89 replies to this topic

[Martin]

This car was my one and only open wheel race car from 1968/9. I was 14 and raced in the U.K. at Hounslow Raceway.

 

This chassis was built by an older friend (in his 20s) Roger Lumb, he happened to be a plumber when I raced with him back then. He was a great guy and I looked up to him. He had a steady income and a Triumph spitfire that he could drift endlessly around roundabouts. What more could you need. He had a Ford Transit work van too, that he also drifted. 

 

He built two chassis in his family garage plumbing business, It was well stocked with all the tools and materials to build chassis.(this one and a stock car) that he gave to me and I am proud to own.

 

The original STP Lotus 56 wedge body was destroyed during its racing life and or its 50-plus years in storage. It's not like me to discard an old original body but it is not in my original race box.

 

I have since found a fresh original  body of the same style. It did have a 26D Dyna Rewind that I would swap  back and fourth with the stock car.

 

I will replace this motor (you see now) with a Dyna rewind, when I find one suitable. This car is credited with many 1st place ribbons and also a special sticker when you went for and got the lap record for that class. That I did save is is on my old slot box.

 

The wedge body was painted with Humbrol enamel metallic blue paint, as were all my race cars and were brush painted as in my profile pic. Wish I could find that same blue today but Humbrol has changed the formula, and it's not the same tone I loved so much.

 

It's been great to revisit Sandy's race car, Rick's replica builds, and Pablo's current build.

 

Please share your experience with this short lived style of car.

 

 

 

 

[Bill from NH]

That's a very clean looking chassis design Martin. Your friend did a nice job & must have been quite a plumber too. A plumber friend from OK could do most anything with his hands too, but he didn't do slot cars. I a real Lotus 56 a couple summers ago in MA as part of a collection on loan from the Indy Speedway Museum. I was amazed how sleek & low those cars actually were.

[Martin]

Thanks for the comments Bill.

A real Lotus 56, WOW that's like a celebrity coming to visit. You must have a connection to the Museum. Did you work on it?

 

Always loved it simple lines of the 56. I chose it for a slot car it because of its width. Nobody else was running an open wheel Anglewinder at the tracks I raced, it handled great. Lap records and wins to its credit. That sticker (now on my box) was worn proudly on the nose of the 56.

It just hooked up coming off the turns so well.

[Larry Horner]

What a clean design and simply amazing build quality for a first build! I gotta throw in that my dad had a Triumph TR3 ... what's not to love about a Triumph sports car (well except for the electrics).

[Martin]

Hi Larry, I cannot say it was Roger's first build? But he did build this chassis also with this similar copper motor bracket and pans. Not pretty but it worked very well in the Saloon class.

Some of its success was probably due to its being smaller than the full size American stock cars it raced against.

 

Not that much into maintenance, so never wanted to own a British car. But owned plenty of British bikes (Triumph's and Norton's) and loved them.

Me on my Bonnie. Wish I still had that bike.

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[old & gray]

Triumphs (Cars and Bikes) making road side mechanics our of ordinary drivers.

 

As a matter of fact yes my first car was a Triumph and I have met Lucas the Prince of Dimness.

[Bill from NH]

Thanks for the comments Bill.

A real Lotus 56, WOW that's like a celebrity coming to visit. You must have a connection to the Museum. Did you work on it?

 

 

Martin, I neither worked on it or had a museum connection. The Heritage Plantation & Museum in Sandwich, MA has a large collection of vintage cars & antiques of their own. The Indy museum had loaned them 25-30 vehicles connected with the "500" race for 6 or 8 months. I had been there before, but this was when I saw the Lotus 56 up close. I can't describe all the cars I saw that day, but there were a number from the early 1900's, a couple Miller Fords, the only Ferrari to qualify for the race, a Vels-Parnelli car with the funny bird wings in the back, a Penske McLaren sponsored by the Norton Company, & several Corvettes, not pace cars, but those decorated for other track use. They also had the panel track from the 50's a group of Cali guys used to use for commuting to the race annually for years. Fully stickered now, it had bunk beds, a gas stove, a refrigerator, & an air compressor system on the roof. This Indy display filled the museum's two story round Shaker style rock barn usually used to display their own collection.

[Martin]

Bill, here is a good example of assumption. When I read your post I filled in the gap where you had said "I a real Lotus 56 a couple summers ago"

I thought you were saying HAD but now it make sense you where saying SAW.

[Martin]

Triumphs (Cars and Bikes) making road side mechanics our of ordinary drivers.

 

As a matter of fact yes my first car was a Triumph and I have met Lucas the Prince of Dimness.

Bob, I was born lucky. I rode for decades on British bikes from the time I was 16 (Triumph Trophy 500), did not own a car until I was 40. They never once let me down. Never got hurt on a motorcycle either. Just my experience, yours is obviously was different.    

[Bill from NH]

Bill, here is a good example of assumption. When I read your post I filled in the gap where you had said "I a real Lotus 56 a couple summers ago"

I thought you were saying HAD but now it make sense you where saying SAW.

 

Martin, I just got new bifocals. I guess they haven't helped my proofreading much. have they? Sometimes I have a bad habit either typing a word different that I wanted to type or not typing a word at all, like this one. 

[Martin]

All good, been there, done that. Wish I could blame my glasses, Its my brain that fills in the gaps.   

[Bill from NH]

Just a coincidence that my specs are only a week old.   In this particular post, I proofread it well & rewrote parts of it to read better.  I obviously didn't proofread the rewritten sections well. That'll happen again.

