24 replies to this topic

[Dennis David]

Are chassis for hardbodies heavier than your average Retro Can-Am? We're talking flat track here. What other things should i look for in a chassis design for this type of car?

[Dayble]

Hi Dennis,

 

1/24th hardbody stuff is all over the place, plastic chassis, brass chassis, steel and carbon fibre. The only one I know the weight of without weighing a bunch of cars is the BRM 956/952. It is a high impact plastic body w/ full hard plastic interior on a plastic chassis with 4.5" wheel base. These run at minimum 180 grams in the challenge series, Some of the other types are heavier at 200+ and my off the shelf ('06/'07) Retro CanAm (not sure what brand) which has pretty big pans is at 119g.

 

I look for length and width adjustability and compatibility with the model body. Dokk's TSR is very well behaved (even if he isn't) and so is the Scaleauto RTR.

If you are if you are looking for inexpensive the H&R rollers work well but the 40,000 motor is probably a bit much for flat trackin.

[team burrito]

IMHO, BRM slot cars are not worth the price. I bought & I'm sorry I did; they look great but don't perform very well on commericial tracks. Here's one I built:

 

 

The chassis is an old JK 4-1/2" model, that still may be available on eBay & Jerry's website.  The body is from Tamaya, but Hasagawa made some nice GTP kits as well.

 

 

 

[Dennis David]

Well I was expecting to replace the chassis of a BRM and was thinking what chassis would work beat.

I'm perfectly fine with building a chassis from a kit though having one built that I could study would be some benefit. I would expect that I would need to modify the chassis because of the extra weight of a hard body and the fact that the car would run chiefly on flat tracks.

I'm looking for something along the lines of a retro chassis I see being built. I Just want to use more of a scale body.

[Keith Tanaka]

Dennis, we race scratchbuilt hardbody cars at BPR monthly. We have many different hardbody classes we race and some of them are for sports cars.

If you're interested in a "retro" type chassis for hardbodies, you might take a look at some of the cars/chassis we build/race at BPR. In particular, there's

a Bryan Warmack '53 Corvette which uses a "Warmack" retro chassis with an anglewinder motor bracket. My '53 Corvette also uses a Warmack kit as the basis

for my car as well. 

 

Here's the link to the hardbody car/chassis photos:  

 

http://socald3.phanfare.com/5546362

 

http://socald3.phanfare.com/5250360

 

Scratchbuilding for hardbody cars takes more time and effort than using a ready made chassis, but you can custom make the chassis for any type of hardbody car.

 

 

Keith

 

 

 

 

[Ramcatlarry]

We run FCR and womp and the H&R frames with hardbodies around Chicago.  With the womp, you cut it in half and stretch the wheelbase to suit your body and wheels.  Notch out the bushing/axle holes to raise the locations to fit bigger wheels (we use 1").

 

As a rule, a heavier frame will handle better than a light one with hardbodies - which are a little top-heavy.  While a retro racer with a vac formed body is 100 - 120 grams, a hardbody car from 120 - 140 grams is not unreasonable...up to 190 grams.

 

I have a C-6 Corvette and an old Camaro on the design table for retro styled frames to build this year.

[EdC]

Try an H&R chassis

[Dayble]

Dennis,

 

If you choose one of the chassis that use or can be modified to use 3mm axles, you'll be able to re-use the gorgeous BRM wheels. BRM has rear wheels with foam tires if you what. (made by Scaleauto w/ ProComp3 foam rubber) These still use the original wheel inserts for the scale appearance. If you have never tried a Scaleauto chassis you're in for a pleasant suprise.

 

This one has the BRM inserts.

 

 

Ed's suggestion of an H&R is good too (He won a race with one yesterday!) but have you tried running the BRM with the 1mm weight kit and the foams? It's a big improvement.

[Dennis David]

Thanks,

 

Who makes the Mazda? 

[Dayble]

It's a Kyosho MiniZ 1/28th. Go to [ http://slotblog.net/...miniz-slot-car/ ]

The latest upgrade is a cast silicone wing mount by NDW.

[EdC]

I do like that scaleauto chassis!!

How come we weren't using those Dave?

[Dayble]

AZGR has been running the GT series for several years and we are now starting to develop a GTP/LMP class using the wider SC-2424 tires and the hotter Black SA motor with any prototype body.

 

Not sure why Bob didnt run them in his raceway.

[Dennis David]

Dave,

 

You guys at AZGR have a website? 

[Dayble]

No but we post a lot of race results on Slotblog. Search AZGR in Forums or search my postings.

[Gator Bob]

 

 

 

 

Dave,

Are those motor mount brackets steel (or aluminum) and are they sold separately?

 

Thanks

[Dayble]

Bob,

 

I think they are Aluminum, not sure. Whatever it is, they do their job perfectly unless like most things, you take a huge hit.

