41 replies to this topic

[Mark Mattei]

Tonyp, a 1 pound pair of tires.

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[don.siegel]

Yes Mark, a Japanese company called International; they made the diffs, plus several chassis with various features: steering, suspension, differential...

 

Don 

 

 

 

 

[TSR]

what Japanese cars are you referring to?

 

 

Not the International. There are others with full swing-arm suspension and steering, all brass. Manufacturer are unknown at this time and likely forever.
Here is an example. At first, it looked like a home built job, but close observation showed machined pieces and stamped brass brackets that simply could NOT be an amateur job. Besides we have seen more than one example. It has independent suspension front and rear, front-wheel drive and a huge motor (marketed in the USA by Tradeship) with twisted stack,  We have several other interesting examples you will see in that book if I ever get to finish the pictures. During the construction process recently, a worker stole the bag containing all the camera bodies and the lenses, a loss of over $6000.00. We are at this time replacing the equipment... hence no pictures are being taken. 350 pictures to go...



 

[don.siegel]

Fascinating Philippe, 

 

Looks more like a hand-built prototype (maybe with some machined parts...), and just a touch of the Adam & Sons rube goldberg design...

 

Don 

[TSR]

Don, as I said, we have seen two more of these, so we believe that there was production.

Besides this particular example, there are at least two more models from Japan with full suspension and steering. We have seen one (on a Japanese website) and have another, a different model, at the LASCM...

[don.siegel]

Philippe, as a very wise old man once said, "I'll believe it when I see it new in the box"....

 

Don

[TSR]

I think I said that. In the case of such cars, they would have been marketed like many Japanese parts in plain boxes, with nary a marking, sometimes a stock number, sometimes nothing. A good example of such packaging were the independent front axles of which some found their way on all the Pactra chassis...
Such RTR chassis, marketed without a body, must have been produced in 1964-1965.

[slotbaker]

Sorry to hear the universal popped on yours too - they're nylon I believe, and probably a little brittle 50 years later!

 

Made sense except Nylon is a plastic that ages rather rapidly and becomes very brittle.

To rejuvenate the old nylon parts, you might like to try soaking them in boiling water for a few minutes.

I've tried it on some nylon bits on my Studebaker, and they turned out quite a bit more pliable.

[don.siegel]

Thanks Steve, very interesting little tidbit. 

 

Think I'd be a bit leery of boiling my Quads - maybe a light steaming, dressed with a basalmic vinaigrette... 

 

Don 

[TSR]

We did the same at Team Checkpoint in the early 1970s to soften the brittle Jet-Flag guides. It DOES work.

[tonyp]

Us too. We did it when we dyed them. we once had a run of nylon rc wheels made that shattered like a lightbulb. The fix was to soak the rims in a 55 gallon drum in water for a few days.fixed them like magic.

[don.siegel]

So, does the water need to boil or not? 

 

By the way, with that 55 gallon drum you can also deep fry your turkey for Thanksgiving... takes a few hours, but I hear it's very good. 

 

Don 

[slotbaker]

Going by what Tony says, no.  But looks like it takes a lot longer.

 

The plastics guru in our moulding shop many years ago, told me about the boiling water trick, so that's the only way I've done it.

 

Try the cold water first.  Can't hurt anything.

[Mark Mattei]

Hi Steve, what model Stude do you have? Got a 50 Champion sleeping in the garage. Mark. 

[slotbaker]

PM sent.

[TSR]

Don, yes, you need to have the water boiling, and the parts in it, for as long as there is water in the pot!
 

[Mark H]

Ha Adam & Sons was right down the street from the house I live in now. Maybe I'll drive by it later today. Seems to be a house?