Cleaning and Polishing your car/truck

[TacRacing]

I posted this on another forum as well as this one, and I wanted to share/learn from this forum as well.

I haven't seen a cleaning thread in a while, and if there is one at the bottom of this page, I am blind.

Here is what I do.. and my ideas... followed by some questions.

1. I read on here about the simple green on the tires... man, they look brand new. I used it full strength, but only because I didn't have a bottle to mix up some water with it. So added to my shopping list is a new squirt bottle.
Question here for those who do this.. Do you spray it on, scrub the dirt off, then rinse with water or let it dry with the simple green on them??

2. Denatured Alcohol... this eats away most of the dirt off of the engine, Aarms, and the hard to read places. I do avoid getting more than slight overspray near the electronics. Notice I said near... i know this stuff dries fast, but I don't want to buy new equipment if i don't have to.

3. WD-40. I like to spray some on a paper towel and wipe down the plastic after the denatured alcohol dries. The truck looks so weird after using the alcohol, and the wd-40 makes it look like new again!!
I heard that simple green does this as well... is this true?? I haven't tried it yet.

4. I usually use soap and water on the body, but I read on here one time that this is another good place to go with the simple green. Not sure, but I did read it.

5. Nitro wash/cleaner. Works great... costs too much. Don't use it. Like canned air. Hate it. Too much money.

6. paint brush... good for getting off loose dirt, dust, and sand. Use it all the time.

7. Toothbrush... use it with the alcohol and simple green. Necessity.


More questions...

Do you guys spray the denatured alcohol directly on the bearings and axels (at the hubs)??? What kind of oil should I use on the bearings and axels (again, at the hubs/bearings)??
the truck seems to drag sometimes, and I wonder if I am causing problems by not cleaning that area of the truck properly.



Cleaning warning..
I read that brake cleaner was a great cleaner... I do not recommend this.
I got some of it on a servo one time, and it didn't ruin it because it evaporated so fast, but it did bleach the black plastic.
I would stick with :

wd40
simple green
denatured alcohol
toothbrush
paintbrush
paper towels

Also... I really want to get an air compressor (small one) to blow dirt off the truck. This seems to be a great way to clean off a truck between real cleanings. Does anyone know where you can get one at a good price??

adrian

PS.. all comments, ideas, disagreements, suggestions are needed and wanted.
thanks

 

[FastEddy]

I made a tire washing tub.
Plastic bucket with a scrub brush glued handle down to the bottom of the tub.
Fill it up to the top of the brush with your favorite cleaner and there you go.
If you want to take it to the track just put a lid on it and off you go.

75% of my cleaning is done with air. the other 24% with DA and a tooth brush. 1% is done in my heated ultrasonic cleaner.

I dont like WD-40 as a finishing solution. I prefer a go-on-wet graphite spray. It make the parts smooth and dirt gets repelled rather then sticking. Hence 75% of my cleaning being done with compressed air.

Bearings are avoided when using chemicals and oiled with Banana lube. More often then not I pop them in the ultrasonic and re-oil them.

 

[TacRacing]

what is a heated ultrasonic cleaner??

and what is banana lube???

one more...

What is go-on-wet graphite spray??

sorry for the Q's, but this is why i posted!!!

thanks

 

[Tarant]

I use Simple Green a lot.
I take off all electroincs and sprey the whole thing down with SG then use a hose with a pressure nozzle and spray the whole thing down. I dont use WD40 to make my parts look new I use these other stuff I dont know what it is called I will have to find the can. It is a silicon lube that you can spray on things and it reppels dirt and grease it is about $3 for a 24oz can.

 

[TacRacing]

That sounds like a good idea.. I guess wd40 does attract dirt...

If you can find the name of that stuff you use, I would like to know.

adrian

 

[ImBroken]

and what is banana lube???

Oh no.... You didn't just go there.... lol :nono:

 

[FastEddy]

It is a silicon lube that you can spray on things and it reppels dirt and grease it is about $3 for a 24oz can.

I apologize for my mistake but I meant silicon not graphite.
Ill look for the name when I get home. Chances are we use the same stuff.

