Robert H. Schleicher
MODEL ROAD RACING
HANDBOOK
D. VAN NOSTRAND COMPANY, INC.
Princeton, New Jersey
Toronto London Melbourne

-гя.
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ГАН

Robert H. Schleicher
ROAD RACING
HANDBOOK
D. VAN NOSTRAND COMPANY, INC.
Princeton, New Jersey
Toronto London Melbourne
Van Nostrand Regional Offices: New York, Chicago, San Francisco
D. Van Nostrand Company, Ltd., London
D. Van Nosthand Company (Canada). Ltd.. Toronto
D.Van Nosthand Australia Pty. Ltd., Melbourne
Copyright © 1967. by D. VAN NOSTRAND COMPANY, INC.
Published simultaneously in Canada by
D. Van Nosthand Company (Canada). Ltd.
No reproduction in any form of this book, in whole or
in part (except jot brief quotation in critical articles or
reviews), may be made without written authorization
from the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 67-18059
PRINTED IN HIE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
To Gennie, m\ wife and partner, in appreciation for almost
undying patience with a confirmed car 'nut" and model building
enthusiast.

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION	ix
1	GETTING STARTED	1
Why Model Road Racing • Which Scale to Choose • Commercial
Racing • Club Racing • How Cars and Tracks Work • Model Car
Motors • Controllers • Tools • Realistic Model Racing • Publica-
tions of Interest
2	READY-TO-RUN 1/32 AND 1/24 SCALE CARS	23
Trouble Diagnosis Chart • Basic Tuning • Revell Models, 1962/
1963 Ferrari GTO • Strombccker Models. 1961 Ford GT • Mono-
gram Models. 1965 Ferrari 330/LM and 275/LM Coupes
•	Aurora Models, Mustang GT 350 • M.P.C. Models, 1958 Scarab
•	Russkit Models. Porsche Carrera 6 • Tester Models, McKee
Plymouth Special • Rannalli Models, Honda GP • Cox Models,
1964 1966 Ferrari GP
3	BUILDING AND TUNING HO SCALE CARS	48
Advantages of HO Scale Racing • HO Driving • Basic 1Ю Con-
struction • Hop-up Kits and Techniques for HO Scale • Tyco
Models, D Jaguar • Tyco Models. XKE Jaguar • Atlas Models,
Porsch 904 • Aurora Models, 1963 Lola Mark VI GT • Aurora
Models, Corvette Stingray and GS
4	DRIVING MODEL ROAD RACERS	60
Controller Design • Controller Ratings • Controller Selection
Chart • Brakes • Corner Control • When to Brake • Accelerating
•	The Race
5 BUILDING PERFORMANCE INTO MODEL CAR KITS 70
Manufacturer's Instructions • Axle and Gear Alignment • Axle
and Chassis Alignment • Pickup Adjustment • Final Chassis
Adjustment • The Body • Strombccker *TC" Kits, Cheetah • Auto
Hobbies Kits, Cobra GT Coupe • Revell Kits. 1965 Chaparral 2A
•	Hawk Kits, 1956 Lancia/Ferrari D50 • Strombccker "Scuttlcr"
Kits, 1964 196(5 Brabham GP • IMG Kits, Lola T70 • AMT Kits,
1961 McLaren Mark 1 • Cox Kits, Lotus 30/40 • K&B Kits,
Ferrari 330P2
6	ASSEMBLING, PAINTING, AND DETAILING SCALE
MODEL CARS	100
Types of Bodies • Chassis to Fit • Body Mounting • Detailing
and Painting Injection Bodies • Color (’hart • Detailing and
Painting Clear Bodies • Finishing Touches • Helmet and Driving
Suit Color Chart • Scale Modeler’s List • Protective Coatings
7	CHASSIS, MOTORS, GEARS, WHEELS, AND TIRES 125
Chassis • Motors • Motor Tuning • Motor Rewinding • Gears •
Gear Ratio • Gear Ratio Table • Table to Determine l ire Travel
for Each Motor Revolution • Wheels • Tires • Racing Tire Size
Chart • Fraction Chart • Axles • Ball Bearings
8	BUILDING 124 SCALE CARS FROM COMPONENTS 149
Parts Selection • Technique of Soldering • Ixitus 25 Grand Prix
Car • Chaparral 2 • Cobra 427  Lang/Cooper • Maserati 5000
GT • Porsche 8 (hand Prix Car • Lotus 23 • Maserati 151
9	BUILDING I 32 SCALE CARS FROM COMPONENTS 176
‘ Pan Chassis” • Adding Weight • Silastic Motor Mounting • Pin
or Flag Pickups • 1964 BRM Grand Prix • Cooper/Ford • Tri-
umph TR3 • Ferrari 275P Roadster • Lotus 19 • Ford CT 40
• Lola '170 • Ferrari Dino 206 • Alfa Romeo Type 158/159
10 ADVANCED TUNING AND 11OP-UP PROCEDURES 206
Scale Diflcrences • Theory of Handling • Sidewinders • Weight
Balance • Smaller Cars • Lowering the Center of Gravity • Front
Tires • Further Modifications • Eliminating Vibration • Body
“Tuning” • Chart of Preferable Body/Chassis Assembly Tech-
nic pies • More Speed • Replacement Armatures • Replacement
Armatures lor Mabuchi Motors • Dewinding and Rewinding
• Dewinding Technique • Rewinding Technique • (’hart of Min-
imum Recommended Rewinds for Threc-polc and Five-pole
Motors • Wire Gauge Sizes • Chemicals that Increase Model Car
Performance
1.1 EXPANDING RACING SETS INTO COMPLETE CIRCUITS 230
The So-Cal Course • The Daytona International Raceway • The
Suzuka Course
12	ROUTING A CUSTOM TRACK	241
The Plan • Benchwork • Bill of Materials lor 4' x 8* Benchwork
• Tools Required • Table Top  Routing • Filling In • Track
Surface • Wiring • Power Supph
13	SCENERY, BUILDINGS, AND PEOPLE	258
Landscaping • Scenerx Bill of Materials • Tools Required
•	Building the Hills and Valleys • Buildings, People, Accessories
•	Detailing Bill of Materials
14	ORGANIZING RACE MEETS	265
Classifying Cars • Rides ♦ A Race System • Score Sheet
15	SPECIAL CLASSES FOR ADDED RACING INTEREST 270
Sports and Grand Prix Cars • Grand Prix Classes • Vintage Cars
• Sports Car Classes • Grand Touring Classes • Specific Examples
vii

Introduction
A FERRARI, Cobra, or Lotus just begs to be raced. But
how few ol us can afford the risk of life, time, and savings to challenge the
world's racecourses and drivers with such a machine. Yet. in miniature, on
table tops around the world. Ferraris, Cobras, and Lotuses are being
raced by people just like you and me. These race drivers campaign entire
miniature racing stables of sports, Grand Prix, Indy, stock car, or drag
racers with all the enthusiasm, skill, and preparation that would be
devoted to full-size cars. They change tires, gear ratios, and weight dis-
tribution in their cars: they alter their driving techniques; they practice,
practice, lap after lap, until even braking point and curve on the track
is memorized.
Little ol the color and excitement of racing is missing in these scale
models. A race meet may begin with the concours (felegance in which
your model car, a faithfid duplication of its full-size counterpart, is lined
up with its competition to be judged for beaut} and athenticity. Even-
tually, the race official calls you to your driving position, and through a
series of elimination heats or time trials, you race to determine your posi-
tion in the main event, semi-main, or as an “also ran. ’ If your practice and
car preparations were thorough enough, you find yourself at the starting
line for a 5()-, 100-, 500-lap. or perhaps a I-, 2-, 5-, 10-, or even 24-hour
race against the ven fastest cars.
You’ve got to push sour car and driving ability beyond what you
thought possible if you expect to finish a winner. Your car must be driven
around the winding, twisting course with skillful application of throttle
and brake to keep it constantly accelerating or stopping without losing
complete control. Apply just enough throttle to keep it drifting through
the corners. Too little throttle and you’ll be passed: too much, and you’ll
spin, losing precious racing seconds while the comer marshall replaces
the car. Then away again, accelerating out of the curve and on to the
straight. Brake near the end of the straight at just the right point to set
the car for drifting the next corner. You and your car are performing as
one, racing around the course at the fastest pace you can stand.
This, my friend, is racing! Racing with miniature automobiles to be
sure, but. racing indeed! Now, turn the pages of this book and let the
hobby sport of model road racing unfold for you.
IX
-f.fr 11 II II
c I I— 
I
1
Getting Started
THE MAXIMUM performance of any of today’s auto-
mobiles exceeds the legal limits for our streets and highways, so the utmost
in speed and handling can only be used on a race course. The best way to
judge whether the maximum performance of an automobile is being
obtained by any given driver is to pit cars of relatively equal ability against
each other in a race.
Many variations of the racing automobile and, consequently, kinds of
racing have developed over the years. There are stock, dragster, sedan,
sports, and Grand Prix cars. These are generally categorized as one of
three types: drag (a long, straight track), road (atypical road hi various
patterns), and oval racers.
Why Model Road Racing
In the carls years of model car racing, a number of individuals and
commercial racing shops tried all three types of racing. It was soon
apparent that oval racing (or figure-eight racing to equalize lane distances)
was strictly a car-builder’s type of fun. Once you learned the rhythm of
driving a particular figure eight or oval, it was simply a matter of turning
the power on or off two or three times a lap. No particular variation in
speed or throttle control was needed. The fastest car won. Some oval
racing still exists, however, primarily because there are many modelers
who continue to duplicate the full-size cars that race the oval circuits.
Although drag racing has established itself as a solid segment of model
car racing, the emphasis here is also on car-building ability. Most model
drag racers don’t particularly care to drive, but would rather build and
design for maximum performance.
The majority of ear-racing fans eventually decide on model road racing
because it offers all of the advantages of real road courses: a maximum
balance of acceleration, top speed, braking, and both right- and left-hand
cornering. Almost every type of full-size car, Irom Grand Prix through
sedan, can be raced on road-racing courses. It gives a lasting challenge and
offers a nearly limitless variety of races.
FIG. 2 All three cars are the same relative size in real life. Number I Ferrari 33OP2 is 1/24 scale.
Number 22 Iola T70 is 1/32 scale, and Number 119 Corvette is HO Scale.
Which Scale to Choose
The most perplexing question that faces the new model car racer is
which scale to choose. The term scale, when used in its most popular form,
defines how small a model car is in relation to a full-size car of the same
type. To clarify the idea, it might be helpful Гог you to imagine a block of
wood 1" x 1" x 12". This is a full-scale block of wood. If you wanted to
reduce this block to 1 ,32 scale, you would simply reduce all the dimensions
Io 1/32 of their full size. The 1/32 scale block would, therefore, measure
1/32" x 1/32" x 12/32" (3 8"). Similarly, a 1 24 scale block would measure
1/24" x 1/24" x 12/24" (1/2"),
2
The exact scale you choose for your models will depend mostly on what
you expect to enjoy most in the'hobbx sport. If you have visions of a vast
race course with four lanes a scale mile in length, and if your finances and
available space are limited, look carefully at the HO or 1 87 scale cars. 110
offers more racing per dollar and or per square foot than any other size.
Special “hop-up” kits for the popular HO scale cars and push-button speed
controllers have enabled HO fans to cnjox the same speed and driving
thrills that the larger scales offer. They can build a four-lane. 30' per lap,
HO scale road racing course on a 4' x 8' sheet of plywood and still have
room left over for racing pits, grandstands, and other scenic details. Com-
plete HO scale cars that duplicate most of the popular sports cars and
sedans are offered in either kit or ready-to-run form. Even HO Indianapolis
and Grand Prix cars arc available. If you enjoy racing with friends in your
own home, HO scale may be the best for you.
FIG. 3 Model cor racing con b« at roalittic at you moko Itl
The next popular model racing scale is 1. 32. However, there are several
sets that vary in size between the popular 1/87 (HO) and 1/32 scales.
These interim sizes often offer the best of both sizes. The cars and track-
layouts are small enough to allow a large layout on 5' x 9' tables. Aurora
з
offers two- or four-lane track, hot rods, anti sedans in 1/48 scale. S.K.M. of
England sells beautifully detailed Grand Prix cars, Mini Minor sedans com-
plete with steering, and two-, four-, or six-lane track in 1 40 scale. Wrenn,
also from England, has a unique track that allows up to three of their I 52
scale cars to run on one lane. It uses a lever to literally pry the speeding
cars out of their slots to allow them to change lanes during a race. The
Wrenn line includes most popular Grand Prix cars and two- or four-lane
track sections. Many English modelers use the numerous cast metal and
plastic display cars, with handmade chassis, to increase the range of avail-
able cars in 1/40, 1/48. and 1/52 scales.
Most early model racing enthusiasts selected 1 32 scale because of its
size and ease of measurement. A 1 32 scale track of really large proportions
can be built in an area the size of a single garage. The cars themselves,
though small, are large enough to enable a reasonable amount of detail.
Dimensions in 1 32 scale are simple to measure: each 1 32" equals one
scale inch; 12 32" or 3/8" equals one scale foot. The majority of model
racing clubs and the sectional track “set” manufacturers continue to use
1 32 scale for all curs, tracks, and components.
The newest scale to achieve popularity in America is 1 24. Most of the
excellently detailed passenger car models are either 1 24 or 1 25 scale.
Since most I 24 scale racing rides are quite lax, a I 25 car has no trouble
passing lor a 1/24 scale racer. Most sports and Grand Prix cars are avail-
able in 1/24 scale. Chassis and cars are easier to construct in 1/24 scale,
and the resulting car is usually easier to control through the corners than
a 1/32 scale car. For these reasons, 1 24 scale is popular with beginners in
the hobby. Many, impressed with the sheer size of the cars and commercial
tracks, feel 1/24 is the best scale to use.
Whatever scale you choose you’ll want your models to have the appear-
ance of full-size racing automobiles. To duplicate a car in miniature, you
must be able to measure the important dimensions of the “real thing” and
apply these dimensions to your model. A realistic model car is the result of
aptly converting to miniature all of its full-size dimensions and shapes.
These important dimensions and shapes begin with the first thing you
sec on a model car, the body. The bod\ determines the scale of the car.
The wheel cutouts, or fender wells, of the body must be spaced so that a
correctly scaled wheelbase can be used on the chassis. The over-all width
of the model bod\ must also be correct so that a correctly scaled track
width may be used. Both of these dimensions must be correct for a scale
chassis to fit properly under the body. A scale chassis should have correct
track width, front and rear, correct wheelbase, and approximately correct
tire diameter and width. Only b\ matching a scale chassis to a scale l>ody
can you hope to produce an accurate reproduction of a full-size racing
4
ear. Furthermore, the shape of your model's bo<K must match that of a
full-size car in as many details as possible, or it will not resemble the real
thing, no matter how correcth von have scaled the rest of the car. The
photos of full-size ears, as well as models, included in this book should be
an invaluable aid in selecting the proper body contours, colors, and racing
numbers.
FIG. 4 Commercial roccwoy centers feature track» such as this—the easiest woy to start racing.
(Courtesy American Raceways)
Commercial Racing
Your next consideration must be whoie you want to race. This will
depend on your personal likes and dislikes as well as your finances. In
every major city and in many smaller towns, there are model car racing
shops that feature their Own race tracks and sell racing supplies. Most of
these shops conduct organized races for trophies, merchandise, cash, or
other prizes.
Racing on commercial tracks is probably the easiest wav to start racing,
because you need only a car and controller to enter an organized race.
Often these tracks will rent cars and hand controllers for practicing and
open race times if you have not yet purchased your own. The commercial
centers do, by the way, charge an hourly rental fee for racing practice and
an entry fee for organized races.
The commercial tracks have less detail and show a smaller degree of
realism than private tracks since the commercial operator must allow a
5
greater latitude in regulations to please the largest number of people.
Don’t be too disappointed if the detail on the cars you see there is less
than in this book. If you find you prefer a greater degree of realism, you
can certainly build it into your own cars and possibly join a scale racing
club (we'll discuss them a little later).
The telephone book Yellow Pages list these model racing shops under
“Hobby and Model Construction Supplies—Retail" or “Slot Car Race
Courses.” The ads usually indicate whether the shop has a track. If not,
your nearest hobbv dealer can tell you if there is a commercial raceway in
your area.
The commercial shops generally race the type of car most popular in
their area. Many southern shops, for example, specialize in stock car or
sedan races, while some in the Midwest hold frequent races for miniature
Indianapolis-type cars. Sports car and Grand Prix races are by far the
most prevalent, however.
Cars for commercial racing must almost always be in 1 24 scale with
bodies, and have a 3-1/4" maximum over-all width. Further rules as to
scale tolerances, tires, motors, etc., will often vary from shop to shop, so
check very carefully with the owner before you build the car you know will
win. It must comply with the rules or you won't be able to race it.
The cost of commercial racing will depend on you. Occasionally stock
kit races arc held where only tires and gears from the model car kit may be
altered. For these races a single kit (eight to fifteen dollars), a set of
tires (two to four dollars), a set of gears that run best on the particular
track (again, check with the shop owner), plus your controller (four to
fifteen dollars) arc all that are required. More frequently though, the
commercial races arc for “modified" machinery where almost any brand of
part can be assembled into a car, provided the completed car complies
with the rules. This type of racing can be much more expensive since you
will want to experiment continually with different chassis, motors, gears,
tires, etc. The initial cost of a car constructed from component parts will
be higher than a kit or ready-to-run car, since these parts are theoretically
better or faster than those supplied in the kit. A component car can cost
between twelve and forty dollars, depending on how exotic a motor you
use, whether you use ball bearings or not, and the different motors, gears,
and tires you may buy for experiments.
The easiest way to get started in commercial racing is to rent a control-
ler—if you can—or buy one of the four- or fivc-dollar ones, and purchase
an eight- to twenty-dollar car, assembled and ready-to-run. They require
only minor adjustments to run well, and no particular modeling skill or
time is involved. By entering your ready-to-run in organized races, you
will get a better idea of your progress in driving ability and you’ll be able
to pick up some ideas and helpful suggestions on what modifications or
parts' changes would benefit your car. Most ready-to-runs will need differ-
6
ent gears, tires, and—sometimes—motors to win 'modified’ races: but they
all run well and will help you learn the "feel" of a model racing car. They’re
good for trying out your tuning ideas also.
Club Racing
If you have an aversion to public places or are a fanatic about car
appearance, you mav prefer to join a model car racing club or even form
one of your own. The only wa\, at present, to locate a local club is to
check with your local hobby dealers. Find out when and where the club
races and pay it a visit before you buy your car. Chib members will wel-
come anyone who is truly interested in their hobby sport and will help
you select the best car kit or ready-to-run for their track. You. in turn, can
better decide if club racing is really your area of the model car racing field.
FIG. 5 One of the lorgeil club
tracks belongs Io the MESAC group
in Hawthorne, California. Switches
allow six different layouts up
to 200' per lap.
Most private model car racing clubs run 1 32 scale cars, since few have
the space for the larger tracks that the I 24 scale cars require. The club
racers are often much more serious about their racing and are always more
particular about the appearance of the cars. The members are, on the
average, more experienced, and it will take you longer to combine driving
talent and car construction for a potential win than it would on a com-
mercial track. On the other hand, the club members will usually be more
prone to help you with building and driving—until you whomp them a
couple of times! Then, it’s your turn to help.
Club racing is usually about as expensive as racing in commercial shops.
The primary difference is that you belong to a group that is usually free
to exchange ideas and offer help. In addition, you have more of a say in
what tvpe of races are run and how well detailed the cars and track will
he. Clubs charge either dues or racing fees to help pay for the track and
the chib expenses. Prizes seldom consist of more (han a trophy, so you
won’t win merchandise or monex The rewards in dub racing, whether you
win or not, are more in personal satisfaction. You are part of a group of
people who are enthusiastic and understand the types of automobiles and
racing von enjoy. What is more, il is more fun to win over friends than
strangers, and to work vour way up from a newcomer to a real threat to
the club “hot shoes.”
FIG- 6 Even 4' x 8' <on provide racing oclion tor smaller club*. Th»» two-lane court» it detailed in
Chapter» 11 and 12.
You can start your own chib by collecting a group of friends or neigh-
bors to build a track and conduct your own races. The track can either be
assembled from a set or handmade as outlined later in this book. Here
you have almost complete control over the cost, scale, type of racing,
amount ol detail, and when you race. This is by I ar the least expensive form
of racing, for you can race a fifteen-dollar. two-lane 1IO scale set: or. if you
want the most expensive form ol model car racing, you can buy a custom-
built track plus cars lor six hundred dollars. We ll discuss this in greater
detail in future chapters, but before we get too carried away, let s take a
look at the fundamental workings of the tracks and cars.
в
WHERE DOES THE POWER GO?
How Cars and Tracks Work
First, they do not operate on direct house current. The model car indus-
try has established the voltage for all electric model cars at 12 volts of
direct current. A 12-volt automobile storage battery is used as a power
supply with a battery charger for recharging on some club and com-
mercial tracks. However, a storage battery emits highly explosive gases
when it is being recharged. For this reason it is preferable to use a trans-
former, operating from 115-volt alternating current (A.C. or house cur-
rent), to convert the 115 volts of A.C. current to 12 volts of D.C., or
direct, current.
The two pickup strips on either side of the guide slot in the track are
wired to receive the 12 volts of D.C. current. The model cars themselves
are equipped with a 12-volt electric motor which is connected by flexible
wires to the pivoting nylon guide at the front of the car. This guide rides
in the slot in the track to steer the car around the track. Copper brushes on
each side of the guide remain in constant contact with the two metal con-
tact strips on each side of the slot. The electric current is picked up from
these strips by the copper brushes and carried to the motor which, in turn,
is geared to the rear wheels of the car.
9
Model Car Motors
Figure 8 is a rough sketch of the primary components in a D.C. electric
motor. The electric current Hows into the motor through one of the motor
brushes. It then Hows into one of the copper commutator segments, through
the armature windings, and around the armature poles. This How of cur-
rent creates an electro-magnetic field on the armature pole which attracts
the armature pole to one of the motor pole pieces. Since each pole is off-set
slightly from the commutator segment to which it is wired, this magnetic
attraction rotates the armature shaft, lining up another commutator seg-
ment to receive more electric current from the motor brush. The stronger
the magnet is, the more magnetic pidl it will have. Thus the reason for all
the talk about heavy-duty magnets and magnet chargers.
The current leaves the motor through the armature windings, back to
another commutator segment, through the opposite motor brush, and back
to the power supply to complete the circuit.
MOTOR LEAD
WIRES
MOTOR POLE
PIECE
MAGNET
BRUSH SPRING
MOTOR
BRUSHES
COMMUTATOR
ARMATURE
SHAFT
MOTOR POLE PIECE
ARMATURE POLE
ARMATURE WINDINGS
COMMUTATOR SEGMENTS
MOTOR BRUSHES
FIG. 8 Thi* i» о typical DC model car motor. Many motor» appear to be dlff«rent; however, all
muit hare lh«»» ba»ic component». The ''Con" type of fully cncloied motor {jec Chop. 7) combine»
the magnet» with the pole piece» iniidc the caw. The bearing», bearing wpports, and pinion geor
for the armature »haft are omitted in thi» view for clarity. (Courtesy Model Car & Track)
Model car motors are precisely engineered so that the various compo-
nents balance each other to produce an efficient, high reving motor that
will operate on 12 volts of D.C. current. The slightest flow of current will
force the magnetic attraction so that these motors arc self-starting. If a
three-pole motor is revolving 5,000 times a minute, the magnetic attraction
is repeated 15,000 times a minute. The more current you feed the motor
through your hand controller, the faster it will rotate.
io
Many model racers have tried to increase the speed of their motors by-
increasing the power supply from 12 volts to 14, 18, or even 36 volts. It is
a tribute to the skill of the motor manufacturers that their motors will
stand this type of abuse for even short periods of time. Most motors can
take these high voltages for a while but eventually the wire insulation will
be affected and the motor will short out and quit.
