26 replies to this topic

[Larry Horner]

Being a fan of the Classic Asp slot car, I had asked Gene/ZR1 years ago to send me one of his repro Asp bodies. He responded by sending me bodies for both an original Asp and the later Competition Asp … thank you Gene! But this project got sidelined for years and I finally decided it was time.

So I started out by setting up some design criteria:

1. Both cars appear to share the same 3 ¾” wheelbase and ¾” guide lead.

2. I would use a Mabuchi 16D with the rear axle carrier clipped to the can drive and the front end would be screwed to the front of the endbell … just like the original.

3. The chassis would be as minimalist as possible … just like the original.

I started with the motor first and was able to procedure both a 16D can and endbell with hardware from Professor motor. I drilled the can with my 16D drill jig and painted it a tangerine orange that I think matches the original color perfectly. Martin had gifted me some vintage Classic stickers that complete the look.

I was thinking of procuring a vintage 16D arm but realized I had a balanced Pro Slot 16D arm which fit perfectly. So in it went and I finished off with a pair of NOS 16D brushes that Rick gifted me. It looks the business and runs smooth and cool.

 

 

Next up was the backend and again Martin had gifted me one of those clip-on 16D backends. I soldered in some axle tubes, added a brace and LocTite’d in some ball bearings. I had one of those dedicated C clips already so the backend, as little as there is to it, was complete.

 

 

 

[Larry Horner]

For the front, I had a vintage mounting plate from the dawn of time. I began by soldering some ¼” angle stock to the sides to provide a mounting location for the rails. These were cut down and I then added a very abbreviated two rail chassis. It’s easier to show than to explain…

 

 

 

The back I thought was interesting. I didn’t notice it at first but there are two ‘7’s stamped into it. Who knows what that’s about? Had I noticed it earlier, I would have flipped the mount so the ‘7’s would be oriented properly. The Seven’s by the way is a great bar off the Boston red line where I used to get my butt kicked regularly at the Wednesday night dart league gatherings. Never play darts with Brits.

 

[Larry Horner]

Last up was the drop arm and while it could have been ¾”, I opted for ½” instead to stick with the minimalist theme. I also used Steve O’Keefe’s technique for the drop arm stop.

 

 

Here are all the elements combined together.

 

 

And here is the finished roller with some vintage Classic wheels Martin gifted me. I’m using a Dynamic flag and Cox crown gear but at least they are of the same time period. Oh, and it is also sporting an uber beefy drop weight that Pablo gave me years ago.

 

[Larry Horner]

All that remained was the body and that didn’t pan out the way I anticipated. It turns out I had mistakenly been doing my test fits with the Comp body and the front axle height was too high to fit under the original Asp. Simple fix … use the Comp Asp body. However I had already procured some lime green acrylic paint that I think matches the original perfectly although it is not metallic. But I love the color even if this is a Competition Asp as I think the comp gold is boring.

Note that my front axles go through holes in the body as opposed to using slots … this is for strength. When the slots are cut, it's easy from the front end to fold up and every vintage Asp I have ever seen in the flesh had such damage. This does mean you have to take off the fronts to get to the body off but I can live with that. Lastly, I didn’t mask the body but rather freehand painted it using a super fine detail brush around the cockpit. I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out!

 

 

[Kim Lander]

Very, very nice.

[Steve Okeefe]

Gorgeous, Larry.   

 

Knowledgeable, well thought-out design elements...

 

Clever arrangement of otherwise disparate vintage parts...

 

Excellent overall workmanship...

 

An authentic "one of one" interpretation.

 

Just gorgeous.  

[Pablo]

Really sweet     

[Larry Horner]

Thanks for the kudos guys!   And naturally, I couldn't stop with a still unused original Asp body in hand ... that's the second chapter of this tale. I'm committed to helping a friend move tomorrow but hopefully I can post the second build soon so stay tuned...

[Martin]

Great project Larry, really well built. 

Now using the motor with the upgraded 4 (end bell to can) screws, perfect. I do wonder how the Classic stock method would have lasted with just the bent over taps.

Glad you got some good use out of the drill fixture we designed    

[Alchemist]

Hi Larry,

 

I just came to the realization that you are an "artisan jeweler!"

 

I concur with what Steve O' stated!

 

I've admired your past projects and noticed they are characterized not only by its handmade nature, but also incorporating traditional and unique techniques in your craftsmanship.

 

Each piece in your project is crafted with meticulous attention to detail, making it a gorgeous masterpiece!

 

Beauty beyond description - Simply pulchritudinous!

 

Thank you for sharing and look forward to Project ASP 2.

