89 replies to this topic

[dc-65x]

It was March 1969 and the Pro's raced GP cars in the Model Car Science / USRA series:
 

 

 

 
I think is time to build another one of these unique pieces of 1960s slot car history. Mike Morrissey did two how-to articles on these cool cars. Here's a link to them:

GP Chassis How-To Articles for the 1969 MCS/USRA Series
 
I built up this Dynamic Honda from his first article...
 

 

 
... and another Dynamic Honda from his second article:
 

 

 
Geeeze... look at the tarnishing, I mean patina,   on the brass. It really is time to build a new one!
 
I'll use a non-Honda body and a different chassis. For inspiration, the chassis is from the great Bob Emott:
 

 

 
I'll go shoot some pictures of the Lancer Pro Series Ultra Light body for the build...

[SlotStox#53]

I know these weren't universally liked or performed that we'll & disappeared as fast as they arrived... but I them and that Emott chassis!!

Just the combo of wiiide body and anglewinder is cool. When you first brought up the whole 1969 race series with these in I just had to build at least one of these.

Certainly never heard about that body you'll be using Which reminds me, I'll have to search out a couple of wide F1s if I'm to finally get around to one..

[dc-65x]

I like them too, Paul. They're something different to build and drive... AND they even had a Concours event where the cars were required to be real race cars not "motorized models". Check out the winning Honda. Yes, it has a fantasy paint scheme but it also has velocity stacks, mirrors, gas caps, wheel inserts, roll bar, and it raced in the Semi Main:
 

 
As for bodies to use today, I know the TrueScale Dynamic Honda and the #880 (NOT the narrow #980) reproduction Lancer Ferrari work great. Unfortunately they are both not the easiest to find today especially with TrueScale being down. Hopefully Victor will get rejuvenated and bring his outstanding TrueScale bodies back online.
 
Anyway, here's what I'm using for this build:
 

 
This is the 1-3/4" wide #800 series body. Lancer also made their bodies in a narrower #900 series that aren't really suited for anglewinder duty.
 

 

 
I love the "wedge" shape:
 

 

 
AND I love the real car:
 

 

[SlotStox#53]

Oh now that is just gorgeous.

Got all excited for a moment, I have a Dilworth/Lancer Lotus 49B. Got out the measuring device, nuts, it's the narrower version.

Look forward to seeing what motor or combination of motor parts you have in store for this build.

[tonyp]

What's interesting is the Emott chassis was never sold. No name was engraved in the built-for area. We probably stopped running these on the east coast before he could sell it. We only ran a couple of anglewinder F1 races on the east coast and then went back to inlines per the rules at the time. Ran those once or twice and never ran F1s in any of the Car Model series any more.

[Noose]

Mine is in the LASCM. 

[Half Fast]

In the photo of the real car, I like how the photographer got "up close and personal" with a running race car!

 

Those were the good old days!

 

Cheers,

 

Build on...

[Pablo]

  I love F1 anglewinders. This project is going to be badder to the bone than anything before it.  

[dc-65x]

I was also thinking the Emott chassis might not have ever been used, Tony. The anglewinder GPs were so short-lived. But they were raced a couple of times along with the Sports Cars, GTs, and Stockers. I guess that's why I like the first half of the 1969 MCS-USRA race season so much.

 

I also like that they had a Concours event for actual race cars. That leads me to my next part of this project... the unique conical shape of the wheel rims on the real car:

 

 

I'm making a "race car" not a "scale car" so my attempt at these ultra cool wheels on the real car will will lean toward "race". I used my little hobby lathe to modify some period Riggen AA wheels:

 

 

Here are the machined wheels in front of the stockers:

 

 

On the rear wheels, I also cut off the rear flange and thinned the front flange from the inside. The new Riggen rubber will glue up easier now.

 

I'm still working on the wheel inserts... 

[SlotStox#53]

Just one of the many reasons why a small lathe is so cool for these kind of wheel type situations.

Including those Cox rims you turned down to use as inserts.

