106 replies to this topic

[dc-65x]

This will be my fourth car in a six-car project to build scale versions of Lancer’s first 6 Super Competition low and wide handling bodied cars that I've already built.

 

In the Lancer ad below the low and wide handling bodies are circled in red and the scale versions are circled in blue: 

 

 

I built the Dennis Hulme’s livery (below) for my Lancer Super Competition handling body version:

 

 

This time I'll be building the scale McLaren M6A Can Am car. 

 

I might change my mind on liveries but for now I’m going for Bruce McLaren’s team car for this scale  version build:

 

 

Here’s the Lancer scale lightweight body:

 

 

 

Lancer’s scale McLaren M6 unpainted on the right seems only slightly narrower than the painted Super Competition on the left:

 

 

But the clear scale body is over 3/16” narrower.

 

The front track width should end up 2 3/4", the rear track and chassis width 2 7/8":

 

 

I've had fun with my first 3 Lancer scale Can Am builds using the simple format outlined below so I'll be doing the same with this build:
 

I want to have some fun with my scale bodies like my Lancer Honker so I’m going to open things up from my usual approach to vintage building by doing the following:

• Approach this build as if I was a hobbyist back in the early 70’s building just for the fun of it.

• Use any vintage or repop vintage component available from the early 1960’s to the early 1970’s.

• Use any style of vintage motor and chassis design from the early 1960’s to the early 1970’s.

OK, time to take my time machine back to the early 1970’s and get to work on my Honker.

 

[Brian Czeiner]

I have the popcorn ready for this next build. Teach us more Yoda.

[John Luongo]

Amazing detail of a historic racer!

[Mark Onofri]

Mmmmm Mango

[Martin]

Papaya is what I was told    

[dc-65x]

  -MESSING WITH MOTORS-   

 

I can't help myself.....any excuse to tear into and cut up vintage motors then mix and match different brands of components, I can't resist. 

 

For this build I have an ISO angle winder chassis design in mind. I going to shorten up a C-can motor to help it fit into a narrow 2 7/8" track width.

 

So....I decided to cut 1/8" off of a thin wall Champion extruded can. It has no spot welded seam so I can cut as much off as I need:

 

 

The cut down can on the right also has a clearance cut next to the bearing:

 

 

Finding a vintage "short" armature has been a problem. I only have a couple of vintage Mura "Short Magnum" motors. Mine are later versions and have late style drill balanced armatures with welded and tied comm wires.

 

Here's a comparison to a full size Mura A-can:

 

 

Comparison with a standard Mura arm show how short these beauties are:

 

 

I have 2 identical arms except one has had the end bell side shaft butchered. Since this is going to be a can drive build I decided to use this arm:

 

 

Now I have a short arm and can but Champion Blue Dot magnets that are too long to fit this setup.............

 

 

[Bill from NH]

Got any diamond cutting discs?

[Jaeger Team]

...The modern magnets used in GP 12 motors are significantly shorter...

[dc-65x]

I've thought about using the short modern magnets Maurizio because I thought cutting down vintage magnets would be a real problem.

 

A few builds ago I did as Bill mentioned and bought some diamond saw discs for my rotary tool:

 

 

I've shown this setup before but it works so well I used it again for this build. The larger vise holding the magnet is pretty heavy and stays in place while I slide the smaller vise holding the rotary tool along being guided by the brass block:

 

 

The diamond disc cuts like a hot knife through butter:

 

 

Cut down Blue Dot magnets, shims and spring clips ready to go:

 

[Mark Onofri]

I tried a wet tile saw once, only once. Seemed like a good idea at the time.

[dc-65x]

Time to attach a Mura endbell to this Champion can the old school way. After center punching I use a .039" drill in a hand held pin vise to form a little drill point shaped pocket:

 

 

The tap drill snaps into that pocket and puts the hole in the right place:

 

 

0-80 pan head machine screws install the endbell:

 

 

[Alchemist]

Hi Rick,

 

For me, each step of your project build progress is always so exciting to view!

 

The diamond disc cuts like a hot knife through butter:

 

The heat from cutting sounds like it is minimal, but will you still "remagnatize" the magnets or do you feel there is no loss in pull force?

