AutoWorld bodies are indeed very nice, but QC for the chassis is shoddy. You'll find wobbly tires and/or wheels, axles that are not straight, bad gear mesh, etc. Although from what I've seen AW quality control is probably better than recent Racemaster's.

 

Oh, if you plan con getting some AW cars, avoid the "Flamethrowers", they have just a dumb design.

 

Ok. Thanks.

 

Both AW and Racemasters have their share of quality control issues. Both of them diligently honor their warrantees, so don't be afraid to judge it hard on the break-in/tuning bench.
It is fairly common for AW cars to have wheels pressed on crooked. The traction magnets help mask this, but it is readily apparent when stepping through the RPMs on a bench dyno. AW cars can be tuned in and run competitively fast.
As always, it will only perform as good as the sum of its flaws.

Nope, thats not a lumpy cam shaft.... Idle and revving up on 20 volts.

After installing a replacement set of NOS rear wheels from SCC with a wheel press.

 

Thanks!

 

AW, is a bit of a baseball game. Sometimes they can hit it out of the park, Nice when it happens. Doesn’t happen always. Roll the dice on the body you like the best. See how it runs.

Does anyone have any documentation to help out?

 

I put AW 4 Gear bodies on JAG DR-1 chassis for drag racing. JAG sells all styles of AW bodies individually.

 

I have an AW four gear under this. Much faster than Fred or Lamont would have ever taken it.

 

Love it.

 

Iconic truck, and one of the best TV theme music ever!

 

I want to hit play, but just thinking about it drops the ear worm. Happens every time I run it too!

 

Out of the seven or eight Xtractions that I bought, one ran minty out of the box but the first crash the front axle was bent. The rest need tuning and front axles/hubs . BUY FRONT AXLES when you buy Xtractions. Honestly, if you plan on buying and running Xtractions you might as well buy a wheel puller and press, along with front axles, front and rear wheels. The tires are generally pretty good.

On a side note, after we tuned up one of my friends really well, it almost kept up to a Tyco 440 X2. The thing was so fast stock its unbelievable.

 

My HO club has a class for Aurora Magnatraction and Johnny Lightning/Auto World X-Traction cars with modern Whelen Modified type bodies. I had gotten a lot of X-Tractions as race prizes, so those are what I have been running in that class. The X-Tractions do not have as many issues that need correcting as the Thunderjet 500 T-Jet types do. Some X-Tractions are fine out of the box, others may need some work. I understand that not everyone likes to tinker with their cars, but you might take a look at this article:

 

Thanks. I definitely am a tinkerer type of hobbyist but am only into the hobby for 4 months in full now, since October. So, I am just getting started. But I was an Electronic and I.T. Computer and Network Service and Support Tech and Printer/Copier Service Tech for 15 years and a Building Carpenter for 15 years and worked and did all the basic maintenance on my cars in the 80s and 90s when I had a situation that permitted it. So, I will be getting into tinkering with these little machines sooner rather than later but am just getting started. Thanks for the docs.

 

I like tinkering, likely my favourite aspect of all this craziness but I don’t like to have to spend money on axles and wheels on brand new cars.

I consider them good when they drive smooth without the neo magnet.

 

If you have a Hobby Lobby nearby you can find AW cars for like $20, online are usually more expensive.

I know this is not what you are asking, bus since you want to try new things I recommend you get a Bulldog chassis. This is an updated Tomy Turbo made in a better material. They are great out of the box and fit AFX and AW bodies.

I personally like a lot the LifeLike "M" cars. You can find them used ones in great shape or even NOS for cheap.

 

Unfortunately, I do not have a Hobby Lobby nearby, but also, I have very limited mobility due to disabilities and cannot drive myself around right now so I cannot get out to the hobby stores or even a Walmart of Target, of which there are nearby, easily. So, for now, it is online shopping.

 

If you feel you're spending too much money on axles. You can make your own out of a 36" inch length of drill rod. Just cut them to size. You need to find a place like "Metal Supermarket". They sell metal stock in small quantities.

 

Something else to keep in mind... an axle comes with each pair of wheels ordered from Dash. He has some pretty good deals on tires, too.

 

Double post.... stupid phone.

 

"(I) have tried Tyco Magnum 440x2 and AFX Mega G+ Cars and am very happy with them"--ehzpro

Do not expect an AW, even a "good" one, to keep up with those cars. It is a different, vintage, experience, and the only way to find out if it is for you is to...spend money.

 

Thanks. To be honest, I am going to use the AW cars mainly as Dragsters. So for the most part they will just need to go straight and fast for 8'-9" which is my Dragstrip Track as shown below.

 

I’m pretty picky about how stuff runs out of the box. I was annoyed with the Super III disasters and many AFX Racemaster cars.
I picked up a few XTraction cars to try out. I removed the traction magnet and run them on 12 volts. Overall, pretty happy with them. They work well at my lower voltage.
Having said that, I got five Dash Mondo chassis when they were offered. Great running car and an improvement over the XTraction IMO. Limited availability is the Achilles heal.

 

Wicker Bill, you might try OS3 TFX cars, those are sold as rolling chassis, Aurora and JL/AW screw post bodies are a good fit. The cars only need to have their pickup shoes adjusted and a bit of oil to run well. The tires need some run-in time to get the best grip. You could probably turn up the voltage.

 

Wow. Very noticeable difference from just a tire change. Amazing.

 

Somebody help me out.

Why do folks seem to prefer to drag race pancake cars?

 

Because everyone likes pancakes, they're delicious!

 

I get it now. It's because no one likes a sausage fest...

 

Can’t we all just get along?

 

I thought we were?

There's always a little room for joking around. Life is too serious without it.

 

What kind of slot car does the new President of the US race?

A Magatraction!

 

Politics...

 

just chill and race some slot cars

 

Wow. Great picture. Takes me back to my childhood. We had a family friend and business partner of my dad that lived in upstate New York, I grew up in the city, that had a very similar property and car collection. Thanks for sharing.