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BigDaddy

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    Joe Proctor

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  1. Looks great Ken !!! However, big blocks arent used in Late Models. Too heavy. Small Blocks, bored out to upwards of 430 ci are common for Open Late Models. Weekly-rules style Late Models will max out at around 364 ci. 406, 415, 418....etc. are just a few of the common displacements in the Open rules. But, they're all Small Blocks, be it Chevrolet, Ford, or Mopar. Now, back in the 70's, Late Models were using Big Blocks, because they were stump pullers, and the tracks were always heavy, and muddy in those days. A track like that, back then, would blow the bottom end out of a Small Block !! As you know, tracks nowadays, are all dry slick. Of course, this is YOUR model, so really, you could have a SuperCharged Hemi Detroit Diesel in there if ya wanted to !!!
  2. I agree completely with both Wayne and Mike. They are awesome wheels, for sure. I may not have explained what I was attempting to say correctly the first time. I have a tendency to do that !!! I was going from my experience in slot car drag racing and being forced to use the ProTracks as they come from the factory. The rears, with the foam rubber, are just too short of a diameter to really replicate a true drag slick. At 1 3/16", they are short compared to a GoodYear, or Hoosier, in scale. The fronts, with the puny O-ring they come with, at 3/4", just appear way too small in the wheel well of a model car body. In slot car drag racing, this is called "hardbody racing", since there is also Lexan bodies being used. But, those Lexan bodies are terrible for detail compared to a styrene model body. If you're building a static model, then you wouldnt use the foam rubber anyway, and strip it off. Same with the front O-ring. You'd just use a Front Runner, or a BIG O-ring anyway. I guess I was really not thinking about a static model when I chimed in before !! In slot drag racing, the front tires dont even touch the track, anyway. Im sure that's the reason for the puny O-ring. Micro Nitro can make some extremely nice wheels, maybe nicer than ProTrack. And you wouldnt have to mess with stripping off foam rubber. Same money. Plus the ProTracks have that mounting hub on the backside that you'd have to hide somehow. Not sure how you guys have worked around that. Ive never used ProTracks on a static model, so Im lost on that one. There are a couple other slot car drag car manufacturers out there, that make really nice wheels. JDS, who has just recently become a member here, and WRP. Both can be found at www.bracket500.com. Check either of them out, also.
  3. Dale.......Pro Track's only come in 3/4" for front wheels. This includes the O-ring in the diameter. These are the slot drag wheels. The regular slot car wheels are either only 1/2" or 5/8". They do make a 1 1/16" front, but it has a foam tire. Still the same 5/8" rim. All Pro-Tracks are available anodized in Red, Blue, Black, Gold, and Purple. Or raw aluminum, un-anodized. It's my experience, with slot car drag racing, that under a model car body, the fronts and rears appear a bit small. Almost as if the wheel wells are way too large. Some racers have found much larger wall-thickness O-rings for tires, but I have yet to find them. Check their site for photos and sizes............ http://protrackcorp.com/cnc.htm
