133 replies to this topic

[Pablo]

John, none of my racing buddies wanted to drive the Batmobile.  It was scary fast on the Hillclimb.  When I punched it halfway down the straight, it would accelerate so fast that by the time it approached the dead man.......well, you had to have been there.  She just hung the rear end WAY out and scared the daylights out of me, lap after lap.  I hope the G20 is the answer for this car. The H armature is way too much power, like requiring somebody to do 50 push ups, and they pump out 150 ! 

[Bill from NH]

I wouldn't expect the Grp. 20 to be appreciably slower, they were usually cheap, fast arms. Got any Contender/Challenger or Super Wasp/Hornet arms squirreled away? They might be a smoother choice. I used to keep a 26 ga. Mura around for short track racing. Build a 4" version of the Owl Chuck ISO & see how your Havlicek motor runs in it. I ran ISOs on tracks from American Blacks to Blue Kings. With the tires of the day, my ISOs never saw a glue bottle they didn't love.

[Pablo]

"Build a 4" version of the Owl Chuck ISO & see how your Havlicek motor runs in it"

Still too light, I think, Sir. I'm probably going to do exactly what Cheater suggested:
a Bob Emott.

 

Back at the Batcave.......gotta get this thing done......been doing home improvements on a house I don't even own for 3 days and I'm sick of it

It's slot car time now  Wheeeeeeeee

[havlicek]

John, none of my racing buddies wanted to drive the Batmobile.  It was scary fast on the Hillclimb.  When I punched it halfway down the straight, it would accelerate so fast that by the time it approached the dead man.......well, you had to have been there.  She just hung the rear end WAY out and scared the daylights out of me, lap after lap.  I hope the G20 is the answer for this car. The H armature is way too much power, like requiring somebody to do 50 push ups, and they pump out 150 ! 

 

Well...it's a combination of the arm and the solid motor build  Bill might be right though on second thought, a G20 is still a LOT of motor!

 

-john

[Pablo]

Bushings, not bearings, no shunts, bigger airgap, tamer magnets, if it was tame enough for a Choti proxy car, it will work in the Batmobile.

[havlicek]

Bingo!

 

-john

[Pablo]

Group 20 motor, double spring action on the front wheel assembly, new rear wheels.

[Bill from NH]

You need to dig up one of the old JK Cadzilla bodies. That Batmobile wants a playmate!

[bluecars]

 To the bat cave Robin

[Pablo]

Track test # 2:

Group 20 arm / Mura motor is better for this car than the previous (big wire) Mura, but the acceleration is still too violent for the (relatively) light chassis and the "no glue" conditions on modern tracks. She still spins the wheels halfway down the straights, then hooks up suddenly for a scary spurt of acceleration.  If you don't brake in time, before you can even blink she is at the braking point of the next corner.  Not a driver friendly car at all.  It would be real easy for me to just say "it is a rocketship", pat myself on the back, and move on.  But those who know me, know I won't stop tuning a car until it behaves.  A good SCCSA friend of mine drove this car today and suggested 3 things for improvement:

-wider rear wheels (she needs as much traction as she can get, and the body width allows it)

-one tooth smaller on the pinion (to tame the violent power delivery)

-dye the Jet Flag BLACK

 

I said, "But, a smaller pinion will give even more violent acceleration, which is what I'm trying to eliminate."  His reply:  "just try it".  When Morgan Stanley gives me a "hint", I listen real close.  So that is the direction the Batmobile is headed. I will not let this car rest until it drives like I want it to.

 

[bluecars]

 BACK to the bat cave Robin  Not a good day for me (to many worries you know) But always enjoy racing with you. Still don't know much about Mom. Spent most of the night with her and she is talking and coherent. hard to understand but at least she is alert, even with all the drugs. Hoping for the best.

[Pablo]

We will pray for you, Red.  I know it's tough having a loved one in pain.

[SlotStox#53]

Sounds like some good steps in the right direction to tame this beast of a car!! 

