All jigged up and ready for rails. My jig motor has been cooked too many times but it still gets the job done.
Funny how you can't remember some things, but others you never forget - like endbelldrive's 2" front axle tube.
Cukras' four-rail car in the December 1967 Car Model Road Race at Classic Speedway, Santa Monica, CA, used a Honda body.
So I took some time to carefully measure the exact chassis width measurements of the Weslake Eagle.
Front pin tube - 1.185", rear pin tube (center of body) 1.275", rear rails (adjacent to pinion) 1.260".

Champion 517/Dynamic Eagle Weslake V12
#26
Posted 09 February 2017 - 09:54 PM
- Jencar17 and C. J. Bupgoo like this
#27
Posted 10 February 2017 - 06:17 PM
My Cukras style 4 rails will be a combination of tapers and curves to make it fit.
The small Sharpie dots on the inner rail mark start and stop points where I made my curve.
olescratch may get a kick out of seeing the actual Champion chrome motor in place for the tacks
Both Champion motors are longer and slightly fatter than my Mabuchi jig motor.
At the second Sharpie mark, the curve stops and a slight inward taper starts.
The drop arm will simply be narrowed/tapered to fit the inner rails
- Jencar17 and C. J. Bupgoo like this
#28
Posted 11 February 2017 - 11:44 AM
Inspirational video:
- slotbaker, Jencar17 and C. J. Bupgoo like this
#29
Posted 13 February 2017 - 10:42 PM
Final trim on rear wheels .883" OD
Despite my attempts to use the 50 year old front rubber, it was a fail.
It looked good enough to use, but when I started trimming it from .775" to .750" OD, it chunked.
No sweat, I'll just install some new EJ's rubber on the Riggen wheels and move on
- Jencar17 likes this
#30
Posted 13 February 2017 - 11:04 PM
Stuff happens Paul.
EJ's rubber is soft. Go slow!
Better would be to find a cheap "O" ring.
Jairus H Watson - Artist
Need something painted, soldered, carved, or killed? - jairuswtsn@aol.com
www.slotcarsmag.com
www.jairuswatson.net
http://www.ratholecustoms.com
Check out some of the cool stuff on my Fotki!
#31
Posted 14 February 2017 - 08:43 AM
True, but it wasn't an accident. The rubber was simply tired.
I'm no stranger to trimming EJ's but thanks for reminding me - Orings may work better on these hubs
I'll check both.
#32
Posted 14 February 2017 - 05:20 PM
Probably the biggest challenge of this build - squeezing 4 rails into the skinny body - I did it !
Met my width goals so the body can enjoy the benefits of the Cukras floating mount without being forced.
My uprights are done differently due to the nature of the beast.
Cukras' actual car used a Honda body.
Others have built 4 railers for the Weslake Eagle no problem.
True, but the ones I've seen were reproductions, most likely wider than this one.
I abandoned the curved rail approach - matter of fact, at one point I was sure 4 rails wouldn't even be possible.
Here is what worked for me in the end:
-rods are as tight to the motor as possible
-single inward bend in the rods at the front of the motor and no spaces between them
-drop arm will be custom sized and tapered to match inner rails
Of course, both motors had to fit perfectly and that took some fiddling.
Now I can breathe again ..........
- Cheater, Jencar17, Chris Stemman and 4 others like this
#33
Posted 16 February 2017 - 10:06 AM
As usual, my moment of clarity came at 2 am. The orange donuts will be fine for the chrome 29 motor.
But the black 26 with Arcos will probably just spin them and the car will barely move
So I mounted some modern rubber (JK D-4) on another new set of Professor Motor 724 Russkit replica wheels
Jairus is right, a fat O-ring will work better for the Riggen front wheels, so I ordered some size 309's from McMaster-Carr.
- Jencar17 likes this
#35
Posted 17 February 2017 - 07:19 PM
Looks like you have a lot to use up. Better get to building!
Robert "Red" Valantine
#36
Posted 17 February 2017 - 07:29 PM
According to the package he has plenty of time: "Shelf life: 15 years".
- Samiam likes this
Don Weaver
A slot car racer who never grew up!
The supply of government exceeds demand.
L.H. Lapham
If the brain-eating amoeba invades Washington
it will starve to death...
#37
Posted 17 February 2017 - 07:32 PM
True that. Only 34 more cars to go.
Robert "Red" Valantine
#38
Posted 18 February 2017 - 10:08 AM
The minimum quantity was 50, so you guys better get building.
#39
Posted 18 February 2017 - 11:32 AM
At least they only cost about $5 a bag.
Rick Thigpen
Check out Steve Okeefe's great web site at its new home here at Slotblog:
The Independent Scratchbuilder
There's much more to come...
#40
Posted 18 February 2017 - 01:04 PM
Y'all know where they are if you need some.
#42
Posted 19 February 2017 - 11:15 AM
Nice!
So many little details to peruse over. Love that drop arm.
"If you have integrity, nothing else matters, and if you do not have integrity, nothing else matters."
Robert Mueller, special counsel (2013)
#44
Posted 19 February 2017 - 05:10 PM
Thanks, guys.
Final trim of the D4 rears (.880") and O-ring fronts (.752").
Extended portion of Jet Flag blade removed, then re-dyed in black Rit.
1/4 oz. Associated weight attached with double sided wing tape to stay low as possible.
- slotbaker and Jencar17 like this
#45
Posted 19 February 2017 - 08:34 PM
I've always had difficulty using a screw and washer to secure vintage flag shafts.
The bulge created when the screw is tightened down always binds things up.
I finally got serious and tapped the shaft hole 2-56. End of problem, no wobble no binding.
- Jencar17 likes this
#46
Posted 19 February 2017 - 09:45 PM
We would cut the guide post about 1/16" longer than the length (or thickness) of the droparm's guide post tube holder.
Next, we screwed a self-tapping screw and washer into the post's top.
Last, we used a hot soldering iron on top of the screw to melt everything down and used a screwdriver to keep the screw down until the plastic hardened.
Using the soldering iron eliminated guide wobble, tightened everything up so the guide rotated smoothly, and didn't create any bulges. The self-tapping screws used were slotted fillister head body mounting screws.
- tonyp likes this
Bill Fernald
How old should a highway be before you tell it, that it has been adopted?
#47
Posted 20 February 2017 - 11:29 AM
Cool, Bill.
Assembly is getting serious now.
- genuine Cox Superflex wires.
- silver braids soldered to holder gizmos.
- custom sized and polished PCH axles.
- ball bearings are vintage seven-ball, unshielded, high quality but unknown brand.
- Jencar17, grooverunner and Geary Carrier like this
#50
Posted 21 February 2017 - 08:47 AM
Anther great build as always See you Sat.
Robert "Red" Valantine