The 4-cell receiver battery-pack holders that often come with nitro kits work fine, but AA cells can pop out of the holder during hard running. If a cell pops loose, it can cause a loss of signal. To prevent this, wrap electrical tape around the battery pack. The tape will hold the pack securely in place even during the hardest driving, but it will still be easy to remove. Keith Quill Buffalo, NY
On most nitro vehicles, you have to reset the gear mesh whenever you reinstall the engine. If you thoroughly clean your vehicle after every day of running, you’ll have to set the gear mesh quite often. If you know your gear mesh is perfect, before you remove your engine, scratch lines on the bottom of the chassis plate to show exactly where the engine-mount screw heads are. Next, fill these scratch marks with a bright paint, and wipe off the excess. Now, you’ll be able to quickly reinstall your engine with confidence, knowing that your gear mesh will be perfect. Stephen Carter Kissimmee, FL
When running big breather holes in off-road tires or even small holes on touring-car tires, small rocks sometimes work their way into the rim and get trapped. To prevent this, glue a small piece of window-screen mesh over the opening. This will allow air to pass freely but will prevent debris from getting in and adding weight, or setting the wheel out of balance. Peter Bedford Fairfax, VA
Forgot your ride-height gauge? No problem; you can use the change in your pocket to adjust your touring car?s ride height. For asphalt, most racers set up their cars with a 5mm ride height. A stack of three quarters or four dimes equals 5mm. Set up the stack of coins, and lower or raise the ride height until the chassis just grazes the coins as it rolls over them.
Cut a slit in the bag that the diff balls came in, and then squeeze diff grease into the bag. Work the grease around the balls, and then remove them one at a time as you build your diff. The greased diff balls will stick to the tip of a hobby-knife blade, and installing them in the diff-gear holes will be much easier.
The Pro-Line Power Stroke shocks have rubber boots installed to keep the shock shafts and seals clean. Unfortunately, the boots are not secured to the rod ends on the By-Pass shocks because they do not use springs or retainers. Use a small zip-tie to secure the bottoms of the boots to the shock-shaft rod ends. The zip-tie will prevent the boot from slipping off the rod end.
Once washed thoroughly, the foam trays used for packaging meat work great for holding small parts when you work on your cars. They prevent the small parts from rolling around, and you can stick the screws into the foam to keep them in any order you want, so you’ll remember their installation order. Gary Nelson Chillicothe, OH