15 replies to this topic

[Dave Crevie]

I warned you guys I might do this. So I am going to post some pictures of cars I built in the 1964-66 timeframe.

I've been restoring these entirely for my own amusement, and in some cases I have redone some of the bad

craftsmanship I did back then, so they are not all indicative of my abilities of the time in that respect. But the

designs and general appearances are pretty much the same.

 

This one has a 1/8th inch dia. tube frame. The motor is a KTM padlock type. The front wheels are Dynamics,

the rears I got from Mark Mattei, and I don't know the history, but I probably originally had Dynamics with foams.

The body is the Maserati coupe. Gears are Dynamics. Built in 1964. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This one is built from 1/16th piano wire. The motor is an unusual KTM padlock, with two magnets on opposite sides

of the arm. Front and rear wheels are Dynamics, crown gear is a modern Parma. The body is a Du-Bro Lister-Jag.

 

 

 

 

More next post. (photo files too big)

 

 

 

 

 

[Bill from NH]

You do good work! Did you club race some of these cars, or were they built for your own satisfaction? Did you build using a chassis jig? if so, what did you use? A Russkit, Cobra, or Phaze III?

[raisin27]

That is some nice soldering for the era

[Rotorranch]

 

I love old crap!

 

Rotor

 

 

[Dave Crevie]

OK. I'll try to take these in order. There was a commercial slot track just walking distance from my house. That

is where I did most of my racing. There was another track in Northlake, IL., that I would also race at when I

could get a ride. 

 

I usually built the cars on a piece of glass with a sheet of graph paper taped to the back of it. I just lined everything

up by eye. 

 

Most of the really bad solder joints were redone when I restored the cars. My soldering skills were not that good

at 14.

 

I built a lot of chassis back in the day. I tried everything I could think of to get an advantage. The down side was that

I always robbed the motors, wheels and gears off the chassis to use on each new build, so I have had to scrounge

up what I need to put them all together. A big thanks to Mark Mattei, who has been invaluable as both a good friend

and a source for some of those hard to find parts. 

[Phil Smith]

I love old crap!

 

Rotor

 

Me too! Keep posting your stuff, Dave. The more old crap the better!

[Bill from NH]

I like your building on graph paper under glass. I bet that would work well with the Align-O-Jig I don't use. Rick Moore, in the Tampa area, builds all his chassis using graph paper & one of these jigs.

[Dave Crevie]

I can't guarantee the accuracy of my method. It worked good enough at the time. I now use a Backtrack jig

for my new builds.

[don.siegel]

Very interesting look back Dave, thanks. 

 

I'm fascinated by that "KTM" motor under the Lister-Jag body. KTM motors always had the coil springs and round brushes like their sister Kemtron motors, so I wonder if that isn't a bitza motor made from different parts, or something like a rewound train motor. If it's a KTM, I'm not familiar with it. Was that the original motor? 

 

Don 

[Dave Crevie]

That is just how I bought it. And it was marketed as Kemtron to the slot car market. I bought it at International

Hobbies in Pasadena, and it is the only one like it I have ever seen. At the time I thought it would be faster than

the Pitmans and other KTMs I was using, because of the two magnets. But not so, even though it has a five

pole arm rather than the seven most other KTMs had. The endplates are die cast, and the com end has KTM

cast into it.

[don.siegel]

Thanks Dave - very curious indeed! 

 

I think most of the KTMs did have 5-pole arms, like the Kemtrons, except for their later Bronco and Mustang (which also had the black endpieces... ). 

 

Would it be possible to get a couple close-up shots of the motor? 

 

Don 

[Dave Crevie]

Not without taking the motor out, which I would prefer not to do at this point. If I have the opportunity

at some later date, I will take pics and post them here. 

 

Incidentally, I believe the Bronco had pressed steel endplates. Don't quote me, I just seem to remember

that they did. On this motor they are clearly die cast, and the KTM lettering is cast in. (see bottom photo

of car) With all the motors I have seen over the years, both slot car and model railroading, I have never

seen another one like it. The theory is good, same layout as the Bonner motors. It just wasn't as fast as

a padlock Pittman.   

[don.siegel]

No problem Dave, kind of figured that was the case, but thought I'd ask anyway. 

 

Happen to have a Bronco close at hand, and in fact it has black plastic endplates, with stamped brass bearing holders screwed over those! "Bronco" and "Kemtron" are molded into the plastic. The Bronco is the one with a 3/32" shaft, while the Mustang is the exact same layout, but with a 1/8" shaft - what were they thinking? Was the Mustang more a drag motor and the Bronco for the road? 

 

From your photos, it looks like the magnets are smaller than the 1 that the more conventional motors use, and maybe that explains its lack of oomph... I can't get most of my Bonners to do much of anything useful on the track either! 

 

Don  

[Dave Crevie]

The magnets are smaller, about half the size of the one in the other KTM in my post. I couldn't remember for sure

what the endplates on the Bronco were, but I do have one in a car waiting in the que. Maybe next up for restoration.

[Mad Mark]

Good stuff! Keep it coming!

[Dave Crevie]

Currently trying to finish up another Kemtron powered car. Just finished putting a Gp-20 drag car from around 1990 back together.

Not as old as the others, but has some good memories attached to it.