42 replies to this topic

[KC from NC]

Hey, new to this forum and new to retro racing. Is there a website or preferably a track I could email to put together a starter kit to build retro cars? Motor bracket, bearings, bushings, body, etc.

The Frostbite race in GA piqued my interest and I'd like to try my hand at chassis building. My local track doesn't carry or race retro classes, so where do I go for parts?

[CARSHouston]

If your local track orders from ERI or Eagle, you could ask if they would add your parts to their regular order and then pick out the parts on the website to get the part numbers for them.

ERI WEBSTORE - Product Listing (eriracing.com)

 

Eagle Distributing Wholesale Slot Car Distributor Since 1983

 

If they aren't willing to order the parts for you, then you need to go to an online store like 

 

Everything for the Slot Car - E-SlotCar.com - PCH Parts Express

 

Good luck, happy building

[SpeedyNH]

Ask Mike Swiss. think his screen name is "MSwiss." 

[Dave Crevie]

He has a parts listing on this site. You can easily build a competitive car using items from his store, and his godly advice. JK Products has what I would call beginner kits. But I would use Mikes Chicagoland rear motor bracket, regardless of what you build.
 
From JK:
 

 

 
A lot of the winning Retro racers use the JK kit as a starting point, but add the Chicagoland CRO43 nose piece for a simpler front axle mounting system. And of course, the CRO33 1 inch wide motor bracket. If you want to go F1, the JK chassis kit and the Chicagoland CRO32 3/4" wide motor bracket will get you in the game. After a while, you will find the pan and rail layout that suits your driving style.   
 
I have been out of racing for a little while, but the last Sano I raced in I used one of the first Retro cars I built. Based on the original JK kit, I placed as well as I would have with the fancier angled rail car I had just built. The motor crapped out on the new car, and I didn't feel like changing, so I just entered the older car.
 
In any event, this is the place to follow retro Racing. Most compete coverage out there.

[Hot Slots]

If your just getting into Retro cars, I'd say do yourself a favor and buy a couple chassis that are already put together.

You'll have a solid chassis to use for a reference.

I get people enjoy building there own stuff, but that track in Georgia doesn't play, it's fast and flat. It eats chassis for breakfast lunch and dinner.

From an enjoyment aspect I'd rather have a chassis that an experienced chassis builder put together, unless your not competitive and just enjoy building and racing and possibly not worried about finishing the race. The info posted above will get you the parts you'll need.

[KC from NC]

Thanks for the advice, I'll see if I can find Mr Swiss's parts list. As far as being competitive, for me it's less about the race and more about the satisfaction of building a car and seeing how it compares to the pros. Couple questions while I'm here:

Ball bearings vs bushings on the rear? What are the pros and cons?

The front axle is soldered directly to the chassis? Bearings are in the hub I guess?

How do the body pins work? They just fit snug into a tube in the frame? Thanks

[old & gray]

Slightly off topic but helpful

 

Dominator Jackal chassis - The Parts Counter - Slotblog

 

Dragon Slayer building tech - Scratchbuilding - Slotblog

[Bill from NH]

Ken, in addition to the chassis parts, you'll also need a chassis jig and a good soldering iron for building chassis.

 

You put a slight bend along the length of a body pin to keep them somewhat tight in the pin tubes.

 

I don't race Retro, so I'll let others answer your other two questions.

[Jay Guard]

Ball bearings vs bushings on the rear? What are the pros and cons?

The front axle is soldered directly to the chassis? Bearings are in the hub I guess?

How do the body pins work? They just fit snug into a tube in the frame? Thanks

 

Almost everyone I know uses ball bearings for the rear axle. In a really bad wreck they can get broken out but that is fairly rare. But if you have a wreck bad enough to damage a ball bearing you will usually also significantly bend the rear bracket so bushings really won't help you much. Ball bearings also have just a wee bit of "give" so they will allow a tiny bit of misalignment. With non-oilite type bushings, that is the brass/bronze type, you will really have to keep an eye on oiling the bushings.

 

Yes, the front axle is soldered directly to the chassis.  Bushings or ball bearings are probably used about 50/50 in the front wheels. The wheels with no ball bearings do tend to wear fairly quickly so you might have to replace them more often.

 

Yes, the body pins are just slightly bent and snug right into a 1/16" OD pin tube.

[slotcarone]

As a chassis builder myself I would suggest for starters buy a good chassis from a builder like Jersey John or Bartos to get yourself familiar with Retro cars in general. You must have the correct equipment and be skilled at soldering to build a brass/wire chassis that stays together in a shunt. Having an already built chassis with the correct dimensions will be very helpful when attempting to build your own.

[Mark Onofri]

Just remember, once you start scratch building,no amount of narcan can help you.
I've waited since the 80's for a series like IRRA. Nothing compares, well, almost nothing compares to building and racing your own car.
As the others have said,if you've never built a car from the ground up,a kit might be a good place to start. I've found that either way, mine don't always look like the ones in the pictures. But, it's better than watching re-runs.

[KC from NC]

I do have a chassis jig and good iron. I've built maybe 5 chassis for 1/25 model cars on my home track, this would be my first commercial track chassis.

