54 replies to this topic

[mjsh]

One of the cars I've not been able to find.  Anybody got one of the Ferrari P4's they want to let go?  For trade I have some of the impossible to find Associated/Steube  fronts. These have the stepped wheel and the tire half machined off tires.

If you are restoring a late 60's or a 70's car you NEED these!

[Martin]

I am restoring a Riggen Jad car. Can any body tell me what the gearing was on the factory cars.

 

Just be sure the printed info says they were Cox crown gears but I have found a few pics with what I think look like Riggen gears?

 

Can anybody confirm this please?

[don.siegel]

Definitely a Cox crown gear Martin. 

 

The two period reviews I have show 10-29 and 9-29 ratios; my own cars have 8-29 and 8-33, but no idea if they're original. 

 

Don 

[Martin]

Thanks for the input Don. Maybe someone here has a mint boxed car.  I have cars that look to be untouched. One has 10-31 but it is a Riggen gear.

Then I found this pic online which also looks like a Riggen gear?

I still wonder why they would not use there own manufactured parts  like a Riggen guide and a Riggen gear.

Anybody got a theory on this? 

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[Isaac S.]

The LASCM website says it is a Cox crown. However, the Riggen gears were widely used on mid 60's thingies so I don't know why they wouldn't use them.

 

I have an uncracked (which is very rare for these) Black Riggen 32T, as pictured, that I would send to you. I think it is slightly used but would still work, one tooth is half gone but otherwise okay. I assume that it will be mostly for display. 

[Martin]

Thanks Isaac, I have Riggen gears I can use, and yes a lot are cracked and unusable.

I see all the printed matter says Cox gears. But just wanted to see what was out there is other folks collections.

 

A bigger problem for me is I cannot find those short body pins anywhere. They have a 3/4" center to center. I could use a few for the cars I am restoring. 

Anybody got any extra they would be willing to trade?

[Martin]

I keep finding Riggen gears on seemingly factory cars?

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[TSR]

The Riggen "JAD" iso-fulcrum chassis and cars were first sold in 1967, the last production around late 1970, when Riggen ran out of inventory and only produced cars using their brass pan chassis with drop arm, first in inline design for "16D" motors, later converted (1969) to anglewinder and "26D" motors.

The Riggen crown gears were manufactured after the Cox gear supply ran out, sometimes in 1969. This was of course before REH had purchased the tooling from Cox in 1971 and began making replica Cox gears in about 1975, all the way to the mid 2000s.

The Riggen crown gears are of course mostly unusable as the plastic is far too stiff and eventually shrinks around its aluminum hub, fracturing at its weakest point. If you have Riggen gears that are not cracked yet, worry not, they eventually will.

[Martin]

The Riggen crown gears were manufactured after the Cox gear supply ran out, sometimes in 1969.

Thanks Philippe, that fits perfect to my hunch that some Jad Gater cars were fitted with Riggen gears. I found an old invoice from a seller of a Jad car I bought 15 years ago. He states he bought it in 1969 new. It has a Riggen gear. 10/31 by the way, yes it is stress cracked. Of course they could have been changed from Cox gears, but not by me.

Something else, it is a factory painted Lola T70 Can Am car. Not much mention of that model in the printed stuff.

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[don.siegel]

That's a good one Martin. 

 

Just checked my 1969 Auto World catalog, which must have been the transition period: left had page with Gator cars, and right hand page - "New 1969 Models" - with the brass flat pan chassis (inline with drop arm). 

 

The Gator side has a Brimhall Lola T-70 at $9 and the brass side has a Lola T-70 at $9.50... (but the photos seem to be of the exact same car!)

 

And the heading says: All Riggen cars feature... famous Riggen Nylatron Crown gear... 

 

Even seems the Riggen Dune Buggy also came out in a Gator version, and I thought it was only the Brass pan type...

 

Really nice factory paint in any case! 

 

Don 

[TSR]

Martin,
you will see one of these Lola T70s in blue in the new book. They were sold inside a "body size" box printed with Brimhall propaganda. Stock number is "700".
Later, it received the anglewinder brass chassis with the FT26 motor.

This box with a Riggen "Special" inside, was the same as used for the Lola.



Don, the first version of the Riggen dune buggy had a Gator chassis. Later it got the brass inline chassis with the FT16D, and later again the anglewinder with the FT26. The stock number for the original version with the Gator chassis is "707".

 

Brimhall---------- Lola T70 RTR ----------- Red, Blue------------ 2-piece alum----------- FT26 Nickel----700
Riggen_______Dune Buggy RTR--------Gold, Blue------------ 2-piece alum---------- FT26 Nickel----707

And of course, the "famous Nylatron gear" did not contain any Nylon or glass powder, unlike the indestructible Cox, Weldun or Champion crown gears.

