24 replies to this topic

[don.siegel]

Hi guys, 

 

I'm finally getting around to assembling a Russkit "Eliminator Mk 1" dragster from various bits I've acquired over the years. 

 

I've got one still new in its blister: 

 

 

... but I'm hoping to leave it intact for now. 

 

However, I've also got a few versions and parts, including a modified Russkit I entered in a proxy race a few years ago, I've begun to notice several variations and wondered if anybody knew anything about them - mainly, did Russkit ever come out with a Mk 2? 

 

 

The prototype first had solid rails (Rod & Custom, May 1964), and Braverman just suggested drilling holes - but I think that by the time it went into production the side rails all had holes. 

 

 

 

Mainly, I've found three different types of drop arms, long and short, and a long one that is a couple millimeters narrower. Anybody know which came with which version of the dragster? The short one is in the blister, and the two slightly different long ones, which look unmodified, came with two dragsters I found on ebay.  

 

 

Also, a small problem I ran into on the first one I put together. The article says to remove brush assembly to install the main rails, and you quickly understand why: the motor screw going into the frame on that side actually interferes with the brush arm, which has to be at a small angle so it doesn't get hung up. And it's right where the insulator tab ends, so hard to trim the arm at that point. I also put little pieces of tape on my proxy entry so it wouldn't all short out, but I'm wondering if there isn't a more elegant way to do this... it seems like a design flaw to me, unless there's something I didn't quite get. 

 

 

Anyway, happy to be doing this one, which I'll keep totally stock. 

 

Don 

[Phil Smith]

Don, that large blister pack is awesome! I have one that has most of the parts in separate blister packs. If I remember correctly I'm missing some screws and nuts.

 

 

 

 

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[Dave Crevie]

Mine came in a box also. The individual parts came in small square blister cards like Phil's, each card marked with the part number. IIRC screws and other small parts

were included in the pack associated with that assembly. I don't remember ever seeing the entire kit on a single card. 

[boxerdog]

I've used buttonhead or allen screws and narrowed the brush as much as I dared. Never found countersunk screws in 2-56 and long enough. 

[Martin]

I got these items in a box of treasures.

 

Whats with the short drop arm, like Don shows int blister pack? My built car has the long arm.

Take a look at the hole layout on the broken main chassis, a variation but is the same as Dons blister pack kit?

 

Was thinking I would build a complete chassis one day using these as partial templates. 

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[Tom Katsanis]

I have just been building a rail with home made mag rails I put the rails on the inside of the end plates.

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[Flathead]

Don, from what I've seen with nos kits. Boxed (Early) kits had a long drop arm and fewer holes in side rails, where as Bubble pack (late) kits had short drop arm & more holes in side rails. Both sold as mk1's. As for the third type drop arm? I've no idea. Maybe so that DC65 & Kemtron motors could be used without spacers at motor end?

[don.siegel]

Thanks Lee, that would make sense. 

 

I'll have to dig out the one I found with a DC65 to see if it has the drop arm and which one it is... they must have sold these as spare parts too, because I just ran into an old how-to article that lists the Russkit dragster drop arm as one of the parts... 

 

Don 

[Ramcatlarry]

The longer drop arm always maintains contact with the track better -ALWAYS.  If anything, the (early?) short arm may have been a design error corrected by making the longer arm.

[Martin]

The longer drop arm always maintains contact with the track better -ALWAYS.  If anything, the (early?) short arm may have been a design error corrected by making the longer arm.

....and to that point, the short arm would work fine if the wheelie was not too high. Does any body know if these long wheel base dragsters did wheelie and if they did, how high?

In the real world of 1/1 drag racing we tune so that all the weight is transferred to the rear tires and the front tires are weightless. At least at the launch.

 

At some point its nice to have steering back.

[Dave Crevie]

With a Ram 857 they certainly will wheelie. And I suspect that with a DC-85 they would as well. We wrapped 1/8th dia. solid core solder around the front

cross bar to keep the front down. 

[Ramcatlarry]

I made brass 1/4" dia spacers to space the frame and add nose weight.  If the flag loses contact, the race is lost.  Doing a wheelie is all SHOW, not GO.

[Martin]

Is there a max wheel base in this class?

 

You know where I am going with this?

 

It seems wrong to do all that work to make the cars light, then add weight add W.B.  

 

But with most class's there is a max wheelbase.

 

That would make a good handle "Max wheelbase'

[Tom Katsanis]

I built my car longer than was the original max length because there is no series out now.
But the Rod & Custom magazine allowed 9 3/4 inch overall for unlimited top fuel was a little shorter & the other classes a little shorter again.

[Allan Feldman]

Don I am glad to see you started on your Dragster I completed mine with a Kemstron 503 and finishes with a spare part that I could not find how to fit it was a piece of steel bent rod!

Regards Allan

[don.siegel]

Here it is, all assembled; without a body it's not too complicated. I trimmed off the inside of the Russkit tires so they wouldn't hit the chassis/motor shafts, etc., but left the skin on in case I ever want to run this some day... That's a Pittman DC85A powerplant (12V), something you may have seen back in 1964 when the chassis came out. 

 

 

 

And here it is alongside one that I had put together for a dragster proxy a couple years ago... Looks a lot meaner, but turns out that Ram DC857 was a dog, despite it sounding good on the power pack (maybe needs a rezap), and my ET was over 3... 

 

 

And here's my dragster shelf in my frontroom showcase - see how many you can identify! 

 

 

 

Red light, green light, cheers, 

Don 

 

 

[Martin]

Nice collection Don. Really cool.

I have these 2 but that could change in the future. Maybe time to do something not so stock.

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[Flathead]

The longer drop arm always maintains contact with the track better -ALWAYS.  If anything, the (early?) short arm may have been a design error corrected by making the longer arm.

Larry. That would make perfect sense, however the long drop arm was the earlier design, go figure.

Don, love the little AYK dragster, I acquired one a few weeks back but haven't built it yet.

[Ramcatlarry]

I never had an opportunity to buy or see one of these in action in the early 1960s.  I built my long magwinder from following the magazine articles and ads.  Others at our basement dragstrip had the issue of the flag angle shift and loss of contact.   The short magwinder in one of the photos is one of mine.

[MSwiss]

Don,

What is the story on the "308" rail?

[don.siegel]

That's just the K&B Dragmaster Mike, Russkit's main competitor. I bought it like that, in fact from Roger W. Greenslade, author of The Book ("A History of Electric Model Roads and Racetracks", published in 1986, at the dawn of vintage...). 

 

Kemtron powered - wasn't always easy finding big Pittmans or Rams at the time, especially in England! 

 

Don 

[MSwiss]

I never realized Ram was a local company, until I got a new Ram arm , in a box, a few years ago.

 

Is the body custom?

[don.siegel]

Nope, came like that in the K&B box, except you had to bend it to fit the frame, and I think it was just a press fit, no screws. 

Don 

 

[MSwiss]

I got faked out by the angled decals.

I thought they were embossed ribs.

[Dave Crevie]

With the K&B rail, you assembled everything with the cross screws slightly loose, aligned the body strip, then tightened the cross screws. A good

trick if you have three hands, but keeping the body even with the top edges of the rails was very difficult with only two hands. Trying to "bump"

the body strip in after the screws were tightened usually left the strip dented and distorted. 

 

Ram had silver brushes for the 850/857 and Pittman 85s. Most used the Ram 3v. arm in the 857 with contoured field lams. Pretty interesting seeing the different field profiles guys came up with.