What is the best to open

[slusher]

 What is the best way to open front and quarter panel for bigger tires for racing?  I don’t want to get them out of round..

[64SS350]

A method I found/saw and use.... find something around the house like a tall pill bottle, PVC pipe, heavy cardboard roll.... long enough to go across the entire body.Then wrap it with sand paper, works great. If some cutting is necessary at first, I'd use a Dremel with a 1/2" drum.

[stitchdup]

i'd cut it fairly close then wrap some sandpaper around a tyre or tube to do the last wee bit. i'd probably have the chassis in place too so the body doesn't flex too much as it can alter th shape

[W-409]

I usually use the actual tires that I'm using as a template. That way I can get just the correct size opening for that tire.

For cutting, I usually use this type of saw. I have no idea what would be the name of it in English though.

Finishing can be done with a half-round file or sandpaper.

[NOBLNG]

You can also trace the tire profile onto a piece of wide masking tape. Cut the tire section out and use the remainder as a pattern for the rough cut. Then like others have said, wrap some sandpaper around a suitable sized cylinder to smooth the edges.

[64SS350]

55 minutes ago, W-409 said:

I usually use the actual tires that I'm using as a template. That way I can get just the correct size opening for that tire.

For cutting, I usually use this type of saw. I have no idea what would be the name of it in English though.

Finishing can be done with a half-round file or sandpaper.

Coping saw

[slusher]

Thanks guys!

[Leica007]

Once I get the outline marked, I rely on my dremel with a cutting or engraving tip.

[bobss396]

As a kid, my dad had a sanding drum on an arbor that we used. On his drill press it made perfect wheel openings.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Getting the wheels in the dead center of the openings is something modelers often fail at, and few things jump out at me in a negative way like poorly-centered wheels.

It takes a little effort to ensure wheels are centered in custom openings for drag cars, but to me it's entirely worth it.

Most plastic molded axle housings you'll use on a drag car can accommodate the "wire" axles common in older kits...which means they'll also accommodate 1/16" brass or aluminum tube or brass or steel rod stock that's a little longer.

If you carefully mock up the chassis with the rear suspension in place, and assemble it to the body being careful to get it in exactly the right position, then you can use the longer metal axle protruding from the axle past the body side to center the wheel/tire you want to use, and carefully trace around it on the body with a fine Sharpie or #2 pencil.

Presto-chango, you now know that when you're done, your tire will be correctly centered in the wheel opening.

I usually use a Dremel with a barrel-sander to rough-cut the marked wheel openings, then finish up with sandpaper wrapped around something of the correct diameter for the final opening I want, as described by several guys above.

NOTE: It's considerably easier and more accurate in the long run to center the body cutouts to the rear axle, than to try fiddling with the rear axle later to center the wheels in the cutouts.

The model below was heavily modified with all custom rear suspension, but even so, I was able to center the wheels in the openings by using the method above.

NOTE 2: Though the tires may not appear to be dead-center because of the angle the photo was taken from, I assure you that, when viewed from the side, they are dead-on.

NOTE 3: IF your tires protrude past the body sides like on this model (allowed in some classes, so do your research), for a realistic appearance, be sure to make your openings large enough and with enough clearance on top, so that your suspension could move sufficiently when the car "squats" under hard acceleration.

Otherwise the body cutouts would cut right into the tires, and the car would have a very short and probably disastrous trip.

 

Edited November 16, 2024 by Ace-Garageguy
CLARITY

[slusher]

Thanks guys!

[Ulf]

Most of it is written already, I do as 64SS350 but if it is an old kit (Scalemates gives answers about when the kit came out) it might be worth a few minutes to look and measure the left and right side of the body and make sure they are equal.

[64SS350]

11 hours ago, Ulf said:

Most of it is written already, I do as 64SS350 but if it is an old kit (Scalemates gives answers about when the kit came out) it might be worth a few minutes to look and measure the left and right side of the body and make sure they are equal.

That's a good idea, I have found that to be true, sometimes too late.