 

Is the motor bracket for the Indy car one-piece copper?  I noticed about a 5 mm vertical strip of brass on the middle of its outside where the back bend is. It probably strengthens the bend. The bracket on the saloon chassis is straight across in the back without this piece.. Those brackets are similar to the ones Brian Warmack makes for the SCRRA retro cars, except his fit FK cans.

[Martin]

Yes Bill, both cars have a similar one piece copper motor bracket.

 

I do not see the 5 mm vertical strip of brass you refer too. Its not there. Optical illusion maybe light reflecting from the body ?

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[Bill from NH]

No, it doesn't show in your above photo.

 

In this one, it appears to span a gap between the wire(s) that wrap around the bracket's outside. Maybe caused by light, but it wasn't that important I know. I could ask why the bend is there, but I'll let it go..

 

   

 

I've kept copies of your plumber friend's chassis for future reference.

[Martin]

I did think about the bend myself.

I think it make's it simple to adjust the width bearing to bearing. Or it came out too wide first time, so added the bend to make it narrower.

[Bill from NH]

Martin, I thought your plumber friend had perhaps sized these brackets to fit a 16D motor & this was a great way to decrease the width to fit the shorter 26D. I've often seen such a bend used on inline chassis gear guards & Pactra chassis. Next,,,

[Martin]

That could well be Bill. Maybe the open wheel car was first and then he got it without the extra bend on the stock car?

[Martin]

But wait I have more.

 

These are a few chassis I have picked up over the decades.

I have had this fascination with this design since my own race car from 1968. These are worthy of finishing into complete cars I believe.

 

The fact that I was able to find these variations, to me means the class (at some level) had more life after the pro's/rule makers, gave up on them.

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[Isaac S.]

Wow, very cool. I have a one rail GP anglewinder chassis but I have used it for parts so there is pretty much just some scrap left. 

[Martin]

Hey Isaac, what you did is what could of happened to more of these GP chassis. Perfectly understandable.

As you can see, the chassis in the middle (pic above) could be, or is a incomplete sports car chassis, just add floppy Joe's. I mean hinged body mounts.

[Isaac S.]

Very true. 

[Bill from NH]

Martin, can you also post photos of the top side of these chassis? The chassis in the middle looks to be the centersection for either a Phaze III or Ferret sports car chassis. Ferret engraved their name on the back of the motor bracket. Phaze III motor brackets are plain. The chassis on the far right appears it may use one of the        Phaze III/Ferret brackets too, but the chassis could be scratchbuilt. That motor bracket was also sold separately & the drop arm isn't Phaze III. Phaze III brass sports car chassis were under my weekly race cars from 1969-76.. Yes, I would say, clean these chassis up & build race cars using them. It appears the motor boxes will not limit you  as to what size cans to use. A, B, & C cans should all fit. Perhaps you can get a local F1 anglewinder group going,

[Martin]

Martin, can you also post photos of the top side of these chassis? The chassis in the middle looks to be the centersection for either a Phaze III or Ferret sports car chassis. Ferret engraved their name on the back of the motor bracket. Phaze III motor brackets are plain. The chassis on the far right appears it may use one of the        Phaze III/Ferret brackets too, but the chassis could be scratchbuilt. That motor bracket was also sold separately & the drop arm isn't Phaze III. Phaze III brass sports car chassis were under my weekly race cars from 1969-76.. Yes, I would say, clean these chassis up & build race cars using them. It appears the motor boxes will not limit you  as to what size cans to use. A, B, & C cans should all fit. Perhaps you can get a local F1 anglewinder group going,

 

Thanks Bill, I will take more pics with more detail, maybe then we can better say (based on chassis design) when these were made.

I will label them also so we talk 1 2 3 4 5 etc.

 

Would love to be part of some sort of O.W.A.W. revival.  

 

"Perhaps you can get a local F1 anglewinder group going"

To that end, they could today have those sealed can mini motors, not sure which one is the best?

 

But I am a restorer of old stuff, that's my main focus and passion. But if there was interest I could build a few chassis.

[Martin]

Here is a top pic of the 5 chassis. You are correct bill #1 and 2 have Ferret motor brackets. Number 2 also has a Ferret drop arm.

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[Bill from NH]

Great picture Martin!  Here are my assumptions, which may be correct, but I'm not an F1 expert.. I assume all five chassis are 1970 or earlier. Each has an endbell drive motor box that'll fit a 16D size motor. For vintage motors, a Mura A-can, Mura B-can, a Thorp 16D, a Champion 16D or even a Mabuchi 16D can could be used. Chassis #3 could be the oldest based on the narrow Cobra drop arm, 3-spaced main rails per side, & the motor box shape (This might be a modified Cobra box, but I can't tell.) Chassis #2 is a Ferret/Phaze III sports car chassis center section. It could be from anywhere in the late 60's to the late 70's. It could be older than #3, but I don't think so. Chassis #1 has a Ferret/Phaze III motor bracket, a drop arm made for a Jet guide, & some still bright soldering. The soldering could be repair work rather than from building, or it might be silver solder too. #1 is cleaner than the rest, so maybe it's newer too. Chassis #4 & #5 both have plumbered pans. My guess is both are newer than #2 & #3 but not newer than #1. Chassis #4 has the narrower drop arm, which may be for a Jet guide, whereas #5 has a wider Ferret/Phaze III drop arm.. So from oldest to newest, I'd rank these as #3, #2, #4, #5, #1.