1321 replies to this topic

[SlotStox#53]

Superb runs and pictures of both comp Coupe and the rails

Don, great job on the cars some very swift rides! Two standard motors with exceptional pace, or maybe the trick is using less grunt ....Hmmmm

[CoastalAngler1]

Traction is the key - look at the race clock - Smokum1 won the race by the 660 mark...Managing tire traction / weight / and power will put you in the winners circle next year.  Hey, I can bring 3 - 12 volt batteries from my boat next time?  36v and 3,000 amps should do it...

 

Did folks use traction additives back in the day?  Did they use stop glue?  

[don.siegel]

You know, that's a good question. 

 

From all the drag reports I've read, they didn't use any additives - guys always talked about carefully cleaning your tires (mostly German spongies in the era we're talking about), and the best tracks were often Formica. 

 

No stop area glue either - bundled up parachutes were the ne plus ultra! 

 

Kind of odd when you think of it, because glue was already very present in road racing... I myself had my own secret recipe.... 

 

Don 

[Gator Bob]

Charlie,

How are the race report articles and pictures coming along?

[Gator Bob]

Here are a few pictures from my 'not Unlimited' pile of pics.

 

When I looked the cars over in tech my guesses to win were off.

 

I said to the 'crew' that Bob's Fiat or Smokem4 dragsters were going to win.

Some of the Rails drop arms caused issuses. For some reason they need up-stops for the drop arms.

First there were many problems with the staging (not only rail cars). The new 'infrared LEDs" caused total fits for our cars.

MANY cars flags had to be fitted with Mylar/foil tape and even that didn't 'solve everything'. 

 

For example ... Pitt man's cars although fully tested and shaken by Bob S. down never seemed to hold a solid connection to the track braid. Kind of 'surging and near braid sparking' passes.

 

I wasn't told there was new LEDs until the problem of 'invisible black Jet flags' showed up. We had some 'light the light' issuses last year with white/natural flags thus prompting the dyed or modern Parma graphite flag rule.

 

In theory it was the right call, in reality it didn't work.  I am 'way sorry' about that my friends.

The cars coming in last minute didn't help but many were tested at home and many that were not tested at a home track worked just fine every time.

 

Note: It is 'Mission Impossible" to do a true 'no glue' race on a track that uses glue as brakes in the shut down area. 

The Starting Line was kept reasonable free of glue but down strip the lanes got gluey and that makes the conditions change and inconsistent for these vintage cars.

 

We will have to - do it different to find equality and consistency.

[SlotStox#53]

I deliberately made the drop arm on the fairy driven rail end directly underneath the front axle so the axle tube would rest on top of the guide.

That way (at least in my mind) would act as an up stop otherwise there'd be no pressure on the guide.

Did you manage to see or hear anything on its performance Bob?

[hiline2]

drop arm stop bar noted for next time !

[Gator Bob]

Another note: The 1/16th front height or the fronts must roll class rules do not work with glued shutdown lanes.

 

Even if the rears are 'board cleaned' the fronts are glued up. That slows cars and creates a major inconsistency problem.

 

Unless of course you have a Ramchargers MOPAR to power through anything... right Don ? 

 

My "Violent Valiant" 413 didn't have any problem with the glue.

Even on the fronts .... they spent so little time on the track.... it bounce wheelied to 3/4 track. It was a site  

Just one of many wild races that would make great video.

 

'Lil' Miss El didn't have any issue with the glue ... she just spun her wheels right on though it.

 

The 'transferred glue' down track killed the 'Wheelstander' class cars. In testing Joe's A/FX car went all the way down.. slow but ALL THE Way down with the wheels high in the air. Slow but it did it. Well ... the Exb. races were run late as we ran the races starting with Stock and moving up .... you know what the glue did? ... it made Joe's car drop down track.

 

No Wheelstanders made it all the way down on two wheels.

I had to default to ET and the MantaTron won.  

 

Steep leaning curve, but learning the keys to better proxy drag racing.

[Gator Bob]

I deliberately made the drop arm on the fairy driven rail end directly underneath the front axle so the axle tube would rest on top of the guide.

That way (at least in my mind) would act as an up stop otherwise there'd be no pressure on the guide.

Did you manage to see or hear anything on its performance Bob?

 

IIRC, it ran fine. I'll post the times or ..........  you will get your time slips first 

 

How about a picture racing Joe's sweet 33?

Paul's 1.379 @ 30.99 beats Joe's 2.452 @ no MPH recorded in that race.

 

 

Paul, like I told ya' those tires suck and you gave up a lot in tire chatter.

Joe's car got drop arm/ flag contact fritz.

 

I added a weight to the arm to get a pass to record and it did a best 1.60 @ 28.99 on a single pass.

 

[Gator Bob]

Better proxy note:

 

RULE - All cars must be marked with owners name.

 

I had to write names on most all the cars ...Oops..... I hope you find it an easy to clean spot.

[don.siegel]

Good idea Bob - guilty as charged! 

 

Don 

[Gator Bob]

Don, ... it's a new rule ... no charges will be filed or fines levied .... this time.   

 

Please ignore the pen-men-ship or speeling.

 

Did you ever see what Tony P. writes on my cars

[Gator Bob]

 Were the parking lot drag strips of the 60s braided?

[SlotStox#53]

That's a good rule Bob

I remember you saying those tires sucked but had to use them in place of Russkit 775 rears not truing/gluing properly. So those dynamics were the only ones big enough I had on hand!

