53 replies to this topic

[Peter Horvath]

I never get tired of watching your builds.

[Jim Lange]

Beautiful work Rick. Where did you find the square wire? I've been looking for that. 

[Noose]

Pete would be proud Rick. Great job.

[dc-65x]

Thanks for following along and chiming in Peter.

 

Jim, the square wire is some vintage Cobra stuff. I've only run across it once in over 20 years of collecting parts for these builds.

 

It's funny that it would be illegal to use in at least one class of todays retro racing. Things were wide open for creativity in the "Golden Era" of slot racing:

 

 

Thanks Joe. I enjoyed building this chassis in PvA's style and using his parts.

 

The last detail on the PvA chassis was the motor brace. I sealed up the finished chassis and motor from the acid flux splatter:

 

 

I made a U-brace and attached it on the bottom of the axle tube like Pete did:

 

 

 

The tires are Riggen and the rear wheels are modified Associated "telescope" style. The fronts are modified Cobra with K&B hard vinyl tires ground down to 3/4":

 

 

I love Fass gears and never pass up a chance to use them when they fit into the timeframe of my build. The first ad I've found for them is in a December 1969 MRJ newsletter:

 

 

They are very precise, beautifully made and give a super smooth gear mesh:

 

 

All the work to notch the frame and turn down the bottom motor mounting screw head lets me lock the motor in place securely to set the gear mesh. I can even make a few laps to see if the 50 year old armature is up to the job before I solder the motor in:

 

 

The guide and lead wires are next.......

[Pablo]

Rick, if I ever need surgery you are my guy 

[dc-65x]

Hi Pablo, acid flux I'm used to but blood.......not so much.    

 

To finish off the roller I used blue lead wire.............

 

 

..........and an orange guide like PdL did in his restoration:

 

 

I'm also using guide clips to attach the lead wires like Jerry Brady did in this January 1970 race report:

 

 

 

The lead wires are easy to loop around neatly on the buss bars:

 

 

The finished roller:

 

 

 

 

 

Now it's time for an early 1970 body.........

[Pablo]

 

[Martin]

  PVA perfection.

[dc-65x]

Here's the body I came up with guys:

 

 

A Kirby McLaren M8A (it's really a M8B but it still really cool). Here's a Kirby ad from January 1970:

 

 

It's a pleasure to work with a body that's not cut so low it won't fit over a slot car like most Dynamic bodies I have:

 

 

Even better, I have Victor's beautiful True Scale Lexan reproduction body:

 

 

I'm going to use the repop and preserve the original:

 

 

Here are both bodies together. The Kirby is on the right:

 

 

I've got it all trimmed out, mounted and I'm just waiting for the freezing weather to abate:

 

 

 

[brucefl]

anybody have the chassis kit pva sold to build this chassis i always wanted it to copy and build that way i have the template to cut and correctly from 3 dimentions,or is there a photo from an ad showing it atleast to post here?

[brucefl]

very inspiring,it might just get me to try the build,thanks for the correct approach inspiring us to to stop the excues,for that matter thanks for helping me with the missing puzzle to save the world,lol.

[dc-65x]

IT'S A HEAT WAVE!      64 degrees and not a cloud in the sky.      With a nice day and rain due tomorrow afternoon I lifted the lid on my trash can spray booth and went to town on my Truescale reproduction Kirby McLaren M8B body:

 

 

For the first time I used Tamiya PS series paint for polycarbonate. It's interesting stuff to use and it's close enough to the McLaren color for me:

 

[NSwanberg]

I would like to see the spray booth.

[Pablo]

Post # 63 right here:

 

Scratchbuilding a Champion 'Jail Door' Lotus 40 - Page 3 - The DC-65X Diaries - Slotblog - Page 3

[dc-65x]

Thanks Pablo.  

 

The trash can works pretty good Nelson but it is certainly weather dependent. A sunny day with no wind is ideal. Although this time I did get a little gnat bug thing get stuck to the paint just in front of the wind screen.    

 

Here's my progress with the body. All the black detailing is done:

 

 

 

I found that a full depth vintage interior just barely fits so I had to go with it:

 

 

Initially I cut the interior for a Russkit head but I changed my mind and decided to use a Revell guy without a helmet visor like Bruce McLaren. But Mr. Revell Smiley Face needed a big neck to fit in the hole I cut.

 

Having a lathe and aluminum bar stock I machine up a solution:

 

 

Eat your heart Vlad the Impaler  

 

 

 

[Pablo]

The driver seems to like it 

[Don Weaver]

Rick,

 

Show some tips on painting the driver, please...

 

Don

[Eddie Fleming]

Body looks great Rick.

 

I picked up a bottle of Graphite colored paint (very dark Gray) and have been using it for body openings. I like it better than the true black. But that is just my opinion.

[dc-65x]

Don, I really struggle with the detail painting. Any tip I might have you should probably do the opposite!      One thing is it's nice to have something stuck in the driver's head to give you something to hold on to.

 

Eddie, the grey is an interesting idea. All that flat black is a stark contrast with the light "mango" color on the body. I think that will calm down as more details and the decals are added. The gloss aluminum interior instead of the usual black will hopefully break things up too.

[dc-65x]

I finished adding the intake, exhaust and roll bar details:

 

 

Pro car wheels with a simple touch of detail:

 

 

 

Yes, the tires are orange, the color very much used in open class racing in 1970.

 

Yes, a black marker could be used on the tires but my attempts have not been to my liking.

 

Yes, I could have used black rubber but.......

 

I built the roller as closely as I could to the way an open class racer would have been built in the day.

 

Now I'm adding a scale type paint scheme and some simple details to see what an open class racer could look like.

[Bill from NH]

PVA never had a car that looked so good. I met PVA at a '69 or '70 Car Model Race. I didn't know who he was at the time.

[dc-65x]

The little guy is smiling now that he's all painted:

 

 

I got a full depth interior to fit....just:

 

 

I pulled out all my McLaren decals from Pattos, Indycals, Fred Cady and vintage Dynamic:

 

 

Almost finished.

[dc-65x]

Slotblogger Bill Breck offered to gift me this Pete von Ahrens designed air control.........thanks Bill: 

 

 

 

 

 

I told him I would love to share them here in this PvA build but I just can't bring myself to cut up and staple or glue them on the front.....

 

 

..........or rear of this car:

 

 

I really like it just the way it is:

 

 

 

Sure this car is lower and has smaller diameter tires than scale. But to me everything looks in proportion. It's mechanically a real live open class Pro car that looks like a 1/24 scale McLaren M8B race car:

 

 

 

I really miss running my open class cars with modern tires on a spray glued Blue King track. I can run them on my home track but it's no King. Hammering the bank on a King with a single 24 powered open car is just plain thrilling:

 

 

Rodney and I have (separated by a lane or two) dueled on Eddie's King track with open class cars and it was so much fun.....except I ALWAYS de-slotted first.     He is an amazing driver.  

 

Onward  

[Isaac S.]

I've used that Rehco air control a few times, it's really slick, makes it really easy. 

 

Looks fantastic! The body is perfect. 

[Bill from NH]

Rick, sounds like it's time for a road trip to your nearest king, If you want to come East, I know of a raceway with a Gerding King & a Sovereign under the same roof.