24 replies to this topic

[slotbaker]

Is there another proxy race series scheduled for these cars?

 

First Round is planned for Sunday, April 12, 2020, North London. Dates and venues for the rest of the series are being worked out.

 

Here's a note from the boss, Mr Lowrider, on facebook;

"The rules will be the same as last time with only two exceptions. Plate brass can be used in chassis construction whereas it was brass or bronze rods only before. Secondly the maximum rear tyre width has been reduced to 1/4" - the same as the minimum width for the fronts.

I found that in the majority of cases the 3/8" width tyres last time out were enough, with modern rubber and normally used slot tracks, to get the cars to tip or understeer before they would drift as intended.

The 1" minimum diameter rears on my cars were made by taking a large diameter donut (usually available from ABSlotsports) and then coring out the centre with a sanding drum on my Dremel to make an easier fit over the large wheels. The good news is that you can get two narrow rear tyres from a single regular width donut.

Any further questions, just fire away."

 

If you're not on facebook, ask away here and/or watch this space.

 

Car building rules:

1/ Open top 1950s sports cars in 1:24 scale.
2/ Body material: PETG or vintage Butyrate.
3/ Chassis Construction: Inline chassis made exclusively from brass (or bronze) rod, tube or plate with a limit of two rods soldered together for their full length. The only exception is a small guide tongue which can be made from any material.

4/ Spec Motor: Hawk 25

5/ Spec Gearing: 8:28 ratio

6/ Tall and narrow wheels with sponge tyres. Front & rear wheels 1" minimum diameter. Minimum front width and maximum rear width - .250".

7/ Minimum ground clearances: .015" front, .050" rear.

8/ Straight axles only, any diameter.

9/ Oilite bushings or ball races are permitted.

10/ Guide: No restrictions on type, but only one guide allowed.

11/ Body should cover the tyres and main part of guide, when viewed from above. Vertical blade of guide may protrude from front of car.

 

12/ Cars which ran in the 2018 series may run again as long as they remain unaltered with the exception of the racing number. This includes running with 3/8" wide rears if the entrant wishes.

Per Lowrider on Facebook.

[Pablo]

Thanks for doing this, Steve. I for one don't, and won't, do Facebook.

[Matt Sheldon]

What is the FB group name?

[Pablo]

.250" width on all four wheels? Jeez, why don't we just use O-rings?

[Jairus]

 
Yeah, I thought that too Paul.
Still mulling over whether to bother this time.

Matt Sheldon:
https://www.facebook...up_r2j_approved

[Pablo]

Me too. Maybe he's not interested in Slotblog participants.

It was kind of you, Jairus, and you, slotbaker, to be the "go-between on the news and rules".

But I'm really not comfortable with continuing to struggle to get the news second hand.

[slotbaker]

What is the FB group name?

Driftin' Fifties 2020.

[Lowrider]

Happy to have all participants come aboard for the new series, ESPECIALLY Slotblog members.
Facebook is simply the main portal through which my interaction with the international world of slot cars takes place.  I'm also very grateful for the work Jairus did in the last series in posting the news here and to Steve for starting this thread.

The quarter inch wide rear tyres on the cars may sound strange, they certainly look more scale and don't hurt the car's appearance one bit, but they simply were one of the first lessons I learned through my experience in running the series first time out.  This was reflected in the words Steve quoted in the original post here.  On a regularly used slot track, the 3/8" wide rears made with modern 'natural' sponge simply provided too much grip for all but a select few of the cars.  Moving to the narrower size is primarily my attempt to improve the driving experience for the volunteer pilots and to help builders make cars that will actually 'drift' on a track which hasn't been specially prepared.

That's kinda crucial to the whole experience in my view, as indicated by the title of the whole venture.

[Ramcatlarry]

When you say the 'rules are the same as before'  A full set of the rules should ALWAYS be published for the new year so that no one has to try to find the two year old post and amendments.  Quick search I found Steve Kempsons 5/31/17 proposed rules for the series - any more?

 

Suggestion:  Donuts ARE available with firmer  'wonder' rubber that might work better at the 1/4" width.  Try 'www.B&Eslotsports.com'  They work fine on the hardbody racers.

[Jairus]

Natural sponge?
What about rubber or silicone rubber?

[slotbaker]

When you say the 'rules are the same as before'  A full set of the rules should ALWAYS be published for the new year so that no one has to try to find the two year old post and amendments.

