CLEAN YOUR CAR HOW TO Everyone likes a clean ride WORDS TOM EP TING
Everyone likes a clean RC car ... especially a shiny, new, freshly built one; but not every- one can a;ord a new car all the time, and who wants a shelf queen? Every RC car that gets used gets dirty—and if you’re like me, that’s just not going to work. You’re going to need to clean that car and make it look as good as possible and keep it handling at the
top of its game. Plain and simple, a clean car just works better. It’s definitely a mechanical issue,
but maybe it’s a little of a mental boost too. Either way, if a clean ride is a necessity for you like it
is for me, then read on and I’ll show you some quick tips to keep your vehicle in top-notch form.
CLEAN SHOES
To get started, I take out the battery and remove the wheels.
How you clean the wheels depends on how dirty they are. If
they are caked with lots of moist dirt, use a dry scrub brush.
Try to scrub o; as much of the dirt as possible before washing. After that, use a tire tub with a mixture of Simple Green
and water to clean the tires. Try not to submerge them in
the water, as this will prematurely wear out the foam that’s
in the tire. Immediately after I wash each rim and tire, I dry
them with a rag and set them to the side.
REMOVE THE ELECTRONICS
;e next step is getting the chassis completely stripped down. ;is is good practice to
use if you are really going to get the car clean. On 1/8-scale cars, this is usually a little
easier because all of the electronics come o; on a one-piece tray with screws, then
remove the engine and fuel tank. In an electric car, the majority of your radio gear a
secured with double-sided tape, so you need to remove the component and the tape.
Next, remove the motor and steering servo. Once these items are removed, give them
a quick cleaning with a toothbrush and glass cleaner by spraying the toothbrush so
you don’t soak the electronics. After I clean those parts, I like to hit them again the
same way, but with Pledge, to keep everything nice and shiny.
