I have attached a photo of the last remaining item I could find of my early slot car racing days. This is an anglewinder that I'm sure I copied directly from one of the grainy black and white photos from the slot car newspaper we all studied.
What is interesting is the guide tongue is really hinged to drop! It has it's own stop. I also think the pans were a retro-fit since they are so sloppy. This chassis likely started life with jail door type pans or pans made with rod soldered together. I think the "bat pans" as we used to call them were added as this racer became more sophisticated. I noted that the cutout for the front tires isn't even. The cuts in the brass sheet were clearly accomplished with a Dremel cutoff wheel (you remember, the kind that used to explode in your face if you torqued them a little bit) and a nibbler. You can still see the "bite" marks.
This chassis weighs in at 74 grams as is. The guide tongue is .063" brass and I think is the only production part I had to work from. The pans are .032" brass. The rails are all .063" piano wire or brass. Wheelbase is 4". Guide center is .8 inches forward of the front axle for a total length of 4.8 inches. Looking at the bottom of the chassis I note that it was filed to get it flat.
This is from the era I raced in which was "race what your brought." The tech inspection focused strictly on clearances so that we didn't tear up the hobby shop track Other than that, it was your choice of Can-Am body, any motor, any chassis.
Nice survivor!! I am thinking those pans are original to that era and chassis.
Great history. Yes, it may be "cobbly", but it's got the style and anglewinder features of "The Day" !