 

Thinking of your Mom Red

[bluecars]

Thank you to both PAULS

[Pablo]

Ready for track test # 3 tomorrow.  A friend suggested one tooth smaller pinion to tame the violent power delivery.  When I said a smaller pinion would, theoretically, give it even more violent acceleration, his response was, "just try it" and he smiled.  So now we have 8/45 gears with about .870 wheels.

 

Flag is now black:

[Pablo]

Batmobiles face off:  1966 Batcar (right) meets 1971 Batcar (left, with 1990 Toytech Batmobile body):

 

[Pablo]

Batmobile track test # 3 results: 

My friend was 100% right on the money - a one tooth smaller pinion tamed the violent wheelspin and put the power to the track.  Now she hooks up and goes, smooth, fast, driveable. Very predictable and well mannered.  The Owl Chump design was a winner from the get-go; I just needed to fine tune the car for this (big) body.  Special thanks to all that made this car come alive - Billy and Minnie Watson, Rick Thigpen, Al Chuck, John "Bud" Greene, Greg Gilbert, Jairus Watson, JC Martin, Michael J. Heinrich, who did I forget ? 

Thanks everybody, it was a fun project    Onward, Capt Rick

[Hermit #1]

Batmobile track test # 3 results: 

My friend was 100% right on the money - a one tooth smaller pinion tamed the violent wheelspin and put the power to the track.  Now she hooks up and goes, smooth, fast, driveable. Very predictable and well mannered.  <SNIP>

There's a good reason why your friend is right:  electric motors make max torque at stall speed.  The higher the RPM, the lower the torque.  So by going to a smaller pinion (or larger spur), you move the operating speed higher up on the torque curve, thus making the car more controllable.

Great job on the Batmobile!

[Pablo]

Thanks, Dave, next time I have a complicated gearing issue, you will be my "Go To" guy

I'm a hermit, too !  (inherited the gene from my dear late mother)

Going to The Dungeon tomorrow; I'll just slap 'er on the track knowing she is fully tuned. 

And scare the daylights out of everybody including yours truly

[CoastalAngler1]

Those are very nice batmobile slots!    Love that Dynamic and the BatPans on the other!    Wear out a few pairs of rears!

 

Sir Pablo wrote: But those who know me, know I won't stop tuning a car until it behaves.

Me Too!!   

 

Hang in there Red!

[Pablo]

My Batmobile has been gathering dust for a long time. I'm a builder, not a collector, so the car needs to move to a better home. The body has some damage but still in running condition. I found some Batman stickers

 

 

This big car absolutely hauls buns and will scare the crap of you, guaranteed. Anybody interested?

[Jaeger Team]

Yep!

[Pablo]

Noted. Let me get her cleaned and tuned up, then I'll send you a PM. Basically all she needs is a new spur gear and new lead wires.

[Pablo]

Body damage: a couple splits in the rear. It's a thin body, less than 10 thou. If you followed my track tuning from the Havlicek blue motor to the G20 motor, and the change to a smaller pinion, you could say I ruined it looking for less horsepower and driveable gearing   Currently investigating availability of a new body.

 

 

Body removed and the only damage I found so far is 3 chipped teeth on the 45T 64P Sonic aluminum drag spur gear. Currently looking for either a new replacement gear, or experimenting with a plastic JK gear. Routing on the lead wires also needs to be changed to allow more slack.

 

 

If I did get a new body for it, I'd probably attempt to test a Batman sticker inside with faux glaze. If it did work, it would look a lot better than this

 

[Pablo]

New Toytech 90's Bat body and a new spur gear are on order    Inspection reveals no damage/no broken solder joints/no problems, other than worn axle BB's and a worn can bushing. The PCH axle still tests perfectly round. Motor needs to be removed, pinion changed to a straight 8T and bushing changed to possibly a BB or a better bushing. Axle BB's will probably be replaced with Slick 7 bushings for better longevity.

 

 

This is a strong beast and the G20 Mura caused some wear. Freshening it all up will be a piece of cake. I just plugged in the Hakko 455 ……..