The electrical circuit created within a model raceway can be compared
to the water pipes and valves in your house. The wiring serves the same
purpose as the pipes. The battery or power pack is the pump that pushes
the current. The amount of push or force is measured in units called volts.
The actual movement of electrical current is measured in units called amps.
The hand controller acts verv much like the water faucet valve in that it
stops, or resists, the How of current. The amount of resistance in an electri-
cal circuit is measured in units called ohms. The higher the resistance, or
the more the ohms, the more pressure, or voltage, is required to push the
current through the circuit.
Controllers
You will notice that the wires from the power supply in Figure 7 are
connected to a controller. This is the device, held by the driver, that con-
trols the speed, rate of acceleration, and braking of the car.
When model car racing first became popular, the use of on-off buttons
was the sole means of controlling the speed of the cars. To drive a car
through a tight corner with this primitive control system, you had to
rapidly depress and release the button to keep the car moving without
spinning it. The very first Scale.xtric, V.I.P., and Strombeckcr racing car
sets furnished these simple on-off switches.
Many enthusiasts in England and America had tried twist type rheostats
similar in operation to the volume control knob on a radio. These rheostats
were simply a length of resistance wire wrapped around a ceramic donut.
A metallic wiper, attached to a knob, pivoted in the center of the donut
and wiped across the windings. Electric cunent flowed through the wiper
and the, wire windings to complete the circuit. The larger the number of
wire windings that were included in the circuit, the slower the cars would
run. So, at last, there was a means of controlling the speed of the cars in
corners and when accelerating. The twisting action required to control
the car was, however, extremely awkward. Many early model car racers
would finish a race with a sore wrist from twisting the control knob.
The English firm of MRRC was the first to design a commercially avail-
able controller that was operated by thumb pressure pushing down on a
plunger. The old, round rheostat was reviser! to a simple, straight tube
wound with resistance wire inside the controller. The wiper, instead of
pivoting across the windings, was attached to the plunger so that it slid
и
across the rheostat windings as the plunger moved up and down. The
further you pushed the plunger down, the faster the car would run.
Virtually even plunger type of controller for sale (there are now over
thirty) owes its basic design to the pioneering efforts of MRRC. Only a
few of the newest controller designs have replaced the rheostat inside the
controller with transistors and electric-mechanical devices to control the
How of electricity.
FIG. 9 Three of lhe many hundred* of cor controllers. Two unlh a» right ore operated by thumb
pressure.
A few manufacturers felt that even the plunger design could be improved
and that a model car could be controlled more accurately with the index
finger. The American Russkit Company reverted to the old pivoting wiper
with one end extended to form a trigger. The donut rheostat was replaced
with a simple ceramic rheostat block. The whole assembly was mounted in
the now-famous Russkit pistol-grip controller. There are several other
brands of this pistol-grip type available now.
It still remains a matter of controversy among enthusiasts as to whether
you obtain better control with your index finger or your thumb. It’s
definitely worth while to try both tvpes before you decide.
From an electrical standpoint the controller’s resistance wire governs
the speed of the car. These wire windings are of a special size and material
(usually nichrome) with a specific number of winds, or turns, to control
12
the motor which requires a specific amount of electricity to nm. The
windings resist the How of electricity with the entire length (all the wind-
ings) of the rheostat, or resistor block, to keep the car from rolling. The
wire that is used to wind the resistor blocks (or rheostat), therefore, is
termed the resistance wire. As the wiper on the plunger of the controller
passes over these windings, more are incorporated into the electric circuit
between the car and the power supply and the car begins to roll.
Ideally, the last wind of wire will allow' the car to run at top speed, and
the full number of winds will just prevent the car from rolling. On most
controllers there is a metal strip located at the end of the last resistor wind
that allows full power to flow through the controller, by-passing the wind-
ings entirely. At the slow end of the resistor, the wiper will usually pass
off the end of the wire to an insulated portion of the resistor so that no
current can flow through the windings.
If all sizes of electric model ear motors required the same amount of
amperage to operate, the design and size of the resistor would be simple.
Unfortunately, different model car motors operate best on widely varied
amperage. It takes a large amount of resistance to prevent some motors
from starting; others require only a little. Some HO motors, for instance,
will start revolving with as much as 100 ohms in the circuit, while the
bigger 6-volt motors will not revolve until there is less than 15 ohms in the
circuit. As a consequence, one controller will not operate all types of cars
and motors.
The plunger lever of a controller should only move about an inch for it
to be useful. If you operate a car that needs 15 ohms with a 100-ohm con-
troller. you use up more than 80 per cent of the controller movement before
the car even rolls. You are. in effect, back to the original on-off switch
method of control. An HO car driven with a 15-ohm controller would
immediately run at 80 per cent of its speed. So, the controller rating must
be matched as closely as possible to the car motor you intend to use. The
manufacturers have rated their controllers at specific ohm ratings, so vou
have some idea what to expect from each controller. Most cars from 1/32
scale racing sets, or motors that draw less than half-an-amp maximum, can
be controlled well with a 30- to 45-ohm controller. Six-volt and large
motors need a 12- to 25-ohm unit, while HO cars need 55 ohms or more.
We mentioned that most controllers have a "full on" position past the
end of the windings. The last bit of speed in a racing car is controlled b)
these last windings, so the jump of power flow between the last winding
and the "full on" position should be as small as possible. The hotter or
larger the motor, the smaller the jump should be. A 6-volt DC65, for
example, requires smooth power flow, less than I-ohm difference, to pre-
vent it from jerking when full power is applied. Since this motor is most
controllable with approximately a 15-ohm controller, you should select a
controller that has a maximum resistance of less than 15 ohms and a mini-
13
mum resistance of less than 1 ohm. An HO scale car, however, will be
perfectly controllable with a controller having more than a maximum 55
ohms and less than 15- or 16-ohin minimum resistance.
Most model racing tracks are wired for dynamic brakes. A dynamic
brake is simply an open circuit across the motor brushes which forces the
motor to act as a generator as it slows down. Thus, the motor is trying to
stop turning rather than simply coasting to a stop. A third wire must be
built into the controller for automatic braking. When the controller is off,
a metal contact, which completes the braking circuit, is closed. When we
say a controller has brakes, wc mean it has this third wire and automatic
contact in the “off” position.
Extreme care must be exercised when a controller with brakes is con-
nected to the track on the closed brake circuit. If it is accidentally con-
nected to the power supply terminal, it will short out and ruin the control-
ler. For this reason, some controllers arc equipped with either replaceable
fuses or small fuse wires that can easily be replaced when burnt out. The
correct procedure for connecting a controller with brakes to the track is
as follows: 1) Be sure the track power supply is on; 2) Connect the con-
troller brake wire to the brake terminal post on the track; 3) Touch the
remaining two controller wires to the two track power terminals. If
neither wire sparks, connect them securely. If. however, one of the control-
ler wires sparks when you touch it to the terminal post, reverse the two
wires to opposite posts and connect securely.
Tools
With the exception of the HO scale cars, which require few tools beyond
a screwdriver, you will want to purchase the necessary equipment to
become a model race car constructor. Remember that your cars will assem-
ble, disassemble, and tunc more quickly and easily if you use the proper
tools. You will also find that your workmanship is much better and more
FIG. 10 Competitive model
racing machinery can be
auembled with Ihii minimum
of bond tools, a place to
work, and paint, decah, and
cement.
likely to last. The simplest tools you’ll need for 1 32 and 1 24 scale cars
are the screwdriver and the wrench for wheel and chassis nuts. These are
generally supplied with the car or kit you buy. From here, you build your
tool room to suit your interest and ability.
It is important that you have a place to work and a place to store parts
and tools. As a starter, a drawer to hold sour parts and an old breadboard
for a work surface will do if you can borrow the kitchen table on occasion.
You can assemble, detail, and tune any kit or ready-to-run car with the
following:
Scale ruler marked with 1/24 and
1/32 scale feet and inches
Gear puller for removing motor pin-
ion gears
Allen wrench to fit axle gear set
screws
Tweezers
Screwdriver (small)
Needle nose pliers
Hobby Knife
1 leavy scissors
Half-round jeweler’s file
Round jeweler's file
X-Acto razor saw
Any hobbv shop can suppl) the majority of these items. You will also
need plastic cement, epoxy glue, Goodyear Pliobond cement, and paint. It
would be a good idea to invest in a soldering gun kit with extra Nokorode
brand soldering paste and Ersin electrical solder. A small vise is also a big
help, but these items can come later.
I consider myself to be an average model builder. This is simply a way
of saying that 1 do not use a lathe to make my own parts, and I do not
carve my own car bodies. Few of you probably ever will, and those who
do certainly don't need my help in selecting tools. The rest of you may
FIG. 11 The Paramount Ranch
Race Course and my shop. Track
is hast to regular club events.
find some benefit in my collection of tools and iny work area; so, come
on into the Schleicher shop, home of the Unicorn Racing Stable, the Para-
mount Ranch Race Course, and. about twice a month, the club racing site.
The track was featured in the April, May, June, and July 1966 issues of
Car Model magazine and was constructed following the ideas used on the
Suzuka circuit described later in the book. Like Suzuka, it is a duplicate of
a full-size race course, Paramount Ranch in Southern California. The area
under the track is used for storage of books, old magazines, and parts. The
room itself is 10' x 20'.
My workbench area is illustrated in Figure 12. The parts’ cabinets with
clear plastic drawers are a great help in keeping track of what is where.
The bench is a big, old wooden desk cut to a compact 2' depth and raised
to a 30" height using 2 x 4s as legs. The large Compacted drill press is
for heavy drilling and tire sizing. I do most of the light chassis drilling
and grinding with the smaller Drcmel tool drill press. The tool itself is
removable for grinding. A Dremel foot rheostat controls the speed—low
for drilling, high for grinding. The tools on the board include the following:
Large needle nose pliers
Small needle nose pliers
Small round needle nose pliers
Small Hat needle nose pliers
Large diagonal cutters
Small diagonal cutters
Small end cutters
Wire strippers
Heavy scissors
Hammer
Strombccker jeweler's saw
X-Acto razor saw
Hacksaw
Small Micrometers
Jeweler's file handle
Medium Phillips head screwdriver
Small Phillips head screwriver
Medium screwriver
Two small screwdrivers
Cox gear puller
International gear puller
К & В gear puller
Dynamic gear puller
General Tools pin vise
Nibbiers
The pliers and cutters are all American-made, high-quality items. It is
worth the extra expense to get the best. Hidden a wav, but handy, in the
top three drawers is the balance of my hand tools:
Tweezers, clamp type
Tweezers, open type
Tweezers, aluminum
Round jeweler’s files
Half-round jeweler’s files
Flat jeweler’s files
Triangular jeweler’s files
К & В, Cox, and Revell wrenches
X-Acto #5 knife and blades
X-Acto #1 knife and blades
Ruler
Scale ruler
Hand drill, 1/2"
Assorted Allen wrenches
Soldering iron, 80-watt
Solder and paste
Epoxy, Pl iobond, plastic cement,
and paints.
Weller soldering gun
Paint brushes, #00, #0, #1, #2, #3
13 Above: these Inexpensive "Nibblers" ore о
lobor saver for 1/32 scale racing cars.
FIG. 12 lhe complete workshop area should provide
a place to store everything to leave the bench
top clear for working.
FIG. 14 You can build your own chassis to any size
or shape with these tools from American Edclstaal:
Brake ('confer/ and punch (feftA
Nibbiers, brakes, and punches are the only tools that you are not likely
to find in hobby and hardware stores. However, I'm sure they will be happy
to order them for you. These three tools are especially helpfid in cutting
and bending brass for 1/32 scale chassis "pans" and custom chassis.
The Nibbiers by Adel Tool Company, 4640 Ronald Street, Chicago,
Illinois 60656 are about the easiest and least expensive tools to cut
notches and slots in brass. Actually, they arc a hand-held punch that
punches oil a 1 I" x 1 16" chunk of brass each time you squeeze. You
can quickly nibble off a notch to dear a wheel or a gear in up to .040"
thick brass.
The brake and punch arc two useful metalworking tools made by Ameri-
can Edelstaal (makers of the Unimat modeler’s lathe). The two clamps
are attached to the brake, which is used for bending long strips of brass
into angles or channels. The punch will bend, cut, or punch 1/8", 3/16",
or I 4" holes in up to 16-gauge brass, as well as rivet.
You can make repairs or time anything you need in model car racing
with this equipment. 1 don’t propose that you buy it all now. It has taken
me fourteen years to accumulate these tools and Io break or throw away
manv useless ones. Use this list as a guide to avoid buy ing tools you’ll
never use.
Realistic Model Racing
You will realize the greatest satisfaction from the hobby sport of model
car racing if the cars you build arc, to the best of your ability, dead
ringers for their full-size brothers. The more that model on the track looks
like real life, anti for that matter the more realistic the track itself, the
easier it is for you to become part of it. It takes surprising!' little effort to
project yourself into the driver’s seal, to pit your wits and skill against the
track as a race driver. You can escape, with me and a few hundred thou-
sand more, into the realm of the racing automobile. What’s more, it’s a
world you created with your own skilled hands.
Л realistic model racing car doesn’t necessarily "fall” out of every model
car kit box. True, the detail on the bodies, wheels, and tires (all the parts
of the car you see when it’s on the track) is absolutely correct in many
cases; but. it takes a little extra to make any model car, be it kit, ready-to-
run. or handmade, into a true miniature racing automobile. Naturally, as
we discussed when we talked about scale, the size and shape of the model
must he correct. The little extra you must add is a working knowledge of
the contours, shapes, and sizes of details included in the real car plus the
ability to recognize those that were excluded.
An expert photographer or a professional artist’s success or failure is
usually judged by how well he captures the feeling of his subject. The
18
same is true of model car builders. The true character of a racing car is
much more than the simple shape or size of the body. The location ol the
body scoops and vents, the shape of the windshield, the wheel style, the
size, style, and location of the racing numbers, and, most important, the
color ol the car and its stripes or other markings determine whether it is
just a racing car or a unique and particular racing car. Jim Hall’s (Chapar-
rals are a good illustration of this. We all know that they arc white cars
with (usually) brown lower panels and black numbers. The body has an
unusual pointed nose with a spoiler on the tail. Most of us would recognize
a photograph, or the car itself, instantly. But, paint the car red, or open
a huge grill in the nose, or change any of the important details and even
an expert would have difficulty in identifying the car.
Now cop\ a particular Chaparral as it appeared at a particular race.
Form the exact fender lips, the headlights, the fins under the nose (called
diaplanes), the various body scoops, louvres ami openings, the right size,
shape, and style numbers, and. of course, use the correct color. When
your model is complete, you have stolen a bit of life, a racing Chaparral
in miniature, and now it’s up to von to try to duplicate the driving skill of
its original driver.
Obviously, to become familiar enough with a particular race car to
model it, you must cither see it or pictures of it. In most cases, the picture
is better because it has an infinite memory. The more pictures you can get,
taken from different angles, the more accurate vour model will be. Again,
assume the role of the photographer or artist and study the details of the
real car, constantly referring to them as you build vour model.
In the chapters that follow, you will find photographs of over forty
racing automobiles that I consider the most fascinating in the world. Each
is placerl opposite a photograph of a model. In some cases, I have tried to
duplicate the lull-size car precisely. Other models arc different miniature
examples of the same car to show other paint and number schemes that
were used. There is a listing, under the photographs of the actual cars,
indicating exactly which car is in the photo, where and when it raced,
who drove it, how well it finished, the correct color scheme, and the correct
body details. The same information is supplied for the car that inspired
the model cars in these chapters. Variety, both in numbers and colors, is
one of the attractions of full-size racing, so there are further listings under
each photograph of other numbers, colors, and background data of similar
cars. You may want to duplicate several models of slightly different exam-
ples of the same car.
After the body details, on the list of full-size car data, you will find a
series of letters and numbers. This refers to specific books or magazines
where photographs of each car are published. If the publication has a color
photo, the word “color" appears in parenthesis. The name of the book or
19
magazine and the month, year, or volume number are abbreviated accord-
ing to the following code:
Publications of Interest
ABBREVIATION
AQ (date)
AY (date)
CD (date)
CM (date)
FC <500-65
HPC (date)
PUBLICATION
Automobile Quarterly. Issue number' volume number.
Hardbound book published four times a year. Single
copies $5.95. Subscription $21.00 per year from publishers:
Automobile Quarterly. Inc.. 333 E. 46th Street. New York.
N.Y. 10016; or Autobooks, 2900 T Magnolia, Burbank,
California 91505. Most back issues available. Most!) clas-
sic, antique, and futuristic; little current racing. Many
color photos and paintings.
Automobile Year. issue number. Hardbound book pub-
lished aumialh. Numbers 1. 1. 5. 6. 7. 8 fa $9.95. Numbers
9, 10, 11. 12, 13 @ $12.50. From Autobooks. 2900 T Mag-
nolia. Burbank. California 91505. Excellent international
racing coverage with some color photos. Number 13 is the
1965 issue.
Car 6 Driver. Year month. MonthK magazine, 600 per
cop\ at newsstands. Subscription $6.00 per year from Ziff
Davis Publishing Company, 307 North Michigan Avenue,
Chicago, Illinois 60601. Good racing and technical cov-
erage on full-size cars. Some back issues available.
Car Model. Year month. Monthh magazine. 50e per copy
at newsstands and some hobbv shops. Subscription $6.00
per year from OLR Publishing Company. 30 E. 20th
Street, New York N.Y. 10003. Model cars exclusively. Most
back issues available.
Floyd Clymer s Indianapolis 500 Yearbook, 1965. Paper-
back book published annually, $3.00 per copy from Floyd
Clymer Publishing. 222 North Virgil Avenue, Los Angeles,
California 90004; or Autobooks, 2900 T Magnolia, Burbank,
California 91505. Best coverage on Indianapolis cars. Some
back issues available.
High Performance Cars. Year. Magazine published annu-
ally, $3.00 per copy from Autobooks, 2900 T Magnolia,
Burbank, California 91505. Full-size cars, half racing, half
road tests.
20
MC (date)
МСТ (date)
MCS (dale)
NM
Per.
R (?/?)
RT (date)
SCG (date)
Model Cars, month vear. Monthl) magazine, 50c’ per
copy. Subscription $5.00 per year from Eastern News Dis-
tributors Inc., 255 7th Ac enuc. New York, N.Y. 10001, Back
issues from publisher: Model Aeronautical Press Ltd.,
13 35 Bridge Street, Hemel Hempstead. Hertfordshire.
England. Minimum $1 00 order by international monev
order. Model car plans are also available from the pub-
lisher. three for $1.00 (semi stamped, self-addressed
envelope for lull list). Exclusive!) model cars.
Model Car b Track, month vear. Monthly magazine, 50c
per copy at newsstands and some hobby shops. Subscrip-
tion $5.00 per year from publisher: Delta Magazines Inc..
131 Barrington Place. Los Angeles. California 90049. Ex-
clusively model racing cars. Back issues available from
publisher.
Model Car Science, month vear. Mouthy magazine, 35c
per copy at newsstands and some hobby shops. Subscrip-
tions $4.00 per year from Delta Magazines, Inc. Exclu-
sively model cars.
The New Matadors. Hardbound book by Ken Purdy,
photos by Horst Baumann. $20.00 from Bond Publishing,
834 Production Place, Newport Beach, California 92663,
or Autobooks. All photos in color. Excellent racing and
background of “the race,” full-size cars.
Personal photos and measurements by author.
Raceway, volume issue. Monthh magazine, 50c per copy,
subscription $2.00 per vear from publisher: Riverside In-
ternational Raceway, 6067 Hollywood Boulevard, Holly-
wood, California 90028. Pull-size cars. Official publication
of the raceway. Photos of all major events. Few back
issues available.
Road & Track, month year. Monthh magazine. 60e per
copy at newsstands. Subscription $6.(X) per year from
Bond Publications Inc., 834 Production Place, Newport
Beach, California 92663. Good racing and technical cov-
erage on full-size cars. Some color photos. Back issues
available.
Sports Car Graphic, month vear. Monthls magazine, 50e
per copy at newsstand. Subscription $5.00 per year from
Peterson Publishing Company, 5959 Hollywood Boule-
vard, Los Angeles, California 90028. Best Racing cover-
age on full-size cars. Few back issues available.
ai
SM
Scale Modeler, date. Bi-monthly magazine, Sl.(X) per cop}
at newsstands. Subscription $5.50 per year from Challenge
Inc., 7376 Greenbush Avenue, North Hollywood, Califor-
nia 91605. Mostl} airplanes and military.
This list of references was used to prepare and detail all of the model
cars in this book as well as to provide the correct information on the
full-size cars. Use as man\ of the full-size automobile books and maga-
zines as you can afford. They will give you a steady stream of prototype
information and photographs to work from. The model car magazines
will keep you informed of the latest products and technical developments
in the hobby and occasionally will feature photo articles or plans on full-
size racing cars.
22
2
Ready-to-run
1/32 and 1/24 Scale Cars
RACING A model car does not necessarily mean build-
ing it from a kit or a collection of components. Unfortunately, a surpris-
ingly large number of people are so taken b\ the “I-built-it-mysell’’ idea
that they fail to investigate other approaches. If you are new to the hobby,
or frustrated by a poorly running kit you have assembled, bend just a
little—buy one ready-to-run.
II you want to race on a commercial track, start with a I 24 scale
car. If your 1/24 car is part of a racing set—track, controllers, and ready-
to-run cars—and you would like to compete on a commercial track rather
than on your own racing track, you can do so by hopping up the motor
and replacing some of the parts. Tuning information for a 1 24 scale
home racing set car is given in Chapters 5 and 10.
If you would like to race on a private club track, a 1. 32 scale home
racing set car can form the basis of a really competitive racer. Again
refer to Chapters 5 and 10 for tuning and hop-up data.
Whichever type of model car you prefer—1 24 scale commercial or
home racing set car. or I. 32 scale club or home racing set car—the fol-
lowing information should keep it running and looking better than new.
Before you go out to beat the model racing world, use your ready-to-run
car as a tool of knowledge to gain experience in how it runs, how to
drive, and how to get the most from what you have. Bun the car as fast
as you can for at least four to six hours total time. It’ll take about half
this lime just to get the motor and bearings broken in. While you’re run-
ning, compare the car to others that may be on the track to see how well
it handles and accelerates. Make mental or written notes of what it seems
to take, or what doesn’t seem to be working properly. Do not expect the
23
car to be as fast as the super-modified cars you max run against on a
commercial or club track. With a little work, it should handle the corners
as well as anything running. If it doesn’t, note what the car does in the
corners, or going into them, or accelerating out of them. I’ll tell you later
how to correct it.
While becoming familiar with your car and the model racing track, you
will undoubtedly encounter some trouble. Racing car parts will work
loose, get broken, or simply wear out. The Trouble Diagnosis (’hart below
will give you the fastest solutions or remedies.
Symptom
Car won't run. Con-
troller is cool to the
touch.
Car won't run. Motor
is hot and/or buzzing.
Car won't run.
Controller and track
found to be OK.
Motor docs not run
or heat.
TROUBLE DIAGNOSIS CHART
Remedy
1	Cheek braid on pickup to be sure it is clean and touch-
ing track strips.
2.	Check to see that controller clips arc tight or that the
controller is plugged in tightly.
3.	Try another controller.
4.	Try another car.
5.	If neither steps 3 nor 4 work, check track power and
track on-off switch.
