7 replies to this topic

[1slotsleuth]

Hi,

Just wondering if these are mura motors ? There are no markings on them other than a directional arrow on each. Thanks in advance for any info. Everyone here is very nice and I appreciate all the great help. I am sort of new at this obsession. Also, like looking at all the scratch builds that I wish I had the skill to reproduce!

[havlicek]

They're what appear to be rewound Mabuchi FT16D motors with some Mura parts like the Mura can shim in one. The markings are around the brass bushing boss on the can where you should see "Mabuchi". The work seems like it was done back then because of the pintabs the masochist...I mean motor guy installed If there are any engravings on the arms or arm tags, that might give the experts here a better way to determine who did the work.

-john

[Ramcatlarry]

In the mid 1960's, arm tags had not been invented...

[TSR]

They are Thorp motors, as in John Thorp (no "e" at the end as seen on many places).
John Thorp produced thousands of these in 1966 through 1968. What they are missing are their gold and black "Thorp" sticker that did not stick well on the can and fell off. So the ones with the stickers are a little harder to find.
As with all the rewound Mabuchi motors with the Delrin endbell, they were Melt-O-Matic motors, meaning that any track mean power would make these things explode in that acrid smell well known of the period slot car racers, and that appears to have given us, the older guys, a sufficient amount of brain damage that we have stuck to this hobby seemingly forever.

[havlicek]

In the mid 1960's, arm tags had not been invented...

That assumes that the arms are original, which seems to often not be the case. I have worked on similar motors with tags and obviously later arms and coms installed.

As with all the rewound Mabuchi motors with the Delrin endbell, they were Melt-O-Matic motors

-john

[TSR]

There were no arms tags then because these were introduced when the NCC (National Competition Committee) was created in 1969 between the surviving manufacturers after the collapse of the industry. So the new (and short-lived) association created racing "groups" that were largely ignored by the racers who kept running what they mostly liked, AKA what they always did race before, all-out open-class motors.

[Hworth08]

As with all the rewound Mabuchi motors with the Delrin endbell, they were Melt-O-Matic motors, meaning that any track mean power would make these things explode in that acrid smell well known of the period slot car racers,

There's a fair chance that Agent Orange was created by a pilot rolling down the window and throwing a handful of Delrin endbells in the jet's engine!

If a driver "kept his thumb in it" often the building had to be cleared.

[Ramcatlarry]

TSR: Is that unique color the Thorp trademark? I never had any. Red, chrome, grey, purple metalic, yellow, orange, gold, - I know and probably a few other that I have forgotten...