18 replies to this topic

[mike1972chev]

Ok, Now for one of THE MOST neglected cars to EVER be put into ANY RTR  box and shipped out to hobby stores in the 60's on the entire planet !!! And it wasn't even in it's own RTR car,but just a secondary body thrown in along for the ride with the RTR Classic Asp along with a few parts as a secondary kit to modify it into!   To be built as a 1/32 scale car made out of  parts that started out from a RTR 1/24 scale car ?????? Huh????  WHY ??????  

 I am pretty sure Classic offered these in parts form separately as I have a few chassis kits that were dedicated and labelled specific to these cars,but never saw a finish painted body offered by them for sale for these ???? (TSR or anyone correct me here if I am in error.... )  Over the the years I have seen COUNTLESS numbers of these bodies sold in various parts lots,just heaped in with a bunch of other stuff to move it along to the next guy.Most likely the remains of the Classic  ASP RTR package just getting tossed out years ago....... SO sad.  I just have to figure it is the MOST unwanted,unneeded,neglected,under used ,"red headed step child" of the slot car kingdom?     I think it is a good looking car,so let us assemble one of these forgotten atrocities that I dug up from the parts heap.

 

Here is yet just another really,truly simple car to assemble.Nothing fancy ,intricate,or over the top here. But I love the Classic brand cars (They just seem SOOOOO friggen cool to me. )This Maserati is a pretty  nice looking body.

 

OK,enough "wind bagging" I gathered all of these NOS pieces to begin with,but remember,I am doing most of these old kit style cars as a "second day restoration" just as in the 1:1 cars I have worked on.(Picture getting these home,building them,and quickly realizing they need SERIOUS help to ever perform correctly,then doing some SLIGHT tweaking,such as tires,frame work,add weights,ETC ...  

[mike1972chev]

Well, the first two things that went on was the poor body and the swing arm hinge pin.The butyrate  was severely dingy and was thrown into the hydrogen peroxide . The photo in the first post shows it AFTER the peroxide treatment.it came out clean,but was a bit dark in color and no longer truly clear.

 

Looking at that plastic hinge pin,I knew it wasn't meant to ever last long in this world in a racing situation.I replaced it with a section of .125 diameter stainless steel tubing.I had to hone the O.D. of the tubing a teeny bit to get it sized correctly and to pass through the drop arm and the motor bracket.  The I.D. was drilled correct diameter and tapped for 2-56 machine screws.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mike1972chev]

Next,I did a quick assembly of the chassis to the motor. I wanted to see how really square and parallel this thing ever was??? So,just to be vintage I broke out the Russkit Adjust O Jig. I set up the axle alignment brackets and checked them CLOSELY with my Brown & Sharp digital calipers several times. It wasn't TOO awful bad for just being screwed to the motor end bell and just plastic clipped to the can,but MAN what a poor way of doing business!!!!  I know these cars were made to be economical and cost effective to produce and retail and to be affordable,so things were done as they were done.  

 

 

 

 I just really cannot stand the idea of a motor bracket and a front axle support just hanging on a motor can and end bell of the motor. I know it would never stay running true during use so I added some frame connectors. Measured the factory hole centers on each side and made some aluminum plates up.Front factory frame body mounting holes were tapped 2-56. We will be using the rear swing arm pin holes to mount the rear at the motor bracket. We already tapped those at 2-56  

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mike1972chev]

Moving right a long,we are ready to finish up this chassis/motor "uni body" construction and move onto other things. I was going to just install the orange can Classic 16d Mabuchi ,but we are going to pretend that Classic Industries never went out of the slot car business in the 60's.They just prospered on,releasing newer cars and parts/accessories,ETC.... So I purchased one of the new  CM 160 "SUPER SILVER BULLET" SERIES !!!  (Factory hotter wound arm, with updated,stronger  black end bell less prone to crack in the bearing area...... lol)

 

I wish, lol   . I  just painted an NOS,never used  16D I had that was mustard yellow to begin with metallic silver,added 14ga wires with #2 loop terminals for the guide shoe brush mounting points.NO wrapping wires around screw heads!!      A new repro Classic shield decal on the motor can and it is coming along as I am liking.

 

 

 

 

[mike1972chev]

Well,let us move onto that poor body.  I did a trial fit on this chassis,and MAN !!!! I am starting to realize another reason why maybe little to NONE of these cars were ever assembled .....     When installed in the proper location,both the chassis front and rear above the axle mounts hit HARD into the body shell.(bad deal) The body truly does not seem sized correctly to fit these chassis very well.I am thinking we can still salvage it anyway. Onward and upward!

 

 

 

 

 

[mike1972chev]

I decided to just let the body "float" just like the Viper I got finished. This will help with some of the poor fit on the body.I just bored holes through the  body for the axles and spacers instead of weakening it by notching it like a factory body. Did a bit of taping off and painted in the exhaust and gas filler cap. Cheated and made a stencil for it by using a hole punch in my striping tape for a really good fit. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mike1972chev]

And now I taped off the drivers wind screen and did the paint.(A COMPLETE PAIN IN THE A$$ !!)  I was going to do the Maserati RED paint,but two things:

 

#1The body is a bit yellowed from age.