 

Ernie

[Larry Horner]

Thanks so much Ernie, you're making me blush! And Martin, you are so right about the fragility of the original Asp. I never owned one but I saw lots of damaged ones at my local track.

[Larry Horner]

So let's jump right in on the second chapter of the saga. But unlike the first chapter, this chassis is going to have some different design criteria:

 

1. I have no more vintage 16D motors so this one will use a contemporary minican motor. It will also have 3/32” axles.

2. My Comp Asp while historically more accurate looks pretty fragile and probably won’t survive its first major crash … I suspect the originals were the same way. So I’m going to attempt to make this one a bit more robust..

3. The front axle height is going to be set up for ⅝” tires instead of ¾”. This will drop it down a sixteenth inch … enough to fit under the diminutive Asp front end.

4. An interesting thing I noticed is that the LASCM says that the Asp is an iso chassis. It’s not but it does have a very unique drop arm hinged from the motor mount that runs under the motor. But this got me thinking that it would be fun to make my Asp a true iso.

 

[Larry Horner]

Fabricating the main loop was a piece of cake. I used a rather long 1 ½” piece of ¾” x .063” brass stock just to add some mass. And knowing I was going to drill holes in it, I wanted a beefy motor carrier so I used one of Professor Motor’s forged carriers. These are both beautifully made and super strong. Pablo, the iso Bandit build you did years ago had a lot of input on this design.

 

 

Another thing I like about the Professor Motor’s motor carrier is the countersunk mounting holes which allow for flat head bolts. Not necessary but I really like the look.

 

 

[Larry Horner]

What I call the outrigger that supports the front wheels and body is a simple structure with brass inner rails and steel outer rails. Up front, I relieved the inner rails slightly to allow the outer rails to rotate over them thereby decreasing the axle tube width.

 

 

And here is the completed chassis.

 

 

Normally an iso chassis needs a drop stop but when I assembled mine with the motor, I discovered that the front of the arm extended over the rear body mount restricting downward movement. End result … no drop stop needed!

 

 

Here is the finished roller sporting a 26T crown (the smallest I could find) and 8T angled pinion. The 3.25 gearing is higher than I usually use but then I generally use .812” tires as opposed to the .750” shown here plus this is a very light car.

 

[Larry Horner]

I again painted the body freehand using the exact same paint and I think this one came out even better. And seeing the two of them side by side, I think I like the original Asp more as the front end just seems more fluid and less extreme. A side note is that even the small 26T crown rubbed up against the body so I cut a clearance slot which I think is actually kind of cool.

I’m ready for my close-ups Mr DeMille…

 

 

[Larry Horner]

 

 

[Alchemist]

Soooo nice Larry!

 

This the first slot car "Restomod" I've seen.

 

Another masterpiece!

 

Thanks again for sharing!

 

Ernie

[Pablo]

The bar gets higher all the time     

 

The armature does double-duty as an ISO stop      Pure Evil Genius    

[pn6]

Larry these are two awesome builds!! Since the 60’s when I would regularly get beat on “kit car” night I’ve always wanted an Asp. I’ve since bought and sold several and still keep one to play with.
You’ve done such a great job with these two it’s inspired me to do something similar.
Once again terrific job on both!!!

[dc-65x]

How did I miss this great thread Larry!   

 

Absolutely beautiful workmanship.  

[Larry Horner]

Thanks again everyone for the kudos! A funny story is that right after I posted the first build, Steve offered to send me some low profile axle nuts and Pablo is sending me a vintage 8T pinion. I just love how much community exists in our hobby!     

 

Rick, it seems to be iso week! 

[Mark Onofri]

Never noticed that "forged"? carrier in the catalog. How did I live without it?
I've been doing the axle holes in my F1's like you and, I'll attest to the fact that, it's a PITA at the least. But, it looks soooo much better than the hole with a single slot or,1/2 a hole with a cutout.

[Bill from NH]

I first saw cast inline brackets being run by the home/club tracks in Oregon on hard body stock cars. Sometime later, there were some made by a Canadian named Al Penrose. I believe the ones Professor motor sold were a modified Al Penrose design. I didn't think those were still available. I don't follow Northwest racing anymore, but in the last 5 or 6 years, I have seen a few cast brackets on a few of their cars. 

[Larry Horner]

I couldn't find it but I remember seeing one of Pablo's builds years ago that used this bracket. I was intrigued so I bought a couple. For those curious, Professor Motor says they still have them in stock: https://www.professo...-p/pmtr1006.htm.

[Bill from NH]

It's good to know they have some. That bracket was once a popular retro car build item, I have one from their original batch, it fits both 16D & FK cans.