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Help with a Champion of Chamblee Mecom Lola


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#1 Stefano Sbravati

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Posted 09 February 2014 - 02:31 PM

I wonder if anybody here can let me know which was the spur gear mounted in the Champion of Chamblee Mecom Lola. 

 

Thank you very much! 

 

DSCN5417.JPG

 

DSCN5416.JPG


Stefano Sbravati




#2 Gator Bob

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Posted 09 February 2014 - 04:17 PM

Hi Stefano,
 
You car is looking great. :good:
 
The Weldun gears are correct as far as I know and are shown in the LASCM link below as well as in the book Vintage Slot Cars by PdL.
 
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#3 Bill from NH

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Posted 09 February 2014 - 05:27 PM

I think it may have depended when your car was manufactured.

The two I bought in 1967 and 68 both had 48 pitch gray plastic( Williams?) spurs that were held on the axle with the same taper locks as their rear tires of that time. The pinions were brass with smaller taper locks. Champion included a double-ended hex wrench with these cars that fit both size taper locks. :)
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#4 TSR

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Posted 09 February 2014 - 09:55 PM

Stefano,

The Williams gear is correct and so is the Weldun.

The cars with the Weldun 64-pitch came first, in 1966, fitted with the "703", then the "707" motor. It is mounted with a Tru-Lok collet. Can't remember the number of teeth but Champion marketed quite a few of them with different ratios. The Williams spur gear is 48 pitch and was only produced in the 50t model if I recall correctly and is also mounted with a Tru-Lok collet. Interestingly, both the necessary pinions were also mounted by a tiny Tru-Lok collet system.

Looks like your car has the "703" motor, and that it is otherwise correct in every respect. The car came as a RTR with a clear or painted body. When the body is painted, they are generally gold or metallic blue and the rear window is painted over. Generally a small gold and black Champion sticker is applied under the car's nose and is sealed by the paint. All had a printed cardboard interior with a molded plastic driver. PM me if you need one.

The bodies were made and trimmed by Lancer but painted at Champion as required. The Lola was the first Champion complete car and a successful seller as many have survived.

They were originally offered in a "window" box, the body sitting next to the assembled chassis.

ch106.jpg
 
By 1967 they were sold inside what became the "standard" Champion RTR box until 1970 when if became smaller and with new graphics.
 
cat-cha001-100.jpg
 
They came with silicone tires first, then with blue or black sponge tires.
 
870.jpg
 
876.jpg
 
Champion_Lola.jpg
 
champion_lola_1.jpg
 
Champion-Lola-6.jpg
 
Champion-Lola-8.jpg

Philippe de Lespinay


#5 Stefano Sbravati

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Posted 10 February 2014 - 01:35 AM

I was pretty sure I'd receive all the help I needed. Thank you very much, fellows.

Does anybody have a picture of the Williams spur? I wonder if "this" Williams is the same company of the motors "of Cleveland".

And by the way, are there available Champion stickers?

Many thanks again.


Stefano Sbravati

#6 Gator Bob

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Posted 10 February 2014 - 03:20 AM

I believe the name of the gears as Williams would be after the first owner of the company, Mr. Jim Williams.

They are a dark gray near black plastic version in 48 pitch vs the 64 pitch of the Weldun aluminum allow.
 
Not to be confused with product offered by Wilsons of Cleveland which was based in Florida, not Ohio.
 
I also think the first generation cars might have come with the available 701 motor.
 
Stefano, is the motor can hitting the rear axle impeding a full mesh engagement?
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#7 Stefano Sbravati

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Posted 10 February 2014 - 03:31 AM

My God... That was Wilson....!!
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#8 Gator Bob

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Posted 10 February 2014 - 03:38 AM

Is the gear mesh OK as it is shown above?


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#9 TSR

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Posted 10 February 2014 - 05:09 PM

Does anybody have a picture of the Williams spur?

 

Stefano, I will put it on my "to do" list of pictures to take.

 

I wonder if "this" Williams is the same company of the motors "of Cleveland".

 

Bob responded to you and of course Wilson's is a different entity, but to return to the Williams spur gear, it was indeed a product of Jim Williams and his brother in their effort to make products for the slot car industry. When Cox crown gears became most popular, Williams made similar gears but using their collet attachment instead of the standard setscrew. The reason? A collet offers a much more precise on-center fastening method. Indeed the Williams crown gears were just about perfect once fastened on the Champion straight axles, but one needed much better tools than the flimsy wrenches supplied for slot car use. 

 

And by the way, are there available Champion stickers?

 

Some of the metal-foil kind were reproduced by Dallas Booth and used on a series of fake Champion motors he sold to lots of good-faith buyers, but obtaining any now might be a tough call. The standard "blue" stickers were never reproduced as far as I know.


Philippe de Lespinay


#10 SlotStox#53

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Posted 10 February 2014 - 06:58 PM

Very nice car! Love the shape of the Mecom Lola :D

 

Philippe , is that the style Champion chassis they used for setting that world record?



#11 TSR

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Posted 10 February 2014 - 07:25 PM

Yes, the world-record cars, two Lola GTs and a Ford GT, used the same chassis with the power-house "707" motor.

Two out of three cars have survived and are in the LASCM collection:

 

champion_record_cars.jpg

 

champion_record_cars_1.jpg

 

champion_record_cars_2.jpg

 

champion-80-hour-under-3.jpg

 

While they could use a bit of TLC, originality here is vastly more important, so preservation "as they are" will be kept to a minimum.


