62 replies to this topic

[Pablo]

I love oval track racing so my first car for The Raceway will be a Tuesday night GRC/FCR 4.5" Stock Car. Owner Bill Pinch sold me everything I need to get started building. This is going to be lots of fun!

 

I love the raceway, the track, and the people. What could be better? Time to get building  

 

[Don Weaver]

Boy, do I envy you!  Back in the foothills of East Tennessee with a boatload of tracks all around you.  Damn, it just don't get no better than that !  All you need now is a Big Orange jacket and a decal for your scooter!

[Tom Thumb Hobbies]

Pablo, what motor is that in the parts picture?


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[Pablo]

GRC/Stomp made in China. That's all I know.

[Tom Thumb Hobbies]

What rule set?


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[Pablo]

Will reply via PM Mike

[Pablo]

The chassis comes with a protective greasy film on it, so first step was to SOS pad it. The bottom is already perfectly flat. The uprights needed some straightening but it was easy.

 

Not trying to get too fancy just yet before I get this all figured out. I simply jigged the axles/bushings up and soldered them in

 

[MattD]

Paul those simple brass frames make for good racing.   They are not too complicated or hard to build for most all slot guys.    Are you allowed to solder brass tube or rod to reinforce  weak areas?    Glad you have a place to race and a fun style chassis like this.  

[Pablo]

Thanks Matt! I don't know yet if chassis mods are legal or not. But It's a big strong heavy mutha and I doubt it needs reinforcement 

[Pablo]

The GRC/Stomp motor pulled .34 amps @ 5 volts, didn't require hardly any break in, runs very cool with zero vibration. Very impressive. Any motor that can push a chassis this heavy with 12/27 gears and .850 OD rears has to have lots of beans, and it feels like it    It's a torque monster, not a screamer. Red dot is positive. Timing appears close to neutral but runs ever so slightly better CW at can end.

 

Fronts trimmed to .820" and rears .850

 

 

Axles trimmed and polished. Fronts are independent rotating a la Tony P. style

 

 

Unmodified bushing installments and .810 minimum OD fronts require at least two .032 flag spacers. Once I learn what mods are legal, that may change ....... 

 

[Don Weaver]

Check out new C/R guide flag spacers (CR136) before you solder round ones on.

[Pablo]

The ones in my photo are CR052 .032 thick brass spacers and I don't know why I'd ever solder on a spacer.

 

I see a CR136 "Offset" gizmo at ERI but I'm not familiar with it and I'm not sure it applies to my situation. Please elaborate and show me a link. Swiss invents new trick gizmos so fast, I can't keep up.

 

While we are on this subject, can anybody explain why a GRC/FCR 4.5" brass chassis needs the coined tongue elevated high enough to use a Cox .125" deck thickness flag?

[John Luongo]

your right, that does seem thick and high, pablo. only thing i can think of are local option rules. at slots-of-fun in goffstown nh, (short "bull ring" oval), tire spec is between .880 and .910, only pro track daytona stockers, front and rear. can make for tall set up, enough room to slide underneath and change your oil. other places may run 1" tires. best regards

[MSwiss]

Below are the newest, thicker versions, of the item Don mentioned.

CR137 .040"

CR138 .062"

When I showed them on FB, Troy Beeler, who I think races at Bill's, said he's fabricated a similar item, for a couple of his cars.

But check to confirm it's a legal mod and encourage Bill to get some in stock, if it is.

[Pablo]

Thanks everybody. It's been a long road and a steep learning curve - I'll figure it out little by little   

It takes super short screws to avoid contact with the arm on this motor, so I'm sure the locals are soldering them in. I made it work for now but I don't recommend it. 

 

The huge pinion needs to be soldered on with motor through bracket. First time for me, yes it was an interesting challenge 

 

She passed the drivetrain test fine and I broke the gears in with a dab of Colgate Super Whitening toothpaste 

 

 

 

[Pablo]

I'm a newbie to Velcro mounting, so please help me here. Pretty sure I mounted the hook strips in the right place

 

 

And the loop sections go on the body skirts, right? My question is, does the body sit like this:

 

 

or, like this?

 

[John Luongo]

the first body mount photo shows a typical velcro body mount position - resting on the chassis pan. that position also helps stabilize the body with less fore and aft tipping movement. if you have a minimum height rule for your class and the body was trimmed above the cut line, this will gain you a bit of height. this is esp true with a hard body mount. nice build!

[Pablo]

Thanks John, that's the answer I needed 

[John Luongo]

your very welcome

[Racer36]

You will need a wire brace from the uprights to the top of the motor mount, or at the very least a dab of solder at the front of the motor Pablo. The mount will flex and change the gear mesh constantly if not. The rules should allow a loop of piano wire from the 2 uprights and across the face of the motor mount.

[Pablo]

Thanks Dennis I hear ya and I will see if that's legal 

[Pablo]

Car is ready to test. Velcro mounting was strange for me. It sure gives a lot more movement than I expected. Very strange mounting a 3 1/4" wide body on a 3 1/16" wide chassis with mounting channels way inboard. I hope I did it well; we shall see ........

 

 

One thing is for sure, Bill Pinch paints a heck of a body

 

[MSwiss]

I'm not an expert on these cars but I'm pretty sure the bottom edge of the body is supposed to sit on the shelf.

 

It doesn't look that way from your pic.

[Pablo]

Bill P. told me it would be fine either way, as long as I didn't start modifying the chassis. The problem as I see it is, even with both parts of the Velcro, a 3 1/4" wide body will need to be squished inward to meet the channels. I don't like tweaking body skirts. I think this chassis was designed for a narrower body.

 

No doubt the locals are gonna school me tomorrow big time 

[Pablo]

Tested and raced the car tonight. Runs great, finished third out of 5, won $3 in merchandise! Bill P. runs a clean show and I had a ball 

 

I learned a lot about what I can, and cannot, do to the car. All the guys mount the bodies up on the velcro shelf and I proved to myself it works better that way. Playing with the bushing holder locations isn't legal. Soldering the motor in is legal but most guys do fine with just screws.

 

I'm goin' fast again!