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Few Slot Car questions...


W-409

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These are getting very interesting, and maybe I should try building one....

Few questions:

1. What kind of frame these cars have? Brass? Do you, guys scratchbuild it or do they have somekind of ready sets for different bodies?

2. How about the engines? Where do you buy them and how big they are?

3. Bodies... They are lighter than normal plastic mode kit bodies? Where they can be bought? I've been thinking, that if I build one Slot car, I'll use some body from model kit first, and then while learning more, buying lighter bodies...

4. Tires... Where to get them? Are those front tires different than those, what come with model kits?

5. Other equipment? What do I need to build fast and working Slot Car?

Thanks,

Niko

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Niko,

All very easy questions… and all very hard…

45 years ago I could have pointed you to the local slot car track because there were two or three in each city and one in any town with 5000 population. But by 1970 eighty percent of them closed. I always suggest you go to your local hobby shop and support them if possible. But there are so few tracks now that really the only place to buy stuff is ON-LINE!

Where did all the unsold parts go when 10,000 tracks closed? Into storage mostly and that is what has been selling on ebay for the last 12-15 years steady. You want an NOS in the package set of freewheeling Buzco front wheels? Ebay has them and usually cheap.

You want a Pittman ‘padlock’ style motor? Ebay has at least two closing each week.

So if you want to build your slot cars with vintage parts… ebay is the best place to search for frames, motors, wheels, guides and the like.

But if you want inexpensive, modern motors and parts, then Parma still manufacturers and sells them. Professor Motor sells lots of stuff including Parma. Electric Dreams too sell lots of other manufacturers items, including a few they manufacture.

Other sites on-line are: NCP, Alpha, JK, EJ’s…. and the list can go on and on.

As for chassis… most builders scratch build their own with brass plate or brass rod! That is unless you are planning on a theme of Monogram, Russkit, Riggen, Buzco or whatever. Then it might be necessary to buy an unbuilt slot car kit on eBay which might run you a couple hundred.

Niko, the reason I have not answered your questions specifically is because the answers would take me a week to write and fill a small book. You see, it takes years to know what is what in the Slotcar hobby and not something I can tell you in one post only, mostly because of your last line: “What do I need to build fast and working Slot Car?” Besides frankly... I am still learning myself.

You have to learn to walk before you can run; so three easy steps can get you started.

#1 Buy yourself this Parma chassis and fit it to a nicely built body of your choice. It's plenty fast!

#2 Join Slotblog.net and take a few days reading about some of the builds and what goes into them. (This member of Slotblog is the very best. Read about a few of his builds and what goes into them.)

#3 Then with a little experience and knowledge you can try something different next and then you can ask more specific questions.

Hope that helps.

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I can only agree with everything that Jairus posted. :)

There is no magic formula to answer "What do I need to build fast and working Slot Car" as there are so many variables with track length, long/short straights, tight twisty, or fast flowing tracks, motor choice, gearing, etc.

Pretty much like real race cars. One set-up works well on a few tracks, but poorly on others.

The lighter bodies that you mention are clear vacuum formed versions, and are available in propper scale and slammed/aero versions for better performance. The vac bods are available from the links that Jairus posted, plus a few specialist body makers.

AMT was one of the many slot car kit manufacturers in the 60s heyday, and are releasing a few new slot car kits that may be ot interest to you.

Have a look at this thread on SlotBlog.

They would be a great start to get into slot car model building.

:huh:

Edited by slotbaker
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Thanks, guys!

Online is the only way for buying this stuff, since here in Finland we have quite a few hobby shops, and they don't sell Slot Racing equipment, I think. Maybe those Vintage Parts are not good for me, New parts are easier to get and if something gets broken, also it is possible to buy new part easily.

That Parma site looks very good, thanks for the link. Other ones are very good looking also. Does anyone know, does that Parma sell those parts to Finland? Or do I need to send e-mail and ask? :D

I was thinking, these are bit too large questions, but huge thanks for your answers.

That Parma Chassis would be very cool. Maybe I'll be buying it. That description says, wheelbase and ride height can be modified. That's great too.

That SlotBlog forum looks very good-registered.

And Steve: Those AMT Slot car kits look very good. Bad thing is, that they are quite expensive. :rolleyes: But let's see....

Mostly Drag Racing is my idea, but of course that normal Slot racing too would be cool. Don't know yet. ;)

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  • 1 month later...

The answers to your questions depend on several factors!

1: What kind of slot car racing do you wish to do? There are HO(actually 1/64th scale}, 1/43 Scale( a good compromise between HO and 1/32), 1/32nd ( the most popular scale for home racing}, 1/24 Hard body(Scale model style bodies on Slot Car frames), 1/24th Scale Drag Racing( Special Drag racing frames for plastic, and resin bodies on Special Drag Racin Frames}, and Commercial Track Slot Cars with lexan bodies on metal frames. In Commercial Racing at Commercial tracks, you have several classes, the most popular are the classes that use the JK Falcon 7,and Hawk motors, and/or the 16D motors from ProSlot, and Parma. These are mounted on stamped steel angelwinder frames, from JK, ProSlot, and Kelly Slot Car Products, The most popular frame is the JK Cheetah 11. these cars run natural rubber foam tyres and many use angle cut pinion gears. Most rear tyres are mounted on tough plastic rims, and the front tyres are very narrow O-rings on 1/2" metal wheels, the cars use guides with clip on lead wires for the motor.

Each type of racing is fun, so you can't really go wrong!

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