 

Thanks for sharing Rick.

 

Ernie

[dc-65x]

Thanks Ernie,

 

I'll rezap the magnets before final assembly and after the motor does its duty in building the chassis.

[Mark Onofri]

Is the armature at the bottom a contender? The can and upper endbell are what it resided in.

Attached Images

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[Bill from NH]

Measure the stack length with calipers, either dial or digital. The Contender/Challenger arms have a .440" stack. I've not seen an untagged Contender but some of the Challenger 1 arms by Mura were not tagged.

[dc-65x]

Finished up the Mura endbell:

 

 

I used their buss bars, revised their spring posts for a lower profile and 2-56 stainless steel screws: 

 

 

This is as far as I'm going with the motor until it serves as my chassis building jig motor:

 

 

Here's my motor bracket thanks to a collaborative project with fellow Slotbloger Larry Horner:

 

 

I made a sketch for vintage style A and D can motor brackets for Larry...........

 

 

.........and Larry made a CAD file and got the parts laser cut:

 

 

Turned out great Larry......thanks!  

[Larry Horner]

You're very welcome and that is one super sexy endbell! 

[dc-65x]

Life got in the way and delayed working on my project.     But, I'm back on track now.  

 

Before starting on my chassis I've been figuring out what tire diameter to use to fill Lancer's huge factor cut front wheel openings:

 

 

This is Lancer's scale body and maybe that's how big it should be. I've been using 15/16" fronts on my previous Lancer scale body builds but they just didn't look right on this one.

 

I decided to mount and true my wheels and tires leaving the fronts at 1" in diameter.

 

Repop Russkit wheels, Cox Firestone rear tires up front and Alpha donuts in the rear:

 

 

I'm not a huge fan of tire grinding.       So I've been using my table top hobby lathe with an X-acto knife mounted to cut the tires within .020" of finish size in width and diameter. Just a touch of finish grinding and their done:

 

 

Here's how the 1" fronts look. Note the asymmetrical shape of the wheel opening. I'm deciding on whether to center the tire or push it a bit to the front or rear so I can set the chassis wheelbase:

 

 

I think this is going to be a cool looking car:

 

 

Time to start working on the chassis..........

[Don Weaver]

Shouldn't the tire be centered under the "peak" of the fender for the most clearance as if it was on the actual car?  Just wondering...

 

Don Weaver

[dc-65x]

Hi Don,

 

That's what I'll do.

 

Studying photos of the actual car:

 

 

I see that Lancer cut the shape of the wheel opening oddly different from the shape of the actual car. It almost looks backwards:

 

 

Anyway, I can't fix it. As you suggested, I'll be centering the wheel pretty much as I have it in my pic. Now I can establish the wheelbase.

[dc-65x]

I've decided to use the Owl Chump Stocker chassis to pattern my chassis after for this build:

 

 

 

Below is a link to that build:

 

Owl Chump Iso Stock Car build

 

It's a cool chassis...........

 

 

..............with an ISO front end:

 

 

Now I get to shrink the chassis from one that is 3 1/8" wide with a 4 1/2" wheelbase to 2 7/8" wide with a 3 3/4" wheelbase.

 

Starting the chassis with the half rails and rear axle tube:

 

 

 

I've left the half rails long for now. I'll shorten them before I install the center section:

 

 

Time to fire up the Ungar soldering iron.   

 

[Pablo]

I always loved the Owl Chump   

[SpeedyNH]

nice! looks like it could use some wire ties on some of those joints tho. 

[munter]

I have been following this thread with interest since returning to the blog after a lengthy absence.

 

The front wheels making contact with the track and stabilizing the care are generally important in my 1/32 world but here are they just riding along?

[dc-65x]

1/24 Pro type cars evolved during the time period I'm interested in (early 60's to early 70's) from solid front axles to ISO fronts to independent L-arm front axles. 

 

I really enjoy the building part of the hobby and I'm less of a slot car handling theory expert. Hopefully someone here can tell us why these cars relied less and less on their front wheels.