32 replies to this topic

[MG Brown]

"Does His Thing"

This series of articles was certainly the most talked about and read in the history of "how to" slot car building. To this day they are classics and nearly everything covered in this series is good and valuable information for today's scratchbuilder.

Stage 1: Building Your Jig

 CM_1972_10_LG.pdf   1.19MB   572 downloads

by Lee Gilbert and Friends
Published October 1972 Car Model Magazine

[MG Brown]

"Keeps Doing His Thing"

Stage 2: Center Section

 CM_1972_11_LG.pdf   1.89MB   404 downloads

by Lee Gilbert and Friends
Published November 1972 Car Model Magazine

[MG Brown]

"Doing His Thing"

Stage 3: Hanging on the Goodies

(due to attachment file size limitations, I had to break this article into two downloads- lots of good stuff in both sections)

 CM_1972_12_LG_1.pdf   1000.14KB   348 downloads
 CM_1972_12_LG_2.pdf   1.34MB   335 downloads

by Lee Gilbert and Friends
Published December 1972 Car Model Magazine

[NY Nick]

Thanks for posting, where is Dona now?

[TSR]

Probably a gran'ma with 14 grand children
And still smoking dope...

[GTPJoe]

Guys,

Bill (from NH) told me when Lee was in NH for a Eurosport race Bill asked him about Dona. Lee said he didn't really know Dona as she was sent over from the Mag to do the photo shoots with him and that's all. But it sure got our attention.

Is Edo using this same technique to keep us interested in Thingies??

See ya!

[Tex]

Guys,

Bill (from NH) told me when Lee was in NH for a Eurosport race Bill asked him about Dona. Lee said he didn't really know Dona as she was sent over from the Mag to do the photo shoots with him and that's all. But it sure got our attention.

Is Edo using this same technique to keep us interested in Thingies??

See ya!

Joe,

Yes, Edo said as much in one of his recent posts. One would have thought that Miss Cristina was his girlfriend; however, his WIFE would surely object if that were the case. Edo being an artist, his wife allows him the leeway to consort with models and such as that is part of the business.

Now, I found something quite interesting in what Lee Gilbert said.... "As a general rule, stiff cars are good on flat tracks and loose cars are good on super banked tracks...". This comment was made with regards to chassis flex. Since he specifies "stiff", I am assuming that "loose" means "flexible"(maybe I'm wrong in this assumption?). I would have thought that a stiff chassis would be better on very banked tracks, to counteract the tendancy to bow in the middle under the G-loads. I would have thought that a "loose"(flexible?) chassis would tend to bow too much and contact the track in the banking under the G-loads. Conversely, I would have thought that a flexible chassis would be better at putting the power down on a flat track and that a stiff chassis would slide more. Inside my head, this does not compute; my mind is BENT, man! HELP!

[TSR]

I am assuming that "loose" means "flexible" (maybe I'm wrong in this assumption?).

Yes.

[Tex]

Philippe! You double-entendre-headed Kalifistanian!!! LOL!

PLEASE tell me which phrase your "Yes" is addressing (my apologies for leaving you an opening to be clever) AND would you PLEASE share your wisdom on the subject concerning stiff vs loose on banked vs flat tracks. Thanks, dood.

[TSR]

Richard, you need a "stiff" (as in tight) car with good mechanical grip for twisty tracks, and a loose (as in lack of grip) car for a fast banked track.

[team burrito]

Richard, you need a "stiff" (as in tight)

Dona gives me a "stiffy" just reading the articles.

[TSR]

Russ, you are really hurting...

[Tex]

Let's put it in terms of "flex".

1. Is a chassis with less flex better on a flat track than a chassis with more flex?

2. Is a chassis with more flex better on a banked track than a chassis with less flex?

[Tex]

Richard, you need a "stiff" (as in tight) car with good mechanical grip for twisty tracks, and a loose (as in lack of grip) car for a fast banked track.

