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John Clow's Manta Ray refurb


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#1 Pablo

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Posted 03 April 2015 - 12:36 PM

Finished June 2015:

post-91-0-80714800-1431306335.jpg

 

post-91-0-06240000-1435250198.jpg

 

Here's how it all started:

John Clow found what looks to be a pretty stock Manta Ray. I'm going to clean it best I can and get it in good running condition.

Anybody ever seen a decal like that?  It's yellowed and dirty, but in amazingly good condition for its age.

Rear tires are already soaking off, and I'll probably replace the fronts.

IMG_3957.JPG
 
IMG_3958.JPG


Paul Wolcott





#2 Bill from NH

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Posted 03 April 2015 - 02:34 PM

Neat-looking car. The motor might be Revell or Champion. The original Classic would have had an orange can.

I don't know whether those brass gears are original or not. I have the feeling they aren't, but someone such as Doug Azary would know for sure. Ebay always has a ton of those gears if you ever need more. :)
Bill Fernald
 
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#3 MattD

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Posted 03 April 2015 - 02:41 PM

Number one selling slot car ever made. There were lots of variations to the Manta Ray over the couple years they were manufactured.

Matt Bishop

 


#4 Eddie Fleming

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Posted 03 April 2015 - 05:34 PM

I like the wire routing on that one.  :D


Eddie Fleming

#5 airhead

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Posted 03 April 2015 - 07:24 PM

We had a Manta Ray race here at the Dungeon last year. Some friends and I raced five original cars and motors, two of the bodies were remakes.

 

It was like racing turtles on ice, the old tires were useless.


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Billy Watson

#6 Pablo

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Posted 03 April 2015 - 08:36 PM

Eddie,

The bad wire routing was probably a blessing in disguise - it handled terribly, so the kid tossed it in a box and forgot about it.  :D


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#7 Bill from NH

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Posted 03 April 2015 - 08:46 PM

The kid might have used it as a wheelstander!  :laugh2:


Bill Fernald
 
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#8 Pablo

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Posted 03 April 2015 - 10:34 PM

Maybe John will, too! :laugh2:

Paul Wolcott


#9 havlicek

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Posted 04 April 2015 - 08:54 AM

I loved, loved, loved my Manta Ray. Way cooler than my Viper, which was pretty danged cool!

 

-john


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#10 Pablo

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Posted 04 April 2015 - 07:50 PM

New TrueScale Manta Ray body in 20 thou has been ordered.


Paul Wolcott


#11 Pablo

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Posted 06 April 2015 - 08:11 PM

I have both FasOrange and FasFluorescent Flaming Orange, which would be the most original looking?

Backed with Faswhite, I assume? Bud, help :) please

 

Going to paint the can also, anybody have suggestions for a rattle can orange paint? John H?


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#12 Pablo

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Posted 11 April 2015 - 12:18 PM

Rough cut Manta Ray donuts will cure for a couple days:

IMG_4124.JPG


Paul Wolcott


#13 MattD

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Posted 11 April 2015 - 04:04 PM

I would be using that original body, especially with the decal. It's only original once. Some kid, maybe like some of us, got that decal and put it on there when he was 12-14 years old, and he was cool. It's only been there 50 years. Use that body! If not sell it to me. I'll pay youmore than whatever the new one will cost!

Matt Bishop

 


#14 Pablo

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Posted 11 April 2015 - 05:01 PM

Thanks for the advice, Mattb :good: The owner will keep the original body, and actually run the car using the TrueScale.

Krylon primer/fluorescent orange for the motor, and Parma FasFluorescent Flaming Orange backed with FasWhite for the body:

IMG_4151.JPG


Paul Wolcott


#15 Pablo

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Posted 27 April 2015 - 01:37 PM

Holy Cow, the motor runs good, Not a screamer by any means. The lead wire routing to the motor is every bit as perfect as the front was.

In other words, terrible :laugh2:

IMG_4563.JPG

 

Both axles are straight, John, and the rust is now gone:

IMG_4570.JPG

 

Front tires were a little dry:

IMG_4566.JPG


Paul Wolcott


#16 Pablo

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Posted 27 April 2015 - 07:28 PM

Orange can paint turned out "OK", I guess.

IMG_4610.JPG

 

Lacquers and enamels are hard to paint in the high humidity of Mississippi, but acrylics seem to work fine.


