Winter Activity

[Goudar 526]

Hi there, I took some days-off at a ski resort next week and I would like to know if there is any recommandations. Thats a first adventure for me, seems I must avoid aeras that has been salted.

For cleaning job, no compressor at disposal only minimal stuff/tools. Just some clear water with a brush on every parts then WD40 on ball bearings ?

 

Cars with solid axle seems the way to go ? Less maintenance, easiest job with minimal stuff ?

I got a Blackfoot or my DT02 Memorial.

[alvinlwh 5895]

Isn't snow just frozen water, so there shouldn't be much to clean up other than drying off right? If you had not changed your screws and pin screws to stainless, will be wise to avoid salt. I once ran a car on standard pin screws at the beach and the rust was so bad that it got stuck in the hub taking a lot of effort to remove.

Personally, will not recommend WD40 on bearing as it is effectively a degreaser and can remove grease from them. However, no harm spray it over screws and other exposed metal bits. However for even better protection, some kind of thicker greasy spray will stay on longer.

[Mad Ax 9325]

Last week I took my crawlers to a local quarry, where it was really wet and muddy.  When I got home, I figured I'd hose them off with fresh water from the garden tap.  My theory was that fresh water would be worse for the metal parts than muddy water.  Now I'm not sure if that was a good idea, because my CFX-W in particular really suffered with rust around the bearings.  Part of the problem was that it was cold in the workshop, so the cars took two days to not dry until I decided to bring them into the house and put them near a radiator.  If I'd had more time I should have blown them off with compressed air.  I had to strip the CFX-W down at the weekend to clean the surface rust off the bearings and the exposed CV joints on the propshafts, then put some 3-in-1 oil on them.  The downside with something like 3-in-1 is it could capture dust next time I run and turn into a grinding paste, but the exposed steel needed something to coat it.

ACF-50 is a popular brand of anti-corrosion spray for motorcycles in the UK, but it's kinda sticky and gets everywhere, so I've never used it on an RC.

If you're staying in a room with private shower, you could always bring the cars in to wash them, then dry them thoroughly (bring your own towels, the hotel won't thank you for getting mud and grease on theirs).  Then just a little bit of Tamiya or other similar grease around the metal parts to keep the air off.

One thing to watch for on Tamiya vehicles are the long black steel screw pins that hold the suspension arms on.  Not sure if the Blackfoot has them but the DT-03 does, I'd guess the DT-02 does too.  They hold the suspension arms and hubs on.  If moisture gets into the holes, they can rust inside and seize up completely.  I've had to throw out some arms and hubs on an old M03 because I couldn't get them out even with a hammer and punch.  I've had suspension lock up solid in a race because the pins rusted.  After washing and surface-drying, take the pins out and give them a quick wipe with grease, then leave the arms and hubs to dry before you put them together again.  Or, just buy the stainless hop-ups with e-clips and enjoy that they don't unscrew themselves any more  

[markbt73 5316]

Of those two, I''d suggest the Blackfoot for snow driving. I used to run mine in the snow all the time as a kid, and it did surprisingly well. I'd imagine the DT02 is too low to be any good in the snow.

For after-run drying off, if the room you're staying in has a hair dryer, I'd use that. And do keep it out of the salt if you can. Plan on a teardown and clean when you get home, but the hair dryer should be OK for a day or two.

[Goudar 526]

Thanks for your help mates. I will pick my trusty Blackfoot, my brother got a Wild Willy, perfect for a fun session.

I may took some souvenir action shots

[Juggular 4964]

Salt isn't good for metal parts, obviously. It attracts water. 

I would be cautious with WD40.  Plastic parts can crack if they have long-term contact with WD40.  It can swell some rubber parts if exposed for a long time too. I've soaked tires for 1-3 days, and some tires only grew like 1mm while others got too big to fit on the wheels.  Different tires react differently to WD40.  But the point is that WD40 contains mineral oil and/or petroleum products.  If you get some splash it's no big deal, though.

If you have drying plastic or rubber, very thin film may help protect it. If you want to keep tires from cracking after 20 years, a yearly spray of WD40 may prevent cracks.  But long-soak isn't great on rubber or plastic parts. (like WD40 seeping into a screw hole and staying there for years.)

So, on rubber parts, small amount may help protect, a lot could swell/break them.  

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If you want to prevent rust, you can spray some matte clear on a paper cup, and brush bolt heads with it. Coating it fully would make bolts totally waterproof.  Screws on chassis stay put; you don't need to unscrew them for decades.  Screw holes on the chassis can also hold water for a long time.  So if you expect contacts with mud or snow, you can brush or spray this stuff on. (you can use gloss finish if you want) It can work like loctite at the same time. Just don't overdo it. Caked on paint doesn't make it easy to undo the bolts, should you need to unscrew.  

It can't be used on moving parts like dog bones, springs, A-arm pins, etc. (I suppose it can be used on the long body of the dog bones, but not on both ends). 

For those, I usually dab shock oil (silicone oil) on my fingers and rub onto the springs, A-arm pins and dog bone bodies.  My downstairs storage room seems to be the soggiest room in the house. Oiling them prevents rust. If you run it on dusty baseball fields, oily springs wouldn't be a terribly good idea. But if the car has been sitting for a year, the springs don't feel all that oily. 

After all that, running on snow isn't likely require a whole wash.  But if you do want to wash the entire chassis, water would be more likely to slide off too.  

 

[Dakratfink 967]

You already stated no access to an air compressor , but will your bathroom at the resort for a plug in hair dryer ? 

[Goudar 526]

@Dakratfink yep for sure. I would like to achive a first "safe" clean before coming back home few days later.

[alvinlwh 5895]

16 minutes ago, Juggular said:

 If you want to prevent rust, you can spray some matte clear on a paper cup, and brush bolt heads with it. 

Eh, why go through this trouble when you can just buy tins of clear and just brush on? 

[Wooders28 4723]

I tend to use GT85 (Aldi has them for £2 atm) ,over the full car, and find it a bit better than WD40 (not sure if it attacks plastics though?)

For driveshafts ,and bearings that are exposed,  I use the dry fluids extreme, dry lubricant ,not cheap at around £15, but you only need a dab.

If getting a car wet/dirty ,is something you think you'll be doing often, one of the Compucleaners work really well (but they're £60.....😳)

Depending on the snow depth, it's ground clearance you'll need, once the chassis is on the snow, unless you've paddle tyres, you ain't going anywhere, even on 3s my Bullhead struggled a bit..