138 replies to this topic

[dc-65x]

I'm building a "tribute car" from the first race in the 1967 CM race series. Here are the series rules (click on the pictures to enlarge):
 

 

 



 
The Car Model Magazine first race of 1967 article:
 

 

 

 

 
Below is an easier to read view of the tech chart. It's interesting to see how similar the equipment is to the last races of the 1966 Rod & Custom Magazine series:
 

 
Here is the CM X-Ray drawing of the first race winning car:
 

 

 
Next up is a larger picture of the car for this "tribute build" and the parts to make it.

[Jairus]

 

[slotcarone]

Very much like our Jail Door chassis.

 

[Steve Okeefe]

Early 1967 and the golden age of commercial slot racing was underway.

 

16Ds with Arco magnets, 29 gauge wire, and post protectors were the hot ticket. True high speed commutators were beginning to make their appearance.

 

Improved motor performance allowed for chassis to be stronger, heavier (for added traction and lower CG), and eventually tunable.

 

It was a scratchbuilder's playground for chassis and motors, and the rules placed very few limits on any of it (none at all for motors).

 

So... what's your pleasure, Captain? 

[dc-65x]

Unfortunately there is no picture in the magazine of the car I’m building. In the text there is this about its results in the Concours Event, “Larry Roger’s realistic looking Porsche took third place.”

 

Larry Rogers and I worked together at Crawford’s Raceway in Southern California in the 60’s and became good friends. I was a 16 year old kid and he was a young man in his 20’s. Larry came up with a “hot” motor and wanted me to build a car for the upcoming CM race.

 

I did take a picture of the car I built and CM trophy back in the day:

 

Here’s the picture enhanced by my good friend Steve Okeefe who helped me with this project (more on that later):

 

 

The car is long gone but I still have the Car Model Magazine trophy. I’ve wanted to build a tribute car to display with the trophy but, for me, this body has been a unicorn to find. I have only seen 2 complete RTR cars and no bodies

 

That body is a Russkit Porsche Carrera 6 Spyder. Here is a picture courtesy of LASCM of one in RTR form in the foreground:

 

 

A while back I got this wonderful recreation:

 

 

 

[tonyp]

I have never seen that body.

[dc-65x]

Hi Tony,

 

My buddy Larry Rogers was friendly with manufacturer and distributor reps as well as race team members including some Team Russkit guys.

[Steve Okeefe]

Nor I, Tony.

 

This body does not appear as a product for sale in any vintage catalog (retailer or manufacturer, including Russkit) that I have ever found.  I'm not even sure it ever had a actual Russkit part number.  If it did, the number would have had to be either 609 or something above 618.

 

In the 1966 Russkit catalog on page six there is an R-T-R listed as "Super Sypder" Porsche Carrera 6, part number 1716:

 

 

Note that the picture on the right (yellow background) is not a photo like the other two, and depicts a Carrera 6 coupe.  Was this the R-T-R with the Spyder body Rick refers to?  Who knows?

 

The product however clearly existed as shown in the LASCM photo, and Rick has seen two, but they are obviously and exceedingly rare.

 

What about the real car?  They are almost as rare as the slot car body!  Here are some photos:

 

 

 

 

No more than a few were ever built - or reconfigured from the coupe version... a rare beast indeed.

[SlotStox#53]

Wow, Rick pulling out all the stops for an exceedingly rare beast. Recreating an uber rare one you built in the day

Can't wait to see what the chassis is like and the hot motor!!

[Martin]

Hey Rick, glad to see you build this car. I have hopping to see you do this car since I first saw your avatar pic and you told me the back story (could be 30 years ago)?  It is a great part of your slot car history. Happy building

[dc-65x]

Thanks guys.

 

I'm going to try to make this car as close to early 1967 with as many period parts as I can. Perusing the race report tech chart there are quite a few guys using 65 turns of 29 ga. wire with a French comm in their motors.

 

My good friend Steve Okeefe wound the armature to those specs for me. Steve is known for his expert chassis fabrication and restoration but he also winds a mean armature!  

 

I sent him a period French - Tradeship armature blank..........