Paul Wolcott


#17 Hworth08

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Posted 28 April 2015 - 10:22 AM

The Manta Ray was a very good car to be a RTR.

 

Our track had a Strictly Stock class, same name NASCAR used for today's Sprint Cup cars. Every part had to be just as the factory intended. The cars were about half Mantas and half the Champion sidewinder car. The Champion cars were restricted to a 701 motor.


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#18 Pablo

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Posted 28 April 2015 - 04:30 PM

I Googled "manta ray slot car" and the first hit was this:

http://www.vsrnonlin...icMantaRay.html

A ton of great info in there, and I need it :dance3:

 

John's drop arm was over the top of the chassis when I disassembled it, but I see other Mantas with it underneath.

Which way is right? I guess I'm about to find out....

 

The .020 TrueScale body came today, it's a perfect copy of the original. Typical TSB - outstanding quality, and well worth being patient to get it. :good: :good:


Paul Wolcott


#19 Pablo

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Posted 28 April 2015 - 09:06 PM

The FasFluorescent Orange backed with FasWhite just didn't "pop" for me.

I must have done something wrong. It looks more "Tangerine" than Fluorescent Orange.

IMG_4675.JPG

 

IMG_4672.JPG

 

Oh well, it did turn out nice despite the shade not being correct.

At $6.00, John can always buy another one and have John "Bud" Greene (Master Painter) squirt it.

 

I'm a mechanic, not a painter :blum:


Paul Wolcott


#20 Bill from NH

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Posted 28 April 2015 - 10:03 PM

The fluorescent orange might have popped more if backed with yellow. Then again, maybe the orange shade itself  has been changed at the factory.


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#21 Pablo

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Posted 29 April 2015 - 04:10 PM

Maybe, Bill. For now, it's a "Tangerine Manta Ray" :laugh2:

Time to give the rear wheels a rough trim for size.

Final drive ratio formula is: gear ratio divided by wheel OD.

 

The wheels on this car were about 1.2" OD, spur gear 48 tooth 1.045 OD, pinion 20 tooth.

Final drive ratio = 2.0

 

The chassis clears by a mile with this setup - if I can lower the car a little, yet maintain the stock parts and approximate gear ratio, it will be cool :sun_bespectacled:

I dug up a 46 tooth, .946 OD spur gear, and played with the math.

 

A .946 spur requires at least a 1.071 wheel to make it clear .0625, so I added a fudge factor and called it 1.125

A 46 tooth spur mated to the 20T pinion = 2.3 gear ratio

2.3 divided by 1.125 = 2.0444, pretty darned close to 2.0 original


Paul Wolcott


#22 Gator Bob

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Posted 29 April 2015 - 04:29 PM

Original tires are 1 5/16"


Posted Image
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#23 Pablo

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Posted 30 April 2015 - 08:00 PM

Thanks Bob. When I said "The wheels on this car were about 1.2" OD" I meant this car. :)

It had been run some - not a lot. Like I said, the goal is just to clean it and get it running well :wink2:

Now that I have lowered the rear a little, the stock thick flag won't allow the front to go down where I want it.

So I found a black Dynamic low-profile #658 flag and a pair of clips that will do the trick perfectly.

John has given permission to enlarge the 1/8 drop arm hole to 3/16.

 

Also found a pair of new EJ's front tires that are perfect size :dance3:


Paul Wolcott


#24 Pablo

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Posted 03 May 2015 - 08:07 PM

Thanks to my friend and mentor, Bill F. I found my paint error.

I bought Flasfluorescent FLAMING Orange 40304, thinking that would be Parma's brightest orange, to match the motor can. Wrong  :o  

http://parmapse.shpt...orescent-colors

 

Does Parma think "Flaming" means "duller", or "diluted" instead of "brighter" ? :dash2:

Oh well, John now owns the world's first Tangerine Manta Ray :laugh2:  Next time we'll use Fasfluorescent Orange # 40103

It's still a good looking paint job, but the motor is going to steal the show :paint2:


Paul Wolcott


#25 Pablo

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Posted 03 May 2015 - 10:05 PM

Unibit made enlargement of the hole to 3/16 easy:

IMG_4710.JPG

 

I found a big 3/16 hole Classic weight. Hopefully it will make the car pop insane wheelies :D

IMG_4711.JPG


Paul Wolcott






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