26 replies to this topic

[jsesere]

Can anyone tell me if the Cox factory put waterslide or peel and stick decals on the 1/24 scale Cox La Cucaracha?

 

Thanks,

 

Joe

[Cheater]

I'm not the best guy to reply, as I am no expert on vintage slot cars nor have I ever even owned a Cuc, but these cars didn't carry very many decals at all. A stripe on the front and back and a tiny Cox decal on each rear quarter panel, all peel and stick as far as I know.

 

I believe the body material of the Cucs, which I would label Tupperware, wouldn't allow waterslide decals to be used: they won't stick to it!

 

You experts, please correct me if I am wrong...

[TSR]

They had peel and stick, factory installed paper decals of a stripe along their center, and side logos. Nothing else. They never had waterslide decals.

 

CLICK HERE

[SlotStox#53]

Reading your link to the LASCM about the Cucaracha am I right in reading that the nascar 3600 motor in the later ones is the nascar 36D??

[TSR]

No, the NASCAR 3500 is the larger one. The 3600 is the same size as the Mabuchi FT16D model.

[Hworth08]

The NASCAR was available in 16D as well as the short-life Super NASCAR. The Cuk never used a 36 though there were a few 26 motors.

 

A person MIGHT get a water slide to stick by using a faux medium under the decal. That's what Tom Anderson recommends for under-the body decals. I had good luck getting old decals to stick using the medium.

[TSR]

The Cuk never used a 36 though there were a few 26 motors.

 

Don, there was a black-anodized chassis with a pair of aluminum adapters to fit an FT26 motor in it, but Cox never offered a car or even a motor using that chassis.

Let's not confuse the gentleman...

[SlotStox#53]

No confusion Thanks for clearing that up , never knew there were NASCAR 16D's only ever heard the NASCAR tag associated with the 36D . So thanks again Gentlemen

[Hworth08]

The Cox NASCAR 16D was a pretty good motor and a few random motors were were more than a match for the Mabuchi oval hole 16D ball bearing motor,

 

The Super NASCAR with either one hole or no holes, I can't remember, had a can bearing problem that would usually seize within an hour.

 

And Dokk, finish the book! I'll have a spot cleared by fall!

[TSR]

Paul,

The Cox NASCAR 3600 motor was also used on the Ferrari Dino model, (a blue colored RTR car), all four IFC kits of the Chaparral 2D, 2E, Cheetah and Ferrari Dino, as well as on the 1/32 scale Lil' Cucaracha "series 2' and the 1/32 scale Daytona Series Lola T70MK3B, Ferrari 330P4 and Ford MK4 RTR.

 

Don, the Cox Super NASCAR motors had no vent holes and were available in both large and small sizes. The smaller one was used as standard motor for the "La Cucaracha GT", also named "Super Cuc", as you can see here:

 

 

 

Indeed they had bad can bearings and did not last long. Cox warrantied them with regular NASCAR motors that did not have that problem.

 

 

[SlotStox#53]

Cool shots and info Mr TSR
 
Do you happen to know the specs of the NASCAR & Super NASCAR motors? 
 
Have got a Cuc chassis with nothing else and will eventually be putting it together, so will be looking out for some parts to go with it. Seeing as original bodies on their own go for silly money have got a Truescale vac body that looks awesome instead.

[TSR]

I do not know the specs on the motors. They are likely similar to that of the Mabuchi FT16D because the performance is very similar.

For real parts, you are better off buying a complete used car (not a painted car, it could be a monster!) and work from there. There are so  many on the market, just be patient for a less expensive example.

[SlotStox#53]

Ok will look out for a complete car and go from there, have certainly seen some of those "Monsters"!!

They aren't pretty !

[Hworth08]

Paul,

 

The Cox body was a mis-design for racing. The area over the motor pressed firmly on the motor that bound up the chassis. The only solution was to cut that part out.

 

The chassis really responded to a six gram weight placed on the guide. Like a lot of bodies, a person had to cut a hole for that weight to stick through.

 

The rear wheel wells often hit the tires so those had to be enlarged. Some racers weren't good at cutting wheel wells!

 

The regular NASCAR motor was not built by Mabuchi. Most likely 65 turns of 30 wire and the magnets were good for the time. Our primary class was stock cars using $3.29 stock 26D or oval hole BB 16D. The Cox NASCAR retailed for $3 and was legal. All of these were can drive so the frames required a bit more engineering to hold the motor but the random NASCAR motor was plain faster than the Mabuchi motors.

 

We threw the Cuks in with our Dyamite class, cars that reqired all Dynamic chassis peices. The Cuks were pretty much a disappointment out of the box. A bit of tuning, the six gram weight, the body mods, a NASCAR motor and some work to replace the the rather sorry foam rubber peice to adjust the guide made a pretty decent car that could almost hang with an "all-out" Dynamic car.

 

Cox sold a boat load of the Cuks but it was just another car that ran newbies away from the tracks.

