68 replies to this topic

[Pablo]

Super clean   

[Bill from NH]

The usual "Clean as a whistle."

[dc-65x]

First round of soldering is finished:

 

 

And all cleaned up ready for the body mounts:

 

 

Simple frame for simpler times........

[dc-65x]

Super Bowl soldering..........gotta have a TV in your slot car room

 

 

I love my Rick's Jig. 99 times out of 100 I can fixture what I need to solder so everything is nicely lined up:

 

 

More progress

 

[Bill from NH]

I can see the use of the "Magic Gizmo" on this chassis. I love the Weldon jig wheels. I don't have any of them, but I have turned down some old Faas.

[dc-65x]

Hi Bill,

 

Yup, those smooth consistant bends in the pin tube were done with the "magic gizmo". 

 

Just finished up the rear axle bracket brace:

 

 

 

Time for a drop arm.............

[Pablo]

"Tuned Pipes" or a "Pipe Organ"

 

[Bill from NH]

We have a couple "Mary Baker Eddy" residences here in NH. Neither one has the "tuned pipes" shown in Pablo's photo. My guess is its in the greater Boston area, maybe Cambridge.

[Howie Ursaner]

Happy New Year Rick. Always love to see you building something super cool. I have not seen a motor like this one ! Beautiful. 

[dc-65x]

Pipes is pipes............I like the look of pin tube when the ends are chamfered inside and out.

 

Hi Howie and Happy New Year to you too. I've never dealt with a motor like this either. I'm curious to see how a big magnet 196/65X motor runs and how it handles in a very early Rod & Custom style chassis...........

[dc-65x]

The pin tube drop arm is centered in the jig with 2 pins in the rear and a set screw post in the front:

 

 

The spacing under the guide flag tube is roughed in by measuring the guide flag and braid thickness and subtracting the track clearance. In this case, .062".

 

So .152" - .062" = .090" spacer under the guide post tube. Then the guide depth can adjusted to the tracks recessed braid with spacers.

 

 

Here's the center pin tube for the drop arm is bent up and the jig set up to center it in the drop arm:

 

 

All aligned and ready to solder:

 

 

Finished up:

 

 

 

 

[Pablo]

I never get tired of seeing it 

[dc-65x]

Thanks Pablo.

 

The chassis is finished 

 

 

 

 

 

Now it's time to turn the jig motor into a race motor........

[Pablo]

[Bill from NH]

Another beautiful chassis Rick !!  My first scratchbuilt brass chassis was built using 1/16" tubing & it's still intact. I don't recall if I knew what brass rod was in those days. You've almost convinced me to build a reproduction of it. If I should, I won't be using a Russkit jig or Weller soldering gun, but will include a Dremel.. 

[dc-65x]

Thanks! I'm really happy with the way the chassis turned out. Now if the rest of the car is this cool too.......anyway, back to the motor.

 

The armature got a coat of 2 Ton epoxy and a quick zap with a heat gun to thin it out and help it soak into the windings:

 

 

2 poles on the arm were really heavy so the period static balance job ensued:

 

 

The motor was reassembled without the magnet screw so I could lay it flat on the guass meter to check the magnet strength. It was almost dead:

 

 

A few seconds in the "Big Dog"............

 

 

.............and she's back at full strength:

 

 

The original single magnet screw was replaced with a 196B twin stainless steel screw and threaded spacer setup:

 

 

Finished:

 

 

 

Wheel and tire time..........

[Pablo]

[Martin]

Beautiful chassis Rick, and I am learning about these Pittman motors too.

[dc-65x]

I checked with my lead "on turn" marshal and he said I should show some different options for front tires that were used in the Rod & Custom series races:

 

 

First up are Russkit 1/32 fronts ground to 7/8". All the following tires are mounted on Russkit repop set screw wheels:

 

 

Russkit 1/32 rear tires:

 

 

Here is a closeup of the Russkit 1/32 tires mounted and ground. Rears on the left and fronts on the right:

 

 

Next are some "mystery" fronts that came on threaded wheels shown on the left. They might be Strombecker. Whatever they are they were glued to Russkit wheels and lightly ground on the right:

 

 

Last are the beloved K&B hard vinyl fronts:

 

 

Below a closeup of the mounted and trued Strombecker's (?) on the left and K&B's on the right:

 

 

Rear tire combos are next..........

[Pablo]

The cat actually thinks you custom built that track special for him.

Bless his heart

[dc-65x]

Hi Pablo,

 

That's Charlie the Cat........"Head of Household".

 

Rear tires.........lots of grey foam is seen in the race reports. By the 3rd race VC's show up in the tech sheets:

 

 

I'm going to be trying some modern urethane tires. They don't dry out and I don't have to glue my track for them to work. I'm using repop Cox Firestones from:

 

Paul's Slot Car Shop

 

 

I'm also trying some Russkit rears from:

 

Slot Car Tyres

 

 

The Cox Firestones on the left are wider and fit best on wide Russkit wheels. The "Russkit" rears on the right fit on the standard width rears:

 

 

I used the black rubber infused CA on the left below with good results:

 

 

Time to put all the pieces together.........

[dc-65x]

My roller hit the track and it's great, at least on my home track. I wish I could have seen it compete in the R&C Challenge event on Eddie's big road course. Good power, brakes and handling: 

 

 

I used an early screw on braid Cox guide and Superflex lead wire:

 

 

I went with Cox again for the crown gear (8T-31T):

 

 

The motor looks at home in an early 2-rail chassis:

 

 

 

Time for the body...........

[Pablo]

[dc-65x]

I decided to use one of the most popular bodies in the first R&C race...............

 

 

..............but it won't be the "wing car" version. That was a Team Russkit thing:

 

 

I got this neat interior for the McLaren Elva from a fellow Slotbloger years ago. I'm sorry I can't remember who but I sure would like to thank you.

 

 

I found some 8-spoke wheels in a Monogram Cooper Ford 1/32 model kit to use for the spare wheel in the interior. I bored out a "pot chuck" and thinned the wheel out from the back so it would lay flat in the spare tire:

 

 

Here are the trimmed and formed interior, Russkit "Praying Mantis" drivers head, roll bar and spare tire wheel:

 

 

I still need to choose a livery

 

 

[dc-65x]

I finally decided on a livery for my McLaren Elva..........for better or worse! 

 

The "Elvis McLaren":

 

 

The car's livery and other details have changed over it's long life. I'm just going to do my take on it with these cool Neckcheese decals:

 

 

I used Testors Campagne Gold backed with gold and silver on the rocker panels:

 

 

So far so good...........