173 replies to this topic

[Pablo]

Owner supplied some really cool parts for a Team Russkit replica. Planning and parts gathering is just beginning. Motor and bracket supplied is a 26D but I may substitute a 16D

 

 

 

 

 

[Bill from NH]

I never heard of Team Russkit  running 26Ds. I'd support your change to a 16D. 

[Lone Wolf]

Looking forward to this. Always loved the Team cars. Although I'm a huge fan of 26's, I'm with Bill on the 16.

 

Are those original Russkit trim parts? Those are rarer than someone refusing a Stimulus check

 

I believe the "thick" rollbar is a Revell piece.

 

Build on baby.

[dc-65x]

1966 Team Russkit 26D racer

[Pablo]

Thanks everybody    Planning is coming soon. I appreciate your inputs 

[Isaac S.]

If your planning on using those thin 1/2" wide tires I would make your chassis a little heavy in the rear. They really don't have much traction. Glue does help though.

[Pablo]

Isaac, I don't build a chassis to conform to a certain tire. I use a tire that is appropriate for the car the owner wants. Any parts supplied I don't end up using get returned along with the car.

 

The plan is to make a car very similar to this one, compliments of Rick Thigpen

 

1966 Team Russkit 26D racer - Rod & Custom Road Races revisted - Slotblog

 

Some day maybe 10 years from now, I aspire to be as skilled as he. But then he will be 10 years ahead of me LOL You can call me a copycat, but I know who to copy 

 

Big thanks are due to Fred Larimer, he shared a lot of precious insight on Team Russkit  

[Pablo]

The supplied 26D and stout bracket. At this point I'm just thinking and examining - I may end up not using either one. But let's look at this motor. Appears to be a stock Mabuchi with a slight bit of CCW (at EB) timing

 

 

Big crater crack in bushing housing. So the EB is a no-go. Brass pinion is a 13T, indicating lots of torque which is what 26D's were all about. It runs fine, for an unbalanced stock Mabuchi. I'll open it up just for posterity and see what's up

 

[dc-65x]

This project has great provenance thanks to all the detailed input from Fred Larimer and Philippe de Lespinay.

 

Have fun with the build Pablo!     

[Pablo]

Thanks Rick!    I'll do my best

 

Disassembly of the "stock" motor revealed bad news as I expected. The only parts I can use in a new motor worthy of this build are the can, and possibly some of the EB hardware bits. The arm windings are damaged (I'm amazed this motor even ran at all), the spacing was > .125, it was bound up due to magnet shifting, EB was cracked in several places, mags were chipped, etc.

 

The stock Mab bushings at both ends were junk when they left the factory. But I will say any 50 year old motor that can have as many flaws as this and still be a stump puller has to be a good design.

 

The good news is, I have a brand new Champion EB and a shimmed set of mags at the ready. All I have to do is fit the setup together with quality BB's or bushings then send it to my arm guy 

 

[Pablo]

Junk can bearing removed, can cleaned, prepped, and tinned for installation of a new bushing. AFAIK nobody makes a BIT for 26D cans, so I improvised with a strange but precise combination of blueprint shaft, small bushings, and keepers to snuggle everything up with a "jig" endbell to solder the can bushing properly

 

 

Then soldered the new bushing home

 

 

I press-fit a new Professor Motor bushing into the new Champion EB. Then checked alignment to see if the tool shaft would fall through under it's own weight. Now I have a new EB with a new bushing, perfectly aligned to a new can bushing

 

[Pablo]

Endbell "clearanced" to fit a modern size commutator, bracket mounting holes tapped 2-56, and deck height shortened to make it fit. Shim/magnet sandwich was difficult to get right, but it's done and secured with both a clip and some squirts of CA. 

 

26D Mabuchi stock arm OD is .590 and magnet hole is .625. AFAIK they don't make blueprinting tools for 26D motors, no slugs, no BITs, no hones. So everything is backyard engineering. I honed the mags freehand outside the can with a drill and the biggest hone I have, .580, under my bathroom sink until I got the hole size I wanted, about .615. 