  4. Yeah, there is some unsprung weight there. However not much more than a Sprint Car. Hubs, axle tubes and larger birdcages, of course. The weight of a Sprint Car gives it that power to weight ratio advantage. Late Models can be as light as around 2200 lbs, whereas a Sprint Car has gotten down to about 1250 ? Forgive me, as the we only have one Sprint track around these parts, and they're 360 cars. So, Im not so much up on the specs as I am for Late Models. Our Late Models here, are weekly rules cars with 360 ci limit, on a 4 bbl 850 carb. They also have a 8500 chip rule. We also have a "Limited Late Model" which started out as a iron motor on a Holley 4412 2 bbl carb flowing 500 cfm. But, they have graduated to the GM 602 and GM 604 crate engines, running Holley 4 bbls. On a big 4/10ths mile, like I-80 Speedway where I work, it's kinda like watching paint dry !! But, there are also tour Late Models that swing thru here, and they're open cars. Big inch motors on big carbs, no chip rule, and they're at the 2200 lb range. Those cars put on a good show as they're practically wide open all the way around. When the ASCS cars come to town, they ARE wide open all the way around. And they flat haul the mail !!! Brian Brown practically owns the place as he's won every race he's ever entered there, but one !! We've had some non-wing shows as well, the big 410 cars. THAT is some crazy stuff there !!! Dave Darland, Levi Jones, Robert Ballou, Cory Kruseman, et al......put on probably the best Sprint show that was ever at that track. Slide jobs, wheel stands, etc etc. Interesting story.........when I used to work the pits as the "pit reporter".....we had a TNT non-wing show. Damian Gardner, former winner at the Chili Bowl, was running his car that nite. He had a fuel pump come apart and his car caught fire. Although, none of us knew it till he came to a stop on the front stretch right in front of me ! Only then did a few of us see the methanol fumes that were burning his legs. Which are sure not easy to see !! He climbed out of the car and bailed over the top of the cage with his legs on fire. I guess I just reacted and jumped down off the front stretch wall, and did the best I could to put the fire out. I think I fell off that wall, more so than jumped, but it was an adrenaline thing and I wasnt going to watch that kid burn in front of me and the entire grandstand. I did the best I could to beat down the flames, but it just wasnt going out. I burnt the hair off of my arms and backs of my hands, and scared the living you know what outta me !! It felt like an eternity for the fire crew to get there, and finally, Jack Dover's dad, Marc, jumped off the wall, and used his shirt to help snuff the fire. We got it out, and then, did we realize the car was still burning !!!! If that thing had gone up, all three of us wouldve been french fries right there. The car was only 10 feet from us. Keep in mind that rest of the field handnt yet come to a stop for the red flag. So, we're down on the track with a bunch of cars whizzin' by us at full tilt !!! Finally, they got the field stopped, and the fire crew got there to assess his injuries. THEN, the race director, who's a former racer and a good friend of mine, took me aside and asked to see my hands. In all that action and confusion, I was so amped up on adrenaline, that I didnt even think about that. I was still in a bit of shock and just stared at him and put my hands up, and he said "turn them over". I thought, "oh geeeezzzz, my hands are hamburger right now". I turned them over and he just said "good, you're ok". I looked down and they were a little red, and a little blackened, but no damage !!! Gardner had some 1st degree burns on his feet and lower legs, but he walked away and they took him to the hospital for treatment and he was racing a few days later. That was a scary deal, for sure !!! Hope I never have to see that kinda thing again, but if I do, I hope I can react the same way. Just couldnt let that kid burn up like that. Didnt mean to hijack the thread !! We now return you to regular scheduled programming................
