41 replies to this topic

[idare2bdul]

I used to say I had a great wealth of useless knowledge; but I defer to the immensity of your knowledge of a subject of interest to an aging audience who can't remember why they came into a room. Looking forward to my copy arriving before being shipped off to a hospice.

[havlicek]

Coincidentally, one of these very end bells is up for grabs on eBay for a mere $350.  That's less than it would cost to have an end bell machined from 24 carat gold!

[Bill from NH]

John, did you also see the lot of 10 bearings for $330? 

[havlicek]

John, did you also see the lot of 10 bearings for $330? 

 

No, but I generally only look for stuff I might actually buy.  This one only caught my eye because of this thread.

[Bill from NH]

i found them at the bottom of another auction i was looking at. Too many eBay sellers don't know the true worth of their products.

[TSR]

 

Coincidentally, one of these very end bells is up for grabs on eBay for a mere $350.

And to my amazement, it actually sold at that price!!! 

[MSwiss]

I just wound up with one of these endbells, with the metal insert, as the motor had "died" for the customer.
 
The only good news is it's so busted up, so you can see that insert in better detail.
 
What's weird is that it also has an external brass plate, but that could of been to try to remedy a loose bushing.
 
The brass plate has a dab of solder in the bushing area.

[TSR]

Ouch... that thing had a hard life! 
RIP...

 

[Jesse Gonzales]

Back in the end bell drive days I liked Champion stuff but often suffered stripped threads like a lot of guys did. I used to drill them out and epoxy in a short length of 1/8" brass rod that I had drilled out and threaded they gave me more use out of an end bell. I recently went looking for something like these to fit into bells I used in the 83-92 era a raced so they can be used again, here is a clip.

I forget when the 1st Orange Picker made it AZ but Tim Pierce from Mesa bought it and was every bit as fast as some Steube 25's on Jack's American Orange track. By then Bob Green had given some hand built C can's Ussery and me so we had moved on to new stuff. These little bits will allow you to drill out brush hood screws that were munged up by self tapping screws and use proper 2-26 screws.

 

Jess Gonzales

[Bill from NH]

"use proper 2-56 screws."

[Jesse Gonzales]

you are correct Bill, it was late and was trying to get pain under control. In the old days I used 2-56 screws Bob Green was using which were turned down slightly to fit into the Mura brass cups to make the spring post. Thanks for catching that.

 

Jesse Gonzales

[TSR]

Two examples of what Jesse is talking about:





The screw heads are turned down to fit inside the brass cup, that is slipped on the screw and forms the springs' posts.
On the top example, an extension is fitted that fits inside the cup.
Hard to see really but that's how these motors are assembled.

[MSwiss]

Cool goop shield.

Who made it?

[TSR]

Me. I still have the original mold... made of wood!
Then I gave the pattern to Lloyd Asbury at M.A.C. (later sold to Parma), then copied by Outisight, and possibly others at the time.

[Jesse Gonzales]

PDL's benefactor was another craftsman from the old days (Bill Steube sr.) a really nice guy. He was Billy & Mike's dad, the kind of slot car dad many of us were blessed to have, they kept their eyes and ears open at the track then built or suggested stuff for their sons to try. Bill Sr. would talk motors with a kid builder and not lie or hold back like some of the other guys.

 

Jess Gonzales

[TSR]

Jesse,
Some would argue with your assessment about "nice guy", including his own son... . There were lots of tensions in the day between "The Team" and other racers, complicated by Bill's friends and admirers, namely Gene Husting and Bruce Paschal. You might have a talk with John Cukras and others...

But no doubt that he built some of the best and most reliable motors in period. I can only think of Joel Montague and Bob Green as equally good, I consider all others a class below that level, with all due respect to all. Bill Steube also had a sense of aesthetics that no one else had in the finish of his motors. And he built lots of them, think of "volume Rick Thigpen". 

But he was not my "benefactor": after having soundly beaten his two sons in a series of races (they had the best motors but I had better handling cars with motors I assembled from Mura bits), I was "hired" in the team because Bill thought it better that I would run his motor and tires, rather than those of someone else.  His business depended on people winning with his products, and as others before and after my stint, he picked the guys who were winning.

I admit that it was very convenient for me, freeing me to spend my time to design and build better cars, and I still have the highest respect for Bill.

 

[Jesse Gonzales]

I agree that Bob and Joel were in the same class of craftsman as Bill Sr., I would probably add Kean to that list but that is just my preference as a winder though not nearly as successful. I know that to some Bill was a little harsh but then even tough I was a teen I thought more like an old man and could relate better. 

 

I also agree that he deserved the respect we gave him. I'll leave the rest for us to hash out face to face when if we ever see each other again.

 

Jesse Gonzales