I.	Check to see if tires are touching Ixxly. Bend body
mounts to correct alignment or straighten tires- and glue
to wheels.
2.	Check to see that rear axle spins freely by hand. If not.
adjust rear wheels and/or rear bearings to correct.
3	Check to be sure gears are in correct adjustment. Re-
adjust if necessary.
4.	Check motor shaft by spinning it by hand. If tight,
check to see (a) if motor brushes are in place; (b) if
both motor bearings are in place. If in doubt, remove
motor, disassemble, ami clean. Replace hearings and/or
brushes.
I.	Check connections and wires to pickup. Feel the in-
sulated portion of wire near the pickup to see if it
bends easier than the balance of wire. If in doubt, re-
place both lead wires.
2.	Check for oil or dirt on the motor brushes or commu-
tator. Clean if necessary.
3-	Examine motor windings through inspection hole in
motor to see if any are loose. If loose, replace motor, or
armature, or rewind armature.
•I. Check to be sure motor shaft is free anti both bearings
arc in place. If in doubt, disassemble and clean motor.
5. Check for steel shavings inside motor. Remove by wash-
ing and brushing with solvent.
24
Car runs noisily.	1. Check for correct gear adjustment and tightness. Adjust
or replace.
2.	Cheek to be sure motor is mounted tightly.
3.	Check to be sure both gears are mounted tightly.
•1. Cheek to sec that the motor shaft does not hit axle geai
adjusting screw. II so, shorten motor shaft by removing
motor and filling end of shaft.
5. Cheek to see that gears do not touch body or frame.
6. Check all rotating parts of motor and wheel tire/axle to
be sure they are not rubbing the body or frame. Adjust
if necessary.
note: Remedies are listed in the most frequent
order of occurrence. Always start with num-
ber one and proceed in order until trouble
is eliminated.
Basic Tuning
When you have become familiar with your car and your abilities as a
driver, you will want to correct the more obvious malfunctions of your
model racer—to tune and adjust it to get the best possible performance.
First, let’s examine the car a feature at a time and get everything oper-
ating the way it should be.
CLEANLINESS. Before you begin, remove the bods and clean all traces
of oil and dirt from all bearings, gears, and from the corners of the chassis.
Lacquer thinner, a pipe cleaner, an old tooth brush, and a rag will help
speed things up.
PICKUP shoe. First, check the car on the track or by setting it on two
books of the same thickness, laid flat and edge to edge, so that the gap
between them simulates the slot. Both front wheels must rest on the
track. If only one does, bend the frame until both touch. If both front
tires are off the track, bend the pickup braid up against the pickup until
both front tires do touch. In some rare cases you may have to replace the
pickup shoe with one of Revell’s #R3507 (3/16" post) or #R3508 (1/8"
post), or Monogram’s #SR1304 (1/8" post) to allow the braid to flatten
out enough.
Use a small nail or ice pick to unravel the pickup braid into individual
strands of wire. Brush them out straight back and flatten with your fingers
or pliers so the greatest number of strands will touch the track. File off
the flattened braid until copper shows through, then recheck the car on
the track or on two books to be sure both front wheels still touch. Check
the collar or retaining screw that holds the pickup shoe into the frame.
25
It should be tight enough so that the bottom of the pickup blade cannot
rock or vibrate more than 1/16", and loose enough so that the pickup
swivels freely from side to side at least 60 degrees in each direction. Also,
check the frame and body so they do not interfere with its travel at any
angle or position within this 120 degrees of travel. Apply a drop of oil
to the pivot pin of the pickup.
FIG. 15 The pickup shoe should extend all the way into the slot with the pickup broid Flattened
out to allow both front wheels to touch the track.
FIG- 16 Pickup braid will provide more constant electrical flow if it it unbraided and brushed
out into strands.

front wheels and tires. Be sure they spin freely and that there is
no more than 1/64" movement from side to side. If necessary, loosen
the lock nuts and adjust. Remove the tires and glue them back onto the
wheels with Goodyear Pliobond. Revolve the tire, holding the wheel
still, and adjust it until it is perfectly round and free from wobble. If you
cannot eliminate tire wobble, remove it and check the wheel. If either
wheel or tire is wobbly, replace it; don't try to straighten it. Whenever
you replace a bent wheel, remove the axle and all nuts, gears, and wash-
ers from it. Roll the bare axle on a perfectly Hat glass to be sure it is not
bent. If it is. replace it. With both front tires glued to the rims, perfectly
round and free to spin, apply one drop of oil to the front axle and behind
each wheel. Be sure the smooth. Hat face of the wheel-jam nut is against
the wheel.
motor and gear adjustment. Clean out the interior of the motor
thoroughly. Wood alcohol is better for this than lacquer thinner. Be sure
to dry thoroughly. Do not disassemble the motor unless you are certain
it has some internal damage. In Chapter 10, we ll discuss specific modi-
fications, but for now let’s concentrate on just making what you have on
hand run properly.
Check the gear adjustment. If you can rotate the tire, axle, and gear
1/8" or more, measured at the tire, without moving the motor shaft and
gear, they need adjustment. Loosen the motor mounting screws and/or
the axle gear screw. Slide about an inch-square piece of newspaper be-
tween the two gears at the point where they mesh, and slide the motor or
gear over so the paper is clamped tightly between the gears. Tighten the
screws, remove the paper; the gears arc adjusted. On cars with side-
winder motors, where the motor shaft is parallel to the rear axle, check
to see that neither the gear nor the motor shaft touches the tires. If
necessary, file the end of the shaft or gear so it will clear.
rear wheels and tires. The "go” comes out at the rear tires. More
than anything else, they affect the performance of your car, so make them
perfect. Follow the same steps outlined for the front tires so that they
are round, glued to the rims and have no side play. After the Pliobond has
dried for about four hours, measure both tires carefully to be sure they
are exactly the same diameter. If not, place the car on the track or connect
a 12-volt D.C. power supply to the pickup and use the car’s motor to
spin them. Hold a piece of fine-grade sandpaper or emery cloth under the
oversize tire and sand to match. At the same time, round off about 1/16"
of the inner and outer edges of both rear tires. Finally, apph a drop of
oil to each bearing.
27
FIG 17 Sond the squorc edges ofl foam rubber tire» to prevent wheel hop in the corner».
body. If the car has a clear plastic body, place a layer or two of mask-
ing tape behind I he mounting holes to reinforce them. The bod) should
be secured tightly to the chassis. If the mounting brackets allow it to
rub the tires or gears, it will be a constant source of trouble. A body
mounting bracket (try Cox or Dynamic) in addition to those on the car
may be needed. In any case, check it over to be certain it does not inter-
fere with any of the moving parts ol the chassis. You may, at this time,
want to add some detail to the bod). paint the driver, etc., as outlined
in Chapter 6.
I have outlined a simple, basic tuning procedure. Practice it and re-
member it. for it will apply to any oar you build. The entire schedule
should be checked out after even eight to twelve hours running or when-
ever your car is involved in an accident and hits the floor. This happens
occasionally, and when it docs, check out the car complete!) to avoid
permanent damage to the motor or gears.
Yon will probably need to make gear or tire changes to suit the type
of tracks you race on. Check with the shop owners if you are racing on a
commercial track or with club members if racing with a private club to
find out the best gear ratio and tire for their tracks. Generally, they can
suggest the proper gears to substitute. (The system of gear changes is
too complicated to properl) cover here, but Chapter 7 gives all the infor-
mation needed.) If the rear tires need to be changed, be sure they are
the same size as those on the car. If not, some shops will trim them to
size, or you can temporarily mount them on an old axle in a hand drill
or drillpress and sand to within 1 32" of the right size. Mount them on
28
the wheels first.
The following pages outline nine of the most popular 1 32 set cars
and 1/24 commercial raceway cars with specific alterations that will be of
the most benefit to each. We also begin the series of references to full-
size cars, giving pictures and information to help sou in detailing your
models for the greatest realism.
A number of other brands of ready-to-rim cars are also available, and
new ones are introduced every month. The cars reviewed were selected
because (a) they are widely available, and (b) they live up to their own
type of racing. Naturally, there is not enough space to review, or even
catalog, all the available cars Similar chassis of other brands not included
still require the same tuning and maintenance as outlined throughout
the car and sand them down the final I 32". Kemember to glue them to
this book.
29
1962/1963 FERRARI GTO
Hie cars shown here were the licit to carry the model designation GTO. which
meant, at the time, Grand Touring (GT) homologated (omalgato in Italian). Homolo-
gated was the term used by the international ruling committee (F.I.A.) to describe
cars that are to be produced in quantity. Actually, only a handful of GTOs were
produced, hut the name remained. The ear was derived from the earlier Ferrari
Berlinetta and it first appeared without the lip or spoiler on the tail. Most of the
racing cars, however, did have the spoiler. The GTO was the most successful GT car
during 1962 and 1963.
Specifications
Wheelbase: 94.5 inches
Track Width: Front/Rcar 54/53-7
Over-all Length: 172.5 inches
Over-all Width: 64 inches
Front Tires: 6.00 x 15
Rear Tires: 7.00 x 15
FIG. 18 The lull-size cor: Ferrari GTO driven by Frank Crane at laguna Seco 1963. JDavc
Friedman; courtety American Model Raceway»)
NUMBER DRIVER(S)
RACE FINISHED COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
9
24
19
3S
120
18
Frank Crane
Phil Hill
Laguna Seen
*63
Sebring '62
2nd (won
GT class)
NoblctZ	Lc Mans '62 2nd (won
Guichet	GT class)
Piper/Bianchi Daytona ‘64 2nd
Mairesse/
Parkes
Pedro
Rodriguez
Nurburgrlng 2nd
*62
Daytona Con- Won
tinental ‘63
PLANS: Model Car Plan Service, ••‘MM/785, 1/32 scale
Pictured above. White with blue stripe
and red numbers. SCG 11/63
Mecom blue with white stripe and circles
black numbers. Model pictured. AQ 1/2
(color), RT 6/62, SCG 6/62, CD 6/62
Red body, blue and white stripes.
RT 9/62, NM(color), CD 9/62
Green with yellow circles, black num-
bers. RT 6/64(color)
Red with white square cut numbers.
CD 8/62, NM(color)
Red with white circles, black numbers.
RT 5/63, RT 8/63(color), MCT 5/65
30
THE REVELL READY-TO-RUN CARS FOR
HOME RACING SETS
FIG. 19 The model Revell'» 1/32 Kale reody.tO'run Ferrari GTO.
Two different versions of the Revell 1/32 scale ready-to-run cars are available. The
original, more expensive design includes the SP510X Revell Mabuchi motor and alu-
minum wheels. For a few dollars less you can purchase the identical body with a
similar chassis, the older style ( but revised round Mabuchi motor and nylon wheels
Possibly you’ll have to settle for whichever one came with your Revell home racing
set, but if you are purchasing a car alone choose the one that suits your style of racing.
The less expensive car is perfectly adequate for home racing; if you intern! to use
the complete car for club racing, buy the one with the aluminum wheels.
You will need to follow the complete set of tuning instructions in this chapter, to
the letter, on your Revell ready-to-run cars and other home set cars. The Revell chassis
itself is adequate, with more advanced tuning techniques applied, for any type of 1/32
scale home or club racing. You will not. however, realize its full performance without
giving it the full tuning treatment.
The most obvious modifications for better performance would include front axle
bearings installed in drilled-out holes and epoxied, a metal or Delrin crown gear, and
a 1.5"x 028" x 2" brass pan Pliobonded to the bottom of the chassis.
FIG. 20 ТЫ» I* the more
expansive of the two 1/32 scale
Revell "home let" reody-to'fun
chonis.
1964 FORD GT
The history of the Ford GT is intermingled with the development of the Lola and
the Cobra. The car was designed as the sports car and/or GT car aspect of Ford
Motor Company’s “Total Performance” advertising.
Eric Broadlev's Lola racing automobile plant in England was given the initial job
of chassis design for the first Ford GT. The body, as only Ford would have it, was
done by the Ford styling department. Although pretty and tested in a wind tunnel,
the design was very poor It seems the car began to fly at speeds above 150 miles per
hour The first of an almost never-ending scries of body modifications began at the
pre-race testing on the Le Mans course. The original design was virtually identical to
the number II model pictured here. Part of the Le Mans mollifications are shown in
the photo of the unnumbered car that competed at Le Mans in 1961. The most
obvious change was the spoiler at the rear. The original smooth nose was opened
into a grill for better engine cooling.
The car actually performed quite well at the 1964 Le Mans twenty-four hour race
Three Ford CTs were entered. Phil Hill set a new lap record for the race at 131.375
miles per hour. Ginther squeezed his Ford GT into first place on the third lap and
held it there for almost two hours until he had to stop for fuel. After about four
hours the first of the Fords retired with a fire in the engine, a little later the second
dropped out with gear box trouble, followed by the last of them. Phil Hill's car. a few
hours later. The Fords had proven that they could go but not that they could last.
The 1965 and 1966 Ford GTs are covered in Chapter 8.
Specifications
Wheelbase: 95 inches
Track Width: Front/Rcar 54/54
Over-all Length: 158.6 inches
Over-all Width: 70 inches
Front Tires: 5.50 x 15
Rear Tires. 7.25 x 15
FIG. 21
The full-lire cor- The Ford GT os it appeared prior to the 1964 lo Mont race. 'Dave
Friedman; courtesy American Model Raceways)
RACE FINISHED COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
NUMBER DR! VER(S)
11	R. Ginther
10	Phil Hill
12	Schlesser
140	P. Hill/
McLaren
Le Mans ‘64
Le Mans '64
Le Mans '64
Nurburgring
‘64
Early prototype pictured above. White
with dark blue nose and side stripes,
black numbers. MCT 7/64
dnf Painted as above. Mode! pictured.
CD 9/64, MCT 10/64, NM(color)
dnf (new Same as 411. CD 9/64, MCT 10/64,
lap record) RT 9/64, SCG 8/65, CM 8/65, CM 9/64
dnf Same as 411. CD 9/64, SCG 3/65,
NM(color)
dnf Same as •11. CD 9/64, RT 9/64,
SCG 3/65, SCG 9/64
PLANS; Car Model, September 1964, all scales;
Model Carb, Track, July 1964, 1/32 scale
32
FIG. 22 The model: A 1/32
Kale ready-to-run Ford GT by
Strombecker.
THE STROMBECKER HOME RACING SET CARS
This Ford GT car was chosen from a list ol fourteen or more Strombecker racing
set cars. The top and bottom hakes of the chassis sandwich together to hold the
motor and both axles. No separate frame is needed, but only about half of their cars
use this construction. The balance have a stamped metal chassis but the same motor,
wheels, etc.
If you are only racing Strombecker set ears against Strombecker set cars, the tuning
ideas presented earlier will all apply. The only simple change you can make would
be to grind out the inside of the body to thin it down a bit, which would reduce the
weight. Also, use the pin guide ralhei than the pivoting flag, and pay particular atten-
tion to keeping both front wheels on the ground. Then cut the pin, if necessary, to
clear the bottom of the slot by 1/64" to 1/32".
The Strombecker set cars are the least expensive in the business, but if you want
to race them on a 1/32 scale club track, you can discard everything but the body anti
front tires. It would be far better to purchase the car of your choice from Strom-
hecker's equally complete line of 1/32 scale and 1/24 scale "Competition” series
(Chap. 5 gives full details on these kits). The Ford GT, Cobra GT, and Porsche 904
from Strombecker’s “home set” series are not available in the “Competition" series.
Frankly, one of our club members liked the Ford GT so well that he assembled it
completely (less running parts), glued it together, filled the cracks, and then hollowed
it out and mounted it on a "Competition” chassis. The interior of this l>ody is shown
in Chapter 6.
FIG. 23 The 1/32 tcole
Strombockor ready-to-run "homo
racing »et." Ford GT uses the
body oi a chaiiii; bottom
half thown.
33
1965 FERRARI 330/LM and 275/LM OUPES
The 1965 Ferrari racing coupe is best known for its win at the 1965 Le Mans
24-hour event. 'Ilie basic design of the car dates back to 1963 when a similar car.
although a roadster, won the same event. During the intervening years, the body was
lengthened slightly and the original 2.5-litcr engine enlarged or replaced with even
larger units. The 1965 Le Mans car had. for example, a 3.3-liter engine.
All ol the cars were equipped with the same basic tubular chassis and rear-mounted
engine. The 1963 and 1961 coupes were merely roadsters with a hard top. The 1965
coupes, although similar to the '65 and earlier roadsters, featured a much more sloping
nose and tail section. The 1965 coupes were occasionally raced with the smaller
engines. The 2.9-liter cars were designated 250/LMs, the 3.3-liter cars, 275/LMs, and
the 4-litcr cars. 330/LMs. All carried the same body shape.
The 1964 cars arc outlined in Chapter 8.
Specifications
Wheelbase: 94.4 inches
Track Width: Front/Rear 53.1/52.7
Over-all Width: 66.9 inches
Front Tires: 5.50 x 15
	Over-all Length:	161 inches	Rear Tires: 7.00 x 15	
NUMBER	! DR!VER(S)	RACE	FINISHED	COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
21	M. Gregory/ J. Rindt	Le Mons ‘65	Won	Pictured above. Red, white circles. CD 9/65, SCG 9/65
26	Dumay/ Gosselin	Le Mans *65	2nd	Yellow, white circles, black numbers, red stripes on right door. Model pic- tured AY»13(color), CD 9/65, SCG 9/65
8	D. Piper	Reims 12-Hour '65	4th	Dark green, white circles, black num- bers. CD 10/65
S	Mairesse	Nurburgring •65 Sebring ‘65	dnf	Same as #26. RT 10/65
31 No scale	Piper /Maggs plans available		3rd	Same as *?8. RT 6/65, SCG 6/65
FIG. 24 The fvll-sixo
cart Winner at le
Mani 1965, the
Ferrari 275/IM.
Motion Gregory and
Jochen Rindt driving.
(Courtety Geoffrey
Goddard)
FIG. 25 The model: A 1/32 icole ready-to-rvn car by Monogram.
THE MONOGRAM HOME RACING SET CARS
Monogram is a great believer in brass chassis for their entire range of cars in both
1/24 and 1/32 scale kits and 1/32 scale rcady-to-racc ears. Brass, with a very small
weight penalty (it is heavier than plastic or aluminum used by other manufacturers),
has the advantage of being a material that is easy to solder. Frame modifications or
reinforcements, therefore, are quite easy to accomplish.
The frame supplied with Monogram's inexpensive home set or rcady-to-run cars is
a very thin gauge of brass in pan style with the pin pickup guide that is so popular
among the numerous Midwestern 1/32 scale racing clubs. On a racing set it works to
the advantage of youngsters. Because there is no guide shoe to line up with the slot,
the cars are easier to place on the track: just insert the pin from any direction and go.
The frame should be braced slightly by soldering a single 1/16" brass tube on
each side, extending from the front bearing bracket to the rear. The cars will benefit
from a slightly softer pickup braid. Rail Line or V.I.P. brushes will fit into the holes
on the pickup and, if trimmed about 1/4" behind the pin. will provide positive elec-
trical contact without lifting the front of the car as the stock brushes often do.
Soldered-in front axle bushings are also a help. Use a single length of 1/8" inside
diameter brass tubing for this. Check the car on the track with the braid adjusted so
all four wheels touch, and see that the pickup pin extends to within 1/32" to 1/64"
of the bottom of the slot. If it does not. the entire pickup plate can be pressed down-
ward by cutting carefully around the nylon pins which hold it. moving the plate
down, and resealing the pins with a soldering iron.
35
FIG 26 The fullsize car National 8 Production Champion for 1965, Jerry Titus in the Mustang
GT 350 shewn at Daytona winning the title. (Courtesy Road & Ttock)
MUSTANG GT 350
Stock Ford Mustang 2 + 2 coupes .tie delisered to tin- Cobra plant, minus their
hoods, for modification. I'he engines are fitted with different manifolds and Holly
four-barrel carburetors. Their suspensions arc modified with stiffer springs, shocks. and
traction masler-stylc torque arms .it the rear A limited slip differential, wide rim
wheels, and high speed ttres are installed. Fiberglass hoods with air scoops for the
carburetors are used in place of the stock ones. And, with the addition of some
"dress-up" items, there's the "production" GT 350. So far, several thousand have been
delivered.
The GT 350 competition version includes these modifications plus a fiberglass front
splash-pan to replace the original splash-pan and front bumper, plastic side and rear
windows, and fibergkiss bucket scats. All the trim is removed from the interior of the
cai t he total reduction in weight is about 300 pounds under the street CT 350. A
larger gas tank, wider wheels with racing tires, and an even "hotter" engine complete
the modifications.
The Sports Car Chib of America i S.C.C.A. i holds the annual American Road Race
of Champions (A.R.R.C  This event allows the individual class winners from the
six geographical-division races to compete with each other to determine a national
champion in each class. In 1965, the first full racing season for the Mustang GT 350,
eight of die fourteen qualifiers for “Class B” Production cars were GT 350s. They
placed first, second, third, fourth, sixth, and seventh. Cobra designed the car to win
"Class B,” and it certainly did!
Specifications
Wlu.xdba.se: 108 inches	Over-all Width: 68.2 inches
Track Width: Front/Rear 56.5/57 Front Tires: 7.75 x 15
Over-all Length: 181.6 inches	Rear Tires: 7.75 x 15
NUMBER DRIVER(S) RACE FINISHED COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
61 В Jerry Titus	Daytona A.	Won "B'' White with blue stripes, black numbers.
R.R.C. ‘65 Production Pictured above. SCG 2/66, SCG 6/65
36	Jerry Titus	Pomona S.C. Won "B" Same as above- Model pictured. R 1/5
C.A. ‘65 Production
GT 350s numbered ! 1,15,2 1,23,3 1,32,41, and 61 qualified for the national championship
races (A.R.R.C.) st Daytona 1965,
No scale plans available
36
'	Ш1П11
THE AURORA HOME RACING SET CARS
The Aurora "A Jet" cars are powered by the only American-made motor io a 1/32
or 1/24 ready-to-run car. The motor is virtiiallx identical to the К & В I an Aurora
subsidiary) Challenger motor. Aurora has had sex oral million cars’ worth of experience
in the HO racing set line, so it is easy to sec why the “A Jets" arc so reliable. 1 he
motor itself will accept few changes short of a complete rewind, but that can come
later.
The pickup will pivot in a truer are, with less wobble, il replaced with some other
brand of low profile pickup that uses a brass or aluminum collar and set screw to
hold it in place. A small amount of lead or brass, about 1/4 ounce, should be 1’lio-
bonded to the top ol the frame just behind the front axle. A better alternative is a
sheet of 1-1/2 x .028 brass (2-1/2“ long with a 1/4" hole drilled to clear the chassis
assembly screw) Pliolxmded to the bottom ol the frame. This is about the only
ready-t.i-run home set car with more tor pre than you can use. The weight, above,
solves the common problem of the front end lilting on acceleration and the brass pan
aids in handling.
This car ami motor, more than others, must be broken in with al least two hours of
hard running before it will come up to full performance.
The body supplied with the car is a street GT 350. The car pictured was modified
into the racing version by filling in the front bumper area and cutting out a large
lower-vent hole. The tear louvers were also filled and smoothed oxer. Cox Eord GT
wheels were substituted to match the racing version.
FIG. 27 The model: Aurora'» 1 32 scale A Jet" homo racing Mt «ar. Model shown bos been
modified slightly to duplicate the ''racing" GT 350.
37
FIG. 28 The full-size cor: The 1958 Scarob financed and driven by lance Reventlow. (Courtesy
Bob Rolofson)
1958 SCARAB
The Scaiab sports/racing cars were undoubtedly some of the most expensive "hack
yard specials" ever built in America. Lance Reventlow set out to be World Champion
with an all-American car—it would have been quite a triumph! These Cars did win
most of the important American sports ear races during 1958 and two of the cars,
sold by Reventlow, were still winning in (he early 60s.
