Glueing down weight in modified cars
It's been a great year of racing and I've seen hundreds of cars come through here. I've noticed on many occasions weight has come loose in cars during shipping. I think in most cases either glue or tape was used. I would highly recommend against this. I understand it makes it easier to remove weight from the car but it's also not very reliable when the car is in a box flying around the country.
In all the tournaments I've raced in I've never had weight come loose using JB Weld. The draw back is it is tough to remove the weight afterwards. Mattman213 recommended a product called E6000 and I've been using that ever since. It's strong enough to hold the weight down but it becomes this sort of flexible rubbery material that allows for easier removal of weight. If you're having this issue with loose weight give it a try. I have never tried it on axels or for holding down a chassis to a body. I would stick to JB Weld for that but maybe someone else has a different experience that they could share here.
Discussion
I use E6000 or ShoeGoo (same stuff) to glue mine down without fail including both my KotM entries and the red stretched Jag ProAm entry and we all know those saw plenty of over the top torture. I also used to JB weld my stuff down but now use the rubberized products and wont go back. I have to work to get the weights back free but can do so if a car is a dud or I decide to retire it. Pry it from the chassis then pick at it a little and the rubberized glue peels and pulls completely off the weight its great!
I would NOT recommend using it to set axles tho, JB all the way there.
Matt
If you've raced one of my cars, then that's what was being used in it. E6000 has been used on every car I have sent out, from axles to fixed weights to gluing the body in place. It's strong, yet flexible, and can be easily cut with a sharp blade if needed. The Pro-Am Lethal Diesel was put together using E6000, and you all saw what kind of torture those cars went through.
As for doing the axles, a nice glop right in the middle where the original clamps were seems to work just fine for keeping the axles in place. As long as none drips outside of the base of the car, you're good to go.
How long does it take to dry/cure?
- 24-72 hours — BlueLineRacing
- 24 hours seems to be plenty of time to secure weight. Had I been using it on axels I’d probably wait the whole 72 — BlueLineRacing
- Ouch! I may have to rethink this. I'm not that patient... :D — TexTenn_Racing
- You’re good to go at 24-48. Just work on another car while the first one is curing. What I usually do is get the car running good first, then set the wheels on the alignment rack (I put a rubber band around the base of the car and the rack to make sure it stays there), then take the body of the car and do my painting. By the time the car body is done, the glued axles have been curing for a couple of days, so now it’s time for final assembly. — SpyDude
- E6000 and ShoeGoo is good after about 5-10 minutes — Mattman213
Good idea! If it's just like that ShoeGoo, then it is rubber cement. At least that's what it smells like. Reminds me of back in the day when that was more readily used.
No matter what you use to affix the weight to the chassis, try wrapping your weight in plastic wrap or masking tape and you never have to worry about anything sticking to your weight.
I use the original JB Weld on weight, axles, and sealing the car shut. 5020 PSI.... Nothing comes apart.
I've used E6000 for years, but haven't used on die-cast yet. It's magic in a tube. For diecast, I secure weight with Milliput. Dries rock solid and can be sanded,formed and is paintable. It acts like mortar, fill in the little nooks and crannys of the base. I also sometimes drop Tungsten chips into the setting milliput and gently press them in to set. Never had them come loose.