Hubba, hubba, hubba
#1
Posted 23 September 2007 - 11:42 PM
The D3 car is one I bought from Phillipe and Bob Scott for the 2005 Convention held here on Bob's bumpy blue King. (Really not a bad first effort, Bob!)
The one and only 1/24 TSRF race in AZ... ever!
This car qualified second (by .001 sec!) but finished badly in the race. My lack of experience and not knowing then that I had to drill and bolt the chassis pieces together caught me out.
In that race we used ProTrack #238 drag racing rear tires and I had only the plastic front wheels. Since then I decided to update to the TSR rears and the alloy fronts and set the T2417 inserts back in the wheels like JohnK does. I had done this before on my Tamiya-Brun 962 hardbody and added the idea of retaining the insert with the E-clip rather than glueing them in. It makes wheel removal much simpler.
This worked well on the fronts but required a longer 3" axle for the rear which I grooved myself. Unfortunatley axles that long are hard to get and a 3/32 drill blank is not much easier to get in small quantities. My solution to that was to put the alloy rears on the lathe and cut the inner hub down by .040". (See added dimension E on schematic pilfered from Professor Motor)
That allows me to use the grooved T2408 front axle on the rear with a few spacers to get the correct track and also use the clips. Here's the lathe set up:
My next problem was setting up my 962 for my routed/Magnetech-braided track where we race with silicones only and no glue is allowed. Obviously The Indy Grip IG3101 tires are the way to go but they are made for the plastic rims with the raised rib in the center. So... after many hours of staring through brown glass I got the idea to coat the wheels with J.B. Weld, the epoxy that can be machined, then cut that on the lathe to match the plastic wheels dimension.
I have four discarded pairs of plastic wheels and started measuring the OD (dimension D) which seemed to range from .841 to .846. I tried the Indy Grips on the biggest and they were cupping in the center and only making contact with the track at the outer edges. Knowing from my 1/32 experience that this means the tire is not supported in the middle I decided to cut that O.D. to .850 and that works fine.
I don't recommend doing this with the epoxy and I'm looking for a different material to use for the next two sets because I used a NIOSH resperator and a shop vac with a HEPA filter (as used for asbestos abatement) to deal with the toxic dust. Any suggestions are appreciated.
Here's the car with the sillies and the inserts, fully-weighted chassis with two magnets, all the legal mods, a full Tamiya interior and Overdrive permanent (read: with capacitor) light kit. It is nearly as fast as our modified 1/32 Slot.its on my twisty 1/32 roadcourse.
I've had a lot of fun building these and I have another LC-2 with Tamiya decals to build and another with a Tamiya-Toyota 88C-V yet to build. And one of these days I might even get over there to see how well they work!
AZGR One
I'd rather be racing!
#2
Posted 24 September 2007 - 10:25 AM
Beautiful work! You can see a few of the reinforcing tips that make the TSR cars virtually unbreakable HERE.
Also we will move to the new D3 motors in 2008, and they give a substantial increase in speed and brakes, while being so far, reliable.
While the class has had its ups and downs, some changes may bring more participation soon, stay tuned.
Philippe de Lespinay
#3
Posted 24 September 2007 - 08:10 PM
I'll watch for the availability of the new motor.
Who do you know that can make 1/24 decals? That D3 logo is slick and would look cool on the cars. Kind of like a LeMans entry sticker.
AZGR One
I'd rather be racing!
#4
Posted 24 September 2007 - 09:02 PM
You don't have to wait much longer, please CLICK HERE!I'll watch for the availability of the new motor.
Philippe de Lespinay
#5
Posted 25 September 2007 - 11:27 PM
I missed the motor because I've been shopping at E.D. and did not find the listing there. They should have them by the next time I order.
AZGR One
I'd rather be racing!
#6
Posted 26 September 2007 - 12:06 AM
Mike Boemker
#7
Posted 26 September 2007 - 08:36 AM
They should have them by the next time I order
They have them in stock. Price is $9.95.
Philippe de Lespinay
#8
Posted 03 October 2007 - 10:34 AM
It really sucks being the only 1/24 TSR (nee... TSRF!) racer in AZ, 800 miles from B.P. and all the D3 action!
Ah Dave, it's only 400 miles! C'mon over for the race on Oct 13.
#9
Posted 03 October 2007 - 06:26 PM
AZGR One
I'd rather be racing!
#10
Posted 29 December 2009 - 09:54 PM
UPDATE!
12/29/2009
I found a great material to replace the toxic and dusty JB Weld and the toxic and dusty and itchy fiberglass that I tried after that, it is MAGNUM INSTANT GAS TANK REPAIR by VersaChem, P.N. 16709. I got it at AutoZone but it may be sold at other auto parts stores as well.
This looks like an epoxy "fruit roll-up" with a black and a gray layer that has a two hour set up time meaning that it will not drip off of the wheel surface before it cures. (like JB Weld with it's 24 hr cure time) Tear off a small bit of the stick of this stuff and knead it like dough (or buggers) Until it has an even dark gray color and is very pliable. Roll it out into a cylinder about a 1/4" dia. X 3" long (you older guys from the sixties know what I mean) Wrap it around the wheel, cut off any extra length and work it around to about the general shape of the center rib that you want to create and when it is still the consistency that will take a finger print, machine it to the size you need.
Because it is still moist there is no toxic or itchy dust, just shavings that are easy to clean up. Dimensional shrinkage is undetectable unless you measure to 3 Helium light bands and if you screw it up the first time you can get it off before it sets up and start over.
Better Living Through Chemistry!
AZGR One
I'd rather be racing!
#11
Posted 29 December 2009 - 10:37 PM
Great job on the car, looks great.