[dc-65x]

The wheels and tires are done. I apparently have a "wheel fetish" so I get them finalized before tackling the rest of the project.     I used vintage Monogram Lola GT wheel inserts with black highlighting on their chrome surface:

 

 

Next up was the motor setup which is needed to build the chassis. I chose a motor with an East Coast flair... a Champion 525 can with a Mura "unmeltable" endbell. I made shims for the top and bottom of the endbell per Tony P's advice. The endbell screws are 0-80 stainless steel flat head machine screws:

 

 

Here's the se-tup ready for chassis building duties. The hex brush holders are soldered to the brush hoods:

 

 

More East Coast parts with the Team Nutley B-motor axle tube and an unknown 16D motor bracket. The motor mount screws are 2-56 stainless steel machine screws. The motor box was made by my good buddy Steve Okeefe... thanks, Steve! 

 

 

Time to fire up the soldering iron...

[SlotStox#53]

The wayback is getting some good use with all these special endbells. 

Wheels came our great and good on Steve for bending all those motor boxes for you!

Have to finally get around to bending them for myself soon.    Got the magazine article all ready for when I dare pick up the pliers. 

[Pablo]

Is that a 6t pinion?

[dc-65x]

I waste so much piano wire the stock value of K&S Metals goes up when I try and bend up a motor box, Paul. It's a good thing the stuff is cheap.

 

Hi Pablo, the pinion is a used vintage 7t I'm using for set-up.

[Bill from NH]

Paul,

Practice using a piece of 1/16" brass rod before using piano wire. It's a lot easier re-bending brass rod so everything fits properly. Then duplicate what you bent in brass rod to piano wire.

If you have the two Steve Okeefe DVDs you have the dimensions that Steube and Warmack used, as well as a bending jig used by Warmack.

[SlotStox#53]

I hear you, Rick, will follow Bill's advice.

Got some brass rod and the magazine scans that Rick posted of the motor box dimensions and the jig that Warmack made.

Still keep meaning to snag the DVDs, that is until more car parts turn up.

Wonder if R-Geo ever made a box jig? I seem to remember him mentioning one he'd done in one of Rick's build threads. Will have to ask him.

[Pablo]

Paul,

If you try Bill's advice on using rod as a test before bending wire, you may not need a motor box jig.

Do you think I bent these front axles perfectly first time? :
 

 
Nope. I used brass rod and found the perfect bends before bending my precious tinned wires.   Exactly as Bill suggested.
 
Capt. Rick, please forgive me for infecting your angle F1 thread with a strange car photo.

[SlotStox#53]

I hear you, Pablo. Mighty fine bent floating axles. Can well imagine it's best to practice before using the tinned rod...

That reminds me, I've got some Phaze III pre-bent main rails to try using as well...

[dc-65x]

The motor box rear end is finished. Now I can have some fun by laying in the main rails. Soon it should start looking like a chassis.
 

[dc-65x]

I made up all the main rails to be soldered in place at the same time:
 

 
Several of the rails needed to be angle cut to fit neatly against the motor box like so:
 

 
I've been doing this by hand with a cut-off wheel in my Dremel but using this disk sander with miter gauge made things neat and easy:
 

 
I also pre-cut and fitted the 1/4" brass strip motor box to main rail reinforcement piece:
 

 
Here's the center section soldered up:
 

 

 
The motor mount gets some added reinforcement:
 

 
Next up is the drop arm...

[miko]

That is perfection, sir! Love your work!

[SlotStox#53]

Tasty! With the center section all together I keep expecting to see big brass pans thinking it's a GT/Can-Am. 

Look forward to seeing what you have in store for a drop arm. 

[Pablo]

 

[Tex]

Oh, ferchrissake Rick, you're killin' us here! 

 

Beautiful work. Superb craftsmanship.

[dc-65x]

Hey, guys, I finally made the mods needed on the drop arm. At the back of the arm, two relief cuts to keep solder out of the pivot joint:

 

 

At the front, two cuts for 1/16" brass rod guide pivot stops and a plumber hinge tube sits ready. Since I'll be running a low profile Jet flag in this "Cox guide" style drop arm, I opened up the guide pivot hole for a spacer bushing I machined up for the Jet flag.

 

 

Soldering is next.........