Next time modern boots & lose the fairy too much drag ...

Good to know even with naff rears it did 1.3

[boxerdog]

You know, that's a good question. 

 

From all the drag reports I've read, they didn't use any additives - guys always talked about carefully cleaning your tires (mostly German spongies in the era we're talking about), and the best tracks were often Formica. 

 

No stop area glue either - bundled up parachutes were the ne plus ultra! 

 

Kind of odd when you think of it, because glue was already very present in road racing... I myself had my own secret recipe.... 

 

Don 

At least at the races I entered or read about back then, the prep was simple. The comm got cleaned and lubed with Channel Master or Wissh every run and the tires got cleaned with Energine cleaning fluid or carbon tet. And sewing machine oil or wd-40 on the spinning stuff. And it all smelled good!!! I never knew about glue back then.

 

The shutdown glue is a blessing and a problem, some at the rear wheels and some at the front, as noted. It makes sense to keep the fronts out of it as much as possible and you almost have to clean the rears each run.  The parachutes were forever getting in the gears, etc. and I can remember what happened when some of the cars went out the back. Not pretty. We had foam blocks and all kinds of stuff but there were a lot of casualties IIRC.

 

Bob, you have made some great observations. Parma guides, front wheel height and a clean track. The other really cool thing that happened is that we are all discovering that many of these old motor designs can compete in addition to the Pittmans and Rams. I still want to build a 9003 powered car, and maybe some kind of big inline as well. The ingenuity and craftsmanship reminds me of how it really was, there were no cookie-cutter cars back then. Keep up the great work!!!

[Gator Bob]

Next time modern boots & lose the fairy too much drag ...

 

 

Are you saying Rapunzel is a drag queen?

[Gator Bob]

At least at the races I entered or read about back then, the prep was simple. The comm got cleaned and lubed with Channel Master or Wissh every run and the tires got cleaned with Energine cleaning fluid or carbon tet. And sewing machine oil or wd-40 on the spinning stuff. And it all smelled good!!! I never knew about glue back then.

 

The shutdown glue is a blessing and a problem, some at the rear wheels and some at the front, as noted. It makes sense to keep the fronts out of it as much as possible and you almost have to clean the rears each run.  The parachutes were forever getting in the gears, etc. and I can remember what happened when some of the cars went out the back. Not pretty. We had foam blocks and all kinds of stuff but there were a lot of casualties IIRC.

 

Bob, you have made some great observations. Parma guides, front wheel height and a clean track. The other really cool thing that happened is that we are all discovering that many of these old motor designs can compete in addition to the Pittmans and Rams. I still want to build a 9003 powered car, and maybe some kind of big inline as well. The ingenuity and craftsmanship reminds me of how it really was, there were no cookie-cutter cars back then. Keep up the great work!!!

 

 I can kinda smell it .. it's good.   

 

Thanks David , jus trying to keep an 'eye on things'...

 

AND .. while you want to build a 9003 car we all want to build a car to beat some guy that wins every year ...    

[SlotStox#53]

it wasn't rapunzel, some character our of Miss E ' s pile 'O toys..

All that hair = wind brake

Hmmmm a boatmaster powered car would be sweet David

[Gator Bob]

Dilemma note:

 

I don't have pictures or impression notes to post for every car.

My multi-tasking functions on race day limited my time to watch or take pictures of all the rounds.

Thought that was covered.

 

 

With that said ... Here are some more.

 

How is this for a cool image?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Gator Bob]

 Resuls for this match up

 

Bob's Fiat had a shuddery hard to get power down 1.81 @ 28.41 to Paul's Rail2 winning 1.61 @ 23.35

Switch'em up and it's Paul again with a 1.718 @ 22.31 to another wheelspinnig, guideflag bouncing'n sparking 2.104 @ 25.07

 

Bob, I thought that car would be in the finals, it 'hated' the track conditions. You proved it works great on your home track up there. Maybe it's because your cars were set up at a Hi Altitude and doesn't like it here at sea level.

It wasn't getting consistent power to the motor and when it did it lost traction... a lot going on in a short period of time.

Paul, Your car was good, smooth but not real fast. Might be down on power, was it zapped? Oh and IIRC this one had hard tire syndrome and needed glue to go.

 

[boxerdog]

AND .. while you want to build a 9003 car we all want to build a car to beat some guy that wins every year ...    

 

dupe

Attached Files

•  001.mov   972.49KB   10 downloads

[boxerdog]

AND .. while you want to build a 9003 car we all want to build a car to beat some guy that wins every year ...    

 

I think a lot of it is good fortune and I must have had some great drivers this year. I wasn't quite as prepared as I had planned to be. But I accept that bullseye on my forehead....

 

It's a good thing I wasn't driving!

[boxerdog]

another dupe??

[Gator Bob]

Spend your day? ...Slot or 1:1 .... Well that's a no brainer.

 

I'm impressed what it turn David.

[boxerdog]

It's pretty much a stock 409/425, usually goes around 12.0 109-110, which is pretty consistent with or slightly better than some of them were doing in the 61-62 era. I have a bigger "bullet" however which might find its way into that car soon. No substitute for inches, 409 is pretty small by today's standards, especially in a full-size tuna boat. Originally I wanted to be as "period correct" as possible, now I want to go a little faster.