 

Havlicek will be making me a custom arm, .590 OD, 29 or 30 gauge wire, 20 degrees timing 

 

[Martin]

Did you press the bronze end bell bushing in as supplied from PM?

 

The reason for my question is I was concerned it would split the end bell. It seemed very tight, but yours looks perfect.

 

The one I did, I chucked up the bushing on a tight shaft and trimmed a little off to be on the safe side. I have more to do so I guess I will not bother with that step.

[Pablo]

Yes, it's designed for a press fit, and yes if you get one that's too tight it needs to be shaved down a thou or so to avoid splitting the EB. This particular one, I got lucky and it pressed in perfectly, no fiddling needed    Thanks for asking. The notch PM grinds across the one side, I assume it's an oil gallery and I use it as such. So I place it on the outside.

 

One thing I've learned by dealing with Havlicek's works over the years is, my pre-conceived notion that the only proper brush size for any and all custom motors is the 36D, is wrong. Sure, a 1969 pro-era race motor in a lead sled is going to have 36D brushes and hardware. But it always amazes me - the motors he uses smaller brushes on always rock!

 

Having said that, on this 26D I used stock hoods and soldered them to PM 26D holders. I would have used the stock Mab holders, but the PM holders fit the Champion EB and the Mab's don't. The brushes are, of course, 26D size. The trick is to pre-radius the 26D brushes using a modern .200-ish radius tool to match the big comm 

 

 

 

That's all the work I can do until I get the arm. So off the setup goes in a little box to New York

 

[Pablo]

More parts gathering/planning. As per 1966 R & C Rules, fronts will be 3/16 X 7/8, rears 15/16 X 1/2. Gears will be a steel 8/Cox 33.

 

26D jig motor, some cool rims and inserts, EJ's front rubber, Cox donuts, and a 26D Castleton motor bracket

 

[Pablo]

- No way the Cox 1/2" width 55 year old donuts are going to cover the width of Weldun style 1/2" wide rims with the big lips, so I am using Mid-America grey drag donuts instead. Wide enough to make good looking pro-quality wheels, and much fresher

 

- EJ's tires glued to Russkit front wheels with E6000 industrial adhesive

 

-26D Castleton bracket is thin (25 thou), oxidized and old, not true by any means, and not precise. I knew all that coming in. The reason(s) I'm using it: it's light, the size I need, easy to true and clean, and I'll brace it to beef it up

 

-Antique Russkit slant shaft (1/8") flag is really weird but I'm trying hard to use it. No guarantee yet until I consult with Capt. Rick. I have the correct braids for it

 

[Pablo]

I learned Russkit made two versions of this guide flag - a long and a short. I need a short for this car, so I bid for one on ebay.

 

WB 3 3/4, GL TBD

[Isaac S.]

I've got an NOS one I can send you, if you give me how long the "long" one is I can see if mine is the short one. Or I can just send it to you. 

 

P.S. Good choice on the tires. 

[Bill from NH]

The one I have is part # 701:50. Packaged with an o-ring &  2, about 3" partially bent piano wires. Nothing on the Russkit card indicates if it is long or short.

[Isaac S.]

Mine is 703:40. 

[dc-65x]

This should help:

 

[Isaac S.]

Thanks Rick, I'll send it over Pablo. 

[Pablo]

Isaac, the one I need is the 704-40. If yours is the 703 I think that is the "small" one but with 1/8 shaft. Please hang on to it for now. If I don't win the 704-40 I may use yours as a "Plan B". Thank you, gentlemen 

[Isaac S.]

Ah, you want short with big 3/16 shaft. I understand, keep me posted. 

[Pablo]

Baby steps - everything rough trimmed, motor bracket trued, axle tube holes hogged out just enough to let everything sit true in the jig