  5. Hey Ken........yeah, it's kinda strange that a Sprint Car or Midget is so "simple" compared to a Late Model. One must wonder, why ??!! Why couldnt the Late Model be that simple !! As far as the shifter, yes, it is a simple two handle shifter that literally sticks up thru the tunnel. Since the Late Model isnt an "open cockpit" type of car such as a Cup car, or a simple Hobby Stock.......the "wall" dividing the rest of the "passenger" area is used as a sort of fire wall. And there is a simple "shelf" or tunnel built into that wall. The shifter assembly passes up thru this "shelf" and the driver will shift just like a normal car. However, the transmission is completely different than a standard transmission in a street car. The clutch in a dirt late model works just the opposite !! Rather than let the clutch out to move the car forward....in a late model, you press the clutch in to get the car to move forward. Start out in first gear, push the clutch in, hold it in as you pull away. Get up some speed, and rpm, then just yank it back into 2nd or High gear and left off the clutch. And you're racin !! It's an internal clutch transmission and only 2 speeds forward. Reverse is the same way as pulling away in first gear. Push the clutch in, and you go backwards. The shifter rods look very much like, say a Muncie 4 speed. Two simple aluminum tubes with rod ends/heim joints, that attach to the shift levers on the transmission. You will probably have to scratchbuild a Bert or Brinn transmission as they look very different than a Muncie or Powerglide. Same type of bellhousing as a Muncie, but the trans itself is very different. I'll attach some photos here that I was able to find............. In the photo above, you can see the shifters on the right side, sticking out of the "tunnel". Straight ahead is the clutch/brake pedal assembly, with the master cylinders above. The bracket sticking straight out above the pedals is the steering shaft mount. A rod end/heim joint will be used here to pass the steering shaft thru and mount the quick change steering wheel to. This photo is taken from the back of the cockpit. Where the seat would normally mount. This photo shows a Brinn transmission. The two levers at the side of the trans is the shift levers, that the shifter assembly shown below will attach to. The shifter handles is what is shown above, on the right side of the photo. These are made of aluminum, and most of the time anodized, either purple, gold, red and sometimes black. Hopefully, this helps !! The transmission simply bolts to the bellhousing and "hangs off" the back of the motor. There is sometimes a mounting point under the tailhousing of the trans. Alot of time time, there is no mount so the trans can flex with the chassis. The cockpit is the only part that is separated from the underside of the car. Otherwise, the rear end, trans and all the suspension as well as the drive shaft are only encased, by the body panels. They sort of just sit there in the open....so to speak, but under the body. There are no belly pans on these cars. The only panel under the car is sometimes a 1/4 inch thick aluminum sheet under the driver compartment. To keep things coming thru the floor of the cockpit. Otherwise, it's open to the elements under there. Also, a Late Model doesnt use that rear end disengaging shifter that a Sprint Car uses. Since it uses a transmission. The rear end is always engaged to the trans. Placing the trans in neutral, obviously, allows it to be started standing still. No push trucks in late model racing !!!! Keep up the good work !!!
  6. Glad I could help Ken !! Your build is shaping up nicely !! That larger scale is definitely good to get all the details in there. On your 5th Coil/Torque Arm set up...........looks dead on ! However, the torque arm and the 5th coil really only control "axle wrap". They can also help to apply dynamic weight transfer back to the rear axle to aid in planting the rear end. Under acceleration, the rear end will start to wrap or twist along the axle line, and could pull the drive shaft right out of the back of the transmission. A torque arm is there to help with that. Along with that shock or spring rod, which is why it's called a "5th coil", there is sometimes a length of chain between the frame bar directly above the torque arm, and the arm itself. That change keeps the arm from over extending that 5th coil. Alot of the cars will use lengths of chain or stout cables attached to the rear axle, and the frame directly above the axle to keep the axle from over extending the shocks. That would also do what's called "over index the birdcages". Meaning the birdcage would twist so far around the axle, that it would bind up to the point of no longer moving thru it's arc. On an "underslung chassis" which is a chassis with framework under the axle, there is no need for chains or lengths of cable. However, on a chassis with no underslung framework, such as MasterSbilt, you will need to have lengths of chain or cable. Rear steer is controlled by the 4 link set up. Depending on how the car is set up, the links on the left rear will literally pull the left rear tire forward by a few inches to lessen the wheel base on the left side of the car. Creating stagger, so to speak. With a shorter wheel base on the left side, the car will naturally want to track to the left. Or steer to the left. Each chassis manufacturer has it's own baseline set ups for their cars, and then they will fine tune from there. The 4 links are rarely, if ever parallel. Under hard acceleration, such as coming off the corner, the car can be seen all "hiked up", and that left rear is jacked