41 replies to this topic

[Riccardo]

I bought these two pieces on ebay last month. What to do now? Just clean up and keep them that way, or do a complete restoration? The engine mounted on the frame runs as hard as few ... the other is half disassembled ....

 

....

 

 

I am also afraid of causing disasters, since these are a piece of slot history .....Maybe it looks better in the window

[Isaac S.]

Restore! The Cukras is horrible right now! Someone put a weird arm in it and a C-can Endbell on it. I wouldn't display it like that. 

 

I also say restore the car it has good bones and you could get it back. I do say leave the B-can alone it looks fine as is. The anglewinder gear needs flipped anyway. 

[Bill from NH]

I'd restore the pink motor since it's all ready half apart. You may be able to remove the Cukras sticker off in one piece, if so, repaint the can pink. The chassis, I'd just clean up & replace any worn parts such as tires, gears, leadwire & guide. I wouldn't do a complete restoration, since most likely, you're not going to be running it much, if at all. I recall seeing this chassis on FB. Do you have any idea what body you'll be putting on this car?

 

I just noticed the arm in the chassis's motor is a Cukras 27/28. It could have come out of the pink can.

[Dave Crevie]

I would want a little info on the car before I made a decision. If the history is known, just clean it up and leave it, snotty solder joints and all. If not, totally restore it. The car was someone's pride and joy at one time. Bring it back to it's former glory. As to the Cukras motor, don't do anything to the can. Find all the right parts and make it right. Put it in a chassis proper for the era, and run it once in a while to get a sense of what it was like to race a car like that.

[Isaac S.]

Bill, as far as I know those Cukras marked arms are not from the Cukras motors. Made later. The Mura arms were not marked. Looked like this.  

[Bill from NH]

I never got my hands on any Mura 16D motor parts until 1970 when I bought a REHCO NCC 20 car kit. Prior to that, Mura was not being distributed in the Northeast's six New England states. Back then, we ran "run-what-you-brung" anyways.

[Pablo]

I just noticed something I've never seen before - at first I wondered why the body mount tabs were skewed one way and the other.

As I took a closer look, the mounts are hinged completely separate outboard of the pan edges!

That way under cornering the body can lean without trying to lift the pans. Did I describe it right?

 

I'd like to offer my experience with "refurbing" old chassis - avoid unsoldering pieces at all costs. There are stresses built up in two ways:

-parts may (or may not) have been "persuaded" to fit properly when it was constructed

-hard crashes may have bent things

As soon as you start melting solder joints, thinks will go "schproing" and can be a pain to get back in place now that the surrounding surfaces are oxidized. Not saying it can't be done. Just saying, watch for it and be aware of it

[Dave Crevie]

I have never been afraid of unsoldering a joint on a slot car chassis. If it is tweeked, the bent parts need to be straightened. That is part of the restoration process. It is usually obvious if a part is supposed to be spring loaded. 

 

The eyelets on the hinged body mounting tubes appear to be threaded inside, to use screws to mount the body as was done on earlier cars. That way the pans will be free to swing up and down without any resistance from the body. Could be the builder was not ready to trust body pins in a race environment, like we do now.

[Riccardo]

I just noticed something I've never seen before - at first I wondered why the body mount tabs were skewed one way and the other.

As I took a closer look, the mounts are hinged completely separate outboard of the pan edges!

That way under cornering the body can lean without trying to lift the pans. Did I describe it right?

 

I'd like to offer my experience with "refurbing" old chassis - avoid unsoldering pieces at all costs. There are stresses built up in two ways:

-parts may (or may not) have been "persuaded" to fit properly when it was constructed

-hard crashes may have bent things

As soon as you start melting solder joints, thinks will go "schproing" and can be a pain to get back in place now that the surrounding surfaces are oxidized. Not saying it can't be done. Just saying, watch for it and be aware of it

Yes Pablo ! right described !

[Alchemist]

Hi Riccardo,

 

 

That's a nice collection you have!

 

Thanks for sharing!

 

Ernie

[Martin]

Yes, interesting body mount method. The body is screwed to the nut which is on its own hinge. That hinged is soldered to the pans.

So in effect double isolation. But I think the main reason for the outer body mounting hinge is so when the pan lifts the bolted body does not restrict movement.

I too have never seen that before.

 

Nice lot of motors Riccardo, thanks for sharing

[Mr. M]

What is going on at the can side where the bearing is? An extra motor mount?

[Pablo]

I was looking at that also. Whoever made and assembled that car had some clever thinking going on, big time   

[Isaac S.]

I also saw that it is very ingenious, it must very secure. 

[Martin]

Looks like it hinges out of the way to get the motor in and out.

This guy liked his hinges.

[Dave Crevie]

I knew a few guys that used some sort of support on the motor opposite the gear side on cars with end bell mounting. Stripped screw holes in the plastic were common, either from over tightening the screws or the car getting hit hard from behind. I would guess that practice came from stamped steel chassis like Classic and Champion, which had a screwed in mount at the can end for extra support.  

[Eddie Fleming]

Years ago I used the hinge on inside and outside of pans with hard body stock cars It worked great letting the pans work when the body had no flex. 

[Riccardo]

here is a photo of the motor mount

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[Bill from NH]

I like how it's hinged at the bottom.  

[MSwiss]

Interesting gizmo, but I don't understand how you get the motor out.

[Pablo]

You're right, it would require freeing up the EB first, then wiggling it.

 

My thought is, I don't like it. I see what the builder was trying to do, eliminate motor wiggle at the can end and provide an easy way to access the motor. He failed at both. A slight amount of wiggle in a drop arm hinge with a 1/16 rod inside a 3/32 tube is no gig deal. Trying to eliminate wiggle in a high powered motor with it won't work. You get the dreaded death hop down the straights, followed by a wallshot, etc.

 

Admire him for trying, though 

 

If you choose to refurb it, possibly consider using the hinge and washer gizmo as historic, and simply solder the hinge shut. Zero wiggle 

[old & gray]

Random thoughts – 

The chassis looks like a late development, plumber on the drop arm; drop arm lightened to a great degree. My guess early 1970s. However if my time frame is correct the Mura “B” can was obsolete as was end bell drive. 

 

The motor should come out by unscrewing the can end mount and pivoting it “flat” on the frame rail, from the second picture in post #1 there appears to be clearance between the rear mount and the can which would allow it to slide back and up. It would seem to me this is a complicated solution to a problem which could be solved with a brace between the motor and axle tube.

[Dave Crevie]

I would guess that you remove the screw at the can end, swing the back side mount down flat, then remove the endbell screws and tilt the motor out can end first. I get the idea, much faster than having screws to remove on that back mount, as you have to do with a Classic (Manta Ray) or Champion stamped steel frame. 

[MSwiss]

Bob, Dave,
That washer can't pivot with the hinge soldered to the outside of it.

The bottom of the motor is in the way.

For it to do, what the designer hoped, the washer would need a flat spot and it would have to he butt soldered on top the hinge tube.

Even then, you would have to flex the chassis to get it and and out.

Like Pablo said, too much play in a hinge.

I see old cars, all the time with a pivoting rear brace.

I may of even tried one, when I got back into slot racing in late '81.

They are better than nothing, but not what you want for a fast motor.

[Martin]

This was my fast motor swap solution back in the day. I had a spare motor ready to go for endurance events.

It mainly eliminated fiddling with gear mesh as it would be pre set on both motors.

Don't be too harsh, remember I was 15 at the time of this build.

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