25 replies to this topic

[gascarnut]

Not to hijack either Brian's or Larry's threads, here are some PCB cars I have built over the years, for those who are interested.

This one was for a Proxy Race, but I ended up in an argument with the Organizer over his definition of "metal chassis" and withdrew it:







Then this one was an earlier attempt, initially with a traction magnet, although it works pretty well with a bit of extra weight on a wood track:







And this one was for an earlier Proxy Race where it was actually declared legal by the same guy who objected to the later one, go figure.

[Guy Spaulding]

Wow! The Maserati has rear suspension like a 1/12 scale RC pan car. Cool.

But what's with the inscription on the last car "Wet coast is a slow as Molasses"?

[munter]

Wetcoast is a well known 1/32 builder/racer/enthusiast
regards

ps Dennis, I see some lovely work there with a few finer points for me to remember,thank you.

[Alchemist]

Those are real nice Dennis! Would you have more pix please?

Thank you.

Ernie

[idare2bdul]

Dennis, as usual superb, top and bottom!

Thanks for posting.

[One_Track_Mind]

Great Chassis builds!

Geesh, mine is looking really weak the more and more of the pcb chassis are posted.

Thanks for sharing Mr. Samson...

[gascarnut]

Thanks for the compliments, and Brian this was in no way meant to show up your efforts, just to add some more ideas to the pot.

But what's with the inscription on the last car "Wet coast is a slow as Molasses"?

Munter has it right:

Wetcoast is a well known 1/32 builder/racer/enthusiast

This was an inside joke going into the 2005 Proxy race. Paul Hodgson (Wet Coast Racer is his handle on SCI) is a real nice guy. The comment came from one of his buddies during the trash talk before the event, that I decided to add to my car to continue the joke.

It worked............

I only made one other PCB car, very similar to the CanAm Ferrari. It is under a Select Innovations Lola T70 body:

[havlicek]

Boy that's a whole lotta awfully nice PCB cars Dennis! Love the fact that so many are sidewinder and that the motor is the chassis at the rear end!

-john

PS, the ruling that the cars were metal is just dumb. The copper foil isn't stressed, it's the glass laminate (plastic) that's the chassis. By the same reasoning, any plastic chassis that had any metal on it should be disqualified. Whatever

[idare2bdul]

OK, there is an argument in favor of hometrack racing based on the cars Dennis shows here. Bravo, once again.

[68Caddy]

I have to say from D3 cars to 1:32 cars Dennis sure makes some great chassis and good looking cars.
Love his work.

Nesta

[Guy Spaulding]

Munter has it right:

This was an inside joke going into the 2005 Proxy race. Paul Hodgson (Wet Coast Racer is his handle on SCI) is a real nice guy. The comment came from one of his buddies during the trash talk before the event, that I decided to add to my car to continue the joke.

It worked............

Ahhh... Thanks for filling in the details!

I was wondering if it was a turn on "West Coast Racers", which I used to be one of. Reminds me of the friendly rivalry I had. My friend drove Pink cars. I drove green cars with a Dragon eating a pink car.

Anyway. Amazing use of torsion segments in your PCB work. Truly imaginative

[gascarnut]

The "Wet Coast" thing refers to the fact that Paul lives in Vancouver or thereabouts. FRom what I've heard they get a bit of rain up there now and then

John, the guys who ran in the RAA PRoxy series in those days were very scared of metal frames and solder. They allowed me to solder up the PCB frame the first year, and even though the car did not do very well (due mostly to a very poor choice of gear ratios on my part), for the next year's race they said "no solder" and no metal anywhere in the frame except for a brace around the guide pivot.

I posted photos of the construction as it progressed and there were no problems until i posted the final photos, showing the complete absence of solder, but at that point the organizer claimed he had received complaints and that copper being a metal was not allowed, even as a cladding. Since I did not feel like etching it all off, I chose to leave them to their plastic toys.................

I had another entry going for the same race that was a radically modified Ninco, all plastic, that scared them all silly too, but that's another story...........

[havlicek]

I guess it doesn't pay to innovate. They oughtta call it "sheep car racing"

-john

[One_Track_Mind]

Brian this was in no way meant to show up your efforts, just to add some more ideas to the pot.

Hi Dennis,

YES, I understand your intentions of just showing more ideas and I applaud your efforts of posting the pictures and the stories behind why you have built them.

I was just being a jerk to myself, for not thinking of more outside the box of the plain jane typical style car I built. Sorry, for any confusion or misleading of my words in the earlier post.

I simply, your type of slot cars built, with any type of materials used. Again, Thank You for taking the time and sharing.

Best Regards,

[Larry LS]

Hey Brian;

You are doing a fine job for getting started with PCB. Dennis and I have been doing these for a some time. It always takes a while to get the feel of the any new material you start working with. Then after that you can try all different ways to to build or innovate them. I don't build mine for any class racing, they are mine to be used on my home track when ever that gets built here at the new house. I always build things my way, as I hate too many rules in slot racing. Run what you brung is fun.

Larry S.

[Mark Wampler]

Looks like these are better built starting with CAD software, Larry.

[gascarnut]

One thing I did find out early on (without a CAD system ) is that when you want to use the PCB to provide flexing movements, the copper cladding dampens that and often the movements do not return to their original position very well, or very quickly.

That's why some of mine have the copper etched away except where I needed to solder onto the board, and why the others have movements that do not rely on the flexing of the board itself.

[gascarnut]

Looks like these are better built starting with CAD software, Larry.

CAD software might help with a drawing of what you want to do, but it is of no help in building the car. CAD cannot keep your build flat and straight, you have to do that yourself, and Brian and Larry are good at that already.

[Alchemist]

Hi Dennis,

I never tire looking at your photos of cars you've put together and especially your chassis configurations. May I ask you please, what do you use for inspiration when you set out to build a different chassis design?

thank you.

Ernie

[gascarnut]

Thanks, Ernie!

I can't say I really get "inspired", it's more usually a case of letting the frame design grow as I build, which is why in most cases there are never two the same.

I always have a basic idea of whether the frame needs to be inline, anglewinder or sidewinder, and what basic movements I want. From there it is a matter of working out a way to get what I want within the constraints of the body size, and getting enough strength into the design, especially on the PCB frames. That's why lots of pieces are held on with screws - I did not trust the strength of the solder joints on the thin copper film for anything that's structural.

Sometimes there were rules that affected the designs and the construction methods, like the Maserati that had to be glued together, no solder.

[Alchemist]

Dennis,

What type of glue did you use for the Maserati chassis? How did it hold up?

Thank you.

Ernie

[Bob Campbell]

Ernie,

Looking closely at the pictures, I think that Dennis used a heat activated, tin/lead based glue. There might also be approximatly 4% silver in this glue!

Sorry to be a smart butt. I couldn't resist. It looks like the front uprights on the Masserati are soldered to the pan and the rest of the car is bolted using a "T" plate like a 1/12th scale pan chassis RC car.

Bob C.

[gascarnut]

Ernie,

The motor carrier and T-bar parts are all glued together with JB-Weld and other epoxies:





Bob is right that the front axle carriers are soldered in - I finished off that part of the frame after I had decided to withdraw the car from the Proxy race, so the ban on soldering no longer applied.

The glues has performed well so far, no cracks or breakages at all, but then the car does not get used that much either.

[JD]

what do you use to cut the straight lines?
they look great,and i want to learn,but gotta know how to cut them lines?
thank you for sharing,
jd

[gascarnut]

JD,

Most of the cuts were done with my Dremel with the #670 attachment:



Some of the shorter ones, especially the open-ended slots can be cut with a jeweller's saw.