[SlotStox#53]

Wow thanks for all the info Don , sounds like such a good concept but failed in all those areas you outlined. It's amazing they sold so many despite them almost not being fit for purpose in a way .

Sounds like Dynamic had a much better product with the screw together chassis, with motor mounts,front ends and nose pieces, have a few of those including a new old stock Pittcan one. Although haven't put one together yet.

Thanks again to You and Dokk for all the Cuc info really helps out.

[don.siegel]

Does anybody have a shot of the Super Cuc rear wheels/tires as a reference? I'm restoring a pretty knocked up version and would like to know what the original rears were - can't quite tell if they're set screw or threaded from the pics I've seen, and if they're plain aluminum, or have some kind of pattern... 

 

An ancillary question: all the Super NASCARs I've seen have very short shafts, and on the Super Cuc it seems you'd have to use a very long pinion, going well beyond the end of the shaft, to reach the gear. Anybody else notice this? 

 

Don 

[TSR]

Don,

 

All the "La Cucaracha" use longer pinions than standard practice at the time, because the design led to that need. The Cox "long" 8-tooth pinions however are relatively hard to come by.

 

The original "TTX-150" motor used on the original and later "series 2" La Cucaracha is the same as used on the F1 "series 2" kits of the Ferrari 158 and BRM P261 and had a longer shaft than the motor used in sidewinder position for the Ferrari Dino with magnesium chassis, and that motor was never used for any other Cox kit or RTR.

 

The original Cox "Super NASCAR" 3600 used on the "La Cucaracha GT" also named "Super Cuc" has its shaft length "in between," so even the longer pinion barely meets the correct 31t crown gear.

As far as the wheel of the Super Cuc, it is a conical design with a boss for a 4-40 setscrew, mounted on a straight axle with three flats for the three setscrews.



This wheel was also used on the "series 3" La Cucaracha that uses the same body as the Super Cuc, but molded in orange polypropylene plastic.



Cox also offered those wheels separately without the "glued and trued" black-sponge tires.

[don.siegel]

Thanks much, Philippe! 

 

I've got some extra long 7t pinions that should do the trick. And for the wheels I'll choose whatever I have (probably the Cox Cheetah mag type) - I've got boxes and boxes, but nothing like this that I remember. 

 

Don 

[TSR]

They are not that easy to find, but I do have some so hold your horses and I will mail you a pair ASAP.

P

[don.siegel]

Very nice of you, Philippe, but not sure my Super Cuc deserves it - it's kind of a junker body that I found here! Second one in fact, first was a complete Super Cuc that I found at the big Paris flea market many years ago, and which really marked the start of my collection (along with a dozen other cars, all for about 200 francs each - bit money at the time!). 

 

Since I've got your ear, another question for you body specialists: there are a couple mounting holes in the side of the body for a screw on chassis. Can these be filled in by the technique I saw for T-Jets, of scraping extra material out of the body and mixing with acetone? Not sure that will work on this plastic... or I guess purple bubble gum would do the trick... 

 

Cheers, 

 

Don 

[TSR]

Basically, nothing will stick to polypropylene. Acetone will not touch Poly pro either, but careful with accessories (windshield, roof, etc.) those will melt!
Best I can think of would be to fill the holes with Bondo, clean any excess before it dries, then color match and touch up, bit it sounds like a lot of work. How about a custom side sticker with sponsors on it, covering the unsightly indignities? 

[don.siegel]

Here's the beast in question, using Brad Blohm's repro roof and windshield and mostly other original parts, including the Cox rear American Mags with set screws (have the same ones threaded as well). Not too bad - the roof hides the cut out cockpit and missing inlet stacks! And the holes on the side aren't that obvious. 

 

 

 

 

Don 

 

PS/ Don I see what you mean about the motor rubbing, etc. And not sure that's a stock collar, but it came with the guide, a kind donation by a SB member if I remember right! Did actually have the original red and blue motor leads, but they seemed a bit short... 

[Maximo]

Who manufactured the Cox Nascar 16D motors?

maximo

[Jaeger Team]

Who manufactured the Cox Nascar 16D motors?

maximo

From PdL's old post:

"In 1967, Cox as well as other slot car makers, decided to part with Mabuchi of which pricing and arrogance had become simply too much, so Cox went to a company in Hong Kong that was already producing their RTR cars, and had a local supplier them make four motors, a 16D-size called 3600 NASCAR, another of the same size but without vent holes called Super NASCAR, and two more in the 26D size, called 3500 NASCAR and Super NASCAR. All had a chrome plated can and a black endbell, marked "Cox".
In 1969, the last issues of the 3600 (and only that one) received a translucent endbell of generally white-yellow color. This is the same endbell as before, marked Cox, but molded in a different material."

[Bill from NH]

I think these Cox NASCAR motors were 16D & 36D sizes. I don't think they had a 26D.