159 replies to this topic

[Jairus]

Note the slot cut for the cast word "Pittman"!

Hahaha, well done Rick. 

[dc-65x]

I just couldn't bring myself to file off the "Pittman" on the side of the motor to get the bracket to fit flush!

[Bruce Wayne]

Rick,
Words alone cannot describe your typically excellent chassis builds, both in beauty and fine craftsmanship, Impeccable only comes close.

You are surely earning a future seat in the Slot Car Hall of Fame!
Thanks for sharing your projects so generously.

[dc-65x]

Thanks Bruce. I love shiny brass! It's fun to be able to share my projects, thanks for chiming in.

[Big Durl]

Rick, you and Rodney have given me so much joy over the years, watching your various builds, done and documented with such amazing clarity and beauty, that I just wanted to thank you both.  Every now and then, I'll see Rodney at Eddie's and peer into his box of incredible slot cars, and suddenly I am ten years old again.  It floors me every time.

 

And also to Jairus, Dennis Samson, Philippe and all the other guys who build these incredibly beautiful velocity sculptures.  Many of them simply take my breath away with the level of sheer precision, grace and style.

 

Thanks again to all of you.

 

Incredible.

[dc-65x]

Thanks Darryl. Rodney's work is truly amazing. So is the work of everyone who shares it with us here on Slotblog. Thanks to all of you

[dc-65x]

The body mounts are 1/4" wide brass strip. I used some long #4-40 screws to hold the mounts in place for soldering. Two mounts in front.....

 

 

......and one in the back:

 

 

Here's the front finished off with a Cox guide and Superflex lead wire:

 

 

The back end with a Weldun spur gear and Sonic pinion:

 

 

The finished roller just needs the tires glued and trued:

 

 

 

Time to mount the body......

[Jairus]

Nice wheels!!!! 

[dc-65x]

Hi Jairus,
 
Those wheels. I struggled with what to do with wheels. I really wanted set screw wheels but I wanted them to be bigger in diameter than the common Russkit repop "road race" wheels. I decided on this for the rears. The stock parts are on the top and the modified parts are on the bottom row. There's a Russkit Dragster rear wheel, some kind of funky Ulrich O-ring front wheel, a Cox knock-off and a 5-40 set screw.
 

 
 
I lathe turned the Russkit wheels to a much lighter profile:
 

 
Then I turned the Ulrich front wheel into a wheel insert. I tapped it 5-40 for the set screw and knock-off:
 

 
The finished rear wheel:
 

 
The front wheels were easier. They are Ulrich Halibrand threaded fronts that I reamed out to 1/8" to be "free wheeling":
 

 
 
I cant wait to get the body mounted and see these babies on the finished car .

[Jairus]

Yu know... those are some pretty nice tricks there and beautiful wheels.  
Makes me wonder if you were going to tell us about the wheels if I had not asked... 

(I want a lathe!!!)

[Jairus]

Lathe-envy...

[munter]

Wow !  that rolling chassis and motor is a shining jewel.

[Peter Horvath]

Too Cool!

[dc-65x]

Wow !  that rolling chassis and motor is a shining jewel.

 

I polish everything up John because of an American saying when I was growing up, "If it don't go, chrome it!"

 

It was the go fast hot rod guys making fun of the custom car guys.

 

I figure if my car runs like a tilting pile....at least it I can shine it up    and make it look good! 

 

Anywho, can't work on it until the JB Weld metal filled epoxy cures. I made up 3 of these puppies and epoxied them to the body:

 

 

That's some 3/8" diameter hardwood dowel. an unknown vintage body mount insert and screw and a REALLY short 4-40 set screw. The set screw is threaded into the insert and adjusted until the body mount screw tightens against it instead of the chassis. That way the body will have a tiny bit of rattle fit. I read about doing this in one of the old 1960's slot car magazines. It's supposed to make the car run smoother......

[Regis4446]

Very nice work.
Always a pleasure to read the explanations for me.

[munter]

That way the body will have a tiny bit of rattle fit. I read about doing this in one of the old 1960's slot car magazines. It's supposed to make the car run smoother......

 

Rick this is a very common practice in settting up RTR plastic cars to run on wood.

 

You can have a lot or a little body float.

.But having the chassis screwed up hard to the body( ala factory) doesn't enhance performance.

 

 

"Happy New Year"

John

[Bruce Wayne]

 I polish everything up John because of an American saying when I was growing up, "If it don't go, chrome it!"
 

...and of course the old follow up to this is "Chrome don't get ya home!"
I'm with you though, it has to look good or I'm not running it.
 

Great idea to salvage and re-use those old body mounting inserts. It's also very timely that you posted when you did, as I've just finished up adding some tabs to my chassis for mounting the body, and was a little apprehensive about using plain wood screws. I'll have to put my local hardware store to the test and see if they have some similar 4-40 wood inserts.
Locking the screws is another good tip, learned from the Drag racers that a loosely mounted body makes for smoother overall running.

[dc-65x]

Hi John,

 

Looks like what's old is new again. Seems like what worked in the 1960's still works today. That's cool

 

EJ's hobbies carries some of those inserts Bruce and so does McMaster Carr if you can't get them locally:

 

McMaster Carr

[Mark H]

one word: SANO!

[Alchemist]

Hi Rick,

 

Another "museum quality" piece!   Absolutely pulchritudinous!

 

Ernie

[dc-65x]

Hi Ernie,
 
I finally got the body Rodney crafted for me installed on the finished (I hope!) car. I changed to hard compound Paul's Urethane tires and added a 1/16" thick lead slab to the drop arm. I hope that will stop it's "barrel rolling" in the turns that I had with the bigger and softer tires.
 
I used metal filled epoxy on the wood dowel body mount posts...lots of it:
 

 
The driver is cut out of a Monogram kit with, I think, a Strombecker driver's head. I mounted him so you can see through the cockpit as was the practice I've seen pictured many times in the US period magazines:
 

 
Here's the finished car I still need to change the number to 14 so one of our SlotForum members can run his number 4 Indy car:
 

 
I like the wheels, they look pretty cool:
 

 
I think the body sits pretty good on the chassis. It could have sit a little lower but the body is free to "rattle" around and I didn't want it to hit the tires:
 

 
Time to send her off to Rodney for testing at Eddie's Slot Car World....fingers crossed for good runner that doesn't tilt!!!!!!!

[Tex]

That's a thing of beauty, Rick! And, yes, those wheels look great!

[Alchemist]

Too KOOL Rick - too KOOL!

 

Can you drill me a set of those wheels in a 4 on 4.5" bolt pattern for my real Datsun?!  LOL!  Trick wheels Rick!

 

Ernie

[dc-65x]

Thanks guys

 

When I first saw the body Rodney made I had this image in my head of the very first Cobra, the yellow version tested by Road & Track Magazine:

 

 

I thought about using wire wheels on my car. Then I thought about the early race cars and their Halibrand wheels:

 

 

The wheel wells are round with a tight gap to  the Goodyear Sports Car Special race tires which are pushed out to the edge of the body.

 

I love that look and that's what I tried to do with my car.....fun stuff!

 

 

[endbelldrive]

Hey Rick,
I think you're on to something here. Scratchbuilding from the ground up is really showing off the best side of this hobby IMHO!