39 replies to this topic

[Jairus]

Got a new commission build for a couple cars.  One a Can Am and the second later... a NASCAR Torino.
Fun projects actually.  I started on the Can Am rightway.
Some of the parts...

 

The tongue I had to cut myself.  Motor bracket from PCH as are the floppy pans.

 

Body and interior vintage Dynamic.  Looks a bit like a cross between a Lola and a McLaren, but no judgements.

Wheels are A.J.s mint stock.  I turned down one set of rears but the original foam tires are crap.  So a second set I mounted and trued up some fresh Orange Rubber.

 

More NOS hardware.....

 

Motor is a mint unused Gp12 Mura.  I love Gp12 motors!  But hate those early wire connectors, so I put on some later buss bars and heat sinks to bullet proof it better.

 

Below is the middle section finished as of last Saturday.  Since I am also working at the sign shop and working on Johnny Lightning... I only have Saturdays to build slot cars.  So next session I'll attack the tongue and plumber.
And before you question why I am putting two hinge lines on a chassis with only a Gp12 motor.... because I can.  It's not legal today and wouldn't be legal in 1970 either so.... what?

 

This is fun, can't wait for Saturday....

[Pablo]

      Go Jairus   

[Bill from NH]

Center section looks great Jairus. I'm trying to match your 2-hinge line comment to your photo & I can't yet determine what you mean.. Maybe it becomes more clear to me as the build proceeds. I like seeing those Phaze III square jig wheels. There must not be too many of them still around.

[Jairus]

Rules in that era slated that only one hinge line was for Gp12 and Gp15.  Gp7 and 20 were unregulated.

Floppy pans or plumber.  But not both.
Frankly, I don't care that much, unless I am building a replica. And... I am not.

 

[Bill from NH]

I only had built chassis used for Grp. 7 during that period. For Grp. 12 racing back then, we/I used a Phaze III production chassis, scratchbuilts were not legal. I was never aware of the no 2-hinge line rules for Grps. 12 & 15, but it makes sense. Both Cobra & Phase III sold 1 hinge line chassis. The first Grp. 12 multi hinge line chassis that I remember  was the plated ISO sold by Riggen, others, & unplated by Phaze III. This was about 1972-73, so at some point, the,no 2 hinge line rule was either changed, or maybe it was never enforced at all raceways. My Grp.12 racing was done at Modelville Hobby, Framingham, MA, on their, then AMR Orange from 1969-75..

[Jairus]

Slot Car Saturday. 
Had to replace one of the outside frame rails.  The motor box was too small and would short out.
Running .055 inside rails and .062 outside.
The plumbers are .055.  In the jig with the pans and such the total width is 3 and an 1/8".
Ready to hang the hinges and plumber connectors.

Love Saturdays with a hot iron and good tunes.

[Jairus]

No hinge wires or limiters.  And... might need to move that forward plumber cross rod forward a bit and .... well... it's a project in progress.

 

Still music and soldering.
Need to get this cleaned up and in the tumbler before dinner.

[dc-65x]

Looking good Jairus. Cool project.

[Jairus]

Slotcar Saturday went well.  Even made coffee and spent 10 hours getting this far.
Chassis went into the tumbler sans the plumber stops so the medium had full access.
Quick tip... put pins in the pin-tubes and a spare axle in the axle tube with set screw keepers.  Makes clean up sooo much easier!


 

 
Plenty room for the motor now that I replaced that outer rail and shortened the inner.
Yeah, it's not as shiny as Ricks, but I like to attain a more realistic and vintage look with my builds.  Just my style.
 

 
Not sure where exactly to put the plumber stops.  Probably on top of the tongue hinge tubes.
Doesn't matter much, she goes back in the box for now.  Back to the drawing board and working on Johnny Lightning art and probably the sign shop one or two days this week.
Still, I carved in the tongue my signature and the date of the chassis 02.02.2020 which is Sunday.
Why? 'cause it's cool!
Congratulations Kansas City MO for a great game!
Hug your kids.

[Martin]

 02.02.2020 is cool because it is a palindrome. Meaning it reads the same backwards as forwards. This happened in a date many(909) years ago 11.11.1111

Nice build J. following along.

