101 replies to this topic

[Slot Car Rod]

Rick, how do the BLUEPRINT MAGNETS compare with other Champion magnets?  Around what years do you think they were sold?

[Bill from NH]

We used to say the only difference was the color of the dots. DZs, blue dots, & white dots all cost about $5.00 a pair. Rick's green dots are marked $7.50. Maybe they are a different material, matched. or have truer backs & faces so they don't require as much machining. I never heard of green dots before Rick's. They might be from the late 80s or early 90s. I don't have a PDL book to see if they're mentioned there.

[dc-65x]

Rodney and Bill, I have 3 pair of used green dot magnets plus the packaged pair I pictured. They all seem to have the same size and gauss readings as my blue and white dots. I really don't know anything more about them. 

 

Here they are installed in my finished motor. I'm saving the NOS magnets for reference. I zapped and matched up a used pair for this motor. The green paint dots were chipped so I turned the magnets around and painted some nice fresh ones for show:

 

 

After Bill's thumbs up on my elephant ear heat sinks I started thinking if a little bit of cooling is good, more must be better.  

I couldn't help myself and added one of my cloned comm coolers:

 

 

 

 

Putting the roller together is up next and it will be time to, "wire it and fire it".  

[Mark Onofri]

From what I understand, they were purchased in bulk. The only significant difference (with the exception of size) is the colour of the paint. I was told this by a ex factory worker. Not being one to argue the point or, step on anyone's toes🤔um thread, I'll leave it at that. Anyone can send complaints to:
ME by PM
PS: cloning is good

[Bill from NH]

Comm coolers were John Thorp's invention in the early '70s. We tried them on open class wing cars for a couple months, but saw no benefits in using them, so we pulled them off & went back to shortening the comm ends of arm shafts. I will admit they do look nice. I might have a couple used Thorp ones.

[dc-65x]

I think comm coolers look nice too Bill. That's the real reason I used it.  

 

I'm putting the roller together with my favorite anglewinder gears:

 

 

Some heavy gauge lead wires:

 

 

A 3" JK front axle converts the wheels to "free wheeling":

 

 

And in keeping with my "green theme", a JET flag from an outfit I'd love to know about:

 

 

I've always just eyeballed the guide threading tool and run it down by hand. My results were never as good as I wanted. This time I put the guide in a vise and used a tap guide:

 

 

For me, who is guide threading tool challenged, this worked perfect:

 

[Bill from NH]

Great Race Products, owned by Paul Gelman. also made some great chassis products in brass & spring steel. The last time I saw him, he was managing Elmsford Raceway. My wing cars during the 70s & 80s only used Gunther's gears. His original spurs had 1/8" bores that he later put machined brass reducers in for 3/32" axles. The reducers are something I don't throw away. Gunther, a dentist by trade, was also a very good Int.15 racer.

[Mark Onofri]

You've got all the bestest toys. Unlike 99.3% of us,I'm sure you can do it without them but, what fun would that be?

[dc-65x]

Thanks for the info on GRP Bill.  

 

I've really enjoyed building a classic 4-rail Pro car chassis. I think the design evolution of it from the first basic designs in just a few short years is amazing:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Work on the 312P body is progressing and parts are coming from the US, Australia and England. 

[Bill from NH]

The chassis looks fine Rick! Are any of your MESAC builds going to Victor for his MESAC display or does he already have enough of the originals? A unique thing I've always done with sheet brass buss bars is to bend their 1/8" ends 90 degrees to make a small horizontal shelf. I find it easier & quicker to solder motor leads to a horizontal surface than a vertical one. With round buss bars, I bend back about 1/8" 180 degrees to make a soldering shelf. These aren't speed secrets but help the maintenance.

[Larry Horner]

Rick, that is some seriously fine looking vintage eye candy and I bet it handles every bit at fine as it looks. I love the detail where you painted the grooves in the comm cooler to match the motor ... just a small detail but one that really makes it pop!

[dc-65x]

Thanks Bill. Rodney has been restoring MESAC for Victor and I think it's an ongoing process.

 

Glad you like the comm cooler detailing Larry. It's so easy to do I couldn't resist. 

[Martin]

" parts are coming from the US, Australia and England."

 

It takes a village but as you pointed out it may take a planet. It's absolutely stunning Rick. Very well done.   a class of its own.

[Eddie Fleming]

It is going to sound dumb with all the unbelievable work in this car, but.

 

I just love the wide front wheels on these cars. I have always hated the narrow fronts on slot cars. I know they are for weight and they work better, but in the spirit of racing model cars they should be realistically wide.

 

Whatever, beautiful work and car Rick. Thanks for sharing the build. 

[Mark Onofri]

Groovy tyres man ! A far out build (as always)

[dc-65x]

Thanks!     
 

I just love the wide front wheels on these cars..........

The wide fronts just drew me to these cool MESAC style cars Eddie. The car should really pop when the wheel inserts are installed.     

[Mark Onofri]

More please

[dc-65x]

The parts are starting to roll in Mark. I haven't built a car that required a driver with a full face helmet until this one. I had zippo except for the Lancer vac formed job with the molded in head. The deal breaker was the UGLY molded in roll bar.  

 

This arrived in the mail today:

 

 

Yes, that's a representation of James Hunt and no, he never raced the Ferrari 312P that's inspiring my build. I think he'll look just fine in it.   

[Mark Onofri]

I was at the Glen in 77 ! In the rain, in the mud,in the cold. It was October! The spot where I was standing, the women would flash him every time he passed. In fact,ALL the women would! The movie"Rush" brings back fond mamories of that.
Glad you are receiving the parts. It's the hardest part of a build for me and, probably everyone else too.

[dc-65x]

I've been been thinking and finally working on doing something to fill the giant void in the back of this Ferrari body. The real car's butt is filled with lots of mechanical elements:

 

 

 

That's lots of stuff.        

 

I've come up with a removable gizmo that will hold tail lights, oil cooler, transaxle rear cover, oil lines and exhaust pipes:

 

 

I love this 3D printed array of oil coolers I found on eBay and wanted to share it:

 

 

OK, time to get all these bits detailed, assembled and fit to the body before I paint it.

[Tex]

dood, ya can't have too MUCH detail... go for it!

[Dave Crevie]

Those oil coolers are too much! As for the open rear of the body, I think that is a perfect candidate for someone to produce a vacuum formed insert. This has been a sore point for me, having the slot car motor and gears hanging out in the breeze. The home set cars have full detail back there, but they are 1/32nd scale. The 1/28th Can Am cars that were popular for a while, have the detail, but it is still undersize. If they were closer, I would have developed molds from them and vac'ed inserts similar to the interior inserts we are now using. I was too busy with making resin castings for drivers and wheel inserts, along with the model railroading casting I was doing, to scratch build molds to create that detail. 

[Dave Crevie]

By the way, that 312 is a pretty small car. Somewhere I have a picture of one sitting next to the Chevron I had for a short time. The Ferrari was not measurably larger than my car.  

[dc-65x]

It's a beautiful day here in Southwestern Oregon, low 70's, gentle breeze and lots of sunshine.  

 

Time to open up the lid on my trashcan spray booth and get some color on this MESAC body!  

 

Testors flat red and chrome enamel rattle can followed by a polish with Novus 2 did the trick:

 

[Tex]

my last racing slot car from around 1972 or early '73 was going to have a 312PB body on it... I got the numbers painted on the body.... and that was that... never finished the body and fell out of racing slot cars....