Lowering Revell Nascar kits?

[Jonathan]

I've seen some amazing builds here and I was wondering ... what do you guys do for lowering the Revell series of Nascar kits?

[1320wayne]

Not sure about any of the new glue kits as I haven't built one yet. But, as far as the snap kits go there are a couple of relatively simple tricks to do. One way to lower the front is to drill new axle holes above the existing ones. That will drop the front end down significantly. Another way is to lower the entire chassis by cutting away some of the screw mounts on the inside of the body. When you go to secure the screws it will draw the chassis farther up into the body. If you go this route then you may also have to sand/grind some of the leading edge of the dash as lowering the chassis will raise the dash up into the windshield area more. One other tip on the snap kits is to grind off a small portion of the axles, both front and rear. They are too long and the finished product has the tires sticking out too far. 

[MarkJ]

19 hours ago, Jonathan said:

I've seen some amazing builds here and I was wondering ... what do you guys do for lowering the Revell series of Nascar kits?

I totally agree with Wayne. I lower the front by drilling a new hole 1/8 inch higher for the front axle, and in the back I  cutoff 1/8 inch from the posts where the rear axle mounts. Then just cut off 1/8 inch from each axle.  It makes the model look a lot more like the real cars

[Jonathan]

What about the Revell glue kits of the '90's and such?  I have quite a few of those in the stash ...

[kitbash1]

48 minutes ago, Jonathan said:

What about the Revell glue kits of the '90's and such?  I have quite a few of those in the stash ...

Do the same as above. Drill 1/8 higher then the original spindle. Same for the rear axle mounting points.  

[dwc43]

They really should not be lowered at all. Rules require 4 inches of clearance around the cars when sitting still. They only get close to the ground at top speed when areo forces push the car down on the soft springs they use. They have been using the stiff bar, soft spring approach since the 90's. So, unless you have a driver in it and trying to make it look in motion, you might not want to lower it in order to make it look more authentic.

[Mikey56]

nah....it's all bout what you want to make it look good....as a former racer, yes, it's 4 inches at rest, but then again, if you really look at the cars at rest, the front tires are "leaned" out at the top and that looks silly on a model.  The chassis and suspension even itself out at speed and that's the look that most of us like to see in a finished model. looking authentic has it's merits, but getting that low to the ground, mean look...drop that front down to almost touching the ground!

I'm not blasting you dwc43...its all about what the modeler wants to see in a finished model....as someone said on here or another board:  instructions are one mans opinioin of how he wants the model to be be....or something like that!

[1320wayne]

6 hours ago, dwc43 said:

They really should not be lowered at all. Rules require 4 inches of clearance around the cars when sitting still. They only get close to the ground at top speed when areo forces push the car down on the soft springs they use. They have been using the stiff bar, soft spring approach since the 90's. So, unless you have a driver in it and trying to make it look in motion, you might not want to lower it in order to make it look more authentic.

I understand what you're saying but the rules in the 1:1 world won't always translate into the 1/25 modeling world. First of all 4 inches in 25th scale is hardly noticeable. And, a lot of the kits that we have access to, if built straight out of the box, almost look like off roading is in order. As has been said, it's all a matter of what the builder wants for a final look, without going to extremes, of course. 

And for example, here are two recent builds using the same kit. The top one I altered the ride height but not so much. It looks good, in my opinion.

The second one I went a little bit farther in altering the ride height and even though the front splitter is almost touching the ground I think the look is that much better. 

 

 

[MarkJ]

9 hours ago, dwc43 said:

They really should not be lowered at all. Rules require 4 inches of clearance around the cars when sitting still. They only get close to the ground at top speed when areo forces push the car down on the soft springs they use. They have been using the stiff bar, soft spring approach since the 90's. So, unless you have a driver in it and trying to make it look in motion, you might not want to lower it in order to make it look more authentic.

Here is kyle buschs car sitting in the pits. I don't believe that car is sitting 4 inches off the ground on the sides or front. In fact it looks like its sitting just like the second car posted above. The snap kit model if built stock looks like its sitting 8 scale inches off the ground, great for off roading. Seriously we should all just build are models the way it looks right to us.

 

Edited December 11, 2017 by MarkJ

[martinfan5]

9 hours ago, dwc43 said:

They really should not be lowered at all. Rules require 4 inches of clearance around the cars when sitting still. They only get close to the ground at top speed when areo forces push the car down on the soft springs they use. They have been using the stiff bar, soft spring approach since the 90's. So, unless you have a driver in it and trying to make it look in motion, you might not want to lower it in order to make it look more authentic.

The New kits ride heights are much out of wack, and need to be lowered and adjustments made to make them look better,  and I believe NASCAR got ride of the minimum ride height rule.

[horsepower]

Two years ago they adopted new ride height rules and different suspension types, now as long as it doesn't drag the track (actually that's your business but it will definitely slow you down) they NOW use just enough spring to hold the car up off the ground, and bump stops that are basically rubber biscuits between the shock and the a arms they use shim packs to adjust ride heights enough to keep the front splitter from hitting the track in the corners. They do have minimum rear quarter panel heights so the spoilers aren't lowered so low they don't have any drag, after all it's a trade off between downforce and drag, but on the road courses and short tracks the downforce wins out every time.

[Mikey56]

 dropping the suspension can be made several ways and we all have our "secrets" about how to do it.  some cut a little here and there until they get the look right....some drill holes here and there....some take a whack at it with a buzz saw and hope for the best!   only thing that I can really say is to look at it in mock-up, and see where you need to adjust a piece or drill it or cut it until you get the look and feel that you like.  my wife says that I can't leave a model alone and "just build it"....just do your thing to get the look you want....when I finish a model, truthfully, it's for my pleasure. I don't enter contests or post a lot of pictures, but I do love to build them!!

[Ace-Garageguy]

In general, you lower a model EXACTLY like you lower a REAL car.

This is where knowing something about how real cars function can be very helpful. In the reverse, modeling also presents an opportunity to learn something about real cars.

Drilling front spindles to relocate stub-axles on a model is IDENTICAL in concept to fitting "dropped spindles" to a real car. While that's not the way a real NASCAR vehicle front end would be lowered, it's a perfectly adequate solution for the millimeter or two needed here. It's also the solution of choice for lowering the front of ANY model with independent front suspension.

In the rear, shortening coil springs is how you would lower a real one of these, so shaving some height off the rear springs works on these models too. On the model, some adjustments to other suspension components may be required to get enough clearance or movement.

Mocking up the model as it comes from the box ("dry fitting") and measuring the ride height...and then mocking up the model without the suspension under it at the ride height you WANT, measuring THAT and subtracting to find the difference...will tell you EXACTLY how much you'll need to relocate your spindles or shave your springs...no buggered up guesswork or hacking involved.

And though I'm well aware that measuring and subtracting are alien concepts to a lot of people, simple grade-school skills can go a LONG way towards getting consistent results.

Edited December 12, 2017 by Ace-Garageguy

[martinfan5]