[Bill from NH]

Nice looking chassis Jairus! Put the plumber stops where you said you were going to, on top of the hinge tubes. If less plumber lift is desired, it can be accomplished with layers of tape placed on the pans underneath the stops. If I wanted to build chassis with minimal plumber lift, & used "L" hinges, I left the base of the hinge "L" long enough to extend out over the main & plumber rails for stops. Neither way is necessarily better than the other, just two ways of doing the same thing.

[Jairus]

After  8 hours of drawing and all line art is now in the computer... I am tired of that.
Back to the chassis for a bit.  Figured out how to make the plumber stops with out effecting the pans.

Prob. do a trial assembly next since that usually leads to having to make some changes.
Might even tumble it more later.  Who knows.

 

Sorry for the out of focus pic.  Focal length up this close is about 1.5 inches. 
Whatever, the stops are set for .032 of movement.  Which is the wire I used for the stops with the extra under the plumbers.  Another great tip huh?
Still a lot, but less than putting them on the top of the hinge.

[Jairus]

Got the motor soldered in.  Gear mesh is perfect and very smooth.
Done for the night.

 

 

[Jairus]

Finished chassis assembly last afternoon.  Worked 8 hours on art and then put this together. 
Have to admit that I spent 45 minutes going through Model Car Science mags from the era to make sure I routed the wires and DID NOT use lead wire clips.  I think those popped up in late 1972.
Someone will probably correct me or even suggest the straight rails on one side are not proper.
The thing about these hand made machines was that historians tend to use the publications to date the advances.  But does not mean that someone in 1960 could not have mounted a Pitman padlock motor at an angle (the anglewinder).  Or someone in 1966 didn't try lead wire clips.  The fact that we have to date advances in the hobby is a part of our human psycie, but it's based only on when such an advance became the norm and not the outlier who was probably the original inspiration. [/rantoff]

 

 

 

This afternoon I'll get the body mounted.  Ciao.

[zipper]

Beauty! Pretty much like what I did 1971 except I left that brass cross piece out and soldered the motor w/o screws. Straight rails of course. And we were using brass guide nuts.

[Eddie Fleming]

Love that chassis Jairus, It is very much what I was building when I got drafted and lost out on the hobby for years.

 

In my mind if I picture a slot car this is what I see.  

[dc-65x]

Nice car Jairus.    Looking forward to seeing the body.  Thanks for sharing.

 

So far............the earliest photo I've found for the use of lead wire clips is this 1970 Jerry Brady 1970 Pro Car:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jairus]

Cool pic Rick and thank you for the info. 
MCS had the bottom pic for that race but not the top.  And it was sooooooo tiny in the mag.
Thank you and saved for the future.

[dc-65x]

You're welcome Jairus. That pic is from the Jan 31, 1970 race in Hinsdale, IL. It wouldn't surprise me if lead wire clips were used before that.........

[tonyp]

Jerry was the first I ever saw that used them. Another of Jerry’s innovations.


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[Jairus]

Well I'm burned out on Friday.  Worked from 7am to 4pm on art.  Sheesh.....
But after that, did manage to get the body and interior cut out and mounted.
Too tired to start painting tonight.  But tomorrow is Slot Car Saturday!!! Whoopee.... (not goldberg).

 

Got a design planned but not exactly sure of the lettering the customer wants.  Better ask huh?
What a week!
Night.

 

[Martin]

Looking forward to the paint scheme Jairus.

When it comes time to do the paint and lettering can we see the process. Your Paint work is amazing. 

If that is more time, you do not have to document. I can relate. 

[Jairus]

Sure, I'll do a How-To of the steps.  Just got up, not quite awake.  This might be a coffee morning Martin.

[dc-65x]

   

[Jairus]

Paint early on 2.5 hours in.
Body is prepared by first roughing up the inside with steel wool. Then clean with warm water and dish soap.  Let dry.

 

 

 

Tape up the light colors and number rounds for later.  Don't forget the windshield.... I did before the pic was taken.

 

A little black fade added just before the candy red is shot.  Now the unmasking begins and any possible over spray or bleeds will be cleaned up with thinner.  Water base paints take time so a nice heat gun is a must.

(P.S. Two cups of coffee so far.)