 

 

.............and commutator:

 

 

Steve did this arm "old school" the way lots of builder-racers would have done it back in the day. No exotic Kevlar cord with 10,000 pound breaking strength tying the comm wires and those wires are simply soldered with 95-5 not welded:

 

 

No exotic epoxy either. Remember this stuff, Klenk's epoxy used in almost every how-to magazine article in the 60's:

 

 

 

He didn't really use Klenk's     but he did use hardware store 24 hour cure epoxy and then a simple static balance job:  

 

 

That's the heart of the beast........now to wrap it up in a period setup:

 

[Steve Okeefe]

Check out the hairdo on that young woman on the Klenk's package.      My wife says it's straight out of 1965.

 

Why there has to be an image of a young woman on a package of epoxy glue is a mystery only advertising people can explain.

 

Klenk's has moved on.  They still market epoxy products, but not this stuff.  I used Devcon "2 Ton" Epoxy:

 

 

I guess that young woman grew up and got married - and now she and her husband are both pictured on the package. 

 

Anyway, I need to fess up and admit that it's not 24 hour cure time epoxy.  I ASSumed that.  The description on the package says 8-12 hours.  I guess everything goes faster these days.

 

Rick, I see Mura silver coated brushes and heavy duty springs in that tray of motor parts, but no post protectors.  The Mura springs would not fit over post protectors anyway.

 

Are you going to build your motor with a naked white endbell?  Isn't that kind of... racy? 

[SlotStox#53]

Wow Steve!! You can wind a mean armature

Remember seeing your skillz on the Rod N Custom Proxy car & motor you wound/built for it

[dc-65x]

Hi Steve,

 

I love brass spring post protectors but........I can't find a picture of them being used in this race or the next CM race. 

 

I know they show up later in '67 on Champion and UGO motors..............

[Steve Okeefe]

Champion of Chamblee took out a number of full page ads in Car Model Magazine.  Here is one from the inside cover of the July 1967 issue:

 

 

Along the right side of the page about halfway up is the first evidence:

 

 

The July issue of Car Model went on sale around the middle of June, so it's reasonable to think post protectors first started showing up around the May-June timeframe.

 

The first 1967 Car Model race was (I believe) in February, the second in April.

 

Missed it by only a few weeks, but...  no post protectors for you! 

[Bill from NH]

Steve, didn't you wind Rick's arm to be blow-proof anyway?

[slotcarone]

I ran in a few of the East Coast Car Model races.

[Bill from NH]

Mike, did you attend the Modelville Car Model race at Framingham, MA in either 1969 or  70? I had just moved down from Maine & one of the first people I met was Pete von Ahrens.

[slotcarone]

Mike, did you attend the Modelville Car Model race at Framingham, MA in either 1969 or  70? I had just moved down from Maine & one of the first people I met was Pete von Ahrens.

Yes I did in fact I won the 1969 Modelville Car Model race! Won overall as an Independent against the Pros.

[dc-65x]

Very cool Mike 

[slotcarone]

I still have all of the race prize gift certificates that I never used. Signed by Bob Rule and Ray Gardner.

[Martin]

I still have all of the race prize gift certificates that I never used. Signed by Bob Rule and Ray Gardner.

Priceless

[Tex]

I still have all of the race prize gift certificates that I never used. Signed by Bob Rule and Ray Gardner.

 

Dokk might want those for the LASCM......

[slotcarone]

 

Dokk might want those for the LASCM......

I thought about that!

[dc-65x]

I have some progress on the "hot motor" front. 

 

I started with a Russkit 22 and disassembled it just for the can. Also shown with the can is an end bell bearing. I'm replacing the stock blind bearing with it. We used to do this when I raced at Leon Pardee's Grand Prix Raceway in late '65:

 

 

A Hemi motor is sacrificed for its magnets as used by many in the race report tech sheet:

 

 

Here the can is stripped of paint and sanded smooth. The magnet retaining features are flatted and filed smooth on the inside and the end bell bearing soldered in place. I made up some magnet shims from .004" shim stock and modified a pair Mabuchi magnet clips to just to hold the magnets in place while the Klenk's epoxy........I mean Devcon 2 Ton epoxy cures: 

 

 

End bell time............