way up in the air. You can see the left rear tire practically rubbing on the back of the cockpit. This is the rear steer at work. When the car is all hiked up, it's called "up on the bars". When entering the corner, the driver will set the car by hitting the brake quickly, or letting off the gas. You can see the car drop down to normal ride height, and the driver will begin driving thru the corner. Once he gets back on the gas, the car will start to raise up on that left rear as the weight is transferred over to the right side of the car. It's called "side bite". Then the driver mashes the gas hard off the corner and the car is all the way up on the bars. This is where the lengths of cable or chain keep the rear end from going too far. At this point, the bars will be nearly vertical as the chassis lifts from the power being transferred. Again, the 5th Coil helps with this. All of these things work together, in unison to get the most traction as possible, thus making the car as fast as possible. The birdcages, are the aluminum blocks that the shocks, and the 4 links are attached to. They rotate around the axle so the axle can move thru it's suspension arc. The literally "float" on the axle. They dont move side to side, but will rotate around the axle. They are just mounts for the shocks and 4 links. Another item to add to your build is the "J-bar". This acts like a panhard rod on the rear end. It's called a "J-bar" because it's shaped like a "J". The curve, wraps around the pinion of the rear end, where the drive shaft mounts its u-joint. The other end, the straight end, will mount at a point on the chassis on the left side of the car. This "J-bar" will be parallel with the rear axle. However, the "J-bar" itself is never parallel with the ground. Just like a panhard rod...or in Nascar circles, a "track bar".........it controls the roll center of the rear end. It's mounted to a plate that mounts to the pinion on the rear end center section. It will have a few holes for adjustment in it. Whereas the frame mount of the J-bar will have several vertical holes for adjustment. Wow........I rambled on and on !!! Sorry for the "suspension lessons", but these cars have become very technilogically advanced, and it kind of facinates me on how it all works together. At any rate, I will be following along with your build as it has captured my interest !!!! Great work so far, keep it up !!!!
  7. Great project !!! Im very close to Dirt Late Models. I work around them every day, actually. My real job is designing and printing graphics for race cars. Ive done probably over 1000 Late Models as far as graphics go. So, Ive got plenty of experience around the bodies of these cars. I used to crew on a few cars as well, and your chassis is near exact. My side jobs include being the track announcer at two dirt tracks in my area, so I guess you could say that dirt racing is a serious time consuming "hobby" for me !!! One suggestion.......actually a couple.........for accurate body measurements, as there are rules for each sanctioning body, go to imca.com and look up their Dirt Late Model rules, or any of the sanctioning groups sites (MLRA, UMP, MARS, Lucas Oil, WoW, SUPR, etc etc.) and it will give you 1:1 measurements that you can scale down. Your spoiler is too high, as 99% of all sanctioning groups mandate an 8 inch spoiler. The front of the nosepiece should be 50 inches from the center of the front spindles. Also, these cars run wide-5 hubs, such as Wilwood. Tires are generally Hoosier, with a few sprinklings of McCreary, or American Racer. LM40's is the usual tire for open type racing, D55 is the weekly rules tire. 15 inch wheel. Winters, Franklin, or Tiger quickchange rear ends. Not like Sprint rear ends, with a live axle, but Late Models use axle tubes. Tires will all be the same width, across the tread, but slight stagger in diameter, of course. Left rear will be the smallest. BIG inch aluminum motors, with a BIG carb. Bert or Brinn 2 speed transmissions. These are internal clutch transmissions. Dry sump oil systems with the pump ran off the back of the motor. Rack and pinion steering. Generally 4 bar rear suspension, with a "J-bar" or biscuit rod used for a track bar or panhard bar. Also, the rear suspension uses a torque arm with a "5th coil", to control wrap-up of the rear axle. Shocks nowadays, are the canister type such as Bilstein. Shocks are a HUGE tuning aid on these cars now. A good set of shocks will run a racer around $5000 alone. Bodies, are an art form on these cars anymore. Each builder has his own tricks and styles. While they have to conform to dimensions, each builder puts different bends and creases in different spots, and has different ways to stretch the envelope. .040 aluminum is the body material. Roofs are either fiberglass, or aluminum. Rear spoiler is clear or smoked Lexan generally, sometimes made of aluminum. Nosepiece is a stock appearing plastic nose. With headlight decals. Front "fenders" are also plastic. As I mentioned, there are several sanctioning bodies that have rules posted to get your dimensions. Several chassis manufacturers, as well as parts manufacturers have plenty of photos for reference. Rocket Chassis, MasterSbilt, Rayburn, Pierce, Warrior, GRT, et al are the popular chassis. Plenty of photos out on the net for reference. Forget finding photos of a Bloomquist chassis. That guy is a fruit cake. Performance Bodies is a GREAT site for photos of bodies and parts. At any rate, just some info on the "guts" of these cars. Next to ol skool drag racing, Dirt Late Models are my cup of tea !!! Shaping up to be a GREAT build !!! Looking forward to more !!
