173 replies to this topic

[Pablo]

Rear inserts done

 

 

Next - wing, roll bar, exhaust pipes, chrome bits, interior, etc.

[Pete L.]

Looking good Pablo.  

 

The old R&C series cars usually had lots of drop arm travel. Probably because of the rough and bumpy old tracks.

 

Look at how much travel Morrissey has in this chassis:  

 

 

Pablo, probably a dumb question, do you suppose he was using the aero over the nose of the car to push down on the stop to hold the guide in the slot better ? Pete L.

[Pablo]

Not a dumb question. I suppose it's possible, but the rise would have to be at least (I'm guessing) 3/4". Looking at the photo again, it looks like you could be right. Good catch, Pete.

 

My opinion is, even if it could be verified as true, I wouldn't want that much brass up that high. Plus, you could never guarantee the rod piece would touch the body in the exact same place every single time.

 

A much better solution would be to have the top of the flag shaft just barely touch the body. The aero would push down right where you want it - centered left/right. Wing car guys do it all the time.

 

Thanks Pete   

[Martin]

This pic of Morrissey's car has another question for me.

 

Take a look are the Russkit slant guide. To my eye it looks like the guide post is vertical and the guide shoe does not sit flat to the track. Nose down?

 

Anybody else see it this way?

 

I have taken the fact that the guide is slightly turned to the left.

[old & gray]

This pic of Morrissey's car has another question for me.

 

Take a look are the Russkit slant guide. To my eye it looks like the guide post is vertical and the guide shoe does not sit flat to the track. Nose down?

 

Anybody else see it this way?

 

I'll agree with you the guide looks like post vertical, nose down. The car rides on the front edge of the braid. 

 

Not every idea we try is a winner; if you acknowledge your failures, then you learn not to do that again.

[dc-65x]

In the "dawn of time" racers tried everything. They didn't have the 50+ years of 20/20 hindsight we enjoy today.

 

This is part of an instruction sheet from a Thunderbird brand chassis kit I have. I can't wait to build it and see what happens! 

 

 

Hope I'm not straying too far off topic Pablo. 

[Martin]

Love the evolution. If it works keep it etc.

 

Please excuse my curiosity. Back to your build Pablo

[Pablo]

It's all on topic IMO 

 

It's amazing a car could even complete one lap with that much bad tilt. In today's world, just one wallshot that bends the tongue downward is the kiss of death for handling. Leading to another wallshot, and another, until finally you are done for the day ......   

[Pablo]

Inserts done and installed. When you work with irreplaceable 50+ year old rare parts and you aren't scared of ruining them, you are either stupid, highly skilled with special tools, or have replacement parts 

 

The rear inserts had to be turned down within a fraction of life. I did it with simple hand tools and it worked out fine. Only took a few hours of work but lots of worrying 

 

Slowly I turn, my attention is now on the body. I've tried sharpening my used scissors but they are never the same as new. So I got a brand new pair of Westcott Titaniums from Walmart for this occasion.

 

One body trim trick that seems to always work for me is "relief cuts". It makes a scissor cut easier. Here I'm just trying to make a rough cockpit cut then come back later with the Dremel sanding arbor

 

 

 

 

[Pablo]

Cockpit cut, edges smoothed. Interior trimmed, washed and boxed up - ready for a trip to New Jersey for a custom paint job. "Honey, do you think this head is too big for this car?" Hopefully Noose has a slightly smaller head LOL

 

 

I decided I can do a two color orange and silver paint job myself, so the body stays here. No way am I saying I can do better than Noose. Just saying the paint on this car is a simple job I can do fine. Orange with silver sides, flat black details outside, etc. Easy day.

 

Intake stacks trimmed to form-fit the body then sandwiched onto a piece of double-sided wing tape. Tamiya NATO (flat) black drip - dropped into the tops of the intakes using a toothpick

 

[Pablo]

Body harpooned for roll bar and mirrors (atop front wheel wells). For exhaust pipes I used a hole punch which is correct size for 7/32 aluminum tube. Mississippi weather today is perfect for outdoors painting. All the bits have been primered, painted chrome, and drying on my balcony.

 

I had to wake up my inventory manager from his nap to make sure we have the necessary paints and tools for this job

 

 

JoJo said "Yes, sir. We have Model Master Acrylic Silver, several types of orange acrylics, decal softeners, etc." 

 

 

Good answer, JoJo, that's what I wanted to hear 

[Martin]

Let the games begin !

[Pablo]

I made two 1/4" long 7/32 OD exhaust gizmos, sanded on a spinning drill with 400 then 2,000 grit. But first I did a test job with chrome rattle can paint on a piece of raw 7/32 tube to see which I liked better, 2,000 sanded, or chrome painted. I like the sanded much better. I plan to attach them with windshield sealant.

