9 replies to this topic

[Slot Car Rod]

In the early 70's, I found out that Family Hobbies and Raceway in San Leandro, California had a home-made vacuform machine to make slot car bodies, and the shop owner, Don, said I could use it.  I decided to try my hand at making a body mold out of balsa wood.  I carved out a simple wedgy looking Group 7 Can- Am body.

 

The vacuform machine was easy to use.  Heat lamps were used to melt the plastic sheet, and a vacuum cleaner was used to pump the air out from under the mold.  I am not sure what plastic I used; I think it was .010 Lexan.  I overheated the plastic, which made the body more brittle then normal.

 

I was able to make a second mold, and made a body from it.  Soon after, Don sold the vacuform machine, and that was the end of my making larger scale vacuform bodies.  I continued to make HO slot car bodies with another machine through the mid 70's.

 

I dug up the Group 7 body recently and repaired all of the cracks and damage.  I found the chassis, which was made for a B-can motor.  A Lenz B-can motor was rebuilt and installed in the car.  Time for a track test.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bill from NH]

Great looking chassis & body Rod. Your mold seems to be in good shape too. I might have thought otherwise from balsa.

[zipper]

Nice chassis, did have a similar one.

[Alchemist]

Excellent Rodney!

 

I could only imagine what you would have accomplished if you had a VacuFormer available for a longer period of time!

 

Thank you for sharing.

 

Ernie

[Pablo]

Is it my eyes, or does that flag keeper/weight gizmo have teeth on it? 

[Bill from NH]

It looks like teeth to me, but it might be a separate serrated washer/spacer too.

[Mark Onofri]

This is what happens when you cross-pollinate a UOP Shadow with a Ferrari 612.
Two of my favorites and yours has the best of both. Maybe you can get Victor to pull a few. I'd buy one.

[stoo23]

This is what happens when you cross-pollinate a UOP Shadow with a Ferrari 612

 

Ahhh,.. YES   'Spot-On'

 

Great body and Balsa work !!
Nice chassis too

 

Thanks for 'posting'.

[Martin]

Your my hero Rod.  

[Dave Crevie]

I did some buterate bodies around 1965 over basswood molds. After shaping and sanding were done, I soaked the molds in spar varnish. After the varnish had cured,(three weeks!), I wet sanded them to a gloss. I made my own vac rig on a 5 gallon bucket, and used a commercial shop vac to draw the plastic sheet down. The sheets were heated in my mother's oven. I got the sheets and a lot of help from a family friend in the very new blister packing biz.
The bodies I did were a Jaguar D-type, a birdcage, and a Ferrari 750 Monza.