  8. Just a couple of my cars that used your chassis and/or body................. Roland Leong's Hawaiian ......with the 3010 Cal Charger body on my own stainless chassis. Tommy Ivo with your Slingshot chassis and another 3010 Cal Charger body This one was sort of my favorite.......3010 Cal Charger body cut down to a shorty, on a piano wire custom chassis. Ive got 3 more that Im finishing up now. A Slingshot chassis with a 3010 body done up as the Jade Grenade. A Slingshot chassis with a 3010 body done up as Ramchargers. And a custom stainless chassis done up as Swamp Rat 13 with a cut down 3010 body. Pictures will be up when they're finished. I also see you're using those 1320 diecast Hemi's also !!!! Those things make GREAT slot engines !!!
  9. Hey Joe........I race at Irvington Model Speedway in Omaha. Alongside Gary Gerding. We're just getting the drag racing going again after a LONG layoff. They've got a Baby King and an oval set up along side the 1/8th mile strip. They moved the whole deal to a building in Irvington, which is on the Northwest outskirts of Omaha. Pretty neat little set-up. If you're ever over this direction.......stop in........they're racing on Wednesday nites, and Sundays. As for parts for modeling......that I will undoubtedly use on slot cars........definitely wheels, drag engine pulleys, injector stacks, BODIES...... also......photoetched front dragster wheels, Borani or Halibrand spokes. Depending on how deep you're diving in......we can always use resin parts. But, again......entirely on how deep you're willing to dive into the modeling side. Awesome !! Looking forward to the new dragster and the new bodies !!! thanks !!!
  10. There he is !!! Mr. Cardoza makes it to the forum !!! Joe Cardoza is a sort of God in the Slot Drag world !! He produces some very nice chassis, and styrene bodies. Top notch racing products, that are as cool as they are fast. In fact, I think all of the bodies above are his creations. I use his Slingshot dragster chassis for my FED builds, as well as the body he pulls that fits it. I like the way he's cut off the front of the body on the FED he has above, I do that same thing on mine. I went further and cut off the tail section to create a "short" shorty body to make a Swamp Rat 13. Joe.....some of the modelers here will most definitely be interested in your stainless tubing for the scratchbuilding they do. Especially for radius rods and steering/drag links. It's always very nice when I look at the slot drag manufacturers and know that some are modelers as well as slot racers !!! Welcome Joe !!! Still hopin you form some new FED bodies !!! That California Charger body works great, but I'd dig a non-tail section body !!
  11. Hey Chris..........great work so far on the frame re-work. You're close in age with me, and unfortunately, my hands shake so badly anymore, Im not sure I could accomplish that much tedious re-work !! Great job ! The details are what it's all about. I commend you on the attention to the minute'est of details. Im much the same way, very detail oriented. Your entire build is a great testament to your skill and attention to those details. I had one question........regarding your front wheels and axle..........since those front SuperTrick/Centerline type wheels have indentations to represent lug nuts.........were you going to scratch some hubs for those as you did on the rear ?? Were the real front wheels spindle mounts ? Being such a little guy at the time this car ran, I dont know for sure. Im just not old enuff to know if spindle mounts went back that far on Funny Cars. Only reason I ask, is that since you have dove so deeply into details, I was curious as to whether you were going to build some hubs for the front axle ?? Again......Im blown away by your attention to the real deep detail !! Keep on Truckin' !!!!
