The frame is simple wire frame using 1/16†steel music wire. A minimalist approach is the goal and only the bare minimum in weight will be initially tried.
Main rails are also part of the spreader bar at the rear. Wing frames are also 1/16†but smaller diameter could be used and will be used on later models to save weight.
Body mount is ONE pin tube. There are slots where the body fits down over the axles, front and rear, and that locates the body allowing only up and down movement.
Sooooo, how do I keep this fast baby on the track without weight? Well, correct body mounting and venting is the secret to be sure! This was a trick of local “Thingy†builders in the NW. Edo and I have proof of this . . . a whole batch of NW Thingy’s built with wire frame/Wedge shaped bodies with built-up motors! The key to this is the venting provided at the back of the body . . . (where the heck do you think Wing cars came from anyway?)
The wheels are vintage threaded aluminum rims. Lightweight and fairly thin walled . . . they were chosen because they fit the Ortmann rubber beautifully!
The key to any chassis build, the motor, is a powerhouse utilizing all NOS parts and pieces! The Thorp arm is a 25 single and remains unused other than a simple test on the power pack at 3v. It will be broken-in under water shortly. The can is a Cobra Chinese piece, the endbell a Tradeship with soldered brush tubes and a cooling hole cut to improve airflow. The Thorp motor is a high power wind and unfortunately if I send this bad baby over for the Proxy next year, many of the tracks are of the low power variety. This is unfortunate for our American big power churns . . . And thus requires an additional Plan “Bâ€. And, that is a secondary motor with a softer wind as shown in the next picture . . .
This motor will be rebuilt with a more standard wind (tied, epoxied, and balanced) for the lower power tracks the Europeans seem to favor. This can be tested by asking my local track owner to drop the voltage to 10v and replacing the “Thorp†mill with this more mild piece (when finished of course) and checking the performance.
Okay, I guess that’s all for now. More to be reported after final assembly and some testing.
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