Dans Banana lube is one of a million bearing lubes on the market. Smells like bananas and make their insertion extremely pleasurable. Case and point: Look at the smile on my face (Avatar.)
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXB804&P=ML

An Ultrasonic cleaner is better known by most as a jewelry cleaner. It uses ultrasonic vibrations to clean things extremely well. Some reading here.
https://www.rcnitrotalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23378&highlight=ultrasonic

 

[Tarant]

We probley, do Works great huh
Ugggg I still can't find my can ahhhhhh lol

 

[FastEddy]

I gues I lied again, I'm not sure what the hell is in this stuff but it works.
Its called LPS Greaseless lubricant. Its in an Aqua colored can with red and white lettering. Its even USDA approved. I can use it in a meat packing plant if I wanted to.
$4.99 for an 11 oz can.

You can look in this thread to see how well it works. I have run it twice in the dirt and only blew it off with compressed air.
https://www.rcnitrotalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28594

 

[BOWTIE1]

i pull all the ele and the motor off mine spray it down reak well with semple green take a tooth brush scrum the heck out of it...... anter that i wash it off with water then i pull the whole buggy apart make it almost like a kit again i pll the hinge pins out even and clean everything verry well no dirt on nothing not 1 spec....... alos while i am doing this i look for parts that are look woren and replace them befor they brake ....alos oil all the berrings and everything just the way i do it

 

[rocknbil]

You can also get upltrasonic denture cleaners at swap meets and such that work pretty well, if you ca nget past the fact that someone's dentures have been in it for years.

1. I read on here about the simple green on the tires...

4. I usually use soap and water on the body

Also... I really want to get an air compressor (small one) to blow dirt off the truck. This seems to be a great way to clean off a truck between real cleanings. ...

I like to use Armor-All on the tires, works really well and makes it easier to keep them clean. Doesn't affect traction at all. For bodies - Lemon Scent Pledge, leaves your body smelling spring fresh. Combined with the banana lube, it would make for a really good short film . . .

Compressed air is essential. Get a good compressor with a minimum 80 PSI ability and holding tank, you'll use it for everything from body painting to cleaning to - big surprise - airing up tires. I have mine under the porch in a sound-proof box, an old boat motor cover lined with foam rubber, and piped into my hobby room. It's the center of my (arruh-arruh) hobby universe.

 

[TacRacing]

Thank you bill for the help...

I have another question... how do you lube your bearings...?? haha
seriously, do you just put a few drops on the outside and spin them???

 

[Tarant]

the best way IMO to clean them is to use RPM's bearing blaster. but you have to take all the bearings out, I use trinity's bearing lube. comes in a squeeze bottle and it has a needle tip so u can put lube just were u want to and then I spin them a bit to work it in.

 

[beason]

i found a needle style luber at radio shack.. the lube supposedly doesn't attract dust.. or durt.. but i havent tryed it on the savage yet.. worked good on the x-mod though..

 

[FastEddy]

Just a tid-bit from www.bocabearings.com

Maintenance depends on the type of enclosures and lubricants your bearings come with. Rubber sealed or Ultra sealed bearings require no maintenance and the lube is good for the life of the bearing. Metal shielded bearings that use either grease or oil should be constantly maintained and frequency level will vary depending on your application. Oil dissipates faster than grease, so typically shielded bearings using oil as lubrication will require constant care.

 

[TT120]

Who cleans their truck?

Dirt makes it look better IMHO.

 

[FastEddy]

Nothing wrong with getting them dirty but I couldnt sleep at night knowing my RCs werent properly cleaned and maintained.

 

[vbgagnon]

I let my buggy get like that one time. It took me 2 days to clean the damn thing! Its not going to happen again.

 

[greenwing7]

are the majority of bearings that come stock vehicles stock b/c I was wondering about mt nitro MT if they are sealed or just shieleded, (is that a word)? i have it in pieces and was wondering if it would be a good idea to get sealed bearings but it really hasn't been run that much from what I can tell although I have not done anything to the bearings to lube them

 

[TacRacing]

I ordered some banana lube today.
I got some lube for the bearings as well.

hahahahaha

I really did order some today.
Thanks fasteddy.