 

#2I am thinking if Classic DID ever finish paint these,it would come in a few different colors. 

 

I chose to do it in metallic copper. 

 

 

 

I am loving how it came out 1    . This is the second car with the new air brush and I am having a good time with it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Gator Bob]

Looking great !

 

I've never seen anyone actually use those 'spare' parts in the ASP box.

[mike1972chev]

Ok, Now I have the body finished and on the car.It is assembled loose to look at it ,but something looks terribly off ????     The stock Classic ASP tires and wheels just look "off scale" to me.  I decided to up size a HAIR. I had a set of fronts.that increased the diameter a touch,but no rears. Step in Mr. PABLO to supply me with a set of vintage wheels with an outer lip that pretty much simulates an ASP rear wheel. To those he glued me up some doughnuts and turned them down to my specs of 1.00" in diameter +or - a few thou ,and a WIDE as possible! lol (This is a step up from the roughly 7/8" in stocks.) He even sent them back to me FULLY polished !!!   NICE !!!!!

 

What wonderful work he does. 

 

 

 

[mike1972chev]

Well,now for the finish. I changed rear gearing to match the tires.Since the new rears are 1/8" in set screw wheels,I just used a longer 5:40 threaded 3" in axle on the rear.and passed it through the rear wheels to allow the use of the 2 bar spinners all the way around.  I think it looks like it would "back in the day" after some one bought it ,built it,and modified it to actually WORK as a race worthy  car??? (Maybe could use a BETTER guide flag though???  :/)   

 

Re assembled it and WOW !!!  I used body armor tape inside the body where the chassis was contacting the body. Was NOT gonna mar my paint job up !    

 

I am really liking this one! What do you think?

 

 

 

 

 

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[Pablo]

I dig it. Pulling off a build like that isn't easy at all and you made it look easy.

Probably would have taken me a month

Paint looks great.

[olescratch]

Looking great !

 

I've never seen anyone actually use those 'spare' parts in the ASP box.

    You also have to beware when buying parts from the bay stating that they are replacement Asp parts.  You may wind up with these same useless pieces, just as I did!!!!  Thanks for giving me an idea other than the trash for them.  BTW, awesome job on this build.  I like the color choice as well as the completed car.

[Gator Bob]

Short car, big fun. Outstanding color.

 

Maybe a detailed drivers head....

 

Wonder if these bodies would fit those Indy Sprint brass chassis/wheelbase?

[Half Fast]

That 1/1 supercharged Camaro in the background looks pretty nifty too!

 

Cheers

[mike1972chev]

Mr. Pablo ,you MUST be using some sarcasm with that statement?This car is about as simple as they get,but are the ones I like also. I know you have a regular car factory at your place turning more difficult builds out at the rate like GM in Detroit.   More difficult cars lay ahead for me down the road. 

 

Olescratch, I think I know the parts you are talking about on "The Bay."   I think a few of the drop arms on there were labelled incorrectly with the wrong dimensions(Maserati drop arms sold as ASP drop arms,ECT...) a long with a few other Classic parts. I think I got personally involved with helping them identify a few things and changing the description on some of the NOS stuff they had. (What a head ache !!!!!)

 

Gator Bob,I think I know the chassis you speak of? I have 2 of those. I am betting these bodies would not even begin to fit over those ????    I will try one of my extra Maserati bodies out on one tonight to see.

 

Half Fast ,That 1/1 Camaro is another "build" in my hobby box. Me and my cousin were just discussing this matter last night as a matter of fact. It needs some engine work and some safety updates on the car. I need to get the "Bad A$$ factor" increased with the Camaro. When I fire it up,women need to be running FASTER to grab up their children and pets and be running for a safe place to hide QUICKER than they normally do !!!!!!    More on that particular slot car later.   

[Bill from NH]

Mike, no one mentioned the tractor sitting in front of the Camaro.   

[dc-65x]

Very nice Mike. I've wondered what that little Maserati would look like built up.

[mike1972chev]

Gator Bob,

 

I checked a the fit of the Maserati body on the Indy Sprint brass chassis/wheelbase. Rear axle mounts will go under body. Front axle mounts are an overall 1/2" inch WIDER then the nose of the body,1/4" per side . Motor mount tab would need to be trimmed down to allow body to lower onto chassis.

 

Next 2 Trailer Park Builds coming up. The second slot car I ever started and a brass pan based chassis with motor bracket. (Getting into the soldering chassis now....   )  

[mike1972chev]

Short car, big fun. Outstanding color.

 

Maybe a detailed drivers head....

 

Wonder if these bodies would fit those Indy Sprint brass chassis/wheelbase?

Was thinking a driver's head would look cool,but NOT something Classic Industries would have ever offered in their parts line up to be installed.....