The Scarab was designed from the ground up with specially shrouded inboard drum
brakes at the front and rear, a tubular frame, and a 385-horsepower Chevrolet V8
engine.
Specifications
Wheelbase 92 inches
Track Width: Front/Rear 52/50
Over-all Length: 168 inches
Over-all Width: 66 inches
Front Tires: 6.00 x 16
Rear Tires: 7.00 x 16
NUMBER	DRIVER'S)	RACE	FINISHED	COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
16	Reventlow	Danville, Nd. '59 Palm Springs *59	3rd Won	Metallic blue with white markings and black numbers. .Magnesium-colored wheels. Model and full-size car pic- tured. RT2/59, RT 1 l/63(color), RT 12/58(color)
15	Pabst	Riverside •60	3rd	Same as #16. RT 7/61, RT 2/61(color), RT 1/61
1	Pabst	Road America ‘60	Won	Same as Мб with white numbers surround- ed by white rings on Sides. RT 10/60
50	Pabst	Vacca Valley, Calif. *59	Won	Same as MS with white circles and black numbers on sides. RT 1/60
5	Daigh	Riverside •58	Won	Same as M0. RT 2/59
23 C	Kessler	Phoenix *58	Practice	All aluminum (unpainted), red numbers outlined in black. RT 6/58
No scale plans available
38
FIG. 29 The model: A 1/24 icate ready-to-run Scarab include* the M.P.C. Dyn-O-Charger motor.
THE M.P.C. READY-TO-RUN CARS FOR
COMMERCIAL RACEWAYS
The Model Products Company's Dyn-O-Charger has earned a reputation as one of
the fastest slock motors available. With the exception of factory hop-up motors, this
is one of the fastest—if the tracks you race on have large enough power supplies. But.
it does require a fairly large aiiioun* of electrical current (amperage, not voltage} to
achieve maximum performance. The Scarab in the photo uses this motor. A similar,
though smaller. Dyn-O-Charger motor is offered in a 1/32 scale ready-to-run car for
either club or home set racing M.P.C. also has its own American-made can-type
motor, similar to the large Mabuchi motors, in a series of ready-to-run ears.
The most obvious change needed, if you prefer road racing cars to dragsters, is to
reduce the track width both front and rear. The Scarab in the photo has Ulrich
“Halibrand" wheels which are virtually identical to those run on the full-size car. The
axles will have to be shortened 1/8" on each end to stay within the width of the
wheels.
The realism of the car can be further improved by cutting the front section of the
body from the bottom half and cementing it to the top half of the body. This, again,
was done tx> the car in the photo. The white stripes which are characteristic of most
of the full-size Scarabs will have to be hand-painted.
FIG. 30 The Dyn-O-Chorg*r
chaul*.
PORSCHE CARRERA 6
FIG. 31 The full-rite Con Fouche Correro 6 ol the Duylona 24-hour in 1966. Placed uxth overall
with Hani Herrmann and Herbert lingo driving. (Courtesy Pood & Trotl)
This production 2-liler GT/sports car. which was designed to regain German auto-
mobile prestige, lost to the Dino Ferrari in 19(55. The Carrera 6 chassis is a tubular
space-frame unit with independent suspension for all four wheels, and a rear-mounted,
air-cooled, Hat six engine. The engine, like the earlier 904/906, is placed ahead of
the real axle. It is based on llic same 6-cylinder unit used in the production 912
Porsches, but tuned to produce a greater amount of power. The fiberglass body fea-
tures “gull wing” doors, similar to the famous Mercedes 300 SL coupes.
I'he Carrera (5 will he produced and sold to private entries for racing in addition
to the factorv-sponsored cars.
Spec 11 К lATlO.NS
Wheelliase: 90.5 inches
Trade Width: Front/re.ir 52/55
Over-all Length: 161.9 inches
Over-all Width: 66.4 indies
Front Tires: 5.50 x 15
Rear Tires: 7.00 x 15
NUMBER DRIVE R(S)	RACE FINISHED COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
15 Hans	Daytona '66 6th Dark blue with silver lower panels, white
Herrmann.	Won (Under circles, black numbers. Pictured above.
Herbert Lenge	2-liter) RT 5/66
33 Model pictured. Has no particular prototype, but is patterned after the paint and
numbering of the previous 904 and 906 Porsches.
PLANS: Model Cars, September 1966, 1/32 scale
Model Car & Track. October 1966, 1/24 scale
40
FIG. 32 The model: Russkit's
'Correrp" series of ready-to-run
1/24 scale cars includes a duplicate
of the Porsche Correro 6.
THE RUSSKIT READY-TO-RUN CARS
FOR COMMERCIAL RACEWAYS
Carrera, by more than a coincidence, is the name Russkit has used lor the chassis
on the car in the photos. The Porsche Carrera 6 body, also pictured, is one of several
bodies available. The Russkit factory also sponsored a team of two full-size Porsche
Carreras in I960. This helps to promote their products as well as publicize model car
racing. A number of other manufacturers have also sponsored full-size racing cars.
Russkit oilers an in-line chassis in a ready-to-run. a twin motor four-wheel-drive
ready-to-run, and the Carrera sidewinder. All are designed to fit either Russkit’s own
American-made motors or one or more of the various Japanese Mabuehis. The Carrera
chassis is aluminum and brass with an extra-long drop arm and an unusual wire-clip
body attachment. The axles are Teflon-coated, so onlv the motor bearings and gears
ever need lubrication. Follow the tuning procedure to the letter on this one.
If you prefer an in-line type of motor/chassis assembly, the same body and motor
arc available in Russkit’s Super Spyder series of ready-to-run cars.
All of their ready-to-run cars come with painted and decaled bodies. Only the small
detail painting on the driver, body vents, etc., is required. The number decals ate on
the outside of the body. Should you wish different racing numbers, the old decals
can be removed with a warm rag. Tire Russkit bodies are also available as separate
replacement items in unpainted, clear plastic if you wish to paint your car to match
your favorite full-size car.
FIG. 33 The Russkit "Carrera"
series 1/24 xale side-winder
chassis.
FIG. 34 The lull-size car
The MtKe* Plymouth Special.
Bob Montana driving al
Riverside in 1965. (Courtesy
Doug Kraft)
McKEE PLYMOUTH SPECIAL
Bob McKee lias supplied an integral differential and transmission, or transaxle, to
a number of America’s special-car builders, including Cobra. It was natural that he
should build a car around this successful component. His first effort of note was the
Chevette, a rear-engine Chevrolet special, followed by his LMD special which used
a 427-cubic inch Ford engine. This ear was driven by Mike* Hall during 1965. Its
most successful outing was at Pensacola. Florida, where it placed second to George
Folmer's championship-winning Lotus 23/Porsche A similar car was raced, also in
1965, by Dan Gerber. The Plymouth Special pictured here is a direct development of
these earlier .McKee designs. It was built especially for Bob Montana, owner of Town
and Country Plymouth in Phoenix. Arizona, to drive in the U.S.BBC. professional
road races. McKee combined a rear-engine tubular-space frame and mi aluminum
body, similar to Ins earlier efforts, with a 126-cubic inch Chrysler "Hemi” engine.
I'he McKee Plymouth has proven to be a successful design. At the 1965 Riverside
Times race, Montana was able to work his way through a field of the best sports
racers all the way from 57th position to 4th before an oil pump failed. He placed
second at Salt Lake City' early in 1966. I'he car is now using an automatic
transmission.
Specifications
Wheelbase: 95 inches
Track Width: Not Available
Over-all Length: Not Available
Over-all Width: Not Available
Front Tires: 9.20 x 15
Rear Tires: 12.00 x 15
NUM HE К	DRIVER'S)	RACE	FINISHED	COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
15	Bob Montana	Riverside ‘65	dnf	Model and full-size car pictured. White, blue trim and numbers. CD 1/66, CD 11/65, R 1. 8, RC 1/66
4	Mike Halt	Watkins Glen ‘65		Dark blue, white band around nose and over tail. White circles, red numbers. LMD Special. Similar body, larger nose section. SCG 9/65
37 No scale	Mike Hall plans available	Pensacola ‘65	2nd	Same as 4'4. RT 8/6S
42
FIG. 35 The model: Tester's 1/24 stole rcody-to-run model of the McKee Plymouth Spociol Body
is delivered pointed ond numbered. Il is shown unpointed to reveal chassis details
TESTOR’S READY-TO-RUN CARS FOR
COMMERCIAL RACEWAYS
The Tester Company is a relative newcomer to the model car racing field, but
they’re a very old name in models. Their design talents have produced some slightly
different chassis ideas. Tester’s car and chassis shown here sell as both a ready-to-run
and a kit. A similar chassis design with an in-line motor is offered with their Grand
Prix and Indianapolis cars.
The fully adjustable motor-mount is found in few sidewinder chassis, but it does
allow a greater variety of gear sizes and gear ratios if they are required. The gears
themselves have the fine, precise teeth normally found only on expensive model drag
racers. Should you need to change the gear ratio, use a Weldon 61 pitch-gear with
the required number of teeth. Other brands will not mesh properly
No unusual tuning problem should be encountered with these chassis except, in
some cases, the pickup arm or support. With the front wheels resting on the track,
be sure that the pickup blade extends a full 1/4" into the slot. If not, a slight "S"
bend (as viewed from the side) in the pickup aim will force the pickup blade down-
ward. With the blade at the proper depth, adjust the pickup brushes, as outlined
previously, to keep both front wheels on the track. Also, double check tile motor
shaft and gear, as on all sidewinders, to be sure it clears the rear tire, and file the
shaft down if necessary.
The bodies on the Testor ready-to-run cars come painted and dccalcd similar to
the full-size car. The unpainted body shown here will give you an idea of the chassis
location when the car is assembled.
43
FIG. 36 The full-йх» cor: The 1965
Hondo Formula Grand Prix car
with Richie Ginther driving finished
sixth at the Dutch Grand Prix at
Zandvoort, Holland. {Courtesy
Geoffrey Goddard)
THE HONDA GRAND PRIX CAR
Honda is king of the light-weight motorcycle. It holds more World Championship
titles and sells more motorcycles than anyone in the world. When the 1964 Honda
Grand Prix car was introduced, at the German Grand Prix, its motorcycle heritage
was readily apparent. It is the only current Grand Prix car to mount the engine side-
ways in the chassis. The V12 engine produces maximum power between 9,000 and
11,500 revolutions per minute. The engine placement and its high speed are features
ol the Honda racing motorcycles. 'Hie car did not reach its designed performance, due
to a number of minor ailments, until the last few races of the 1-1/2-liler Grand Prix
formula Its <>iih win was the last race in 1965 m Mexico
Specific xtions
Wheelbase: 90.6 inches
Track Width: Front  Rear 53/53
Over-all Length: 1511 inches
Over-all Width: 38 inches
Front Tires. 6.50 x 13
Rear Tires; 7.00 x 13
NUMBER	DRIVER(S)	RACE	FINISHED	COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
22	R. Ginther	Dutch GP ‘65	6th	White body, black numbers, red circle on nose, open transmission. Pictured above. CD 11/65, RT 10/65, SCG 10/65
56	Model pictured. Was painted prior to ‘65 transmission.		season before car was raced. Covered
25	R. Bucknum U.S. GP ‘64	dnf	Same as #56, red circle on nose, covered transmission.
II	R. Ginther	Mexican GP ‘65	Won	White body, black number, red dot (rising sun) on top of nose, open transmission. CD 1/66, RT 1/66, RT 10/65, R 1/9, SCG 1/66
10	R. Ginther	Belgian GP	Won	Same as #56, covered transmission. RT 10/65, SCG 9/65
26	R. Ginther	French GP •65 R. Ginther	Monaca GP ‘65	dnf	Same as #11, open transmission. RT 9/65
20		dnf	Same as #11, open transmission. RT 9/65(color)
12	R. Bucknum Mexican GP •65	Sth	Same as #11, open transmission. SCG 1/66, R 1/9
20	R. Bucknum German GP ‘64	dnf	Same as #56, covered transmission. RT 10/64, SCG 10/64, NM(color)
PLANS:	Road tr. Track. October 1965, Model Cars. March 1966,1/32	1/24 scale scale	
	Model Car &•. Track. Muy 1966	. 1/24 scale	
44
FIG. 37 The model:
Ronnolli's 1/24 scale
Porsche or lotus chassis
with о DuBro Hondo body
Fitted and detailed.
RANNALLI READY-TO-RUN CARS FOR
COMMERCIAL RACEWAYS
The most popular Rannalli chassis include unusual features that can spell the differ-
ence between a g<x«l and an average ready-to-run car. I’he car shown here is based
on their Porsche or Lotus Grand Prix cars and is the least expensive in their line. The
much heralded drop pickup featured on their other ears is not always necessary. This
chassis has a rigid pickup that should prove to be adequate on all but the bumpiest
commercial raceways.
The Rannalli bodies, in keeping with the smash-bang work! of some commercial
tracks, are rugged, clear plastic shells. There is only a superficial resemblance to their
full-size counterparts so, rather than hide an excellent chassis under a poorly-detailed
body, I substituted the DuBro Honda GP body, shown above. The rubber pads and
a close fit over the axle bearings hold the Honda body in place as well as they do
the original Lotus or Porsche bodies supplied on the car.
The Rannalli in-line chassis have a hypoid rear axle gear which allows the motor
to be set about 1/8“ below the axle center for an ultra-low center of gravity. The
first step, after you purchase either of the in-line cars, is to replace the Rannalli
Delrin crown (rear axle) gear with a 36-tooth, die-cast metal M.D.C. hypoid. The
cars run best on most commercial tracks with a 10-tooth pinion gear in place of the
original 8-tooth.
The pickup braid will require close attention, and maybe a little bending of its
mounting bracket, to get and keep the front tires on the track.
FIG. 38 Ronnalli't least
expensive 1/24 Kale
ready-torun chassis for GP
cars.
FIG. 39 The full-Uxe cor-.
The 1966 Ferrari Formula I
Grand Prix car at it» fir»»
pre»» ihowing. I Pete Coltrin;
courtesy Pood 4 Traci)
1964/1966 FERRARI GRAND PRIX CARS
Ferrari captured the I9B4 World Championship with the 158 V8 (the number 2
car pictured) and John Surtees driving. The unusual shape of the rear-engine cover
distinguishes this car from its very similar competitors. In the 1965 competition, Ferrari
lagged behind the engine and chassis development of its competitors and was unable
to finish better than fourth, behind Lotus, BRM, and Brabham. Ferrari was. however,
the most likely candidate to win in 1966, the first year for the new 3-liter formula.
The 1966 Ferrari (unpainted cat pktmed used an updated VI2 derived from the
365P2 sports racer for most events and. where the course permitted, the 1959 GP
engine, a V6 Dino, was installed.
Specifications (1964)
Wheelbase: 93.7 Inches
Track Width: Front/Rear 53.1/53.!
Over-all Length: 155.5 inches
Over-all Width: 27.4 inches
Front Tires: 6.50 x 13
Rear Tires: 7.00 x 13
NUMBER DRIVER(S) RACE FINISHED COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
1966 Car pictured above. Unpainted and unnumbered. RT 3/66, SCG 3/66
1964 cars listed below:				
2	John Surtees	Dutch GP •64	2nd	Model pictured. Red with white numbers. CD 8/64, MCT 10/64
7	John Surtees	German GP ‘64	Won	Same as *2. CD 11/64, SCG 10/64
7	John Surtees	U.S. GP ‘64 Mexican GP	2nd	Blue botton and circles, white top and numbers. Body same as #2. CD 2/6S, CD 1/65. RT 12/64, RT 1/65, NM(color)
10	John Surtees	Belgian GP ‘64	dnf	Same as *2, MCT 10/64
11	Bandini	Belgian GP ‘64	dnf	Same as #2.
21	John Surtees	Monaco GP ‘64	dnf	Same as ff2.
PLANS	: Model Cars, Or.	tober 1964, 1/32	scale	
Model Car 6» Track, October 1964, 1/24 scale
46
FIG. 40 The model: The 1964 Feriaii Formula I «и in I/?4 Kale by Cox. Co' is available os kit
or factory assembled and ready-to run.
THE COX READY-TO-RUN CARS FOR
COMMERCIAL RACEWAYS
Virtually all of the Cox 1/24 scale kits are also available as ready-to-run ears. The
kits arc assembled at the Cox factory, tested, and packaged.
Most of the Cox kits and ready-to-run cars use a sidewinder chassis with the large
Mabuchi motors. Two Grand Prix cars, a 1964 Ferrari, shown here, and a 1964 BRM
with a chassis identical to the Ferrari’s, arc available. The detail on both cars is
superior. The cast and machined one-piece magnesium wheels are a good example.
Those on the Ferrari are excellent copies of the full-size Ferrari wheel, while those on
the BRM are miniature BRM wheels.
The items requiring the most attention on all of Cox’s cars are the front suspension,
the pickup, and pickup arm. The front axle should l>e bushed with an appropriate
length of 1/8" inside-diameter tubing epoxicd into the axle bracket as a hefting. The
spring which forces the pickup arm down, with the car on the track, must be bent
to decrease its tension. With the car upside down, the weight of a quarter should be
enough to force the pickup ami down. Л brass strip is provided, or it can be fabri-
cated, to bolt to the front suspension attachment point. The strip should extend about
an inch forward. Bend enough of an "S” into this strip to hit the top of the pickup
shoe so that the pickup blade extends 1/4" into the slot with the front wheels on the
track. Fray the pickup brushes, and adjust as outlined earlier.
47
3
Building and Tuning
HO Scale Cars
IT MAY come as a surprise to some, but there are more
HO scale cars and sets sold than any other scale. HO has many advantages
and few limitations. But on lx a few modelers have explored the realism
and racing potential of these ears.
FIG. 41 The HO con ore the smallnsl size in model racing The realism and driving excitement of
the larger scale* ore the same In HO racing.
48
 J——
Advantages of HO Scale Racing
HO scale racing offers the same racing action and excitement as the
larger 1/32 and 1 '24 scale cars, but the cost is considerably less. Yon can
buy a complete ready-to-run I IO car for about the same price as a motor
alone in the larger scales. A fully modified HO scale racer costs much less
than a fully modified 1/32 or 1/24 scale car. It is no trick at all to spend
twelve to thirty dollars on a race car in the larges scales, whereas the most
you can spend on an HO car and speed parts is about five dollars.
The later chapters of this book will give you a good idea of the relative
size of an HO layout as compared to the larger scales. You can build an
HO scale model of the famous Daytona raceway, for example, with four
lanes of IK) racing and an average lap length of 33' on a 4' x S' board.
The same four-lane layout foi 1 32 or I 24 scale cars would require a
minimum surface area of 8’ x 12', and the lap length would only increase
to 43'. The HO scale track sections cost about the same per foot of track
as the higher scales, but there is a much greater variety of curved, straight,
and special track sections in HO.
The thumb-operated hand controllers that are used in the larger scales
are now available for HO racing. The steering wheel and on-off button
speed controllers supplied with most sets lack the natural fast action of
a thumb-operated controller. The 85-ohm Atlas or the 60-ohm Tower-Stat
controllers are a good initial investment if you plan serious competitive
HO racing.
HO Driving
The driving techniques and controller data in the next chapter apply
to HO as well as larger scale cars. If you are racing as part ol a shop,
club, or national championship program, be sure to check their rules
before yon buy or practice with a controller. Some regulations, such as
the Ford/Aurora competition, stipulate that a particular type of controller
be used. If at all possible, however. 1 would recommend that you use
one of the thumb-operated units.
All brands of HO scale cars will operate on any HO scale track sec-
tions, so the selection of cars is wide indeed. The different manufacturers
offer slightly different size chassis, so it is possible to have a correctly
scaled large car such as the Corvette, as well as an HO model of the
smaller full-size cars such as the Porsche 904. Only the Aurora HO chassis
has any provision for adjusting the length of the wheelbase. Therefore,
rather than only adapting a body to whatever chassis you may have, it is
best to buy a complete car and body to match your favorite full-size rac-
ing machine. Again, the cost advantage of HO is apparent. You can buy
a complete HO car for little more than some of the larger scale bodies
alone.
49
All of the current brands of HO scale cars arc designed to operate on
the same 12 volts of D.C. electrical current that other scales use. There
are three basic motor gear configurations in HO. These are shown in
Figure 42.
FIG. 42 Tho three mail popular HO scale chassis, left io right, are Aurora, Arias Mido*!.’' and
Tyco. Block» near Aria» and Tyco Cats are load weights furnished in tho cars for extra traction.
Basic HO Construction
The Aurora Thunderjet 500. or T-Jet 500, cars use a pancake-style
motor with the motor shaft perpendicular to the track. The Atlas and Tyco
cars have a conventional motor position with the motor shaft parallel to the
(rack, rhe Aurora motor chassis is slightly lower than the other brands,
which allows the cockpit of their cars to he free of motor for greater real-
ism. On some of the Aurora cars, the body can be lowered slightly also.
The other brands of motors arc of a more familiar design with about equal
power. A word of caution: The Atlas and Tyco cars use a worm or spiral
gear on the motor shaft to deliver power to the rear axle. This is the same
type of gearing found in most train sets and it is quite efficient. Do not,
however, attempt to turn the motor by spinning the rear w heels by hand on
these cars, and do not try to push them down the track by hand. This will
strip the teeth off the gears. With worm gearing, the motor turns the
wheels but you cannot use the wheels to turn the motor.
Before you attempt to obtain more performance from your HO cars,
be sure they are operating as best as thev can in stock form. Follow the
tuning procedures supplied in the preceding chapter.
50
FIG. 43 Popular HO "hop-up" Horns BoHoni left: AJ'* silicone lire», wheels, and axle, nex» Io a
single standard HO wheel and lire lor sice comparison. Center- gears ond oversiie tires from
Aurora's hop-up kit. Aurora car in background is fitted with the tiros from this kit. Top. the three
geor sots and abrasive cleaning block from Atlas' hop-up kit
Hop-up Kits and Techniques for HO Scale
There are so-called "hop-up” kits available lor the popular brands.
Aurora has a kit that can be used on all of their cars, and Xtla.s makes
a kit for their cars that can be adapted to the Two cars. Parts from these
kits can also be used for Lionel. Marx, Scars, anil other brands.
The Aurora hop-up kit contains oversize rear tires and wheels to fit
them, a new set of gears to change the gear ratio, and replacement motoi
brushes and pickup pins. The Tyco hop-up kit contains three new sets ol
gears (each with a different ratio), replacement motor brushes, and an
abrasive block to clean the pickup contacts and motor commutators. Extra-
wide tires ol Silicone rubber, with wheels and axles, are available from
AJ’s National Raceways and LaGanke.
Use the hop-up kit to match your own brand ol car. Both kits include
excellent illustrated instructions, so I won’t duplicate them here. I would
suggest that you try all of the gear and tire changes suggested on your
own track. Use a stopwatch to time your fastest laps with a stock car and
write them down. Then, as you make a gear or tire change, time and
record your lap times. By using this systematic method of tuning, you can
determine which combination is best for your track. When you are satis-
fied that you have found it, you can proceed to make further tuning
changes.
On any brand of HO car, or any car for that matter, you will improve
the speed through the corners by improving the traction. You can improve
the traction by increasing the width of the tire or by improving the
"stickiness” of the rubber. The I IO scale Silastic wheels and tires by AJ’s
do both. They are a “best buy" to improve the performance of any HO car.
51
FIG 4* A itudy in HO
rcor tire*. Stock tire* ore on
Number 119 cor. Aurora
hop up tire* ond wheel* are
on car at right. AJ'j Silicone
tire* and wheel* are on
car in center.
