Prepare your axels! The race is won or lost with your axels. The nails used
for the axels must be as smooth as possible. The underside of the head of
the nail
where the wheel will touch it must also be smooth. Use a very small file to
remove large pieces from the stamping of the nail. Then use progressively
finer grit
sandpaper to polish the nail. Finally, when mounting the wheels to the body,
place them at a slight angle so the wheel will ride up to the head of the nail.
This will keep the wheel from rubbing against the body of the car.
Where is your weight? Place the lead weights as far to the rear of the car as
possible this will maximize the potential energy that is transferred to kinetic
energy as the car moves down the track.
Watch your weight! Add as much weight as possible but remain under the limit.
At the weigh-in, bring along a bottle of super-glue. Turn the car over and place
it on the scale. Add drops of super-glue to get the weight right up to the limit.