52 replies to this topic

[dc-65x]

Body mounts going on:

 

 

Body mounts on:

 

 

I need to add a rear axle brace and do a final buff and it's done..........

[dc-65x]

Here's the rear axle brace:

 

 

The drop arm installed on the chassis. It snuggles up close to the front motor bracket.......

 

 

..........and that tight gap acts as the drop arms downward stop:

 

 

The finished chassis:

 

 

 

Top view:

 

 

Bottom view:

 

 

Next I need to finish the motor "hop up" for installation into the chassis.........

[slotbaker]

Awesome work...

[Geary Carrier]

Very Cool...

[Larry Horner]

Each post just keeps getting better and better!!!

[Jaeger Team]

You have the power to bring down the self-esteem of normal scratch builders around the world!

[Bill from NH]

Most of my scratch building days are behind me. I've always used Rick's quality work as a plateau to obtain, knowing I would never get there.

[dc-65x]

I'm really happy you guys like my old style space frame from the time before powerful rewound motors and high traction tires. I started scratch building space frames with my Weller soldering gun and drooling over Bob Braverman's articles in Rod and Custom magazine.

 

I finished up the motor with a RAM hop up brush spring and some Cox superflex lead wires:

 

 

I forgot to zap the magnet before I installed it in the frame. Luckily it fit in the Big Dog zapper just fine:

 

 

The motor got a nice bump up after zapping. The guass reading was in the low 200 before zapping:

 

[Jairus]

Body mounts?
So... you picked a body?
Inquiring minds want to know...

[Martin]

Body mounts?
So... you picked a body?
Inquiring minds want to know...

 

All wheel drive, hmmmm

Clean build Rick.

[dc-65x]

In the early days of slot cars 4WD was tried as a way to get faster lap times. The body I'm going with could be, but doesn't have to be 4WD as a full size car. The Lola T70, Iso Grifo, and Lotus 38 were not 4WD racers but were as Russkit Black Widow slot cars.

 

Sooooooo.........the world is my oyster as far as 1965ish body choice. Well, it does need to fit a rather tall motor. And it needs to have a tall nose for that front crown gear. In the period of scale bodies it has to have rather small wheel openings for the 15/16" tires.

 

Hmmmmmmm...........

[Martin]

Hey Rick, I was looking around and stumbled on this. I did not know there was a AWD Mustang. I know you have had/have a Mustang.

https://www.motor1.c...5-ford-mustang/

[Larry Horner]

Very cool find Martin! Funny thing is that it just looks like a box stock Mustang.

[dc-65x]

I still have my Mustang Martin:

 

 

I can't believe it 12 years old already

 

 

But no, the body for this car is another American car but not a Mustang.   It's a Scarab MkIV:

 

 

It's a new old stock Lancer body:

 

 

 

I've already poked the holes to mount it so it's a go:

 

 

Very 1965     

[don.siegel]

Great choice Rick,

 

Boy, you really picked up some rare and fascinating bodies over the years... good for you!

 

Love the first Scarab, not too fond of the second one, but this is something else. And very appropriate for the chassis.

 

4WD cars had a year or two of great success in English 1/32 club racing, right before the advent of rewound cans and sticky sponge tires, but once those came in, the 4WD cars were obsolete!

 

Don

[Martin]

Happy you were able to keep the Mustang. 12 years ago, wow. Great pics BTW.

 

I would never of guessed the Scarab.

[dc-65x]

I've made a little more progress. I'm using a nice new Cox screw on braid style guide. I'm going to cheat a bit and use some super soft braid. The Cox version came out in 1966 or so but I don't have much of it. I do have a nice new bag of the Phase III version:

 

 

The soft stuff is about half the thickness of the earlier Cox stuff on the left. Probably why the old magazine articles are always showing the builder "combing out" the braid into individual strands. On the right is my modified screw-on version of the Phase III:

 

 

[dc-65x]

The final bits are coming together. I had some of fun with my hobby lathe..........

 

 

..........lightening up the spurs gear a bit:

 

 

For wheels and tires I'm using Russkit rear road wheels on the front and back. The tires are Paul's Slot Car Shop urethane versions of these K&B's:

 

 

I'm going to pattern my slot car after a Scarab MkIV version that used different style wheels on the front and rear:

 

 

 

 

The finished wheels and tires. The wheel inserts are Monogram Scarab and Russkit Lotus 40:

 

 

 

 

 

[dc-65x]

On the power supply with a little lapping compound on the bevel gears:

 

 

The roller ready to hit the track for testing:

 

 

 

 

 

My first impression on the initial track test........

 

 

.............is that it's no faster or slower than my other DC65-6V powered cars:

 

 

When I get the body on I should compare lap times with my inline and sidewinder versions. 

[Pablo]

It sits there under power without being held down         

That's amazing smoothness !!!!!

[Jairus]

Space frames are cool to be sure!

[dc-65x]

For a driver I opened up a Monogram reissued Scarab model kit:

 

 

For some reason the body doesn't have any taillights, just a deep recess. I know the real model builders can make them with translucent red lenses and chrome bezels but........I'm just an old machinist. A bit of aluminum rod and red paint:

 

 

The body and detail bits ready for the dreaded paint job:

 

 

The body was painted with Testors Custom Blue Metal Flake, Flat White and backed with Chrome:

 

 

The finished car:

 

 

 

 

Here are those taillights:

 

 

I decided to do the interior (or lack thereof      ) the way some old school builders did it in the early days:

 

 

There is a driver and an open cockpit showing the mechanicals of the car. I can always change my mine and put a interior in it.

 

It looks pretty cool on the track with it's competitors:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[don.siegel]

Looks great Rick, and love that last lineup of cars... 

 

Don 

[Jairus]

Very nice Rick! 

[Martin]