91 replies to this topic

[Dave Crevie]

Fred, you are absolutely correct. I was de rigor to re-magnetize any time the arm was removed from the motor. With the padlocks I re-magged

every day when I showed up to play. The track I went to had a re-magnetizer big enough to take the whole motor and frame assembly after the

rear tires were removed. And the aluminum sheet "body" if it covered the motor. Fifty cents well spent. 

 

I am absolutely thrilled to see all the interest in these old cars. I would get such a charge out of seeing them again, especially if they are willing

to take a trip down the strip. Even if it is at reduced voltage. Or just a replica.   

[Regis4446]

Thank you for sharing the photos and documents, it is of great interest.

 

These vintage dragsters are beautiful pieces of mechanics made by enthusiasts.

[Dave Crevie]

Not to mention some real talent in metal shaping.

[Ramcatlarry]

Zapping:  'IN the day' we took the motors to an automotive job shop that had one for fixing something in the speedometers.  In later years  the TrikTrak and other zappers appeared in many slot shops.  These large desk top chargers can be found now and then. 

 

Another project: I have the main parts of the Arlington Hobbies zapper to rebuild.  It was built to rezap electric RC motors and has more potential than the smaller door stop boxes.  

 

I built a couple of the magwinders with T-rod as well, but tapping aluminum or brass rod as tie rods in the home lathe is easy to do.  I use brass rod in the nose as ballast as well.  1/8" to 1/4" rod is large enough to stabilize the sides in a staggered pattern.

[Tom Katsanis]

On my recent builds I have used aluminium Chicago screws with a thin wall aluminium tube spacer.

[Alan Draht]

Back When , we used Acraglas Epoxy on all our motors ,,used in setting gun sights, Developed by aircraft manufacturers i see it is still available 

 

https://www.brownell...--prod1033.aspx

 

Thanks, Howie.  I love this kind of information.  I'd never stumble onto something like this myself.  I checked out the link.  I have a solution.

 

I was never confident in epoxy alone holding the frame together, the threaded rod was more secure plus you could disassemble the chassis.

 

I used Bordens Expoxy on the armature and baked it.

 

To use the stock magnet without remagnitizing is NG.  I was fanatical about a slow and thorough zapping.  I would insist on doing it myself. 

 

Thanks, Fred.  I'll consider Borden's.  Acraglas sets up in fifteen minutes at room temperature, which is convenient, no baking required.

[Alan Draht]

On my recent builds I have used aluminium Chicago screws with a thin wall aluminium tube spacer.

 

Pardon my asking, but what are "aluminum Chicago screws"?  

[Martin]

I learn something every day. Did not know these were called that.

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[Alan Draht]

No kidding!

[Lone Wolf]

Now I know what they are called. I bought a collection of H.O. cars and the guy used these to store tires on

 

I thought they were used on leather belts and stuff for some reason.

[Phil Smith]

I didn't know either. And I too have seen them on belts.

 

From Google results it seems "screw posts" is a more commonly used term.

[Martin]

Love the look of these cars, Draged out a couple of my own. Just factory stockers. Russkit and a International dragster.

Now I have to change the 200mph gearing on the International. Its all I had at the time. Now I know better. Thanks to you all.

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[Alan Draht]

Love the look of these cars, Draged out a couple of my own. Just factory stockers. Russkit and a International dragster.

Now I have to change the 200mph gearing on the International. Its all I had at the time. Now I know better. Thanks to you all.

 

Hi Martin,

 

Did you run these?  They look new.

 

If you did run the Russkit, how did it perform?  I'm especially interested in the tires.  Did it hook up traction-wise?

 

I'm curious because the mid-1960's Pro's Top Fuel style dragsters used cut down model airplane rubber tires or something similar as far as I know.  Once cut, mounted on rims, and trimmed, the tires as raced were spongey in consistency.

 

The tires on the Russkit dragster  (I have one of these exactly) are hard rubber, not spongey.

 

Did people actually race their dragsters with the Russkit kit tires?

[Tom Katsanis]

Hi Alan I have run modern tires on my cars but I know some people who do run the Russkit rears on some fast cars too.

I believe they are the same material as the plane tires German sponge I just think the big guys still used plane tires because on 36 volt with a top fuel or in unlimited the tires could come apart from the power so they would cut a bunch of them & pick the best as explained in Gene Hustings R&C build.

[Alan Draht]

Hi Alan I have run modern tires on my cars but I know some people who do run the Russkit rears on some fast cars too.

I believe they are the same material as the plane tires German sponge I just think the big guys still used plane tires because on 36 volt with a top fuel or in unlimited the tires could come apart from the power so they would cut a bunch of them & pick the best as explained in Gene Hustings R&C build.

 

 

What tires --  type or brand -- would you recommend today for a replica of Gene Husting's car that will actually compete?

[Tom Katsanis]

The Russkits should be fine.

[Alan Draht]

The Russkits should be fine.

 

Glued and trued, right?

[Tom Katsanis]

Yes glued & trued.

[Alan Draht]

Thanks, Tom!    

 

I never would have guessed that 50+ year old Russkit kit tires are today's premium choice for a Husting or Madonado replica dragster.

[Alan Draht]

I wonder if these K&B dragster tires will be any good?  

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[Tom Katsanis]

The K&bs should be fine too they are also German sponge the ultimate way to go would be to find some old plane tires to cut down into a pair I did see some for sale in the pack & advertised for slot car drag racing recently on eBay forget what the popular brand was.

& There are guys still using the cut down plane tires the Russkits are just easier.

I have run 1.3s with a 36d on vintage unique le man's German sponge tires.

[Phil Smith]

I don't understand how they could still be any good. They're nearly 60 years old.

[Tom Katsanis]

The German sponge tires I have got still in the packs have all been good Phil I was surprised they are still soft too.

[don.siegel]

I ran German spongies on a couple of my entries for the proxy races and they seem to have hooked up fine. 

 

They were originally made by the German company Graupner, hence the name. 

 

They still work because they come with a skin over the sponge, and once you take the skin off, the sponge material is generally still fresh. They were not only used on dragsters: they were also the tire of choice from fairly early in the game (63 or before) on road cars in both scales, until the closed-cell foam/sponge tires came along. Mike Morissey still used German spongies on the car in his first how-to scratchbuilt article in Car Model, April 66 issue. 

 

Once or twice, on old cars I've bought on ebay, the same principle has applied: there was so much goop left on the closed-cell tire that once I cleaned it off, it was still pretty fresh! 

 

When we first started vintage racing here some 25 years ago, before silicones or urethanes were widely available, we tended to use the old German sponge tires like Mila Miglia or Rannalli on our slick polyurethane painted club track, and they worked ok if we cleaned them with lighter fluid every 10 laps or so... 

 

The original Graupners had very small holes to fit on model airplane wheels, so these had to be opened up before using on slot car wheels. The early slot manufacturers, did this for you, and eventually offered them mounted and sometimes glued and trimmed. 

 

Don 

 

Tire evolution: 

 

[Dave Crevie]

The Graupner tires were the best back in the day. You can still get these at hobby shops that sell R/C airplane goods under the name Robart.

 

The Russkit tires generally, once mounted and trued, didn't leave enough ground clearance for big diameter spur gears. So most of the racers

used the Graupners. In my opinion, the Graupners worked better anyway because the cell sizes were bigger. Plus Cox made wheels with a

concave inner surface that fit the Graupners nicely. You didn't have to square-up the ID.