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#12 SlotStox#53

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Posted 10 February 2014 - 07:29 PM

Awesome original cars! Wouldn't take much to make them better without losing the patina/originality of being such important cars!

Silicone rears?

#13 TSR

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Posted 10 February 2014 - 07:38 PM

Yes, the rear tires are silicone and lasted the 80 hours!

The only repair we will do is to add a complete rear axle with gear and wheels to the car missing it.

Philippe de Lespinay


#14 Gator Bob

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Posted 10 February 2014 - 08:08 PM

Dokk,

I have NOS or well-used bushings if you need any. Also some used silicones that would play the part nicely.
 
Do you know if the Williams gear was used at the historic endurance event?
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#15 TSR

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Posted 10 February 2014 - 08:16 PM

Bob,

Yes, if you look at the Lola, it has the Williams gear. Also if you look at the pictures in the old magazine report, all three cars had Willams gears, but remember, the pinions are ALWAYS by Weldun.

No worry about the parts, the LASCM has fortunately more than enough bits to perform the repair. Thanks for offering!

Philippe de Lespinay


#16 Bill from NH

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Posted 10 February 2014 - 08:17 PM

I notice both those cars have the 707 BB motor. One of my two cars had one. I wonder how many hours I put on them iduring 1967-68 with only braid changes and the replacement of chunked silicone tires? :)
 
Were all of Champion's taper lock pinions made by Weldun? In two years, I never had a problem with them, whatever they were. I probably still have some of them.
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#17 TSR

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Posted 10 February 2014 - 08:20 PM

Bill,

I am sure that you would have no problems running it a long time: neither of the three motors on the three cars failed or even gave any sign of being tired after 80 hours, and the brushes were only a third worn down.

Philippe de Lespinay


#18 Gator Bob

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Posted 10 February 2014 - 08:36 PM

Wow, that must have been one tough plastic gear, do you think a Cox could have lasted that long? 

 

Looks like the 'rare' steel drop arm used on those...


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#19 TSR

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Posted 10 February 2014 - 09:00 PM

Bob,

The material of the Champion gears was the same as used on the Cox gears: nylon filled with 30% glass powder. Either would have lasted just the same...

Yes, steel drop arms were used on those cars, because by that time someone at Champion must have figured out that the aluminum kind would not last very long before being reshaped like an accordion!  :)
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#20 Stefano Sbravati

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Posted 11 February 2014 - 11:15 AM

Stefano, is the motor can hitting the rear axle impeding a full mesh engagement?

 
Bob,

Sorry for the delay: the clearance between the motor can and the axle is more or less a hairline, just enough for a good mesh engagement.
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#21 Stefano Sbravati

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Posted 11 February 2014 - 11:22 AM

And, if I may, here are the rest of my Early Champion stable: 

 

DSCN5418.JPG

 

DSCN5419.JPG

 

DSCN5420.JPG  

 

The Lola is missing the right motor (by the way, any idea where can I find a couple of 707 screamers?), and I have doubts on the wheel...

 

 


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#22 Stefano Sbravati

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Posted 11 February 2014 - 12:06 PM

Bob, sorry for the delay: the clearance between the motor can and the axle is more or less a hairline, just enough for a good mesh engagement.

 
DSCN5421.JPG
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#23 TSR

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Posted 11 February 2014 - 12:09 PM

Stefano,

Your Porsche has the wrong chassis for this body. There are two Porsche 906s at Champion. The one using the chassis and motor shown in your picture has a Russkit-sourced body. The one with the Lancer body as you show, should have the FT26 motor (Champion "601"), wheels with hand-drilled holes and black sponge tires and a steel drop arm.
 
Lola GT RTR   (uses Lancer body)
Lola T70 RTR    (uses Lancer body)
Chaparral 2 RTR    (uses Lancer body)
Corvette  RTR    (uses Lancer Mako Shark body)
Ford GT40 RTR    (uses Revell body)
Ford GTX1 RTR  (uses Lancer body)
Dodge Charger RTR  (uses Pactra body)
McLaren-Elva RTR  (uses Lancer body)
Chaparral Daytona RTR  (uses Pactra body)
Porsche Carrera RTR (uses Russkit body) 
Dino Ferrari RTR  (uses Revell body)

All above with 703 or 707, without or with ball bearings.

Porsche Carrera RTR (uses Lancer body, 601 motor, steel drop arm, always painted in silver with red or blue sides).

So you need a "601", not a "707" for this car as well as a steel drop arm and drilled wheels...
 
The Porsche also has a specific box used only for this model and a Ferrari F1 RTR.

This example needs a bath, but it's the only pictures I have on file at this time, sorry!
 
MVC-034S.JPG
 
MVC-035S.JPG
 
MVC-036S.JPG
 
MVC-037S.JPG

Philippe de Lespinay


#24 Gator Bob

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Posted 11 February 2014 - 12:37 PM

Dokk,

Please double check this...
 
Corvette  RTR    (uses Lancer Mako Shark body)
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#25 Gator Bob

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Posted 11 February 2014 - 12:45 PM

Stefano,

The car you are building up with all NOS parts is looking very nice.
Did you run it in on the track or your power supply? 
The gears look worn more than I would expect.
 
I have the parts that you need for the others... 707s and wheels/tires, etc... I'll send you an email.
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