They are sold seprately and there are two different end pieces...

 

 

[Dennis David]

I think they are billet aliminum.

[Dennis David]

Well I found a Plafit chassis I had that I had forgotten about. I'll use one of my Falcon motors and get me some new wheels and tires. My question is for those that run at SCR in Rohnert Park what would be a good starting gear ratio on the flat track?

[sportblazer350]

there are really a lot of choices for chassis to use in real SCALE racing classes. Some mentioned here work well: Plafit, Scaleauto, H&R (can order with lower than 40k rpm motors), BRM (can be made to perform well, basic set up with weight kits, lower guide flag, foam rubber rears). The latest BRM issue: Porsche 917 has a new anglewinder chassis with metal gears, and performs even better than previous issues. There are lots more Euro SCALE types of chassis around: Scholer, MJK, and more. And there is still the TSR which also perfroms well.  

 

  right now I prefer: Scaleauto, BRM, Plafit, TSR, and H&R for model kit and other hardbody racing and building.

[paulthetexan]

Hi Guys

 

First time on the forum . Over here in Brisbane Australia we run GT and Group C classes in 1/28 & 1/24 scale with both Scale Auto and Plafit chassis spec. While Scale Auto is easier to set up and have running initially ,  Plafit offer a better quality product that will give faster times after a little tuning . You can buy plafit chassis in loose kit form or "RTR" which still needs some basic adjustment to suit your body .

 

Here are a couple of mine .....

 

I would also like to offer a link to an interesting article on chassis preparation

http://www.auslot.co...z/page__st__380

 

Hope this is some help

 

Cheers

[Tex]

Nice lookin' cars, Paul!

 

I'm still relatively new to hardbody racing. I first bought a BRM. Then the guys enticed me to get a Scaleauto. If I'd bought the Scaleauto first, I doubt that I would've bought the BRM. I LOVE the very scale look of the BRMs but it seems very much like a 1/24 "toy" slot car, all plastic right down to the chassis. And the chassis is cracked all to heck right now, barely hanging together; I need to superglue the heck out of it before taking it to the track again. The

 

Scaleauto is a step up over the BRM but it has it's drawbacks also. I bought one of the Mercedes "kits"; the car proper is RTR but the body kit needs to be assembled/painted. Factory assembly of the RTR roller leaves a little to be desired; the spur gear BARELY was in contact with the pinion. Normally, pulling a motor and repositioning the pinion isn't a big deal. But the way the motors are secured into the Scaleauto is... is?... well, it just leaves something to be desired, just seems it could have been done better.

 

Once I got the roller squared away and the body painted, it was time to mount the body. OMIGOD. Again with the tiny screws and nuts and washers! Get it adjusted on one side and the other side is then "off" and the screw holes don't line up.  LOL  I FINALLY got the body mounted adequately. Now, two of the mounting holes in the body are stripped out. I'm attempting to affect repairs in that area now.

 

THEN the guys got me stoked about Trans-Am hardbodies on H&R or ProStock(ProTrack?) brass chassis. Getting that stupid brass H&R chassis set up and tweaked was a chore. But I enjoy it the most of all 3 cars; I got more satisfaction out of working on it to get it going good. I've only raced it once; I've made subsequent tweaks(mainly adding a LOT of lead!) and am looking forward to the next race.

 

In recap, I'll still race the BRM 'cause everyone has to race their pig too. And my Scaleauto is about ready to go again, so "bring it on"! Oh yeah, somewhat of a drawback about the BRM and Scaleauto is the price of the tires... $20 or so a pair make it a good thing that we don't race these cars very often. Then there's the Trans-Am, probably my favorite because it has more of "me" in it. All in all, I like hardbody racing 'cause once you get the car set up, there's not a lot else to do to it from one race to the next. Getting them ready to race in first place takes some doing, but once you're there, it's worth it. The competition seems to be closer than with slot cars that can be tuned to a larger degree.

[Dennis David]

I've be racing my Mini-Z bodied Plafit and TSRF cars. Both are smooth runners but I will need to add more wait to the TSRF. I only run them on the flat track at SCR so as not to destroy them. Next up is a Sholer chassis for my Sauber Mercedes.

[MG Brown]

The Kyosho mini-z bodies are very pretty and quite durable to take a hit during R/C racing. It's unfortunate that they weren't made to 1/24 scale but for slot racing it's not a big deal.

 

I haven't built a slot chassis for a MZ yet but I can't imagine that it would be too difficult.

 

For some inspiration look here -----> Mini-Z Photos

 

[Tim Neja]

Yeah I've raced Mini Z cars and the bodies are VERY nice and detailed!! It would be easy to make chassis for them.  Lot's of good variation in styles and marks!!

[spudboy]

Very attractive cars Paul.  The McLaren looks super fine to me.