[lowrider]

I'm simply the photographer here and Steve will have to answer any questions himself.

The orange rear tyres were simply on hand in my Formula 32 spares container and Steve tried them on for size. He attempted a lap or two of the North London track but although the car seemed to retain plenty of horsepower, the diameter of the rears was just too small.

Detail pics.

I like the little dimple in the solder holding the rear 'U' piano wire brace where the builder held it in place with a screwdriver while he applied the iron.

Bus bars soldered directly to the brush hoods. Nice touch.

Over to you, Steve.
L.

 

[justDave]

Fascinating and very elaborate, Low. But why? It seems a lot of effort just to get more of the weight toward the rear?

David

 

[CJA]

Yes it was, but it worked !!.

Not just weight, of course, but gyroscopic precession as well !!??.

And then, there was the challenge of doing it.

vbr Chris A.

 

[RichD]

Another thing to try is to shorten up the can.

 

[stanleykirk]

And another one.

This is the Steve Walker version (restored) which featured in a thread here a couple of years ago.

He said the main problem was the pinion tended to desolder due to heat after extended running - smaller motors 13UO based motors quickly became the way to go instead.

Steve was always renowned for his neat work;

This is a link to the full original posting; SlotForum Steve Walker thread

Stan Kirk.

 

[howmet tx]

What I like is all the trouble the maker went to to shift the weight of the can back in the chassis, then covered the entire front end with lead.......

I think the key is, as Chris says, just the challenge of doing it. I have a vague memory of someone telling me that Ian Fisher dreamed up the idea purely and simply to build something that others wouldn't be able to copy. I apologise if that's wrong. But it fits perfectly well with the sort of conversations we were all having back then. Chassis makers always looking for the next trick, and most of us with no real idea why we were doing it, other than that Barry Magee or Ian Fisher did it first. And the thing is, the cars did get faster and faster. No-one ever built a slower, worse handling chassis. Or would admit to it.

Just like when the full sidewinders came out at Tottenham. Suddenly they were the fast cars, and of course everyone built them. For a few months, full sidewinders went round the track faster than anything else, but then I guess, someone built a better anglewinder, or simply the next batch of hot parts from the States didn't lend themseves to that particular set-up. Certainly they were a developmental dead end, but for a while, they couldn't be beaten. It's quite true that other aspects of the set-up may have been important. But it's all beyond me.

Steve Walker's car is a beauty though! No two ways about that.

 

[CJA]

Hi Guys,

it is more than a thing of beauty, it is a work of art !!!.

The more you look at it, the more impressive little details you see.

Thanks for showing that Stan.

vbr Chris A.

 

[tedm]

Beautiful work from Steve as ever.Note how he has "siamesed" the can cooling hole.If I remember rightly,PinC formula one chassis' also required surgery on the contrate to move the boss to the other side,at least until they were available commercially......the next step ,I think,was that everyone started to run a Tyrrell P34!
TED....

 

[justDave]

And doesn't the front axle also look beautiful?

David

 

[tedm]

Yes, Steve's cars were things of beauty-they went as good as they looked too...
TED....

 

[stanleykirk]

QUOTE (tedm @ 16 Oct 2011, 10:01) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>If I remember rightly,PinC formula one chassis' also required surgery on the contrate to move the boss to the other side,at least until they were available commercially. TED....

I loved those 'Taylormade' gun metal gears and pinions (72 pitch). I think the procedure was to machine down the original central core or 'boss' holding the grub screw and replace it with a brass boss which was then soldered to the gear. The one in the photo has a brass boss. Dave Harvey of 1-0-1 took over the supply of these gears from Taylormade and supplied both unmodified and modified gears, although I think the modified brass boss version was made by Pete Hore. In the process you could make sure that the gear ran absolutely straight when viewed head on. Steve may have done this 'reverse boss' modified version himself.

I've asked Dave whether there is any chance of getting these 'Taylormade' gears back into production (even just the plan vanilla version) since I do so hate plastic gears! He says that the original manufacturers are still in business and even still have the original specification and machinery but weren't willing to restart production when he asked a year or so ago. He said he would try to find out why and what it might take to change their minds.

When Dave took a sabbatical from Slot Racing some years ago, Ian Fisher obtained all of his remaining supplies of these gears at that time and is still rumoured to have a few!

Stan.

 

[CJA]

Stan,

I know it is slightly off-topic, but I would be up for several sets of 8/9 x 36 gears.

I think there would be a good market in the 1/32 scratch-build scene, world-wide !!.

vbr Chris A.

 

[superhornets]

Hi Chris
The pinion in can only alters the weight distribution and polar monent of inertia of the chassis
It does not affect the precessive forces generated by the motor
These are governed by the the weight ,dia ,and speed of the armature and its orientation with regards to being parralel to the chssis fore and aft centre line

Cheers tony

 

[CJA]

Hey,

I'm with you there Tony,

but don't forget for one minute, the effect, on the earth's magnetic field, of the orientation of the main straight on all the slot tracks around the world !!.

We can control the eco-structure !!.

Or not.

vbr Chris.

 

[superhornets]

Hi Chris
In my case ",or not "
Perhaps thats where i,ve been going wrong !

Cheers tony