The A J’s tires are only slightly larger than stock tires so they will fit
inside the body of any car. They will raise the tail ol the car about 1 16";
however, that amount can be trimmed from the rear mounting post in-
side the body to bring it back to its normal height. The oversize tires
supplied in the Aurora hop-up kit can be used on other cars to accom-
plish much the same thing, but the body must be cut out and the wheels
reworked to gel them inside the body. The cars will not look as realistic
with the oversize wheel cutouts, and the Aurora Ines are narrower than
the A|'s. The slightly different diameter of A|’s tires may force you to
change the gear ratio to achieve the same top speed you did with the
previous tuning tests and stopwatch method. The increased cornering
ability of the car will make another set of gear-changing and lap-timing
tests well worth while.
You can experiment further to improve traction and handling by tem-
porarily attaching modeling clay to the chassis and timing your laps to
see if any improvement results. There is space at both ends of the HO
chassis for extra weight. If you find that the clay weight helps, weigh it
on a postage scale, and cut a small piece of lead (available in racing shops
or from printing shops) the same weight as the clay to fit in the end of
the chassis between it and the body.
Generally, HO cars require more weight for better handling. This
weight, however, is better added to the chassis than to the body. The
cars will have less tendency to roll if you lighten the body. The only
practical tool for this is a Dremel Motor Tool, and the correct technique
is shown in Chapter 10. Do not attempt to cut out the inside of the body
with a knife. You'll only ruin it, and probably a finger or two also.
The HO motors are constructed on the same principles as the larger
scale motors. You can rewind them to increase their speed in the same
manner detailed for rewinding other motors; however, since a faster HO
motor would require more weight lor the car to corner well, 1 do not
recommend rewinding.
All of the HO cars are painted or colored when vou purchase them.
Few, if any, follow the painting or numbering schemes of the full-size
racing cars. You can improve the appearance of the cars, and increase
your enjoyment in racing, by painting and numbering them to match the
52
real thing (Chap. 6 covers the techniques lor painting and detailing). In
HO scale you cannot obtain the great variety of number and circle decals
available in the larger scales.
FIG 45 Rocing numbers ond lheif white circle backgrounds add realism to HO cars The circles,
left, orc 1/4" white Avery labels, Dry transfer numbers by letra Set ore correct size tor HO scale
Yon can paint the white circles and numbers on if you have a steady
hand or use the markers shown above. Avery Label has 1 i" self-adhesive
paper labels that I used for circles on the cars in this chapter, and Letra
Set makes dry transfer numbers, either black or white, in 1 8" and 5/32"
sizes. These are very easy to use. You merely lay the number sheet over
the car with the proper number positioned where you want it. rub over it,
pressing it onto the car with the point of a ball point pen or a dull
pencil, then remove the number sheet.
The HO scale cars on the following pages have been detailed using
the methods outlined in Chapter 6 and the numbering process above. The
HO scale cars are all simple and effective designs. There is little that can
be done to improve their appearance or performance that is not outlined
here. I have inserted a photo of one of the popular HO cars with each
photo of a full-size car, so you can determine for yourself how realistic
the HO cars are. You can use the information on the details and colors of
the full-size cars in this chapter and in Chapters 2, 5, 8, and 9 as a guide
in painting and detailing your own HO scale cars.
S3
FIG 46 The lull-iize
cor: A D Jogvor ol
on American jports
car race ol the
mid-1950». (Ralph
Poole, covrieiy
American Model
Raceway»)
D JAGUAR
The "best racing ear Jaguar has produced" is an apt description for lhe 1951 D
Jaguar. The car used the engine and basic front and rear suspension from the pro-
duction model XK120 Jaguar in a smaller tube-frame and aluminum body. The car
car was one of the most streamlined of the period; even the exhaust opening had a
streamlined cover. The car was raced with a metal cover user the passenger opening
and single windshield whenever the racing rules would allow. Basically, there were
three major both modifications. Some cars had a standard rollbar cover, while others
had a high fin behind the driver. The 1955 la- Mans cars had a nose 7-1/2" longer
to further improve the aerodynamics.
Specifications
Wheelbase: 90.6 inches Track Width: Front/Rear 50/50				Over-all Width: 65.4 inches Front Tires: 7.00 x 16 Rear Tires 7.00 x 16
	Over-all Length:	151 inches		
NUM BEN DRIVER(S)		RACE FINISHED		COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
63	Unidentified driver 8c- race	•	-	Typical of the 1955 to 1958 sports car club racers. Likely red with white circles. Pictured above
3	Ron Flock- hart/Ivor Bueb	Le Mans‘56	Won	Navy blue with white band. Full-width windshield. Fin headrest. Model pic- tured RT 7/64, 11 PC 7 58
4	Fairman	Monza ‘56	4th	Same as "3 above with two white bands. Single windshield. RT 7/64
6	Sanderson	Monza ‘56	6th	Same as a4 with three white bunds. AY» 5 7/58
19	Hawthorne/ Walters	Sebring ‘55	Won	Dark green. Fin headrest. Single wind- shield. CM 9/66
10	Ciaes/ Swaters	Le Mans ‘55	3rd	Yellow with black numbers. Fin head- rest. Single windshield.
6	Hawthorne/ Bueb	Le Mans ‘55	Won	Same as »3 above with no white bands. White ring around grill opening. Same as »63 above. White with black bands, stripes and headrest. No fin. RT 1/66
152	CM Lou Brero	Road America '56	2nd	
PLANS: Model Cars Plan Service, #MM/597, 1/32 scale
Car Model. September 1966, all scales
FIG. 47 The model:
A Tyco HO wale D
lagvar painted and
detailed to match
the winner of the
1956 le Mons rocc.
XKE JAGUAR
FIG. 48 The full size
car-. M«rlo Brennan’s
XKE dominated
S.C.C.A. Class В
Production racing
until the
Mustong GT 350
cornu along. This XKE
was national 8
Production Champion
In 1964. The running
mote to the Number
97 Cobra is
featured in Chapter
9. (Oave Friedman,
courtesy American
Model Raceways)
The XK120 and XKE Jaguar body-designs are beautiful! The XK120 was first
shown in 1948 and was revolutionary enough to remain in production, with some
modifications, until I960. The XKE design, introduced in 1961, created a furor with
its sensationally new idea in sports car body-design.
Unfortunately, the XKE has never been a real threat in international racing. Several
lightweight variations have been built and raced, but without much success. In the
S.C.C.A. “B” Production Class, however, Merle Brennan's XKE coupe swept the Held
to win the National Championship at Biverside in 1964.
The original XKE roadster and fastback coupe were supplemented with a third
model, the 2 4-2 coupe, in 1965. The longer 105" wheelbase of this car would make
it an interesting model racer, but the full-size car is even heavier than the standard
coupe and, beiug so, is unlikely to ever race.
Specifications
Wheelbase: 96 inches
Track Width: Front/Rear 50/50
Over-all Length: 175 indies
Ove r all Width: 65.2 inches
Front Tires: fl. 40 x 15
Rear Tires: 6/10 x 15
NUMBER	DR1VER(S)	RACE	El NISH ED	COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
61B	Meric Brennan	— —	"B" Production Champion '64, won 29 of 31 races in 1964-65, White with one blue and one red stripe. Pictured above. RT 8/64. RT 2/65
9	Sargent/ Lumsden	Le Mans ‘62	5th	Dark Green, white circles, black numbers. Model pictured. CD 9/62
31	Walt Hansgcn	Daytona ‘63	dnf	White with two blue stripes, black num- bers, disc wheels, CD 5/63
10	Cunningham/ Salvador!	Le Mans ‘62	4th	Same color as '731 above. Square-cut numbers. CD 9/62
PLANS:	Model Makers	Plan Service, -7 MM/688,	1/32 scale
FIG. 49 Tho modol:
A dork green XKE.
similar in appearance
io ihi* HO car by
Tyco placed fifth at
le Mans in 1967.
FIG. 50 The Full-size car:
The Porsche 90* was a
consistent Under 2-Liter GT
Class Champion. This
particular cor ran at Sebring
in 1965, but failed to
finish. (Dove Friedman;
courtesy American Model
Raceways)
PORSCHE 904/906
The same bodies, but different motors, were used for the Porsche 90-1 and 906
racing cars. I'he 904 was Porsche’s "production" GT racing car for the 1964 and 1965
seasons. The air-cooled rear engine was placed in front of the rear axle to lighten the
car as much as possible for racing. It was the hottest dual overhead cam. flat four
and was used in the “Carrera” cars of the early 1960s.
The 906 is virtually identical to the 904 with the exception of the 6-cylinder over-
head cam engine unit which is also used in the more expensive 911 production car.
The 904/906 Porsches won nearly every under 2-litcr GT class event in the world
during 1965. The 904s and 906s are replaced by the Carrera 6 detailed in Chapter 2
as Porsche’s "production” racer.
SPECIFICATIONS
Wheelbase: 9(1.5 inches
Track Width: Front/Hcar 51.7/51.6
Over-all Length: 161 inches
Over-all Width: 60.6 inches
Front Tires: 5.90 x 15
Rear Tires: 5.90 x 15
NUMBER	DRIVER! S>	RACE	FINISHED	COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
42	Cassle/Lane/ Sesslar	Sebring ‘65	dnf	Red with white circles and black num- bers. Pictured above.
37	Cunningham/ Underwood	Sebring ‘64	9lh; Won Under 2-1. GT Class	Silver with white circles and black num- bers. Model pictured. SCG 6/64
40	Klass/ Underwood	Sebring '65	Won Under 2-1. GT; 5th Overall Won	Silver with black numbers on white circles. CD 6/65
186	Pucci/Davis	Targa Florio ‘64		Silver with red numbers. RT 7/64, SCG 7/64
32	Ltnge/Nocker	Le Mans *65	4th	Silver, white circles, black numbers. RT 9/65, SCG 9/65
PLANS: Road&. Track, July 1964, 1/24 scale
Model Car &. Track, May 1964, 1/32 scale
FIG. 51 The model: An
Atlor HO Kale "Midgel"
series cor. This 904 is
painted and numbered lo
duplicate the car that won
the Sebring 1964 Under
2-liter Class.
FIG- 52 The full-jixo car:
This 1963 Lola GT failed to
finish the le Man»
24-hour ra<e. Car wa»
forerunner of the Ford GT.
(Gunther Molter; <ourie»y
Road & Track)
1963 LOLA MARK VI GT
The Lola Mark VI was the forerunner of today’s Ford GT and, of course, the Lola
T70 sports racer. Lola had immense success with Ll-liter spoils cars. Formula Junior
open-wheel racers, and even with their own Formula 1 Grand Prix cars. Still, GT cars
intrigued the Lola factory, and in 1963 the Mark VI was born.
The chassis consisted of a tubular front and rear frame section assembled to two
large gas-tank frame members under each door. The engine was in the rear. The Le
Mans coupe was fitted with a Ford VS, and a second car was built using a Chevrolet
V8. It was sold to the Texas Mccom racing team.
Specifications (Stingray Gran Sport)
Wheelbase: 92 inches
Track Width: Front/Rcar 52/52
Over-all Length: 154 inches
Over-all Width: 63 inches
Front Tires: 5.00 x 15
Rear Tires: 6.50 x 15
NUMBER	DRIVER(S)	RACE	FINISHED COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES	
6	Atwood/Hobbs	Le Mans *63	dnf	Green with yellow stripes. Pictured above RT 7/65, RT 2/64, CD 9/63, RT 9/63, SCG 9/63
115	Maggs/Olthoff	Nurburgring *63	dnf	Light green with white numbers. Model pictured. SCG 8/63
00	Augie Pabst	Nassau *63	Won	Mecorn blue, white stripe, silver bottom. Small scoops in rear fenders. SCG 3/64
3	Augie Pabst	Brands Hatch '63	Won	Same car as above. All Mccom blue with white stripe.
1	Augte Pabst	Road America *64	dnf	.Mccom blue, white stripe, lower body and circles. Extended lips on both front and rear fenders. MCS 10/65
2	Augie Pabst	Watkins Glen (£4	—	Same car as ::1 above. MC 7/65
PLANS:	Model Makers Plan Service. ЛММ/777,			1/32 scale
FIG. 53 The model:
Aurora'» HO T-Jet 500
voriion of tho famous Lolo
covpe l> painted to match
the full-size cor entered in
the 1963 Nurburgring
I COO kilometers rate.
CORVETTE STINGRAY & GS
FIG. 54 The full-iiie car. The la>> at the foctory-racing Chevrolet Corvettes, the 1963/64 Gran
Sport. This cor, in the hands of о private owner, finished 18th at Sebring in 1964. (Dave Friedman;
courtesy American Mode! Raceways}
The Chevrolet Corvette Stingray is one of the fastest production sports or GT cars
in the world, Unfortunately. the ven elements of the design that make the car so
enjoyable to drive on the street force it out of contention in racing. The Corvette had
one good year of S.C.C.A. production "('lass A" racing (1963) where it easily out-
classed the Jaguars and Eenaris. which were its closest competitors. The Corvettes were
equipped with disc brakes in 1964 to further improve their race-worthiness. But, 1964
was the year of the Cobra and the end of Stingray racing success.
The 1964 Corvette, rcady-to-race. weighed just under 3,000 pounds with an engine
developing about 380 horsepower. Its new competitor, the Cobra, weighed less than
2,000 pounds and had about the same amount of power. So, when a Cobra finished
a race in 1964, the Corvette's chance of victor,' was doomed; Some 1904 and 196-5
Corvettes arc still raced in S.C.C.A. "Class A," and a handful even qualified for the
national championships in 1965. The best the) did. however, was eighth (an older
1962 model was seventh).
In 1963, the Chevrolet factory was ver)* much interested in automobile racing,
almost as much as Eord was in 196-5 and 1966. The Chevy factory prepared a few
Corvette Stingray Gran Sport or GS, special racing coupe cars to run in modified
sports car races. Before the full power of the factor) backing could be realized, Gen-
eral Motors elected to ban any open support of speed events for automobiles. Three
of the factory Gran Sports were sold to the Mecoin Racing Team of Texas. They had
the help of the factory mechanics at Nassau in 1964. Two of the cars placed, fourth
and eighth overall, against some of the fastest modified cars then available. Immedi-
ately after this race, Mecum sold two of the cars, and Chevrolet withdrew any official
help. With the exception of a third at the ’64 Road America 500 by Jim Hall, Nassau
was the beginning and end of the Gran Sport racing success.
The Gran Sports, incidentally, weighed only about 2,000 pounds. This, coupled with
.1 480-horsepower engine, four-wheel disc brakes, modified suspension, and body modi-
fications to allow 12" wide racing tires and extra engine and brake cooling, made the
GS more than a match for the Cobra.

SPECIFICATIONS
Wheelbase: 98 inches
Track Width: Front/Rcar 56.3/57
Over-all Length: 175.3 inches
(Stock Corvette)
Over-all Width. 69.2 inches
Front Tires: 6.70 x 15
Rear Tires: 6.70 x 15
Specifications (Corvette Gran Sport) °
Wheelbase: 98 inches
Track Width. Front/Rear 63/63
Over-all Length: 173 inches
• approximate
Over-all Width: 72 inches
Front Tires: 7.00 x 15
Rear Tires: 8.20 x 15
NUMBER 4	DRIVER(S) Jim Hall/ R. Penske	RACE FINISHED	
		Sebring ‘64	18th
67	Jim Hull	Road Amer- ica 500 ‘64	3rd
I	Johnson/ Morgan	Sebring ‘65	36th
00	Jack Saunders	Nassau ‘64	dnf
2	Foyt/Cannon	Sebring ‘64	23rd
50	Dick Thompson	Nassau ‘63	4th
65 John Cannon Stock Corvette Stingrays		Nassau ‘63	8th
119	Jay Hills	Riverside 3-Hour ‘63	Won
64 No scale	Bob Bondurant Chavez Ravine ‘63 plans available		
COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
White, special G.S. body with lips on
fenders. Pictured above. CD 6/64,
SCG 5/64
Same as above. SCG 12/64
White with blue stripes, similar to "I.
RT 6/6S
Mecom blue, body as #4. CD 6/65,
SCG 3/65
Mecom blue, white stripe, body as ;!3.
CD 6/64, SCG 5/64
Mecom blue, white stripe on nose, body
as #3. SCG 3/64
Mecom blue, black stripe on nose, body
□s -73. SCG 3/64
Black, stock ‘63 Corvette body. Model
pictured. SCG 1/63
Fastest of ‘63 Corvettes. Cobra metallic
blue, black circles, white numbers.
SCG 5/63
FIG. 53 The model: Avroro'i HO Mole model of the "rtreel" 1963 Stingroy con be roced "at •»,"
like in fullaizc brother, or it can be "cuitomizcd" into the Gran Sport version.
59
4
Driving Model Road Racers
COMPETITION PLACES model car racing apart from
most other hobbies, because the challenge of “the race” makes it also a
sport. W hen we think ol a sport, we think of some particular skill. In this
case, it’s driving. What can be done to develop your skill as a model road
racing driver?
Controller Design
Your first order of business is to obtain a controller to match the needs
of your car. 1 outlined the basic procedure in Chapter 1. If you didn’t
read it. please do so now. You need full speed control to get the maximum
performance through the corners from model racers. An on-off switch, or
a controller that functions like one, just won't do. A few more suggestions
may help in your selection.
There is some argument among old-time model car racing enthusiasts
over which type of controller design is best, the pistol-grip type where
you control the speed by pulling back a trigger with your index finger,
or the push-button type where you control the speed by depressing a
plunger in the top of the controller with your thumb. There is reported
to be some medical evidence that your reaction time is quicker with your
index finger. I do not pretend to be a medical expert, nor have 1 made a
scientific study of human reflexes and reactions. I have, however, watched
and talked to literally hundreds of model car racers during the last five
or six years. From this and my own experience, there seems to be a little
more involved in choosing between the two.
First, the controller should be comfortable and natural to use. Notice
I did not say hold, but use. Some controllers feel great until you try to
move the lever or push the button. The spring control should be relatively
light so it doesn’t take ven much strength to depress or actuate the con-
troller. You should be able to move the control lever or button with a
60
FIG. 56 The working port* of о Cox
thumb-opcrotcd controller. The largest
round object ii the resistor block that
controls the amount of electricity that
reaches the car.
natural and comfortable motion of your thumb or index finger. A hand
controller is your only physical connection with your speeding car, so it is
a personal thing. It must feel right to you! Some prefer a fairly large
control and some prefer a smaller one.
Over a period of years, each of us has developed some natural hand
movements based on our hobbies, sports, and jobs. You automatically
bring your past experience and talent into any new endeavor. Model
car racing is no exception. If your background includes riding motorcycles,
or your job requires that you squeeze some sort of hand lever, you have
most likely developed a natural squeezing motion with your entire hand.
You should find that the thumb-operated controller most suits the trained
motion of your hand. If you are interested in guns, or if your line of
work involves a constant use of your index finger, then, obviously, the
pistol-giip controller should be vour choice.
If you cannot decide which type of controller suits you best, then ex-
periment with both. Many commercial raceways will rent different styles
of controllers for yon to try. If you belong to a club, maybe one of the
members would be willing to lend you his spare controller. To be fair to
yourself in this testing, be sure that both styles of controllers are operat-
ing properly with no "dead spots”; that both have, or do not have, work-
ing dynamic brakes; and that both have approximately the same ohm
rating. Spend at least an hour with each tvpe. When you have become at
least slightly familiar with the controllers, lime a series of laps, driving as
fast as you can. Make the same test with both styles. Then select the
controller that gives you the faster lap time.
FiG. 57 The inside of rhe Russkit pistol.grip
controller.- Trigger, moved by your index
finger, wipes across the ceramic wire-bound
resistor inside to supply a greater or
lesrer amount of power ftow,
Controller Ratings
The model manufacturers have rated their motors 12-volt, 9-volt. 6-volt,
etc. Actually, this is not correct, because any motor that will run at all on
12 volts of D.C. current can be considered a 12-volt motor. But, you can
use their motor ratings as a guide in selecting the correct controller. The
chart here is a listing of controller motor combinations that have worked
for other drivers on both commercial raceways and club tracks. I must
emphasize, however. that it is only a guide. Individual track conditions,
inadequate wiring, undersize transformers, or an occasional super-fast
motor can force you to a controller with a higher or lower ohm rating. If
your car inns close to top speed with the controller button just barely
depressed, von need a controller with a higher ohm rating. If the car does
not move until the controller button is halfwax depressed, you need a
controller with a lower ohm rating.
CONTROLLER SELECTION C1LXRT
Controller OHM Range
MOTOR	for Best Performance
3-volt Mabuelii	10 to 12 ohms
(.lobe. Pittman DC65.(i. Ram DC857-6
DC85-6 and other motors rated al 6 volts or less
4-1/2-volt Mabuelii	12 to 15 ohms
6-volt KTM and Kemtron, Pittman 1>C65 and DC85, Rain DC426A Strombecker Snpei Charger, Ilemi. Destroyer and Dcvastatoi Wilson 5-volt, Dyn-O-Charger 1л M.P.C.	
6-volt Mabuchi 8- to 9-volt KTM and Kemtron К & В Super Challenger Ram DC222, Pittman’1X706. DC196B, DC711 and DC283 Aristo 18. Atlas 6-volt	15 to 20 ohms
Late Mabuelii (9-volt • with floating bearings and brush heat sinks Dyno Cans, Strombecker Scuttier Avenger, TC32. TC24, Hustler, Tyco 6-volt. Pittman 1X70-6. DC66. 1X77. DC63 Revell RP66 and RP77	15 to 25 ohms
Older Mabuchi (12-volt) with solid bearings Atlas 12-volt. К & В and Aurora Challenger Tradeship Mini motor	20 to 35 ohms
Ready-to-Run ears using Mabuchis without heat sinks. Older round Mabuchis, Strombecker Scorcher 12 and set car motors. Tyco 12-volt. Pittman DC 195. DC196.A. DC62B. DC70 MRRC and Auto World Stingray	35 to 50 ohms
All HO Motors	50 to 100 ohms
62
If you have one of the Mabuchi motors (Revell, Monogram, Cox, and
many other brands) the chapter on components (7) will help yon to iden-
tify them. To choose a controller lor rewound motors, use the motor volt
ratings given in Chapter 10.
There are a number of transistor controllers and electro-mechanical con-
trollers (Revell’s R3751 and R3752) that claim to be unaffected by motor
ohm ratings or current requirements. In some cases, on some tracks, this
is true In other instances they are little better than on-off switches. When
track conditions ( power supply, voltage, and wiring without relays) are
right, they arc effective and will operate almost any motor. Check to see
if those who race where you do use them.
Brakes
Yon will want a controller with a built-in dynamic brake circuit. Again,
however, check with the tracks where you race, as not all are wired
for dynamic brakes. If the track and the local rules allow them, you may
want to carry it one step further anti try battery-boosted dvnamic brakes.
This is nothing more than 1-1 2- to 3-volt flashlight batteries wired into the
brake wire of vour controller. When vou release the controller button com-
pletely, von automaticalk open the brake circuit—if vour controllei and
the track are wired for dynamic brakes. With batteries wired into the
brake wire, the motor of the car will actually revolve backwards if the
rear wheels arc off the track, or if the car is sitting still, waiting lor the
start. There is not enough power in I-1 2 to 3 volts to reverse the ear once
it is moving forward; but it is a very effective brake.
FIG 58 A 'do'it-yovrjelf" booster
broke mode from о penlight
Batteriei imide provide extro
broking power to help in improving
lop time*.