Looks like GT Coupe and CanAm could run the same chassis just with a body swap. Is that correct and does anybody actually do that?

[Pablo]

Correct. I'm sure lots of guys do it. You just need to add some more weight to the Can Am to make it legal for GTC.

[blue&orange]

I do have a chassis jig and good iron. I've built maybe 5 chassis for 1/25 model cars on my home track, this would be my first commercial track chassis.

Looks like GT Coupe and CanAm could run the same chassis just with a body swap. Is that correct and does anybody actually do that?

In IRRA racing Can-Ams must weigh minimum 100 grams, Coupes 110, but depending on tracks a heavier car sometimes is better.

[Dave Crevie]

It will be tough to get a car down to 100 grams with all the bracing you need to strengthen a chassis to run in a major event. The pans will need to have a lot of cut-outs and be trimmed down. You can start with the pans from the JK C85 kit, and using a postal scale, trim them down to make weight. But first you have to build the center section, and get a weight on it. Keep in mind that reducing the weight of the pans will affect handling. There will be a lot of "tweeking" to get to a race ready car.

 

Visit the tracks in your area. Pick one to be your "home base". See if you can get a few regular patrons to let you take a few laps with their cars. You might be able to get a feel for what works best for you. But most of all, flip through the posts on this site that have pictures of retro chassis. You will get a feeling for a good starting point. 

 

And don't expect your first build to be a world beater. It's a learning experience. Watch what other guys are doing, but be willing to expound on that knowledge to fit your needs. I've seen guys buy fast cars from top racers, then struggle with it in a racing environment. 

 

And yes, you can use the same chassis for Can-Am and GTC. You just have to add a little stick-on lead to bring it up to minimum weight.  And that in itself can be a test-and-tune operation. 

[Eddie Fleming]

KC you may want to take a look at the scratchbuilders chassis gallery here on SB for some ideas.

 

http://slotblog.net/...-gallery/page-1

[KC from NC]

I actually did start reading thru the scratchbuilders page yesterday. I think it was JimF that had a few good posts about planning your build and planning your test sessions. Will absolutely be using that advice.

You guys have me on the fence about building vs buying. I think it'll be $50-60 more when all is said and done to buy a Jersey John car vs buying parts to put one together. $50 is well worth the time and knowledge behind a chassis like that, especially if it fits into 2 classes.

[slotcarone]

Absolutely worth it to buy at least one ready built chassis. You need one in hand to see what you have to do to build one. A bargain in my book for all the work that goes into building a race worthy chassis.

[glueside]

Purchase a chassis from each builder, as each builder had different twearks that they put into their chassis.  All of them are good you just need to see different styles.  Then try and talk with them so they can explain why they do what they do.

[Noose]

Go to youtube for a how to by the best - Tony P

 

https://www.youtube....tony p slot car

[Bill from NH]

Tony was a wealth of knowledge back in the '70s as well. When I attended the CT wing car races, Tony, Fred,
Ernie, & Pumpkin Man usually attended. When Tony wasn't racing, he was most always busy talking to some of
us about chassis building or things he was trying. Over the years, Tony's knowledge helped me to improve my chassis
building a lot.

[Steve Deiters]

If your just getting into Retro cars, I'd say do yourself a favor and buy a couple chassis that are already put together.

You'll have a solid chassis to use for a reference.

I get people enjoy building there own stuff, but that track in Georgia doesn't play, it's fast and flat. It eats chassis for breakfast lunch and dinner.

From an enjoyment aspect I'd rather have a chassis that an experienced chassis builder put together, unless your not competitive and just enjoy building and racing and possibly not worried about finishing the race. The info posted above will get you the parts you'll need.

Good advice.  It is an excellent starting point assuming a "newbie" does not have soldering or "dremel" skills yet.

A purchased chassis gives one a platform to build and develop car assembly skills.  Kind of doing things in reverse. but it is a better learning curve to deal with in this hobby. 

Once one has a higher level with those two fabricating & repair skill sets, the aforementioned soldering & "dremel", coupled with a good chassis jig then one is ready to go for their first scratchbuilt chassis.  Also, like the "St. Pauli girl" from the old beer label and other life experiences you will always remember your first....scratchbuilt chassis.

A number of years ago I saw a young man with an over-the-counter chassis (a JK I think) and a Parma Turbo controller at an R4 win in his group. Not only was it a win for that day, but it was the first ever slot car race he ever entered.  It can happen...

[Dave Crevie]

Purchase a chassis from each builder, as each builder had different twearks that they put into their chassis.  All of them are good you just need to see different styles.  Then try and talk with them so they can explain why they do what they do.

 

Not sure I'd buy that many chassis. Could run into a pretty penny.

[Don Weaver]

I have a TonyP chassis I would be willing to part with.  New, never assembled...

Don Weaver

[KC from NC]

Thanks for the YouTube link Noose, I'll check it out.

I definitely don't have the funds to buy one from every builder, but I'm open to suggestions on who to buy from. I mentioned Jersey John because he's got a legit up to date website and sounds like he will have good customer support.