How to Make Wheelie Bars for RC Cars

Wheelie bars are a pair of short arms, made of metal or plastic, that are attached to the rear end of radio-controlled (RC) cars. They are used to stabilize RC cars when performing wheelies as well as to prevent the front end from lifting during speedy acceleration. You can either make your own wheelie bars or purchase them as accessories and attach them to your radio controlled car.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• RC car wheels
• Bandsaw or other electric cutting tool
• Corresponding screws
• Screwdriver with appropriate head
• Drill or hole-making instrument
• Thin lengths of plastic or aluminum
• RC car

Make Your Own Wheelie Bars

1. Create a design for your wheelie bars. Some enthusiasts prefer wheelie bars that don't raise the back end of their RC car for increased stability, while others prefer to raise the back for increased acceleration. The choice is yours, and the design will vary depending on your specific preferences.

2. Fashion your plastic or aluminum into wheelie bars, according to your design specifications, using a bandsaw or other electric cutting tool. Using hand-held tools is not recommended due to the relatively small size of the accessory.

3. Use your screwdriver to remove your RC car's existing wheels. Attach them to your newly fashioned wheelie bars. While the specific process of doing this will vary depending on the make and model of your RC car, it is generally not necessary to remove any other RC car parts to complete this step.

4. Make small holes in the body of your RC car, representing the points at which you will attach the wheelie bars to your car using screws and a screwdriver. Make absolutely certain you choose a point for your hole that will not damage any of your RC car's internal mechanisms in any way.

5. Mount your new wheelie bars onto the body of your RC cars, using screws to fasten them into the holes you made in Step 4. It is highly recommended that you not attach your wheelie bars using any kind of adhesive, even industrial strength adhesives, because the wheelie bars will simply not remain stable enough.

Tips & Warnings

• Many RC cars can be outfitted with manufacturer-made wheelie bars. Check with the manufacturer of your RC car to see if wheelie bars are offered as an accessory. Bear in mind that the costs involved with purchasing ready-made wheelie bars are considerably more than making your own, though they will come with everything you need to install them.
• Choose more durable aluminum over plastic unless you're really trying to keep the weight of your RC car low. Plastic wheelie bars tend to break more easily.