[Groomi]

QUOTE (loosesalute @ 11 Jan 2012, 20:40) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>That`ll be worth seeing Groomi!
Have you got any ideas how you might make a new steering system?
Steering is actually quite forgiving on them .
Cheers
Kev
I like how the existing steering works (apart from the excessive play), so I'm thinking along the lines of essentially remaking it out of brass with tighter tolerances. It would be good to make it look a bit more like wishbones too and ofcourse to squeeze in shock absorbers (possibly working).

I'd also like to use a blade rather than a pin, but if it's a straight replacement then it affects the way the steering works - ie the wheels turn with the slot, rather than the car running slighty wide before the pin is pulled to one side and wheels turn. I'm sure that's why the cars wonder around on an uneven straight and also why a simple S-bend can be a bit tricky - I like this feature!

 

[loosesalute]

Very clever indeed!
The only problem I find with FJ steering is that the car has to drive slowly through my Goodwood Chicane, or else it can de-slot.
I`ve got a few of the later c81 & c82 Cooper & Lotus cars with the elastic bands still intact on the steering. This doesn`t half tighten things up nicely!
Cheers,
Kev

 

[Groomi]

QUOTE (loosesalute @ 11 Jan 2012, 21:30) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I`ve got a few of the later c81 & c82 Cooper & Lotus cars with the elastic bands still intact on the steering. This doesn`t half tighten things up nicely!
Cheers,
Kev
Any chance of a photo of how the elastic band sits? I've never seen a car with one!

 

[loosesalute]

Give us five minutes mate. I`m on it now.
Cheers
Kev

 

[Groomi]

 

[loosesalute]

Here you are Groomi.
This is a French made c81 Cooper from 1966/67.
Luckily it is in mint condition so the band has survived.
It doesn`t half eliminate that roll you get on the front axles!
Cheers,
Kev.

 

[Groomi]

Great stuff - thanks!

So does the band loop back under where the undertray clips into the body?

I'm thinking if this was replaced by a spring with an adjustable mounting point, then it can become a tuning tool. Not for outright performance, because presumably the tighter the better, but more for equalising performance against other cars.

As an aside, I wonder how a simple friction damper (just a sliding rod within a tube with a bit of resistance) would affect the steering...

 

[loosesalute]

It does Groomi, & I think using a spring is a great idea.

I also collect 1/40 scale Jouef slot cars.
The cars made between 1963 -1969 use adjustable spring pick-up shoes. This also gives a car a lot more stability.
Cheers.
Kev.

 

[scuderia_turini]

Wow Kev,
Have often wondered how the band fitted. Never before ave I seen a picture of such a thing. This is an important moment in Slot Forum and probably in general Scalextric history. Hope you don't mind me grabbing the image (and no doubt others will do too).

Respect, Leo
PS -I have glued the steering units in but still have not glued...

 

[loosesalute]

I`ve got THREE with laccie bands on Leo!

You grab what you like mate...

Joking aside mate, I haven`t got a clue how they tied that knot!
Cheers,
Kev.

 

[Bigskybanker]

QUOTE (Groomi @ 11 Jan 2012, 13:52) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I like how the existing steering works (apart from the excessive play), so I'm thinking along the lines of essentially remaking it out of brass with tighter tolerances. It would be good to make it look a bit more like wishbones too and of course to squeeze in shock absorbers (possibly working).

Dave Jones made this wonderful brass steering system for a BRM P578 of his own design that was entered in a proxy race series this past year. I hope that Dave won't mind that I've posted the pictures of the steering system as well as his finished car.. the 1962 stack exhaust model. All I can say, is my hat is off to anyone who can build at this level.. I have more than enough of a challenge soldering static suspension systems.

Good luck with your project.

An avid BRM Fan (no surprise there I suppose).

 

[Groomi]

Wow - that looks stunning. I'm under no illusions of being able to produce that level of workmanship. My thinking for this model is just to reproduce the original steering system, which is essentially a flat upper and lower plate sandwiching the moving parts and the suspension being of the swing-axle type. If I can improve the look and the accuracy of it's function then I'll be happy.

Dave's work can serve as inspiration for the next one - perhaps one of those Porsche's...

 

[SplitRim]

Kev you're spot on as usual, the later "rubber band" guide is much better so I intent to use a modified version of it with my "upgrades".
I'f I'm going to start slapping paint onto them and sooping up the motors , does it matter if they don't have the correct guide!
Now where did those rubber bands go that came off the spring onions.........

 

[Groomi]

A little update. Still no physical progress yet as I'm working on getting the detail right before I start cutting things up. I've been particularly looking at the rear suspension and mounting points of the original car and comparing them with the packaging restrictions of the Scalextric car. Packaging is oh so tight!

Comparing the drawings with photos and with the car I have in front of me, I'm pretty sure that the Scaley body is too shallow - the belly of the car should be deeper. I'm thinking about possibly making a brass horizontal spacer plate, shaped to the effectively provide a filling between the two existing body parts - this could then be used to solder tubes to for the suspension mounting points. I much prefer this than trying to mount directly to plastic.

One worry I have though, is that I will need to apply a skim of filler to hide the brass plate on the outside (it'll gain the couple of mm of girth that the Scaley car lacks to the original), but I'm concerned that it may crack over time due to the different properties of metal and plastic. Anybody have any experience of dealing with this?

 

[Bigskybanker]

what's the depth of the body in mm?

 

[Groomi]

QUOTE (Bigskybanker @ 15 Jan 2012, 04:31) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>what's the depth of the body in mm?
Difficult to measure accurately without a vernier guage, but I'd say no more than 20mm from base of windshield to the underside. Visually, I think it needs about 1-2mm more - the same as if you place the two parts together without clipping them in. Ridiculous as it sounds - that sort of difference might make the difference between (relatively) realistic working suspension and not.

Managed to order a few bits and bobs today to help with the project including some assorted sizes of brass rods, tubes and sections.

Another question for anyone who may be in the know - I'm intending to cut down a Biro spring for the shock absorbers, but would love to have red springs. I'm assuming any kind of conventional paint will just crack and break off when the spring compresses, so is there some sort of flexible paint that anyone could recommend for such applications?

Really getting into the thinking behind this now - can't wait to start building something though!

 

[bwaminispeed]

13.6mm through the cockpit, so, pretty shallow for sure. That's 16-3/4" depth.

Biro springs won't compress in a 1/32 scale suspension, so, no problem of the paint chipping off. You will need something much lighter.

 

[f143]

Break open a small lock and the tumbler springs may be the right size.

 

[Bigskybanker]

No it isn't ridiculous, with these cars every mm counts!

Here's a picture of the Supershells BRM next to the Dave Jones BRM with comparative measurements:

Supershells Dave Jones
Length 117.0 114.3
Width 26.8 27.0
Depth Cockpit 14.0 14.7
Depth rear cowling 19.3 19.8

As for springs, you might try the spring in a disposable Bic lighter... it makes a nice set of four.

Cheers,

 

[alaskaracer1]

I work at a hardware store and we rekey locks, I think the tumbler springs would be perfect for this.