 

The intake stacks are ready to stick on, mounted on wing tape. Mirrors are primed and painted with rattle can chrome, mirror surfaces painted with a chrome detail pen. My intention with all these bits is, in the event of a crash, they will flex or fall off before the body gets damaged. It's easy to repair tape or sealant adhesive damage. But the body is irreplaceable.

 

Once I start making the wing, the same theory will apply

 

 

 

 

 

[Pablo]

I don't know what kind of metal this roll bar is. Despite careful sanding, chemical purification, priming, and several light coats of rattle can chrome, it simply does not like the paint. So I'm going to make a better one with .084" OD styrene rod.

 

Have to brag, nailed it second try    Tricky because the holes were already punched (.037"). The best way to learn bending styrene is, buy lots of it    Time to sand and paint the new roll bar

 

[Pablo]

Russkit motor sticker courtesy of Jairus Watson, thank you Sir 

 

 

Styrene roll bar chrome paint job worked out nice. Now I'm experimenting with twin sandwiched pieces of 10 thou Lexan® Super Glued together as attachment gizmos for the roll bar, mirrors, and possibly the wing. If it works well, I'll show a photo

 

 

The wing is coming soon. There is no way I could do this without the guidance of the masters. Here is a photo of a Fred Larimer rough sketch I copied from Rick's 26D Russkit build thread. Looks like the work of a professional artist to me

 

[Pablo]

The doubled attachment gizmos work fine, I like them. Light weight, easy to make, cost nothing, and get the job done. So what if they aren't pretty? They won't show anyway. I'll probably use them on the wing also

 

[Bill from NH]

If you wanted round gizmos, a standard paper punch ought to work.

[Pablo]

Good catch, Bill. I don't know why I didn't think of that. I'll make some better ones later today 

[Pablo]

Thanks again for the correction, Bill. IOU a box of cookies. These are much better   

 

[Martin]

I was thinking of suggesting that too Pablo. But held my tongue.

 

I was actually going to suggest the hole punch use as a nibbler.  A lot of times the hole punch is my tool of choice when roughing in wheel wheels and cock- pit openings etc.

 

Then you end up with all kinds of perfect circles, and of course semicircles.

 

Now do I get a cookie too? Just kidding.

[Pablo]

Sure, I'll buy both of you guys a box of cookies. Life is short - party like there is no tomorrow. Go to Walmart, buy a box of these, and I'll Paypal reimburse you the money 

 

If you think I'm just kidding, you just don't know me    I guarantee you will flip over these biscuits:

 

https://www.belvitabreakfast.com/

 

 

Time to plan the wing. I made a 2 1/4" x 7/8" test template out of 20 thou cardboard. I know the angle should be approx. 30 degrees and the height of the upright connectors about 1/2" tall. Thank God Rick took lots of good photos to make it relatively easy

 

 

Don't be afraid to tell me if I have a booger on my nose 

[Martin]

When it comes time to mount the wing, give this some thought.

 

When you look at the side view and the top view, it could be interpreted as a Lexan sheet uprights, with a 90 on both ends for a bonding surface, running front to back like the drawing.

 

Not four 4 wire uprights.

 

This to my mind would be light and come off with the body. It would also match the drawing. What do you think, can you visualize it this way?

 

[Pablo]

Actually, no, I don't understand it. The term "Lexan sheet uprights" confuses me. Sheet is for making a wing, not securing/attaching a wing.

 

I can visualize Fred's drawings no problem, and can visualize Rick's wing method no problem. But I can't visualize using sheet for uprights. There is a part of it I'm missing. Sorry.

 

I'll be examining different wing attachment methods today. I needs to have a high strength to weight ratio, it has to present as little surface area to the air flow as possible. It needs to effectively transfer the downforce from the wing to the car. It needs to be simple and not so overbuilt that a crash ruins the wing, not the body. I can always make another wing, but Walmart doesn't carry these bodies LOL

[Martin]

No problem, I should have made a drawing. Words sometimes just do not do it.

 

But this method meets all your described criteria. Making drawing now

 

[Pablo]

Bingo. That makes sense, thanks. I've been looking at various Can Am wing designs via Google today. Some are very similar to yours. It would give some lateral stability, like side dams on a wing (slot) car. I like it, thanks Martin. I'll consider it 

 

Before we get carried away, let's (myself included) remember this is kind of a "fantasy" build. There is no historic proof or photos of much of this, as PdL has reminded us several times. Example, my use of a "Russkit" sticker on a Mabuchi 26D can custom motor. Russkit never sold motors with Havlicek arms LOL

 

My point is, on this car there is no exact "right way" to do it. At some point I'll have to make a decision. 

I'd really like to form a piece of balsa to make an aircraft wing sandwiched in Lexan, but it wouldn't fit my plan of keeping it simple.

 

One thing in common I see on lots of (1/1) wings of that era is, 1)  almost all of them have a single pair of attachment uprights, and 2)  almost all are basically placed dead center above the wheels