But can't mechanical grip be increased with softer tires(twisty track) and a lack of grip be induced with harder tires(banked track)? This is why I reworded my questions to specifically address "chassis flex" ONLY. I'm trying to seperate the two factors, chassis flex from tire grip, in order to get a better idea of what Lee says.

[endbelldrive]

I quit racing over a year before this article came out but I did notice that a less flexible chassis was necessary as the tracks were becoming glue pits. My standard .055/.047 chassis would hop and chatter in those bogs.

[MG Brown]

The interesting thing is that in many classes racers are going to bigger hubs (so called "Gangster Hubs") which has the net effect of a stiffer tire sidewall.

Something that I haven't seen discussed yet is "motion" or "action" of a chassis- the amount of body movement and movement of pans, etc. This is independent of the stiffness of the center section or the "give" between the rear axle and guide.

[tonyp]

"But can't mechanical grip be increased with softer tires (twisty track) and a lack of grip be induced with harder tires (banked track)? This is why I reworded my questions to specifically address "chassis flex" ONLY. I'm trying to seperate the two factors, chassis flex from tire grip, in order to get a better idea of what Lee says."

I say you can do it either way. I opt for the same tires track to track (as much as possible) and adjust the car with body and chassis tweaks. You can usually run as well in most cases by changing the tire compounds. I think you do get to a point where either way doesn't do the job you need and at that point you need to modify both. A super stiff car on a flat track may not be able to tuned with tires to get enough grip and a flexi car regardless of what tire on s super fast banked track will simply scrub too much speed.

[Slapshot]

Not to break the bubble but Lee mentioned once that the only part of these articles that pertains to todays slot cars is the Motor article. Everthing you wanted to know...

The rest he said has changed dramaticly with his Eurosport chassis design and technoliogy.

Someday I convince Lee to do a modern day Eurosport build article... I guess his current Dona will be his daughter... Alicia...

Raymond

[GTPJoe]

Hi Raymond!

For sure eurosport technology and Lee's building/designing skills have left those old "piles" far behind. But it's fun to see where it all came from. With today cobalt mini motors and super low CoG chassis there's nothing to relate to those old brass and wire chassis. When I ran eurosport in CASRA I used Lee's stuff, it was alway excellent too!

In the article dig Lee's very dry sense of humor too!

And you're right about his daughter she's already quite the racer. Good to see the "slot racing" gene has been passed on....

See ya!

[team burrito]

Someday I convince Lee to do a modern day Eurosport build article... I guess his current Dona will be his daughter... Alicia...

Just as long as he doesn't wear those god-awful hippie "flower power" shirts. And no bellbottoms either!!!

[Phil Irvin]

Just as long as he doesn't wear those god-awful hippie "flower power" shirts. And no bellbottoms either!!!

Hey... Retro style with Retro racin'  Don't ya know!

But I'm gonna have to get a wig cause I ain't got the hair no more. 

PHIL I.

[endbelldrive]

Hi Raymond,

Boy, it was a different time back then when horsepower and glue ruled. People seem to forget that traction was always a bit of an issue on low downforce cars until the advent of smelly black rubber in the late 1980s.

By the way, I built a replica in the late 1980s of the Gilbert chassis in the article and showed it to Ernie Mossetti who proceded to try and twist the snot out it. He said it was waaaay too stiff but the solder joints were OK.

[Jesse Gonzales]

Lee Gilbert and Mike Steube had the best-looking women that ever set foot into Speed & Sport (the Ron Granlee one) in the old days. I don't know if they were wives or girlfriends but they were certainly a refreshing change from the LA or NorCal crews.

So, who needs Dona... not those guys.

[miko]

I agree they had the best looking "pit crew"!  

Speed & Sport was my home track, I used to work for Ron in the mid-to-late '60s.

[Jesse Gonzales]

Dave Fortner and I used to travel to races in CA, mostly in my 1969 MGB as his Mustang with the 429 CobraJet sucked down gas like it had an "American Standard" toilet instead of a carb.

Speed & Sport was in its heyday back then, lots of agony in the bank when the Kirkwood comms would do a "quick snap" maneuver, and come to a screeching halt.