63
You can make your own power brake using a small metal flashlight. 'I'he
penlight or small “C” cell type is best. Pick the kind with two batteries. Cut
the brake wire about f>" from the track connector. Strip the cut ends of
the wire free of insulation. Remove the glass and bulb from the end of
the flashlight, using pliers and a rag to carefully break awa\ all the glass
from the flashlight bulb. Solder one end of the cut brake wire to the bulb,
and insert it back into the flashlight. Solder the other end of the cut brake
wire to the outside of the flashlight case. With the switch on and batteries
in the flashlight, connect the controller, including the brake wire, with the
modified flashlight to the track in the normal manner. With the controller
button off. your car should run backwards very slowly. If not, pick up the
tail of the car only, ami sec if the wheels will turn backwards; there may
not be enough power in the flashlight batteries to move the whole car. If
they do not turn at all, recheck all vour connections, especially the modi-
fied bulb, and try again. If the car runs forward slowly with the controller
button off, reverse the soldered connections you made on the flashlight.
Strombecker makes a brake box that you can connect to the controller
without having to cut any wires. The Strombecker unit also has a knob so
you can select the brake voltage, between I 2 and 3 volts, that suits
you best.
Power brakes will often give you an extra foot or so per lap over your
competition, since you can "power” closer to the corner before you let up
on the controller to brake and slow the car.
FIG. 59 Most frocks include plug in controller sockets. You con use the wiring diagram above and
a three contact telephone jack (available From electrical supply or raceway centers) to adapt your
controller to plug-in. I must caution you that although the wiring code here is standard for most
controllers and tracks, you must check to see that it matches the wiring diagram that came with
your controller and that it matches the track you intend to use. If it doesn't, you'll likely burn out
your controller! (Courtesy Model Cor & Track)
64
After you have matched your hand controller io your car and the track,
and when you have learned the function and use of either dynamic or
dynamic power brakes, you're ready to learn the tricks the pros use to
drive their cars.
Model car driving is something that must be learned, and. like anything
that must be learned, you can only do so with practice and lots of it. If
you are going to race against other drivers, you must be able to predict
exactly what your car will do with a given amount of movement in the
band controller—that is. become familiar with driving your car with your
hand controller. Only then can you proceed to learn where and bow to
gain those extra split seconds on each lap that can win a race for you.
Drive slowly at first, and concentrate on staving in the slot.
Corner Control
The first, and most important, secret of fast driving is to have smooth
control in the corners. Your hand controller allows almost infinite varia-
tion in speed. Learn to use it to control the speed of your car precisely.
As you drive around the track, pick one corner that is a complete “U”
turn. Each time you approach that corner, try to go through it with your
controller button in one position so the car negotiates the entire corner at
a constant speed. Each time you come to this corner, try going through it
with a slightly faster controller setting. Practice, paying attention to this
one corner, until you have found the exact setting on the controller that
will speed you through the corner at the fastest rate without coming out
of the slot.
You will soon learn that you can often keep your car from spinning out
by letting off on the controller. You will be tempted to run the car through
the corner by “blipping" the controlling button, that is. alternately applying
a lot of power and none at all. You will find, however, that the fastest
drivers all across the country are the ones who use the controller to keep
their cars moving smoothly by applying the power smoothlv. When you
have practiced long enough, you begin to know when your car will spin.
When you reach this point, you can keep your car from spinning out by
letting off very slightly on the controller to allow the rear of the car to
come back in slightly. The car wants to follow the pickup shoe, which
wants to follow the slot. If you let up very slightly, before the car spins, it
will straighten itself out, and you can continue through the corner.
Figure 60 may give you a clearer picture of the proper line through a
given corner. This photo was taken on a 1 32 scale club track with a glass-
smooth surface. The tires on the cars are treated with castor oil. STP. or
both. The track surface is a light shade of grey to simulate concrete. The
tires leave dark skid marks and rubber on the light track, indicating the
extreme limits that the rear tires reach as the cars drift or "hang their
65
tails out” through the corner. On most commercial tracks you cannot see
the drift patterns, so you may want to study the photo. The black areas
indicate the outer limits of the fastest "line" through this particular corner
in each lane.
FIG. 60 Three 1/32 Kale GP can in different drift angles Car Number 10 it negotiating this
corner at the fastest possible speed; car Number 2 is about to spin, ond Number 7 is being
driven too slowly.
The number 2 and number 7 cars show what happens when you blip
the controller to power the car through a corner. The number 2 car is
drifting too far out, and is about to spin. The driver's reaction will be to
let off on the throttle. If he lets off entirely, and the car doesn’t continue
its impending spin out of the slot, the speed of the car will carry it on
through the corner at about the same angle as number 7. A throttle blip-
per will run through a corner with his car alternately swinging back and
forth between the drift angles represented here by cars 2 and 7.
66
Car number 10 is negotiating this comer at the fastest possible speed
as indicated by its drift angle. Note that its rear tires are right at the edge
of the black area, or skid marks. This is a relatively light corner; the cars
will drift out a little more here than on a comer with a larger radius. It is
not uncommon at all for the inside rear tire to be on the outside of the
slot, as it is on the number 10 car. If the driver of the number 10 car is
skillful enough, he will keep his car at this same drift angle all the way-
through the corner. Should he apply too much power to his car, it will
drift out as far as the number 2 car. This same driver will only let off
slightly on his controller to prevent his car from spinning and to bring it
back to the original number 10 angle, but he will not allow it to slow down
to swing back as far as number 7. It doesn’t sound easy, and it isn't.
When you have completely mastered the correct control of your car in
one corner, apply the same technique to each corner until you have
mastered each corner on one lane. Then, move to the next lane and repeat
the process. The radius on the corners is different for each lane!
When you have mastered the technique of high-speed cornering, you
can concentrate on picking the right spot, at the end of each straight, to
let off on the controller to slow the car. or brake, so it will negotiate the
impending corner. If yon let off on the controller at exactly the correct
time, your car will enter the corner and automatically swing out into the
correct drift angle. If you can apply the correct amount of throttle, the car
will maintain that drift on through the comer. This is why you learned
the cornering technique first. Because you practiced, you know the maxi-
mum speed and drift angle that will keep the car in the slot and still allow
it to corner at the maximum speed.
When to Brake
When you can select the perfect time and place to brake before a corner,
you maintain the highest possible speed as your car travels from the
straight Io and through the corner. If you let off the controller too soon,
your car slows down too much, and you enter the corner at about the
angle of the number 7 car in Figure 60. To get back up to the fastest speed
for the corner, you must accelerate again. This requires more power than
is safe for the corner, and often you will apply loo much and spin out or
deslot. Even the pros have trouble here. So, if you have entered a corner
too slowly, do no/ apply lull power to get back up to speed again. Apply
the power slowly, so the car gradually swings out to just the correct drift
angle, and then proceed on through at that rate of speed. The natural
impulse, when you find your car going too slow at the beginning of a
corner, is to jam on the power. This aspect of driving takes about as much
mental discipline as it does skill. It is about the only time an experienced
driver will spin out. So, no matter how good you get, remember it.
67
On the other hand, if you wait too long before you brake for the cor-
ners, your car will spin out. The best way to learn the correct braking point
is to lay some sori of marker beside (ho track where you can see it clearly,
but where it will not interfere with anyone who may be driving on the
other lanes. A paper cup painted a bright orange or "day-glow” red is
ideal. This is your “shut-off” marker, and it's the same idea the full-size
racing car drivers use to learn braking. Practice Jetting off the controller
exactly al the marker. Gradually, about every other lap. move the cup
closer to the corner so you brake later. Continue moving it and delaying
vour braking until your car spins out while going into the corner. Move the
marker back to the last position where you can brake and still negotiate
the corner without spinning out. Practice using this braking point until
you can do it correctly without the marker. When you have mastered
the braking for one particular corner, move to the next lane and repeat the
process. The braking point lor each lane, on the same corner, will be
slightly different. Try the marker system on each lane and each corner,
until you are completely familiar with the track. Eventually, after much
practice, you will be able to pick the best braking point after only three
or four tries and without the marker.
Each time you race a new car or race on a different course, you must
learn the right braking point for each corner—and that's what makes it
interesting. It is not likelx that you will have time enough to learn each
corner of even track you use. on each lane, nor will anyone else, so there
is plenty of challenge and excitement.
Accelerating
The only area 1 haven’t covered is the correct method of accelerating
out of the corners. The ideal and the fastest wax is to prevent the back
of the car from “fishtailing," or swinging from side to side. In the corner,
the tail of the car is over the side of the slot. You want the car to gradu-
ally center itself over the slot without swinging across to the opposite side
of the slot. The secret here is to apply power gradually as the car exits
the turn, Il is by far the easiest technique to master but, again, you must
discipline yourself for the natural impulse is to jam on the power. Practice
until the car changes smoothly from the drift angle in the curve to the
dead straight position on the straightaway.
All of these various driving techniques—braking, cornering, accelerating
—are repeated time after time on each lap. Each change takes place in
only a split second, and you haven't time to think which is right. You must
practice until the proper techniques become natural to you. The car
should literally ‘How ’ around the track, never jerking from slow to fast,
or wobbling from side to side. A good driver will achieve a sort of rhythm
as he works the controller, not a staccato blipping of the button.
68
The Race
The best thing you can do when racing other cars is to forget the\ are
there’ Try to place al! your power of concentration on your car and the
track ahead of it. Whatever you do, don’t try to Stax beside or catch up
with a car on another lane. II you are driving as fast as you can, you'll
probably adopt his braking points, etc., and, since his are different than
yours, you'll spin out. Most often a slower driver, who is smooth and con-
sistent enough Io keep from deslotting or spinning out, is the winner. So,
don’t worry about being passed by other cars. At least you arc moving.
If you watch your car and the track ahead of it. you can pick the place
to pass slower cars and keep from hitting cars that may be in your path.
It is quicker to slow down, and let the corner marshall remove the obstruc-
tion, than to hit it and have to wait until your car is placed back on the
track. Also, when you are preparing to pass another car, think ahead a bit
about how your car drifts while cornering. His car will do pretty much
the same thing, so if he is likely to drift into you, wait until a curse,
where you would be likely Io drift into him, and then pass, or pass on the
straight. Don’t deliberately tn to bump the other cars out of the slot with
the tail end of your car (called "nerfing"), because chances arc good that
your car may come out also. Most rules require the innocent car. in this
case not yours, to be placed back in the lane first. Bv the same token, don’t
avoid nerfing another car on a lane next to you, if you are reasonably cer-
tain your car will not he affected. If he’s as good a driver as you, he’ll
know you’re about to pass, and he’ll slow slightly and let you bv before
you come to the corner or chicane (where all the lanes are close together).
Remember this same point if someone is passing you. If you’re likely to get
nerfed. let the other car by. You can probably catch up with him at the
next corner, but if he nerfs you out of the slot, you’ll lose several feet
on him.
Nerfing is an accepted part of model car racing, lust don’t try to nerf
the leaders, if you’re in last place, at every opportunity. You won't race
with that group too many times if you do.
Your first races will likely be somewhat discouraging. You may benefit
from watching how the better drivers manipulate certain sections that may
be giving you trouble, or by remembering when and where you were
passed and figuring out why. Generally, vour first races determine how
much work you’ll have to do on your cars and what you will have to do
to improve your driving ability. There is no mystery to it. It takes work,
which is really fun after all, and practice, which is still model car racing.
Don’t worry about losing; have fun learning to win!
69
5
Building Performance
Into Model Car Kits
THE I 32 AND I 24 scale kits are the real bargain items
in mode) racing. Each contains all the necessary parts for a complete model
racer. Yon get the enjoyment and satisfaction of assembling, painting, and
detailing, while saving the extra factory assembly cost of a ready-to-run
car. The various kit components (body, chassis, motor, etc.) cost much
more when purchased individually. Any of the kits in this chapter can be
race-prepared to compete with the best custom-made cars. Since each kit
offers a different type of chassis, there arc specific improvements that are
most effective with each specific brand. However, there are some general
modification and assembly hints that can be applied to all kits.
1 would suggest, if you have not done so already that you assemble one
of the model car kits according to the instructions and practice driving
it for a few hours before you begin to modify or improve it. You’ll have
the advantage of being familiar with the tools and the method of assem-
bly. When you know how a particular car runs, you can better understand
what improvements can be made, and why they are needed.
If you’re just beginning to enjoy building model racing car kits, I’d
recommend that yon start with the Strombccker or Hawk kits in this chap-
ter for 1/32 scale or the Cox or К & В kits for 1 24 scale. You should have
some kit-building experience under your hat before you attempt the other
brands shown here. The I 24 scale Strombccker, AMT, and Revell, and the
1/32 scale Revell anil Auto Hobbies kits arc not really that much more
difficult to assemble. However, they do require a greater degree of adjust-
ment on cither the chassis or Ixxly to be assembled correctly. So, try the
simpler ones first to get the feel of building and fitting. You’ll enjoy the
others more later on.
There are many obvious differences between tuning a model race car
and a full-size one; yet in one important aspect the two are identical. A
70
model or a full-size car must have a properly aligned, smooth-rolling chassis
to be a truly competitive racing machine.
.All of the tuning information in Chapter 2 applies to a kit car as well
as to a rcady-to-run. Review it and follow the tips exactly, so that the
pickup, wheels, gears, tires, and motor of your car are performing as they
should, ft is absolutely necessary that you follow each of the basic tuning
steps with every ear you race. In addition to this, you will find extra speed
and better handling by following a few basic alignment and adjustment
ideas.
Let’s assume you've followed the instructions and assembled a racing
chassis. We’ll also assume that you can get it around the track, flow can
you improve its performance? By making sure that the chassis is com-
plete!. adjusted and tested before you mount the bodv.
Manufacturer's Instructions
The speed secret most often overlooked is probably still lying in the
package you received yvith youi kit, chassis, 01 motor—the instruction
sheet! Read it! Manufacturers want to please you with the performance
of their products. 'Го help you obtain the maximum performance, detailed
instructions, and often speed-tuning tips, are included with most kits. Only
after you have followed the manufacturer’s basic assembly suggestions can
you begin to try for added speed and handling from your models.
Axle and Gear Alignment
Start yvith the motor and gears. Remove the rear axle ami gears to adjust
the motor, and/or the axle, so that the motor shaft is at an exact right
angle (90 ) to the axle shaft. Any misalignment here will cause the gear
to wear improperly. Also, be sure that the motor shaft points to the exact
center of the rear axle. If the motor shaft lies slightly above or below the
axle, the gears will bind and lose much of their efficiency. After the motor
and gear shaft arc aligned, check to be sure they rotate freely in the bear-
ings. If any bind is present, you can usually correct it by bending the
bearing supports. Next, adjust the motor so that its bottom surface is
parallel with the track. Also, check the motor shaft to be sure it rotates
freely and the pinion gear does not rub the motor bearing.
The crown gear can now be reinstalled on the axle. Adjust it. and install
spacer washers to fill the area between the back of the gear and the axle
bearing. Then, tighten the set scrcyv on the crown gear against the flat
spot on the axle. Fast cornering will force the two gears to mesh tighter
than they should, causing loss of power and undue wear on the gears. To
prevent this, fill the area between the face of the crown gear and the other
axle bearing with spacer washers, leaving only the barest visible sidexvays
71
FIG 61 (CovrfMy Model Cor & Track)
motion of the rear axle. With the hearing flanges and axle spacers on the
inside of the frame, the gear will remain in adjustment even if the rear
wheels must be removed or respaced. If you space the gear adjustment by
adding washers onlx between the wheels at the outside of the frame, as
some instructions recommend, you need to readjust the gear every time
you change the rear wheels.
If you must install the axle bearings with the flanges on the outside of
the frame, as shown in Figure 61, be certain that spacers are installed
between the axle nuts ami bearing to keep the bearings from being forced
out of the frame. Ou brass frames with bronze Oilite bearings, it is best
to solder the bearings to the frame to keep them from shifting. Center the
axle in the frame with the same amount of axle length protruding from
each bearing. The entire axle assembly should be held in adjustment by
spacer washers, not simply b\ the gear or axle nuts. If the spacer washers
arc installed with minimum clearance, they will keep the gears in constant
adjustment in spite of the tremendous amount of strain on the gears,
hearings, and frame members when racing.
Keep the set screw on the crown gear tight by measuring its exact loca-
tion on the axle, removing the axle (keep the set of adjusting washers in
separate piles), and filing a I 16" wide flat spot on the axle, where the
set screw is located. When you install the axle, leave the set screw out of
the gear until you have located the axle flat through the hole in the crown
gear, install the screw, and tighten.
Check the clearance between the end of the motor shaft and the set
screw on the crown gear. If there is any possibility that the two might hit,
cut or grind off the end of the motor shaft to provide adequate clearance.
Do not try to shorten the length of the set screw. Most set screws are
hardened steel.
The drawing indicates possible weight positions. However, do not install
weights until the chassis is complete.
Axle and Chassis Alignment
The front and rear track and the wheelbase on a model will have to be
adjusted to fit the specific car you are modeling. Check the prototype
dimensions, or the model manufacturer’s instructions, to determine exactly
what the track and wheelbase measurements should be. Hemember that
“track” is measured on the centerlines of the tires, and that “wheelbase" is
measured at the axle centers.
The pickup guides the car around the track, so all four wheels must be
aligned with the pickup to be sure that the chassis travels straight without
pulling to either side. To align a model car chassis, simply place it on a
section of straight track with the pickup in the slot. Center the frame over
the slot, and measure from the center of the slot to the center of each
rear tire (dimensions Cl and C2 on the drawing). Adjust the rear wheels
so that these dimensions are exacth the same. Next, measure the front
wheels (dimensions Bl ami B2) ami adjust them to be equal. These
adjustments will center the chassis, and the difference, if any, between
the front track and rear track will also be equal (dimensions Al and A2).
Next, measure both sides of the chassis to be certain that the right and
left hand (R.H., L.H.) wheelbases are equal. Adjust the chassis if
necessary.
All four tires should be absolutely round and true running. The (ires
should also be cemented firmly to the rims. Temporarily install the body
to make sure the tires, gears, pickup, etc., are free to operate without
rubbing it.
73
FIG. 63 (Courtesy Model Cor A Track)
Pickup Adjustment
Your model racer must receive a constant supply of electrical current
to realize its maximum performance potential. Since the current is deliv-
ered to the car through the pickup brushes, it is most important that these
parts be correctly installed. Figure 63 illustrates the correct and incorrect
methods of installing the pickup and adjusting the pickup brushes.
For home or club racing, obtain a section of set track that has a 3 16"
deep slot. For commercial racing, you can buy or make a wooden test
block with a 1 4" deep by I 8" wide slot cut with a power saw. These
are the minimum dimensions established for model-ear track slots. The
pickup must always clear the bottom of the slot, or it will drag and slow
(he car. Check the angle of the pickup-pivot pin to be sure it is vertical or
leaning slightly back when viewed from the side. If the pickup leans for-
ward, it will tend to throw the car out of the slot rather than hold il in.
Adjust the pickup depth by inserting or removing washers between the
pickup and the frame, if at all possible, with the particular chassis you are
using. If not, you can trim the bottom edge of the pickup blade. See that
the pickup is at an exact 90 degree angle to the track surface, and that all
four tires touch the track surface.
Install the pickup braid as outlined in the instructions for your car. Cut
off the trailing ends of the brushes just in front of the back edge of the
pickup, so that they cannot touch one another to “short-out” the motor.
74
Both front wheels should touch the track surface alter the brushes are
installed.
Do not solder the motor lead wires to the pickup brushes unless it is
absolutely a must. When not soldered, the wire Ilexes over its entire length
and will last much longer. Many of the current pickup-shoe designs feature
a wedge type of installation where the motor lead wires can be wedged
in with the pickup braid.
It is better to solder the wires than to wrap them around a screw. Even
il the screw is tight, you can't rely on the connection. Let the screw hold
the pickup brushes, and solder the motor lead wire directly to the brushes
(Chap. 8 gives full soldering-technique instructions). Cut about I 16" of
the plastic insulation from the motor lead wires. Hold the wire itself in
pliers, and pull the insulation back I 4". Now, solder about 1 8" of the
exposed wire to the braid and allow the hot solder to run up the lead wire
another 1/8". When the solder cools, push the plastic insulation back down
the lead wire as dose to the pickup brush as possible. The insulation will
help to reinforce the lead wire. Future troubles with broken motor-lead
wires are eliminated with this method. It is, incidentally, much quicker to
do than to describe.
Oil only the axle bearings, gears, pickup pivot, and the motor bearing
opposite the motor brushes. Do not oil the motor brushes or the motor
bearing closest to them. Oil on these parts will hold worn-off fragments of
brush material in the motor and, eventually, will short-out the motor.
Final Chassis Adjustments
II you’ve followed the suggestions outlined, you will have a smooth-
running chassis that needs only some final adjustments to put your car in
the winner’s circle. Try it on a track to determine how it handles. If it
seems to drift too far in (he corners, you may need some additional weight
to improve its handling. If it hops in the corners, or when accelerating,
re-check the tires to be certain they are absolutely round. If necessary,
sand them again/
Additional weight is seldom the solution to a hopping car. It can, how-
ever, provide a great improvement in handling, especially for 1 32 scale
cars. The model car, like a full-size car, needs certain weight distribution
between front and rear to comer properly. Balance your chassis on a pencil,
and mark the point where it balances. Now. measure the distance between
the pick-up pivot point and this balance point. Divide the total distance
from the rear axle center to the pickup pivot by this dimension to deter-
mine the percentage of weight on the rear wheels. On a standard chassis,
this figure should be between 50 and 60 per cent.
The crosshatched area in Figure 64 indicates the correct positions for
any additional weight: more than halfway back on the chassis, yet no
75
FINAL CHASSIS ADJUSTMENTS
track clearance
FIG. 64 (Courtety Model Cor i Track)
further than 1 8" behind the rear axle and below the axle center line. Lead
or brass weights can be added in this area to place between 50 and 60 per
cent of the weight on the rear wheels. Do not use any type of clay, as it
will melt from the motor heat and run into the bearings, gears, and motor.
Keeping the weight in this area should prevent the car from being top
heavy and eliminate need of any weight in the pickup area. Add only
about 1/4 ounce at a time between the motor and rear axle, if possible,
then trv the car on a track. Add pieces and test until handling is suffi-
ciently improved. The most successful weight for I 32 scale cars is a brass
pan, .020" to .030" thick and 1-1/2" wide, extending from the rear axle
forward to the front edge of the motor or a little beyond. Additional brass
or lead strips can be added as outlined or at the edges of the pan. Cars in
1/24 scale seldom require more than 1 4- to I 2-ounce additional weight.
Finally, check the total weight of the chassis on a postage scale. If your
weighted chassis exceeds 4 ounces, you are using the motor power to lug
around excessive weight. Some road racers handle well with only a total
weight of 3 ounces. If you feel your car will-not handle as well as vour
competitors with any less than 4 ounces of weight, it is time for vou to
experiment with either different gear ratios or different tires.
The Body
With the exception of the Cox, Hawk, and AMT kits, outlined later in
this chapter, all of the kit bodies mount far too high above the chassis. 1
can’t really give you a logical explanation for this, but it’s easy to correct.
And, correcting it has practical as well as esthetic value. We want our
miniature racing cars to look right and handle well. The model car body-
adds weight to the car exactly where it is not needed, and the lower you
can mount the body, the more you will improve the handling of the car.
76
Assemble the body to the chassis exactly as outlined in the kit instruc-
tions. Now, measure the amount of clearance between the front tires and
the nearest point of contact. Make the same measurement at the rear tires.
If the bottom of the body is level with the track, then the smaller of these
two measurements is the amount you can lower the body. If it is higher at
one end. you will have to make a correction for this in your fitting. For
most of the kits, you’ll find you can lower both ends of the body 1 16" to
1/8" without having the tires rub. Keep about 1/32" clearance between
the edge of the tire and the body.
