Strong-arm Tactics
Every time I run my car, I break something—usually a suspension arm. It’s really getting frustrating. Is there any way to prevent breakage, other than driving like an old lady?
Why you gotta diss old ladies? One easy way to stop popping parts is to run a wide front bumper. RPM offers a selection to suit a bunch of models; have a look at rpmrcproducts.com. The other fix is to run stronger parts, another RPM specialty. RPM’S plastic blend allows greater flexibility (and thus durability) than many standard kit parts—especially the rock-hard composite plastics used by race cars. RPM also increases the amount of material around hingepins and employs other tricks to strengthen their parts. Next time you pop an arm, see if there’s an RPM replacement and buy that instead.
Something else to look out for is nylon-based parts that have become brittle with age—especially if your car lives in a hot garage or did time in the attic. Nylon retains moisture, and when that moisture is dried out of the plastic, it becomes less flexible—instead of bending, it breaks. To restore moisture, boil the parts for three minutes or so. Use one of your broken parts as a test first, as boiling may shrink or distort some plastics.