24 replies to this topic

[Martin]

Its crusty and rusty but I thought it was worth saving.
The buy-in was $38 to my door, so low impact price-wise..
It seemed to me, well made with clean bends and a little wire tying for impact protection up front.
The wheel base is 4-5/16" the pans are 2-1/2" wide. Rear track is 3" wide.
It has four vertical body supports and an outrigger side bumper. They may have been added after the original build as they are crudely cut off at the tops.
 
Anybody out there have a good safe way to free up the hinges?
Any ideas on body style?

[Rotorranch]

I use a Kroil or PB Blaster soak. After you get them free, I fill the tube with 0W-20 Mobil 1.
 
Rotor

[Martin]

Thanks Jeff, I will strip it down to the bare chassis and soak it.

[Rotorranch]

I also use Evaporust for neutralizing rust on steel parts. Available at most parts stores. Non toxic, no fumes. 

 

I don't know what it is, but it works!

 

Rotor

 

 

[Martin]

I have used Vinegar on rusty tools. I wonder if that's what this product is?

 

What is the active ingredient in Evapo rust?

Chlorophyll is a chelating agent and is quite toxic in some preparations. A little research show that a likely candidate for the active ingredient in Evaporust is a chelation agent called ethylenediamine which binds to iron.

 

Next question.

Hey folks I have a question about evapo rust. Everyone here for the most part seems to like evapo rust for cleaning rusty frames and such so I bought a gallon. I have a 242B that the base of the burner frame and nut are quite rusty looking and I was wondering if I can dip the whole frame in the solution or do I need to remove the brass air tubes and manifold? I guess I'm curious what all can go in the bucket. Even if it won't clean the brass parts will it hurt them? And another question, what will happen to parts left in the solution for too long? My parts will be sitting in the basement and everyone says it takes longer to work when it is cooler so I was just thinking about letting them sit In the bucket for 24 hours or so.

 

Answer

 

EvapoRust won't hurt brass.  As for the steel parts, they can be in it 24 hours, or even more.  Some members here have left parts in it several days.

 

Google is great.  

[Rotorranch]

I dunno what's in it!

 

Rotor

 

 

 

[Rotorranch]

[Bill from NH]

Martin, you found a good chassis to restore. I don't memorize dates like some do, but with it being an endbell drive anglewinger with a separate motor box & plumber on the rails behind the front axle, i would guess it's from the 1968-70 period. I don't think the 5/8" wide rear tires shown are what it was originally built for. It probably had something about 1/2" wide. With that wheelbase, it might have been used with some stock car body, but i'd sooner think it was for a Trans Am car. Are those seized pan hinges brass tubing? It also has a rather odd butt connection between the droparm & its hinge tube.. I've seen narrow pans used before, but I don't recall if they was on US or European chassis.

[Martin]

Crusty is striped down to the bare chassis now.

I was thinking Trans Am also Bill. I think it had a wire side bumper on both sides, there is a witness of solder. 

The motor brace was changed too you see were it once was, under the axle tube.

It would have had a guide stop also, notice solder witness.

Nice free spinning bearings too.

Thanks Jeff for the help.

I am wondering if I just fire up the tumbler it will be the best way to clean.

I know we have ask this question before. Is it OK to tumble with ball bearings left in place ?  

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[slotcarone]

That is a really nicely built chassis and very well thought out. It has the later style plummer hinge for the side pans. I am not seeing anything unusual in the drop arm mount that Bill was referring to. What am I missing?

[John Streisguth]

I was going to say it looks a bit narrow, but then after re-reading it seems maybe it is for a stock car.  Hmm..I have 66 Mustang and 67 Camaro bodies, scale appearing.  I'll have to check to see how they may fit 

[dc-65x]

I am wondering if I just fire up the tumbler it will be the best way to clean.

I know we have ask this question before. Is it OK to tumble with ball bearings left in place ?  

 

Hi Martin,

 

Yes and yes. 

[Martin]

Mike, I thought it had something going for it.

Maybe Bill is saying the drop arm usually goes under the pivot ?

 

John. thank you for checking your Trans Am bodies, this might be the answer.

Note, 4 .312" wheel base. 2.5" wide 

 

Was there ever a class for Trans Am slot cars or do they just run with Stock cars?

Do not remember seeing race reports for this class.

 

Thank you x 2 Rick. Just got to get some non foaming soap. Any recommendations that I can buy at local stores.

found this....''I'm going to use the Tide HE that Steve Okeefe uses and see if the problem stops. I'll report back on the results.''

and this....http://slotblog.net/...-will-go/page-6

[John Streisguth]

I think the NCC may have had a Trans Am class, but I don;t remember any race reports back in the day mentioning the class.  I'm sure some local groups probably raced it.

[Bill from NH]

How thick is that droparm? I assume it's .063 or less. When I enlarged the first 2 photos shown above, it appears the back of the droparm is hanging in the air soldered to the front of the pivot tube, rather than being flat in the same plane level with the bottom of  the brass road rails as I would expect. Also, there doesn't appear to be any reinforcing structure in that joint. If I made a butt joint like that, I would have reinforced it by laying in a length of .032 or .047 piano wire. I agree this is a well-built chassis, but this hinge joint doesn't appear to do the rest of the chassis justice.

[slotcarone]

Bill I did not notice the butt joint at first. Of course the usual would be the drop are goes all the way under the pivot tube and this one doesn't. 

[Martin]

A little Bar keepers friend and an old tooth brush.

I still have more cleaning and fixing to do, and its probably best to un-solder the pans and hinge.

I did find several broken joints that need re-connecting.

Its pretty well locked up with solder.

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[Bill from NH]

It doesn't look like the same chassis when it's all cleaned up. No hurry, but sometime I'd like to see the topside cleaned up too. All that rust came from so little piano wire.

[John Streisguth]

The Camaro body is 2-1/2 wide by 4-1/4 wheelbase, the Mustang is 2-3/4 wide by 4-5/16 wheelbase.  So it sounds like this chassis may have been built for a Trans-Am body.  If you would like to get one, contact VFC (Vacuum formed Creations), they make the Charger body that's popular in IRRA Retro racing.  

[brucefl]

according to youtube it both cheaper and easier to do electrolysis,by immersing chassis in water with baking sodium carbonate and a piece of sacrificial steel and using a battery charger,check specifics on youtube,it takes a few days but results are dramatic and no expense for  expensive rust removers.

[Gene/ZR1]

A one week vinegar bath won’t hurt.

[Martin]

John,thank you. I had not herd of this company, is this the body you are thinking off?

There is no pic

http://www.ncphobbie...lot-car/stl129/

 

Bruce, I will check into that, thanks.

 

Gene, I have used vinegar on steel. But never on brass and steel. Will it effect the brass?

Its clean enough now that I can take the pans off and reconstruct and fix some damage.

[Rotorranch]

This is what I use on copper and brass.

 

This is after about 90 seconds of wiping.

 

About 30 seconds more with Nevr-Dull.

 

Rotor

[Martin]

That looks like a great product Jeff, Thanks.

[Rotorranch]

This is the same chassis after exactly 10 minutes rubbing the chassis, gently, with the Twinkle copper cleaner sponge pad. Bare hands. Nothing else except a garden hose rinse.

 

 

 

 

 

I've been using this stuff for 50+ years. I had to clean Mom's copper bottom Revereware pans when I did the dishes. It wasn't long before she "LOST" her Twinkle, and it was on the workbench shining slot cars!

 

Rotor