Most of the model car bodies are injection-molded plastic. With few
exceptions, these bodies mount to the chassis with round posts containing
threaded, brass inserts to accept an assembly screw. The length or posi-
tion of these body mounting posts determines how far the body will be
above the chassis. The obvious way to lower the body is to shorten these
plastic mounting posts.
You have, as outlined in the kit instructions, inserted the brass inserts
into these posts and expanded them to fit tightly by threading in the assem-
bly screws. If you try to remove these brass inserts now, you’ll ruin the
body post. Do not remove them. Use a hot soldering iron or a woodburning
pencil to heat the brass inserts and sink them further down into the post.
Earlier, you measured how much you wanted to lower the body: depress
the brass inserts to that measurement. Lay a ruler beside the post, and
touch the soldering iron to the brass insert until it becomes hot and melts
its way into the plastic. Hold the iron steady so you don’t loosen the brass
insert or move it out of alignment.
As a starter, depress each post onlv about half as far as you have figured
you should. As soon as the insert sinks in this far, remove the iron immedi-
ately, and let the post cool. ( Do not touch the plastic post with the hot
iron.) Now, place the chassis inside the body for a trial fit. Check to see
that the posts still line up with the mounting holes in the chassis and that
the body is completely level on the chassis. Again, measure the amount of
clearance between the body and the tires. Repeal the process of heating the
brass insert to depress it further if needed. Sometimes you will press the
insert into the post so that the plastic around the insert is higher than
the insert itself. When this happens, cut the protruding plastic away so
the chassis will contact the brass insert when assembled. If you find you
have shortened the mounting posts too much, you can use the nylon axle-
spacers, between the post and the chassis, to raise the body. You will need
longer body-assembly screws, however.
I’ve outlined the techniques you must know to properly assemble and
tune any model kit. Specific information on nine of the best and most
popular kits is presented along with the prototype photo and details of
the particular car being illustrated. Many of the kits in this chapter are
available with other bodies, so you can use the appropriate full-size car
information in other chapters to detail these bodies.
77
FIG. 65 The full-iire cat:
One of the many,
unsuccessful races for the
Cheetah was ar Laguna
Scca in 1964. Allen
Grand, shown here,
finished fourteenth overall.
(Courtesy Dove Friedman)
BILL THOMAS’S CHEETAH
The Cheetah coupe was designed by California’s Bill Thomas as the prototype for
a production GT car to compete against the Stingrays, Cobras, and Ferrari GTOs.
The design combines the desirable rear-engine configuration with more practical rear
cockpit and driver location by placing the engine near the center of the car and the
driver well to the rear, just in front of tile rear axle. The footwells, on the interior of
the car, lie beside the engine and under the exhaust headers. The driver’s feet, in
fact, extend almost to the front of the engine.
Л number of the cars have been produced, but nowhere near the minimum of 100
required by the S.C.C.A. for the car to be classified as "production." A fire in the
Thomas shop in 1965 slowed production of the ears, and it is now questionable if
enough will ever be produced. The ear lacks the speed and handling to compete,
where it must, with modified sports cars like the Chaparral and Lola T70, but it is
a most interesting design.
Specifications
Wheelbase: 90 inches
Track Width: Front/Rear 58/57
Over-all Length; MO inches
Over-all Width: 69 inches
Front Tires: 6.70 x 15
Rear Tires: 6.70 x 15
NUMBER	DRIVER(S)	RACE	FINISHED	COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
81	Allan Grant	Laguna Seca '64	14th	Metallic green, lips on all fender cut- outs. Pictured above.
14	Ralph Salyer	Daytona ‘64	dnf	Blue with white circles and exhaust. Model pictured. MC 12/64
32	Ralph Salyer	Riverside A.R.R.C. ‘6$	2nd (modified)	Blue, white circles and exhaust. Top and windshield removed. New low plexiglass windshield. SCG 1/65
33	Mike Jones	Riverside Times *64	dnf	Silver, same body ns #14. CD 1/65
55	Jerry Ent in	Riverside Times *65	—	Blue, white circles and black numbers, lips on rear fenders only. MCT 6/66
64	 -	Road Amer- ica *65	—	Identical to #14 above. Red, white cir- cles and exhaust, black numbers. RT l/66(color)
PLANS:	Model Cars, December 1964,		1/32 scale	
78
FIG. 66 The model. Stromboeker's 1/32 icolc Chccioh ii a model of the cor in its stock form. The
body modification», fender lip», ond scoops were added later by private owner».
STROMBECKER KITS WITH "TC”
SERIES MOTORS
The Strombecker kits consist of two basic types, ihose with Strombeckcrs own
Mabuchi-style, tin-ean motor and those with Scuttier motors. The Scuttier style is
outlined later in this chapter.
Strombecker uses two variations of their tin-ean motors in their kits. The 1/32 cars
use the medium-size TC32 and the 1/24 cars, the larger TC24. The chassis for both
scales are identical in general design except that the 1/32 scale is brass, while the
1/24 is aluminum. This allows easy modification of the 1/32 by soldering braces and
a brass pan. The 1/24 is just fine as it is. Both chassis use an unusual self-aligning
Delrin bearing which, in my opinion, is one of the best bearing ideas to come along.
Spin the axles in a hand drill and polish them with steel wool, then polishing paste,
before you insert them. Do not oil the bearings.
The 1/32 scale chassis can lx- best modified by removing the center section and
substituting a brass pan and suitable tube braces as outlined in Chapter 8. The TC32
motor can either be rewound or replaced with Strombecker‘s super-hot Hemi 300.
The 1/24 scale TC24 motor has a rewound, hot replacement, the Hemi 400. Both
Ilemi’s are also sold in "wind-it-yourself” kits.
Strombccker’s bodies are among the thickest and heaviest in the business. Granted,
they won’t break so easily this way. but total car performance suffers. You can im-
prove the speed and handling by grinding away about half the thickness with a
Dremel motor tool.
79
FIG. 67 The full-size cor: The Cobro coupe won rhe 1965 World Chompionship for GT cor*. This
car finished second ol Daytona, 1965. (Courtesy Dove Friedman)
COBRA GT COUPE
The Cobra CT coupe is the result of the Cobra factory’s efforts to compete iti the
World Championship for GT prototype cars. The body was designed by Pete Brock
to provide the best possible streamlining, a feature that the stock Cobra roadster
lacks. The chassis for the GT is identical to that used on the production and racing
roadsters. The Cobra factory-team of roadsters and GT coupes competed both in
America and Europe in 1964 and 196-5. After finishing second in 1961. the Cobras
were successful in capturing tin: 1965 GT Championship, the first time for an Ameri-
can car. For 1966, the factory raced the Ford GTs. Most of the original six GT
coupes have been sold to private owners.
Specifications
Wheelbase: 90 inches	Over-all Width: 68 inches
Track Width: Front/Rcar 51.5/52.5 Front Tires: 6.40 x 15
Over-all Length: 166 inches	Rear Tires: 8.20 x 15
80
FIG. 68 The model: Auto Hobbies 1/32 scolc Cobro Coupe hoi ports for either the 1264 or 1965
version ol the reel cor.
NUMBER	DRIVER(S)	RACE	FINISHED	COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
13	Schlosser/ Kock	Daytona '65	2nd	Dark Cobra blue, white stripes. Pictured above. SCG 5/65
15	Bondurant/ Schlosser	Sebring '65	Won GT Class	Same as #13. Model pictured. CD 6/65
26	Bondurant/ Schlosser	Reims 12-Hour‘65	Won GT Class	Same as #13. CD 10/65, SCG 9/65
16	Adams/ Spencer/Hill	Sebring ‘65	21st O.A.	Same as #13. CD 6/65
5	Gurney' Bondurant	Le Mans ‘64	Won GT Class	Light Cobra blue, with two white stripes, spoiler. CD 9/64, RT 10/65, RT 9/64, SCG 9/64
10	Holbert/ MacDonald	Sebring ‘64	4th	Light Cobra blue, no spoiler. SCG 5/64, SCG 6/65(color). MCT 9/64
54	Bondurant	Nurburgring '65	7th (Won GT Class)	Same аз #13 above. RT 10/65
101	Jack Scars	Brands Hatch ‘65	Won GT Class	Red with white stripes (one wide, flanked by two narrow) and circles, black numbers
PLANS:	Model Car Sr. Track, September 1964, 1/32 scale			
AUTO HOBBIES KITS
The one-piece, injection-molded body and the brass-pan-style chassis are the
outstanding features of the Auto Hobbies 1/32 scale kits.
The Cobra coupe body includes instructions and parts to accurately duplicate any
of the body changes made to the full-size cars during 1964 and 1965. The car pic-
tured here is the 1965 version. The windows are an extremely light, vacuum-formed,
81
clear plastic piece that snaps into place. The body mounting posts are adjustable to
fit other chassis as well but this feature needs a certain amount of "cut and fit” to
adjust the body to fit the chassis.
The Auto Hobbies frame is designed to fit any motor that will go inside the car.
The motor furnished in the kit is the medium-size Mabuchi. 1 found that this frame,
like Monograms ready-to-run, required a pair of 1/16" brass-tube braces soldered to
the front and rear bearing supports as a reinforcement. Without the braces, it is diffi-
cult to keep the motor and axle shafts in accurate alignment for good gear mesh.
The car will run smoother and quieter if the stamped-stecl crown gear is replaced
with one of Delrin.
The front bearings, designed as a press fit in the frame, must 1м- soldered in place
to keep them in alignment.
The Auto Hobbies kit is definitely for the experienced 1/32 scale enthusiast. All
of the parts are supplied as well as the excellent body and all the detail items, in-
cluding accurate-scale wheels and inserts. The all-brass frame construction allows you
to modify it easily without purchasing a number of extra parts. It’s a good kit on
which to try out your own motor/chassis ideas.
82
1965 CHAPARRAL 2A
The early development of the famous Chaparral is outlined, both in model and
full-size, in Chapter 8. The cars pictured here are examples of the mid-1965 racers.
The Chaparral people are a dedicated group in a sport where car development is
traditionally pretty much haphazard, ranging from the successful, back yard specials
of Max Balchowski (the Old Yellar cars) to the over-organized efforts of the Ford
Motor Company. The cars and the Chaparral shop (it is not yet a real factory) are
‘all business,” and it shows. The Chaparral 2AS, covered here, raced 60 times during
1964 and 1965. They won 25 times and placed second 12 times. With competition
like the Lola T70, the 330P2 Ferrari, and the McLaren, this is phenomenal!
The later cars were fi'ted with an automatic transmission, and diaplanes (trim tabs
under the nose) were added to keep the front of the car from lifting at high speeds.
In late 1965. a movable rear spoiler was used and the fender tops were louvered
again to prevent high speed lift.
I'he cars shown here pick up the history of the Chaparral bod)- where those in
Chapter 8 leave off. The number 65 and 66 cars are simply the number 3 Sebring
1965 car with the two extra lights and fender lips removed. The Monogram 1/32 and
and 1/24 scale bodies can be used with the diaplanes removed to duplicate this car.
The Revell 1/32 car is an exact copy. The next development, in mid-1965. was the
addition ol the diaplanes. Monogram’s ears duplicate this version.
Further development of the Chaparral body will require modifications to either
Revells or Monogram's bodies. Diaplanes, a larger rear spoiler, and the vented fender
tops will have to be added.
The last development of the 2A was the movable rear spoiler and higher fins on
the rear fenders. The more recent and smaller Chaparral 2C roadster and 2D coupe
are entirely different cars.
83
FIG. 69 The fullsize cor Jim Hall won at laguna Seco in 1965 in this car. (Courtesy Dove
Friedman)
Specifications (#66 Laguna Seta, 1965)
Wheel base: 91.7 inches Track Width: Front/Bear 57-1/2/58			Over-all Width: 70 inches Front Tires: 9.20 x 15 Hear Tires: 12.00 x 15
Over-all Lengt	h 159 inches		
NUMBER DRIVER(S)	RACE	FINISHED	COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES '
66 Jim Hall	Laguna Seca •65	Won	Pictured above. CD 8/65
65 Hap Sharp	Riverside ‘65	2nd	Model pictured. SCG 7/65, R 1/4, CM 1/66
66 Jim Hall	Bridge- hampton '65	Won	Same as above but with diuplancs (fins) under nose. SCG 8/65, CD 9/65
65 Jim Hail	Watkins Glen . *65	Won	Same as above with diaplanes. SCG 9/65
66 Jim Hall	Mos port *65	Won	Same as above with diaplanes and lou- vres on tops of all 4 fenders, large rear spoiler. RT 11/65
65 Hap Sharp	Kent ‘65	2nd	Same os Mosport above but narrower Spoiler. RT 2/66(color)
65 Hap Sharp	Riverside	Won Times ‘65 PLANS: Model Carn, July 1965, 1/32 scale Cor Model, November 1964, all scales •Additional Chaparral data in Chapter 8.			Same as Mosport car but with movable rear spoiler. CD 3/66, CD 2/66, MCT 4/66, RC 1/66
84
REVELL KITS
The current Revell kits in 1/32 scale, with the brass chassis, arc an excellent starting
point lor a competitive racing machine. The older, aluminum style can be modified,
but you’re better off to replace it with the newer type. By changing only the Ixxly
mounting post location, the newer #R33J6 frame will lit the old-style, large, 1/24
scale kits or bodies and the »R330l will lit any of the 1/32 scale bodies and the
1/2-1 scale Lotus 23 and Porsche sports car Ixxlies The #113301 is used in the 1/32
scale Chaparral. The #113316 is similar and is shown with the Lotus 38 in Chapter 8.
The Revell Chaparral kit assembles easily until you mount the burly. This is one
of those kits where the body is high enough to almost fly an airplane under it. You
can save time by trying the body fit before you insert the brass threaded inserts. Cut
down the length of the posts with a knife until the body sits level on the chassis and
just clears the tires. Then, insert the threaded brass plugs into the posts and. if
necessary, heat them to correct the body height
This troublesome body has an accurate shape and enough detail so it's worth get-
ting it right. It is injection-molded plastic, so it serves as a perfect starling point
should you want to modify it to match one of the later cars. The number 3 Sebring
car (see (.hap. 8), for example, would require fendei lips which can he cut from
1/24 scale display model wheels, and the two additional headlights can Ik- painted
on or. better, a second body kit can Ik- purchased to provide the second set. The
fender louvers on the late 1965 and 1966 Chaparrals can be cut with a heated knife
or an Auto World AutoMatic "hot" knife.
The Revell chassis is readily adaptable to 1/32 scale “super-modified” racing. Chap-
ter 8 outlines the easiest and best method of fitting a brass pan to the motor, the
forward piece of the stock Revell front bracket can be soldered to this brass pan.
FIG. 70 The model- Revell's 1/32 icalc version of tho mid-1965 Chaparral.
85
1956 LAN Cl A/FERRAR1 D50
'I'he Lancia/Ferrari Grand Prix cars raced under the rules of the racing formula,
used until 1960. which allowed up to 2-1 2-liter engines. These cars were big. noisy
brutes and few were as similar in appearance as Grand Prix ears are today. Because
of this, Grand Prix racing was far more exciting then Many hope that the new I960
GP regulations, allowing engines of up to 3 liters, will revive the excitement of the
earlier races.
Ferrari won the World Championship in 1952 and 1953 with his Grand Prix cars
Racing ear development then, as now. did not stand still, and the Ferrari cars were
outclassed by the Mercedes Benz WI96 cars in 1951 and 19.55. Ferrari’s 555 Squalo,
designed to compete with the Mercedes, was a failure. He was seriously considering
withdrawing from Grand Prix racing when the Lancia firm abandoned racing and,
with the financial help of the Italian government gave their 1)50 Grand Prix cars to
Ferrari. The Lancia D50 was about the only ear to offer serious competition to Mer-
cedes during 1955. So. when Mercedes withdrew from racing in 1956. the stage wax
set for another world championship for Ferrari. The Lancia'Ferrari Dotis, incorpo-
rating some of Ferrari’s own ideas, won the majority of the 1956 GP races—World
Champions again.
The most unusual feature of the l>ancia/Fcrrari was the body , which spread out
between the wheels as shown in the photos. These panniers, on each side of the
body, held the gas and oil tanks and contributed somewhat to Ix-tter streamlining.
When the Lancia* were delivered to Ferrari, these tanks were separated from the
body by tubular supports Ferrari faired them into the body. The cars were raced in
the form pictured here dining 1956. For 1957. Ferrari lengthened the nose to further
improve streamlining, and the gas tanks were moved back into the body. The pannier
tanks were left in place, however, so the appearance of the car changed little. Later
in the year, these side tanks were removed completely.
SPECiriCATlOXS
Wheelbase: 90 inches	Over-all Width: Not Available
Track Width: Front/Rcar 50/50	Front Tires: 5.50 x 16
Over-all Length: Not Available	Rear Tires: 7.00 x 10
FIG. 71 The full-size cor: The loncio , Forrori D50 driven to second piece at the 1965 Monaco
Grand Prix by Fongio. (Courtesy Pood 4 Tract)
86
NUMBER	DRIVERfS)	RACE	FINISHED	COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
26	Collins/	Monaco ‘56 Fangio	2nd	All red with white numbers. Pictured above Same paint, numbers, and body with Collins driving 2nd at Italian GP •56. KT 12/56, AY •4(color)
2	Collins	British GP ‘56	2nd	Red with white circles, black numbers. Model pictured. RT 12/60, AY 1-4
3	Castellotti British GP ‘56	10th	Same as #2 above. MC 8/6-1, AY #4
4	de Portago British GP •56 Peter Collin:; Belgian GP ‘56 Piletie	Belgian GP Car Model, March 1964. 1 32 Model Cars. August 1964, 1/	dnf	Same as «2 above. MC 8/64, AY *4
8		Won	Same as #26 above. MC 8/64, AY -74
20 PLANS:		6th scale 32 scale	Yellow with black numbers. AY ff4
HAWK MODEL KITS
The 1/32 scale Hawk kits are simple enough for a beginner to construct, and their
brass frame with a latc-stylc, medium Mabuchi motor provides good, basic, racing
ingredients.
The early Chaparral and the Lancia/Ferrari GP bodies are the only examples of
these two historic cars offered in 1/32 scale. Hawk has a kit for both. 1 selected the
Lancia/Ferrari. since it can be the most competitive 1 32 scale Grand Prix car with
the least amount of modifications.
The location of the pickup shoe is the worst feature of this kit. The car tries to
trip over the pickup in the corners, which causes it to deslot too casih It is set back
further than it normally would l>e because of the short nose on the body, but there
are ways of getting around that problem. Cut a 3/4" piece of #402 Russkit brass
channel. This 1/4" wide channel has a series of holes stamped into it. so it can easily
Im? bolted or soldered onto the original Hawk pickup mount This will extend the
pickup forward in front of the axle and almost directly under the front body mount.
The pickup will be visible out from under the nose ol the ear. You can use an Auto
Hobbies pickup, which will place the pivot further forward Io allow the car to
comer better and keep the pickup under the nose of the car and out of sight. The
Auto Hobbies #AH203 pickup shoe is similar to Hawk’s except that the pivot pin
is at the front end. Drill or file the forward hole in the Russkit brass channe. to 3/16",
insert the brass bushing and Install the new' pickup.
The Hawk chassis can Ik? further modified to full competition readiness following
the same procedure as for the Monograin chassis’ in Chapter 8.
FIG. 72 The model: The 1/32
«ole Hawk Lancia Ferrari D50.
FIG. 73 The full-size con Number 22
Brabham curried American Dun
Gurney to victory ol the 1964 French
Grand Prix. (Gunther Molten
courtesy Rood 6 Traci)
THE 1964/1966 BRABHAM GP CARS
Australian Jack Brabham was the World Champion Grand Prix driver, in a Cooper
Formula 1 car. for both 1959 and 1960. In 1961. he began applying the lessons
learned on the Grand Prix circuits to cars of his own design. In 1962. the Brabham
Grand Prix car made its debut. It put in a creditable performance for a new car by
placing fourth al the I nited States GP and al the South African GP later in 1962.
All of the Brabham Grand Prix cars, from the original 1962 1-1/2-liter car to
the 1966 3-liter one, have steel tubing frames. The body and frame design is
derived, like most of today's Cirand Prix cars, from the Lotus 25 and Lotus 33. With
only detail differences a technical description ol the Brabham would describe any of
the successful 1962, ’63, '61, or '65 (hand Prix cars. Brabhams have independent
suspension on both ends which uses "A" arms and rods to link the wheels to the
chassis, disc brakes on all four wheels, and a rear-mounted engine.
The most distinguishing characteristic of tin- 1964-65 Brabhams is the body shape
and color. The body is the lowest of all the GP designs. so that the carburetor intake
pipes appear to be much higher than the other cars'. The body is also somewhat
Hatter, in cross section, than is common. The cars arc painted an unusual olive shade
of dark green with a gold band around the nose, extending to a stripe down the top
of the body.
In the fall of 1965 and in early 1966, Australia and New Zealand held races for
Grand Prix cars of up to 3 liters, very similar to the 1966 World Championship
Grand Prix rules for Formula I cars. The first 1966 GP race was not until .May at
Monaco, so Brabham, racing on his home circuits, did some extremely valuable, early-
season testing by competing in these races.
The 3-liter engine used by Brabham is a joint design of Brabham and Repco, an
Australian speed shop It is based on lh«- aluminum Oldsmobile VS design with
strengthened crank, pistons, and rods to accept the extra power derived from the use
of special, single-overhead camshaft cylinder heads. Although the 1966 Brabham is
virtually identical to the 1964-65. the larger engine is not quite as well enclosed in
the body (two small covers enclose only the cylinder heads on the car in the photo),
and the nose is slightly larger, but not noticeably so. Color is the same as the
earlier cars. Jack Brabham, in this car, was the 1966 world champion.
Specifications (1964 Brabhams)
Wlieelbase: 91 inches
Track Width. Front/Rear 56/56
Over-all Length: 153 inches
Over-all Width: (body) 36inches
Front Tires: 5.50 x 13
Rear Tires: 7.00 x 13
88
FIG. 74 The full-lite cor: Brobhom's 1966 Grond Prix cor fitted with the Repto Brobhom 3-liter
engine for the new Formula I. (Geoffrey Goddard; courtesy flood i Track)
FIG. 75 Strombeckcr's 1/24 scale Scuttier powered Brobhom is a duplicate o< the lull-site 1964
car. It can be modified to match the 1966 version.
89
NUMBER	DRIVERfS)	RACE	FINISH E	D COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
22	Dan Gurney	French GP '64	Won	Dark green, gold stripe. Pictured above. RT 9/64
6	Dan Gurney	Mexican GP ‘64	Won	Same as 322. Model pictured. CD 2/65, RT 12/64, RT 1/65, SCG 1/65
8	Dan Gurney	Mexican GP '65	2nd	Same as 322. CD 1/65, RT 1/66, SCG 1/66, SCG 12/65
16	Dan Gurney	Dutch GP ‘64	dnf	Same as 322 above. RT 10/64(color), RT 1 l/63(color/Jack Brabham driving)
5	Dan Gurney	German GP ‘65	— -	Same as •'22. CD 11'65, SCG 10/65, RT 11/65, NM(color)
14	Dan Gurney	French GP ‘65 U.S. GP ‘65	dnf	Same aa 322. CD 11/65
7	Jack Brabham		3rd	Same as #22 above. RT l/66(color)
1	Jack Brabham	Monaco GP	dnf	Same as #22 above. RT 9/65(color)
No number	The 1966 Brabham GP cor for the new			3-litcr Formula I. Pictured opposite
10	Jack Brabham	So. African GP ‘66	dnf	Same color as #22. New 3-litcr engine for 66 Formula, exposed headers. Sec- tion of body over top of valve covers. Uncovered engine and unnumbered car pictured above. RT 4/66, CD 3/66, RT 3/66
PLANS:	Model Maker* Plan Service,		••-MM/776,	1/32 scale
	Road & Track,	February 1963, 1/24 scale		
STROMBECKER KITS WITH "SCUTTLER”
SERIES MOTORS
'i’he kits with the Scuttier motors are a different breed entirely from the Strom-
becker “TC" series kits we discussed earlier.
