Doing What Everyone Tells You Not To Do

Check the drill alignment first - stringent tests, Lightning boy style! Must pass all steps (4/5) only then move forward with the build.

Maglev, thanks for the advice! I should probably go out and buy everything required to do the Lightning Boy alignment tests but I haven't, so I do a slow roll test and if the wheels pop out when the car rolls in both directions I go with it.

A side note on this. I drilled a body using a drill jig from a well known machinist and had my brother-in-law who is a Military trained machinist check the alignment. He had found that the drill job passed the alignment steps mentioned above. A few days later I asked him to show me how he did the alignment check. We were both surprised to find that the drill did not pass the second alignment tests. The body was drilled on a fairly cool and dry day and the alignment tests done later that same day. The second alignment test was done 3 days later with the same setup in my Brother-in-laws shop on a hot and humid day. Now did the body swell and warp from all of the humidity? I don't know. So from what I have seen, while a wood body may pass an alignment test one day it may not pass them on another day. And if the change in weather does cause the axle drilling to change, that is something I don't have any control over.

Very true Skywalker!

I have a Cubby Pure Stock car called Tork that I ran over at APR. The drill is off on the left rear (a slight toe in). Early in the season I set a couple of track records and I won my first and only PWD race with that car. I just hit on the right setup combination that made that car fast. I have retired that car and it sits on display with with my very first SS cars Second Hand Smoke and Nevets.

I've always wanted to experiment with drilling an oversized cavity in the area in which the axle holes go, and filling with an epoxy/sawdust mix, letting cure, and then drilling axle holes. Wonder if they'd be more resistant to warpage.

I believe it was Spacewalker that started laminating the axle truss area to help strengthen this part of the build. Maybe he was also trying to prevent warpage at the same time, to hold the drilled hole better???

Yes, he was using the 1/64" plywood glued vertically against the axle strut. The CA glue could soak into both sides of the strut and help stabilize the wood also?