135 replies to this topic

[Steve Deiters]

When cars were evolving and becoming increasingly faster, the clearance may have started with a staggered .047" in the front and .063" in the back in the early days.

The faster they got on high speed tracks like a King the cars were bottoming out much to the distress of track owners. At that time they may have bumped up the clearance to .063" all the way around. In the Midwest the clearance was .063" all the way around which is where I was racing in the early '70s and the rule we had to conform to.

[tonyp]

Hi George,

From the day I started in the '60s up until I stopped racing in the mid-'80s it was .063" front and rear...

[Prof. Fate]

Hi

The "Arco Tech Chek" ruled and was standard all over the place on tracks long forgotten. From '68 through at least '78, it was 1/4" minimum width fronts, 3/4" then 5/8" minimum diameter fronts, 5/8" wide max, 7/8" minimum diameter, 1/16" everywhere for clearance.

When D3 and Jail Door were suggested, I suggested that as I STILL have my Arco tech tool, we could not argue or discuss but just revive the rules. I have been told that cars don't work like that!

Grin.

Fate

[loudspeaker]

Hi,

I clearly recall 1/16" front and rear up until I stopped racing in 1969.

Sandy

[TSR]

It ALWAYS was 1/16" clearance front and rear, but many try rewriting history to justify their own "vintage" machinery.

When did clearance go from 1/16" to less? In the mid to late-1970s when slot cars no longer looked like real cars.

[tonyp]

It was still 1/16" when I got out in the '80s.

[John Secchi]

We based the Tottenham rules on the A.R.C rules which were the standard as used by the few British raceways, the ones used were as published in 1970 Model Cars mag.

We did tweak a few things and the front ground clearance was one of them, the reason being that at the time these cars were to be run on small flat club tracks so high downforces were not to be expected and also because it allowed the rear tyres to be run smaller and still keep the chassis level.

[oneofwos]

[TSR]

It was still 1/16" when I got out in the '80s.

So even later than I thought...

I blame Swiss!

[tonyp]

Me too. He just looks guilty... We still had fronts too when I quit.

[TSR]

I bet he was a member of the No Front Wheels Conspiracy.

[tonyp]

I'd like to know the name of the tech inspector that allowed stickers on the side of the body to pass as front wheels the first time.

I am sure Mike can tell us what the hell happened...

[John Streisguth]

At least they look like the car has front wheels... better than those silly little things made out of thin sheet rubber at $10/pair that are nowhere near the track. Might as well stop pretending at that point.

[tonyp]

Looks like wheels until you take the body off then it looks like a flattened tricycle.

[John Streisguth]

That's a good description...

[Bill from NH]

The first sticker fronts I recall seeing were on the PNW IMCA (later AMCA) cars in the Seattle area. I don't recall whether Lee Gilbert was teching them or not.

Previous to stickers, this group used wing car fronts held onto the bodies by common pins and .032" wheel retainers.

[slotcarone]

The "pinwheel" and then sticker fronts were used because I believe the manufacturers were making the rules requiring the use of their wheels.

[tonyp]

Makes sense.

[slotcarone]

I wondered myself why the silly fronts on wing cars till somebody said this to me – then it made sense!!

[TSR]

Mike,

If it makes sense to you, then we are all in trouble!

[slotcarone]

Or I have lost my mind!!!

[Prof. Fate]

Hi

This last week, I had three Hawk 7 cars set up for the local hot driver for the race. One was all "experimental". I made a lot of changes rather than just one. The number one car and its back-up was JK frame, Hawk 7, 4:1 gears. The number 3 car was the JK stock car with actual 3/4" x 1/4" Retro fronts, and, of course, a longer chassis. To our surprise, using vintage bodies, the scale fronts and long chassis did not slow the car down from the eventual race winner. On the Kingleman, all three cars ran the same times, and all could turn the same heats in the race.

Even better, the winner using a Retro Ferrari scale-looking body turned the same heats and times as the best (mine) with a thingie high downforce body. Might just be the Kingleman, of course. But at that point from the standpoint of aesthetics, I cannot see a good reason not to keep running stuff that I like LOOKING at.

Locally, before this experiment, several people were proposing writing rules to force the "look" on the racers for some race. But I suspect we are running into the "Cukras Syndrome"(in the '60s it was said that if John ran a driver painted as Mickey Mouse, everyone would think it a speed secret).

Philippe and I have vented to each other about the rules that shifted and moved us away from good-looking cars.

Fate

[Keith Tanaka]

I was at BPR last Friday for a reunion with a former Team Rolling Hills member whom I hadn't seen in 42 years.  
 
Anyway, there happened to be a fellow running his cars on the Flat track at the same time. I noticed his cars were fast and appeared to be Retro type cars. His name is Doug Larsen. Doug is from Salt Lake City and races regularly with Charlie Nelson in Utah. 
 
Doug showed me one of his cars which he said he purchased back in '78 at a raceway in Salt Lake City.
 
There's an inscription on the chassis with Bob Emott and BIR. I thought I would post some photos of this chassis here (hope you don't mind, Tony). 
I don't know the history of this chassis other than what Doug mentioned. Doug still races this car as its still very fast. You'll notice that some of the original solder joints have been reheated due to wear and tear over the years.
 


Doug Larsen's Retro Can-Am car
 


Bottom view shows an original chassis from the late '70s. I believe the body and motor are not part of the original car from 1978. 
 

 

 


Doug bought this chassis at a raceway in Salt Lake City in 1978. This chassis was apparently a production Emott chassis?
Doug continues to race this car as evidenced by the solder joints being reheated due to wear and tear from racing over the years.
 

 


Notice the pivot point of the independent front wheels. 
 

 

 

 

 

 


I'm holding up the front left tire slightly to show the up/down movement.
 
Maybe Bob Emott remembers this production chassis and can comment.
 
By the way, it's a coincidence that Rocky Russo was the last post on this forum and Doug Larsen happened to be a good friend and racing buddy of Rocky's. In fact, after Rocky's death, Doug acquired many of Rocky's cars. I took a few photos of some of Rocky's old cars which Doug was kind enough to allow me to take photos and post online. I'll post some photos of Rocky's cars soon in another forum here on Slotblog.
 
Keith

[tonyp]

It looks like I may have built it. Hard to tell. The center was cut by Bob which I also used. Solder joints are not Bob's famous painted-on joints. But Bob engraved it so it has to be his. Could be some one wanted an Emott chassis and I could have ghost-built it so the guy would actually get it. LOL.

 

The front wheel assembly and basic chassis design is what I built for Ernie Provetti and he used it to break the 40 minute world record at Buzzy's King with 420 laps.

[TSR]

It's got my front wheels on it... the Outasite ones without the setscrew holes, meaning that they must have come from you, Tony, since they were not available commercially and I gave you a bag of them in 1973. 

[dc-65x]

Speed/Sport scale speed stuff, copied your Neat Things front wheels, Philippe. They don't have the set screw hole but are drilled for 1/16" axle instead of 3/32". That little bead detail you came up with is really neat.