[Martin]

Sorry P, I was writing the above post when you posted your last post.

 

So the Gater chassis LolaT70 came very late to the party, 1969. Have I got that correct?

 

Is it safe to say that if a Gater/Jad car has a Riggen gear it was also made 69? Unless someone down graded from a Cox gear of course.

[TSR]

1969 is likely correct. Which month, I cannot tell, I don't know. I worked for Riggen from the third quarter of 1970, to design their HO car. I did not pay much attention to what was going on, but in fact, not much was going on... the company was desperately trying to stay in business.

[don.siegel]

History according to Auto World: 

 

1967: New Riggen JAD RTR car, only Harrison Formula listed, Weldun crown and pinion - $12.95

 

1967 Fall-Winter: Watson Ford, BRM H-16 and Chappie XL, Cox pickup, self-lubricating crown, 12.95

 

1968: Watson-Ford, BRM H-16, Chappie XL, Riggen Special, Ferrari Custom Coupe (and a P4 Spyder pictured, not identified!). Gears and quick-change brushes by Cox (2.9:1), still 12.95 except for Special (9.00) and Ferrari (11.95)

 

1968-1/2: Watson-Ford, BRM H-16, Brimhall Lola T70, Chappie XL, Riggen Special, Ferrari Custom Coupe, Ferrari P4, Nylon GS-51 gears by Riggen, all 11.95 except the Special (9;00). 

 

and that bring us back to 1969... Same as 68-1/2, except the Dune Buggy is new, and all cars now priced at $9.00! 

 

By 1970, one page of Riggen cars, all with the flat pan chassis... 

 

It's a happy ending: everybody's right! 

 

Don 

[Bill from NH]

By the fall of '73, their flat pan chassis cars were available with a 36D anglewinder selling for $8.That was the winter I worked weekends at Modelville Hobby. I'm not sure whether these 36D cars were offered by Riggen or REHCO. The raceway only used REHCO for a distributer. The 36D cars ran well & we sold all we could get. Some customers were skeptical that they were getting junk for $8. I recall rubbing it into one guy who was a hard sell after his $8 car ran circles around his $30 one on our Windsor track.

[don.siegel]

Pretty sure that was Rehco Bill... not to mention it was usually a 36D Nascar - unless I'm getting it confused with another recycled car! 

 

Don 

[Martin]

Great over view on the Riggen Jad/Gater line up. Thank you for your research Don.

 

I believe I have the body's of the Ferrari Custom Coupe and the Ferrari P4. Will post pics to confirm later.

I am in the process of restoring a couple of chassis for them now.

[don.siegel]

Thanks for the inspiration to look Martin - I didn't realize half that stuff myself! 

 

For instance, I had thought they were only available a year or two at the outmost... 

 

Don 

 

PS: P, just realized your Riggen Special comes with a black anodized chassis - I thought all those had the plain chassis. An outlier, or switched at some point? I imagine towards the end, they used whatever was on hand... 

[Martin]

These are the 2 bodies on deck now. I believe to be both Riggen. With there long nose, short tail and big head lights.

There is a joke in there somewhere

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[TSR]

Martin,

The two bodies you show are indeed the right ones, but form later series of these Riggen cars.
The original JAD cars had different decals and decor.

Below are the original JAD bodies for the Ferrari P4 Spyder, Watson and Chappie XL:




 

For some odd reason, I do not have a pic of the Ferrari coupe on file, but the original was gold. Colors changed on later editions.




 

[Martin]

Thanks P,

Out of interest,I was comparing the Lancer P4 to the Riggen P4 which they modified, I believe. Too many things the same.

Take a Lancer P4 chop the top, shorten the tail, lengthen the nose and add the big head lights and you have the body used on the Riggen car.

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[Bill from NH]

Pretty sure that was Rehco Bill... not to mention it was usually a 36D Nascar - unless I'm getting it confused with another recycled car! 

 

Don 

 

Don, no Nascar bodies on the ones we sold. Most were open sportscars & a few Can Ams. There might have been a few sports car coupes, but I'm not sure.

 

I'm thinking someone had a cheapie line of slot cars using the Classic Tornado body. Not really Nascars.

[Martin]

I think Don is talking about the motor they (Cox) called the 36D Nascar. As used in some of the Cox cars.

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[don.siegel]

Yep, that's the one Martin! 

Don 

[Bill from NH]

Those weren't in the $8 Riggen cars either. These cars were endbell drive, gears on the right side of the chassis. Some of the motors were probably K&B.