  12. Check out www.bracket500.com All the info as well as links to the major chassis manufacturers, and such. The really outrageous fast cars will be under 1 second, but there is much more fun in bracket racing. Any motor and chassis setup will be fast at any time, because of the index. Nowadays, their into cobalt magnet motors, and they are the fast cars. But, any ol' 16D is great for bracket racing. That website will give you plenty of info and links to more. Hope that helps.
  13. Last few.............promise............. LA Hooker Mustang funny car. Revell kit body, Slixx decals. Stainless chassis again. Didnt get the stance right on this one either. Mostly because drag slot tires are smaller than model kit tires and getting the right stance to the body makes the odd size tires amplified as they dont fill up the wheel wells. These tires are all 1 3/16 diameter by 1/2 inch wide. Model tires are at least 1 1/2 inches dia. and wider. Just a shot of a typical chassis set up. Stainless steel tubing, .082 main rails. .072 wheelie bar braces. Front axle plate is stainless, as is the rear motor bracket/axle carrier. Wheelie bars are stainless bars, with aluminum wheels and o-ring tires. All soldered together with acid flux and regular solder. Silver solder can also be used. Generally, a race ready car will weigh 100 grams. They'll run a scale 1/4 in a few seconds or better, depending on motor setup. The fun for me is in the building. I dont even car if I win, or even run the cars. Just building is plenty fun for me. Well.......that's it. These are the only models I have photos of. I prefer to use actual model car bodies, either styrene or resin, as opposed to the lexan slot bodies. Nothing beats the actual look of a drag car. Alot of that is lost in the lexan bodies. Thanks for looking.........have a great rest of the weekend everyone !!!
  14. More...........slot cars still............... McCulloch Revellution Demon funny car. Revell kit body, and decals. Built on another stainless chassis. Can ya tell I like the old skool drag cars ??? Another of my favorites, that I NEVER shouldve sold. Warlock dragster. JDS styrene body cut down to a shorty. Slixx decals, all built on a steel piano wire dragster chassis. MAS photoetched front wheels. I would just sit and stare at this car for an hour at a time. The Two Much dragster kit has one of nicest, and easiest to detail Hemi dragster engines Ive ever seen. And there are two in each kit !!!! I only changed the blower hats. I miss this car. Warpath Sommerset funny car. Comp Resin body, Slixx decals. Made my own rear wing and spill plates, but otherwise, just like the real car. Stainless slot chassis again. Great casting. Jungle Jim 63 Corvette ProMod. Fictional, but a fun one !! Unknown brand resin body, Slixx decals. Stainless chassis again.
  15. More .........all slot cars............. Roland Leong's Hawaiian Monza. Revell body, Slixx decals. built on a stainless slot chassis. Mongoose Barracuda funny car. Polar Lights body, Slixx decals. Red mylar back window, built on a stainless slot chassis. The wheels arent correct, for the time period, but the gold looked good, and they were the only slot drag tires I had at the time !! Mongoose 57 Chevy funny car. Revell kit body, and decals. Pretty big body actually. It's 1/24th scale for sure !! Bulit on a stainless chassis. The silver paint I used for the bumpers was attacked by the clear, thus we have some wacked out silver bumpers !!! Mopar Challenger ProMod. Reliable resin body, Slixx decals, with some of Sean Svendsens grill and tailpanel decals. Built on a stainless slot chassis. One of my favorite cars, and the first drag slot car I built myself. First ever resin body I built also. Shouldnt have sold it. The Green Elephant Vega funny car. Comp Resin body, Slixx decals. Built on a stainless chassis. Didnt get the stance right on this one either.
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