# HO drag racing wheelie bars



## Marty (Oct 20, 1999)

Just looking for ideas what other people use for wheelie bars on HO drag racing cars. I will be running mostly T-Jets and AFX cars. Nothing majorly modified.

Thanks,
Marty
Marysville, OH


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## A/FX Nut (May 28, 2004)

Craig makes them out of brass rod, strips and beads. They attach to the rear on the bottom of the chassis and held in place by the screw.

Randy.


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## kiwidave (Jul 20, 2009)

I've used paperclips and beads! Bonded into the body!


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## Marty (Oct 20, 1999)

A/FX Nut said:


> Craig makes them out of brass rod, strips and beads. They attach to the rear on the bottom of the chassis and held in place by the screw.
> 
> Randy.


Who is Craig? Got any pictures?

Marty
Marysville, OH


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## Marty (Oct 20, 1999)

kiwidave said:


> I've used paperclips and beads! Bonded into the body!


I always thought the wheelie bars on slot cars should be closer to the track unless you have a swinging pickup arm.

Marty
Marysville, OH


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Doesn't this stand a chance of shorting the track?


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## kiwidave (Jul 20, 2009)

Opps sorry was thinking custom cars not proper racing! Never had a problem Texas!


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

For tjets and AFX: T Jet I get a piece of solid brass 1.2 mm then just loop one end, cut them even. Get a hammer holding the 2 ends firmly smash the looped bent area flat to mount it under the rear mounting screw. Bend the 2 end upwards a bit so not to scratch the track.


AFX I drill 2 small holes under the rear along the chassis structure in back, bend the same brass and bend it the same way but don't flatten it out and wedge em in the 2 holes. Epoxy if you like, I don't. I can get pics tomorrow. The bent loop will ride on the slot.


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## buzzinhornet (Jan 20, 2000)

Marty said:


> Who is Craig? Got any pictures?
> 
> Marty
> Marysville, OH


I bought some from Craig back in '05? Here's his profile http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/member.php?u=16321 I'll post pics later if someone doesn't beat me to it.


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

*Function...or form and function...*

...are two very different things. 

Back in the stone age the really fast guys used a chunk of paperclip that was hooky bobbed around the rear screw. The rounded end dropped down into the slot. This was way lighter than brass contraptions, kept the pick ups planted, they were easily adjusted, helped keep squirrelier chassis going straight, but still allowed a little wiggle. The ancient slotters were resourceful and wise. You'll be hard pressed to find something that works better. They're just not very stylish!

Now-a-days I like a more representational unit. Brass is easily worked and soldered. Ideally using tube stock helps lighten the load, providing you learn to make good quick joints; so you dont load up the insides with excess solder. 










I like them tough as shown in one of my early robust versions. They have to be able to take a licken'. By using a pie cut, the basic frame still remains one piece.










Experience has shown that building the wheelie bar frame to snuggle into the chassis frame rails puts a box within a box which helps keep things strong. 










Note the drop angle. Although they look bitchen'; I'm not much on long bars that cantaliever way out back. If anything this defeats the purpose by adding excessive weight in a position that only aggrevates the teeter-totter conditon your trying to correct. A good solid acute triangle framework drops the needed support right down to the track. The right angle makes for a compact sturdy unit that will survive a cartwheel or barrel roll.










Rollers are made from the left over scraps when I de-hub and narrow AFX front rims. the beauty is that they are tough plastic so they wear well. The nifty bonus is that they insulate too! Kinked sewing pins make a good stub axle. A few thou clearence (height) above the rails is mandtory on the lower cross bar in order to avoid a dead short across the rails. Ideally 003" er 004" when the rollers are planted. 










Your bars should be built so that they have some adjustment, other wise they are strictly for show. To operate correctly the must work within whatever the travel window of your pick up shoe is. When the car lifts off the bar/roller should contact the track surface when one half of your pick up travel is used up. 

Too much bar will detrimentally affect the tractive effort of the rear tires...you'll see the tail float and move around like a stock t-jet on skinny tires. Too little adjustment and you'll start to lose current transfer at the pick ups or pop the slot.

So my bone head test for a beginning adjustment is that if I put my finger on the roller cross bar and bury them, thus lifting the front end; the front pick up hangers should be right around the middle of the hanger window. 

It's a fine line, but when you have them dialed in, they work great. :thumbsup:


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## buzzinhornet (Jan 20, 2000)

This will give you an idea what you can do with a little brass, solder and a few beads. (Sorry about the quality of pics)


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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

Bill Hall said:


>


Ooooh, Ahhhh! 

Got to admit that I've never really understood the appeal of drag racing, especially in HO where you don't have the smoke and the noise and the parachutes and the shift points - but this picture makes me want to give it a try. 

:thumbsup: Brass-tastic, Bill.

-- D


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

most of the H O drag racing groups that I have been involved with discourage additional guide pins and any device that acts like one. that said, I like the idea of using a wheelie bar that would fall into the slot. the easiest and most fundamental wheelie bar for t-jets is a used pickup shoe with the window widened slightly and sandwiched between the chassis and body on the rear body post by the rear body screw. it can easily be adjusted at the starting line and usually needs to be after each run. it serves the simple purpose of holding the pickup shoes on the rail during the crucial launch of the car. I've seen many designs that were genius and applaud all them. I like the KISS principle!


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## A/FX Nut (May 28, 2004)

Marty said:


> Who is Craig? Got any pictures?
> 
> Marty
> Marysville, OH


Craig is MTYODER or Monster Truck Yoder. I think you met him at the 2008 Autofest.



buzzinhornet said:


> This will give you an idea what you can do with a little brass, solder and a few beads. (Sorry about the quality of pics)


The wheelie bar in buzzinhornet's pic's looks like the ones Craig makes.

Randy.


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## buzzinhornet (Jan 20, 2000)

A/FX Nut said:


> The wheelie bar in buzzinhornet's pic's looks like the ones Craig makes. Randy.


Yes, I picked up about three pairs from Craig. The ones I have are vintage '05.


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