nipping about 3/16” off each end and then grinding down the rough cut edge with a stone attached to my Dremel tool. This is easy to do in part because the AW axles are made of soft material…something I’ve seen several people complain about! This is a slightly less elegant solution, but it works fine for those times when you don’t have those nice shortened axles. Bear in mind that for this method you will need 2 rear axles, to use 1 each for the rear and front.
Occasionally I have found that a long wheelbase Ultra-G chassis has a front axle that rubs against either the front screw post of the body, or, more often, the shim I’ve installed on the front screw post of the body.
In addition to grinding one side of the shim, I have also had some success grinding down the center of the axle by using my Dremel with a grinding stone on a low RPM setting. Installing the axle in the chassis with the wheels on the ends, turn the axle slowly using your thumb on one of the wheels while grinding the center of it with the Dremel until the center has been reduced in size. Yes, this will weaken the axle, but its not like the front axle of a Thunderjet is bearing a lot of load; as long as you don’t grind almost all the way through it, it should hold.
One tool I have found indispensable for the procedure of removing wheels is my BSRT wheel puller. I bought this on ebay when I was first starting out, having no idea where to find them and thus I wound up in a bidding war and paid an outrageous price for it. Even so, it has likely saved me a great deal of effort and heartache by making wheel removal damage-free. However, note that there is also a companion wheel installer, and while this is great for certain kinds of wheels, these are not to be used on the types of wheels I am focusing on in this blog! A wheel installer produces far too much pressure for the wheels I use on my cars, and would definitely damage them. These wheels have to be put on the old fashioned way: by hand. Better toughen up your thumbs!
And if you were wondering where all those stock wheels I’m removing from all my chassis go:
If anyone is interested in over 100 sets of unused Auto World T-Jet Ultra G front and rear wheels and tires, I can make you a great deal!