Correct, as mentioned in the original post, we are working towards that, so please don't waste your time looking for the old regs.

 

But if you are curious about the first series, you can have a look at The Driftin' Fifties 2018 website with the original rules on "The Cars" page.

[Ramcatlarry]

FYI:  Around Chicago, we run several 1/24 inline plastic kit based metal frame classes.  One thing in common is the use of 5/8" dia rims and minimum of .950" OD tires.  Many of these are from H&R Slotcars (www.hnrracing.com).  They make rubber, foam, Natural (fish) rubber as well as silicone coated foam and solid silicone tires.  Several wheels designs (CNC) are made in the drag racing community and several private vendors have made cast wheel inserts for these larger rims - especially mag spoked.  I am always looking for the wire wheels.....

 

I have built a few vintage proxy cars with >1970 period motors.  A spec motor could be interesting.

[Pablo]

" the maximum rear tyre width has been reduced to 1/4"

 

Larry:

1) those H & R wheels look real nice but I don't see a single pair with a width of anything less than about .473" - not even close to .250"

2) the motors are spec - Hawk 25's.

 

Running hubs that narrow without lips, my opinion is, we will be running into problems with the huge thin donuts separating from the hubs due to the very narrow glued patch width. The large OD allows the donuts to distort laterally. Just my opinion.

[Ramcatlarry]

Paul,  Glued Wonder or cast silicone will be reluctant to distort even 1/4" wide. Lathing the hubs back is not an issue for many and I think a machinist is available to make some.  My old Proxy '57 Corvette with 1960's rims and hard rubber runs fine as is too, but it has a Kemtron in it.  The 'Unique LeMans' rubber has a tire patch 1/4" wide with liped rims.

[MSwiss]

If you guys are worried about donut adhesion, or side wall flex, just run your normal 3/8" wide tire with a reduced contact patch, as illustrated by the below McDonald's paraphanellia, with the straws representing the cross-section of the rim.

[Pablo]

I don't get that, sorry. The width is 1/4", not 3/8"

[MSwiss]

Maybe I didn't understand.

 

"rear tyre width has been reduced to 1/4"

 

I assumed having a 3/8" wide barrel, with a 1/4" contact patch, would be OK.

[Jairus]

I see what Mike is getting at and I thought the same thing by tapering the foam tire to only 1/4" at start.  (See what I did there?)

But if they want true drifters then they need to spec wheels and tires like they spec motors! Period!

[Pablo]

Sorry to keep being so negative, but this thread wasn't introduced as a rules discussion.

It announces the rules, period. If suggestions were solicited, I'd be totally against 1/4 width.

 

I'm going to sit this one out, not in protest, just don't have any interest in a series that relies on third hand news and seems to be a test of who can create the weirdest car that still makes good lap times.

 

Pro-Tracks part # N333 may be the answer. Just remember they are Drag wheels, not designed for road courses with side loads from spinning and cornering.

 

Those H & R's don't show anything in 3/32 so you'd have to sleeve them.

 

I'm outta here.

[slotbaker]

Post #1 has been edited (thank you, Greg) to include the latest "Car building rules" for this series.

 

These rules are also on the Facebook group page.

[slotbaker]

Update:

Post #1, "Car building rules", has been updated (thank you, Greg) with the following addition;

 

12/ Cars which ran in the 2018 series may run again as long as they remain unaltered with the exception of the racing number. This includes running with 3/8" wide rears if the entrant wishes.

[slotbaker]

Update:

Post #1,

First Round is planned for Sunday, April 12, 2020, North London. Dates and venues for the rest of the series are being worked out.

[slotbaker]

Update:

 

With the onset of COVID-19, the scheduled first round (clearly) didn't take place.

 

But, several entries have made it to London, and Mr. Lowrider is planning to hold the first round at North London SME over the weekend of 11~12 July, 2020.

If government guidelines don't alter, we may be in luck.

 

If you're interested, we have another webiste for Driftin' Fifties 2020, where you can see cars entered.

[slotbaker]

Well, this event got off the ground with Round 1 happeninig in London, at the NLSME track on 11th July.

We have a Driftin' Fifties 2020 website, where you can check out the cars, and Round 1 Results if you're interested.

I was unable to get my entry built, and entered Pablo's Maserati car from the 2018 event.
Guess what, it went well and claimed 4th place, not too far from the leader.

Thanks for the competitive car Paul.

[Pablo]