The Scuttler-powered ears have a simple brass channel chassis for attaching the
front wheels and axle, since the rear axle bracket is a part of the motor. The greatest
improvement that can be made in these cars is to lower the center of gravity for better
handling. File out the rear assembly hole in the brass front channel to lower the
front, or magnet end, of the motor, and you’ve done it.
The Scuttier motor can be replaced with other faster and more powerful Strom-
beckcr's without any modifications other than a new set of mounting holes on the
l/32s. The dual-magnet Supercharger will be an improvement if your tracks have a
large enough power supply. Almost any other brand of in-line motor, including KT.M’s
6-volt, Atlas’s 6-volt. the Pittman's DC 196B, etc., can be easily adapted. If you like
the open in-line motors, the Strombecker kits are a good place to start.
The tires supplied with the 1/24 scale Brabham GP, shown here, and the similar
Ferrari GP are too large. I replaced the fronts with К & B's super-detailed #418
31/32” front tires. The Strombecker front tires can go on the rear, or cut a set of
your favorite foam tires to this size.
The appearance of the 1/32 scale ears can be greatly improved by substituting an
appropriate plastic insert from Strombecker’s #8358 wheel-insert assortment.
The tire changes on the 1/24 scale Brabham and Ferrari can lower them about
1/4” by lowering the motor and grinding or filing out the front axle hole in the body,
to lower it also. They look and handle infinitely belter.
90
The Strombecker Brabham body can also be modified to match the 1966 3-liter
car by cutting away the engine cover at the rear and inserting a hollowed-out. over-
head cam Ford engine from IMC’s Indy Lotus or Ford GT kit. When raced, the
Brabham had part of the old rear body covering the valve covers ol the engine. This
can be cut from the Strombecker engine cover yon removed.
FIG 76 The Strombecker ' Scuttler" cho»ir lowered to improve handling. Block-colored gear and
motor improve appearance of completed cor.
91
FIG. 77 Tli« full-iizo cor: This
Lolo woj raced by the loie
Wall Hanigon at Riverside in
1965. (Dave Friedman; courteiy
American Model Raceways)
LOLA T7O
Л man responsible for the construction of a series of racing cars ranging from a
LI-liter sports car through a Grand Prix car. a Le Mans coupe, and the design of
the early Ford GT car is a constructor to watch! When Eric Broadly and his English-
firm Lola Cars decided to produce a sports, racing car. it was destined to he a winner.
It was fitted with a big American V8 and meant to compete with the Chaparrals.
McLarens, and Lotus 30s and 40s. It has indeed been an extremely competitive ear.
Like the Lotus 25/33 and BRM Grand Prix cars and, of course, the Chaparral, the
Lola T70 uses an ultra-light, monocoque chassis. In the case of the Lola, this consists
of a series of aluminum boxes assembled together to connect the engine end suspen-
sions (front and rear). Both Ford and Chevrolet V8 engines have been used.
Note: Further data on the Lola T70 appears in Chapter 8.
SPECIFICATIONS
Wheelbase: 95 inches	Over-all Width: 68 inches
Track Width: Front/Rcar 54/54	Front Tires: 6.00 x 15
Over-all Length: 156 inches	Rear Tires: 7.00 x 15
NUMBER	DRIVE R(S)	RACE	FINISHED		COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES’
11	Walt Hansgen	Riverside 65	dnf	Mecom blue with white stripes and cir- cles. Pictured above.
II	Walt Hansgen	Road America ‘65	dnf	Same as above, without side scoops. Model pictured. SCG 11/65
17	Walt Hansgen	Laguna Seca ‘65	Won	Mecom blue with navy blue stripe. Nose edged in white, white circles. Modified grill. RT 2/66, SCG 1/66, R 1/9
69	Hugh Dihlcy	Riverside Times ‘65	7th	Gold with black nose and stripe, white circles. Open engine cover. MCS 4/66
11	Bob Bondurant	Riverside Times '65	dnf	Dark metallic blue with green flushes on inside of front fenders and on tops of all four fenders. Open engine cover with two jet-type pods on each side of engine opening for air intake. MCT 2/66, MCT 4/66, RT 2/66, SCG 1/66
PLANS:	Cat Model. November 1965, all		scales	
Model Cars, December 1965, 1/32 scale
Road & Track. July 1965, 1/24 scale
•'Additional LOLA T70 numbers, colors and details in Chapter 8.
REVELL SIDEWINDER KITS
Revell’s 1/21 stale “sidewinder" style kits could be considered typical of a good
1 24 scale chassis for the large commercial tracks. There are. however, u number of
features incorporated in the Revell design that are worthy of note. The most startling
feature, perhaps, is that the chassis seems to he bent to the right. The design of the
popular Malmchi motor, used by Revell and most others, places the weight of the
motor offset from the centerline of the car. because the really heavy part of (he motor,
the magnets, are offset along the shaft of the motor. When the Mabnchi motor is
mounted in any “sidewinder” chassis, it places a greater amount of weight on one
side. Hiis might be fine, if the car only raced around left-hand corners, as the full-
size ears at the Indianapolis 500 do. The facts are. however, that model cars usually
have an equal number of both right- and left-hand turns to negotiate Theoretically,
therefore, it would be an advantage to have the chassis on a model road racer
balanced so that there is as much of the total weight on the right wheels as there is
on the left. The motor is almost impossible to change, so Revell has balanced the
heavy side of the motor by placing the bulk of their chassis on the right of the
centerline of the car. This feature is common to both the 121 scale Revell “side-
winder" kits and ready-to-run cars.
The Revell Lola T70 in the photo has added dirtail in the form of a Revell driver
figure, Industro-Motive Corporation decals from their display-model Lola, with
Dynamic Models -613 Lola front wheels and #614 I л»1а rear wheels. Although
these items add nothing to the performance of the model, they do make it look more
realistic.
The Delrin gears, drop pickup arm. quick-change pickup braid, the motor level
with the bottom of the chassis for the lowest center of gravity, and good cooling are
all features to look for in any kit or readv-to-run car that you want to race on the
commercial raceways.
FIG. 78 The modeli Revell's 1/24 Kale Lolo T70.
93
FIG. 79 The fulltize cor: The
Mclaren Mark I wo» rated at the
Riverside Times race in 1964 by
6<u«e Mclaren, but did not
finish that race. (Dave Friedman;
courtesy American Model Raceways)
1964 McLAREN-OLDSMOBILE MK I
The McLaren Olds Mark I is a further example of the modern, rear-engine
sports/racer. McLarens cars are among the smallest and narrowest in this class of
big-time racing. From a tiesign standpoint, this would mean that the McLaren could
be slightly lighter and, with a smaller frontal area, have less wind resistance. The
body shape of the 1964 McLaren Mark 1. shown here, is most unusual. No other car
features the slim lines, high tail section, and flat-topped fenders.
The car was designed by Bruce McLaren, and the prototypes were constructed in
his homeland. New Zealand. McLaren, like Jack Brabham, is an ex-Crand Prix driver
(whose first GP win was in 1959 in a Cooper) who has applied his years of experi-
ence with racing ears to his own designs The Mark I and its immediate successor,
the Mark II. are among the top three or foui sports racing cars in the world. The
McLarens, however, have been plagued by a series of minor parts failures and, after
leading many races, have retired or slowed before they completed the race.
Specifications
Wheelbase: 91 inches
Track Width: Front/Reai 50/49
Over-al) Length: 156.2 inches
Over-all Width: 59.1 inches
Front Tires: 5.50 x 15
Bear Tires: 6.50 x 15
NUMBER	DRIVER(S)	RACE	FINISHED	COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
2	Bruce McLaren Riverside Times ‘64	dnf	Black with silver stripes and bottom. MCT 2/65, SCG 12/64
47	Bruce McLaren Mosport ‘64	3rd	Same as #2 above. CD 12/64
5	Bruce McLaren Nassau '65	2nd	Same color as ;>‘2 above.
97	Charles Hayes Riverside Times ‘65	4th	White body, purple numbers, black lower panels. Clear rear spoiler. CD 2/66, SCG 3/66, RT 2/66, SCG 1/66
3	Graham Hill Riverside Times ‘65	dnf	Gray body, green stripe and bottom. SCG 1/66, R 1/9, MCT 4/66
77	Dan Gurney Riverside Times '65	dnf	Dark blue with white numbers and die- plane. К & В decal on side. MCT 4/66
PLANS: Car Model. June 1965, all scale:;
Model Car & Track. February 1965, 1/24 scale
Model Cars. April 1965, 1/32 scale
94
FIG. 80 The model: AMT's
1/24 scale McLaren Mark I.
AMT KITS
The design philosophy behind the AM I chassis is weight. The 1/2-1 scale AMT
cars, for example, arc the heaviest on the market at about 7 ounces. A strong, thick,
brass-pan-style chassis places this extra weight as low as possible. There arc a few
tracks, primarily in the Midwest, where heavy I 24 ears are "the thing." Before you
make an) radical changes in the chassis, tn it II you're new at model car racing,
you'll find that the heavier 1/24 scale chassis will be considerably easier to drive
than the more common -I- to 5-ounce cars. With a rewound motor or a "hot” replace-
ment armature, you may even find this extra weight is better for you.
You will probably want to put this chassis on a "diet.'' I'he Nibblcrs pictured in
Chapter I can lie used to cut away the side weight. part ol the pickup bracket, and
most of the chassis under the axle. Work carefully, keeping in mind that something
has to hold the rest of the car. Properly done, you can pare the total car weight
down to about 4 or 5 ounces. The body is as thin and lightweight aS possible, so
you can concentrate on the chassis itself.
A similar brass-pan-style frame is used on most of the 1/32 scale AMT cars (forget
the early I 32 scale Ford GT and Lotus 30 with the aluminum frames). This chassis
is excellent as is, although you must settle lor a car with the same wheelbase since
it, unlike the 1/24, is not adjustable.
All of the AMT cars need plastic wheel inserts for better realism A little grinding
on the wheel interior will make them fit.
FIG. 81 Th« AMT 1/24 scale
brass chassis.
! I
FIG 82 The full-»ire <af: The lo«u» 30, in one of it* few succetsful early ovtingi, placed third ol
the Riverside Time* rote in 1965 with Jim Clark driving. :Davo Friedman; covrteiy Amerizan
Runkit Company)
LOTUS 30/40
In 1964. Lotus designed a new sports racing car for the Ford 4.7-liter \'8 engines
to replace the older Lotus 19 design. This new car. the Lotus 30, features a unitjue
frame design. A single, large, "Y"-shaped tube runs down the center of the chassis
with the rear-mounted engine in the branch of the "Y.” This rectangular tube is
fabricated from sheet steel. The front suspension, engine, and rear suspension are
bolted to the tube. The idea is a refinement of the inonocoque chassis used on the
open-wheel Indianapolis and Grand Prix Lotus cars (models 25, 33. and 38). On
the open-wheel cars, the driver sits inside the chassis. On the Lotus 30 sports cars,
he sits beside it.
The car was further modified, in 1965. to accept the larger and more effective
5.8-liter Ford V8. The body was modified to accept larger, 15" wheels, and a spoiler
was molded into the tail. This car was designated the Lotus 40.
Neither the Lotus 30 nor Lotus 40 is able to match the performance and handling
of its competitors. If the Lotus factory can take a breather from their Grand Prix and
Indy racing programs to develop the 40. it should be able to compete successfully
with the Lola 70s. McLarens, and other cars in its class.
Specifications
Wheelbase: 94.5 inches
Track Width: Front/Rear 53/53
Over-all Length: 165 inches
Over-all Width: 68 inches
Front Tires: 6.00 X 13
Rear Tires: 7.00 x 13
NUMBER DRIVER(S)		RACE	FINISHED	COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
30 ••IS	J. Clark	Riverside Times *64	3rd	Green with vet low stripe, low exhaust. Pictured above. CD 1/65, SCG 12'64
40 «8	J. Clark	Brands Hatch *65	dnf	Green with yellow stripe, high exhaust. Model pictured. CD 1/66, CD 12/65, SCG 11/65, R 1/7
30 Al	J. Clark	Silverstone *65	Won	Same color as above, low exhaust, no spoiler. CD 6/65, RT 11/64, SCG 6/65
•10 •VS	A.J. Foyt	Riverside Times *65	dnf	White body, red numbers, blue stripe.
40 »2	A.J. Foyt	Nassau *65	dnf	Blue body, white circles and numbers. SCG 3/66
40 Al	J. Clark	Riverside Times ‘65	2nd	Same as «8 above. RT 2/66, SCG 1/66, MCT 4/66
40 A4 NOTE:	J. Clark 30 & 40 above.	Oulton Park	dnf *65 indicate body style		Same as A30 above. RT 11. 65(color), SCG 7/65
PLANS: Car Model. August 1964, all scales (Lotus 30)
COX KITS
The entire line of 1/24 scale Cox Sports and GT cars uses basical!) the same
chassis. The large 'ГГХ250 Cox Mabuchi is mounted sidewinder-style with Cox
“Coxalloy" gears, magnesium wheels, and a magnesium chassis. The magnesium
chassis docs not lend itself to change, since you can t solder effectively to it. but. if
you can run sidewinder chassis at all. it really doesn’t need any major alterations.
The Cox front axle bracket should be bushed with a piece of 1/8” inside-diamctei
brass, the length of the axle, and epoxied to the bracket. Bend the pickup spring, so
that only the lightest pressure, about the weight of a quarter, will depress the pickup
arm. Replace the wide braid on the pickup with softer and narrower 1/8" braid, and
brush it out into individual strands.
The motor-to-axle distant" cannot be changed to alter the gear ratio. To change it,
add up the number of teeth on both the axle gear and the motor (pinion) gear. .Any
combination of pinion and axle gears that equals this number will fit. Do not use
any other brand of gear in the Cox cars. The spacing shouldn’t be different on differ-
ent brands, hut it is.
On the cars with independently rotating front wheels, 1>e sure to keep them well
oiled, or they will wear rapidly and eventually freeze on the axle.
FIG. 83 Tho model: Cox 1/24
Kale lotut con b<> aM+mbled
into the lotvt 40. jhown here,
ot the Lotut 30.
97

FIG. 84 Tho full-size cor:
The Ferrori 275P2. as raced
by Graham Hill о» the
Nurburgring 1965, failed to
finish the race. (Gunther
Moller; courtesy Rood &
Track)
1965 FERRARI 33OP2
The 1965 Ferrari sports/racing efforts were centered around the P2 roadsters.
The chassis design is of sejin-mouocmpie construction, similar to the Ferrari GP and
the Ford Gl cars. I'he car has retained the rear-mounted engine of the 1963 and
1964 Ferraris, but the body is of an entirely new shape. The car lias been raced
with a low windshield, as well as the high windshield, and Spoiler/rollbar shown in
the photo.
The ear has been raced with engines of 3.3 liters (model 275P2), 4 liters (model
330P2), and 4.4 liters i model 365P2).
For 1966. the body was more streamlined with a spoiler lip faired into the tail, more
sloping side-windows, and dual headlights mounted one Irelow the other and enclosed
in a single plexiglass cover. This car carries a 1’3 model designation. Most P3s ran
with the l-litcr engine as 330 P3s.
Specihcai ions
Wheelbase. 94.5 inch»
Track Width: Front/Rear 57.5/56.3
Over-all ia-ngth: 168 inches
Over-all Width: 66.1 inches
Front Tires: 5.50 x 15
Rear Tires: 7.00 x 15
W.WDER	DRIVE R(S)	RACE	FINISHED	COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
4	Graham Hill	Nurburgring •65 Nurburgring •65	dnf	Red. light blue stripes. Pictured obow.
1	John Surtees		Won	Red. Model pictured. SCG 8/65, CD 9/65
3	Rodriguez/ Guichet	Reims 12- Hour ‘6S	Won	Red, with blue stripe bordered in white, yellow stripes on right side only, and body as above. CD 10/65, SCG 9/65 Red, body as above. CD 8/65, SCG 8/65 RT I0/65(color), AY«13(color)
198	Nino Vaccarella	Targa Florio 65	Won	
24	Mike Parkes	Brands Hatch '65	4th	Red, no spoiler, cut-down windshield, tube rollbar. CD 12/65, SCG 11/65
77	John Surtees	Daytona ‘65	dnf	Red, body as ₽24. CD 5/65, RT 5/65, SCG 5/65
21 No scale	Andretti/ Rodriguez plans available	Daytona *66	4th	Same as #3 above, no yellow marks. Full windshield, but no spoiler. Tube roll bar. R 1/11
99
FIG. 85 The model; X & 8 »
1/24 «:ole Ferrari 365P2.
К & В KITS
The majority of the К & В kits use the Challenger or Super Challenger motor.
This feature alone sets them apart from other brands. The 1/32 scale cars use the
Challenger and are identical to the Aurora cars outlined in Chapter 2, except that
they ate kits rather than ready-to-runs. Some of the early 1/24 scale cars are also
furnished with the Challenger motor. If you have one of these, replace it with the
Super Challenger, and we’ll proceed from there.
The Super Challenger motor has individual coil-sprung brushes and a conventional
three-pole armature. For most tracks it's fast enough as it is. but it does require at
least two hours of running to break it in for optimum performance. Later, if you feel
you need more speed, it is one of the easiest motors to rewind (see Chap. 10).
К & В makes replacement gear and axle sets for the Challenger with 2.1:1, 2.6:1,
3.4:1. or 4.5:1 gear ratios. If you feel you want to change the ratio, this is the
simplest way.
Assemble the motor upside down from the way outlined in К & B’s instructions.
You’ll have to enlarge the small notch in the frame to match the larger one and use
a minimum 1-1/8" diameter rear tire, but the car will handle better since it will be
about 3/16" lower. A longer assembly screw and a 1/16" axle washer will also be
needed to raise the rear body mount on the lowered chassis, so the body will clear
the rear wheels. The front of the Ixxly can be lowered to level it out by heating the
brass inserts as described earlier.
Bend a slight "S” into the pickup arm, as shown in the photo, to keep the pickup
in the slot.
If you prefer, although it isn't usually necessary, you can replace the entire chassis
with one of К A B’s four aluminum ones to accept Mabuchi-style motors of cither
medium or large-size sidewinder or in-line types. They’re designed to fit die К & В
body, axles, and wheels, so they bolt right in.
99
6
Assembling, Painting,
and Detailing
Scale Model Cars
THE SECRET of making a model racing car look like
the real thing is actually quite simple. You must know what the real car
looks like! This book contains over fortv photos of full-size racing cars
with detailing information about each, in addition, there are many hun-
dreds ol specific references to additional photos of (he real car in other
books and magazines.
Your first decision in building a model is which full-size car you want
to model. If you’re building a model car kit or detailing a ready-to-run car,
your choice of body style is probably decided by the type of chassis or the
cost. If, on the other hand, you arc building your own car from components
or adding a different body to a chassis you now have, then you can prob-
ably choose the body you want based on the personal appeal of some full-
size racing car. If you are buying a body to fit a chassis, take it with you
to make sure the body will fit. It’s usually easy enough to lengthen or
widen a model car chassis, but if the chassis' is already too wide or too
long for the body, you’ll have to choose another body.
Types of Bodies
You’ll find, as you examine ready-to-run and kit cars and replacement
bodies, that some model car bodies are one piece of thin, clear plastic
while others are solid colors of plastic pieces. The clear plastic bodies are
nothing more than sheets of plastic that have been pulled tightly over a
scale duplicate of the car by a strong vacuum. These bodies are generally
referred to as vacuum-molded clear plastic, or just plain “clear” bodies.
too
You will want to paint and detail a dear plastic body on the inside so
that its clear shell acts as a protective cover for the paint and numbers.
This protection will allow you to race a car with a clear plastic body for
a longer period of time before it becomes cracked or scuffed from acci-
dents and hard use.
FIGS. 26 and 87 Exomplei of
clear plastic bodiej (lell) and
injection molded bodies ibefow
Both are 1/32 »;ale Cobra
coupci by Auto Hobbies.
clear plastic. Clear plastic bodies used to be little more than lumps
of clear plastic. Improved vacuum-molding techniques, and greater skill
on the part of the mold-makers, have enabled the production of very highly
detailed bodies. The hood and door lines, scoops, grills, and louvers are
now a part of most clear plastic bodies. The primary objection to them is
that this fantastic detail is on the inside, rather than on the outside, of the
body, and, as such, much of it is lost when the body is painted. However,
if the tiny lines are outlined before painting, the clear plastic bods can
form the basis of a trulv realistic model.
101
i\jrx.tion-moi DEI» solid plastic. \t present, the injection molded, solid
plastic bodies offer the ultimate in detail. With this molding process, used
by such giants as Revell, Monogram, Aurora, AMT. etc., all of the liny
details, even such things as scale nameplates and medallions, can be
molded on the surface of the bod} in precise scale. The production costs
are extremely high for injection-molded bodies, and. as a consequence, the
manufacturers must be assured of high-volume sales before they can "tool
up" and produce a model of any particular car. For this reason, we all
benefit when more people become interested in model car racing. With
increasing product sales, the manufacturer is able to offer more exotic
models.
Monogram is a ease in point. They are obvioush satisfied enough with
the sales of their earlier King Cobra and Porsche 901 models to venture
into more varied prototypes. Few, if any, manufacturers in 1962 or 1963
could hope to sell enough Lolas, for one example, to pay for the tooling of
such a car. Now, though, there arc enough of us interested in the Lola so
that they can! More and more different racing car models will be pro-
duced b\ all the manufacturers. The current lot of bodies is only the
beginning.
So, you will base literally hundreds of different, prototype cars from
which to choose and. with the more popular cars, a choice of several clear
plastic and or injection-molded bodies. Now. what should you look for
when vou buy a model car body? How do you toll a good model from
a bad one?
I'll assume vou want to build a model of a particular racing car, and
that vou want voui model Io look as much like the real thing as possible.
Study the general shape of the full-size car. the windshield, fenders, louvers,
and other details. You’ll want most of these to appear on the model car
body you select. If possible, find the specifications on the cars that appeal
to you. Wheelbase, over-all length, and width must be essentially correct
on the model if it's going to look am thing like the real car. Armed with
this information, you’re ready to shop for the hotly or kit to build the car
of your dreams.
choosing л clean body. Since clear plastic vacuum-formed bodies offer
the most abundant choice, we ll look al them first. How do you tell a good
clear plastic bods from a bad one? It might be helpful to know a few more
details of how they arc made. First, a solid (usually metal) model of the
car is carved or cut This mold, or “buck," incorporates all of the details
I hat will appear on the clear plastic shell. Then, a heated piece of clear
plastic is placed over the top of the car and sucked or vacuumed around
the mold Holes around the base of the mold draw the plastic down tightly
over the mbld to form the bod\ shell. The plastic is then removed from the
mold. The result: a clear plastic body.
102
I  в—I
'I’he plastic itself must be dear and free of frost, discoloration, or am
tiny pits. You’ll probably paint the clear plastic body on tin- inside, so the
finish on the plastic itself is important! Also, look lor any wood grain or
filo marks that may have1 been on the mold. The\ won’t hurt if they're on
areas such as the cockpit openings and wheel cutouts which you’ll remove
am way, but they'll mai the finish of vour model if they show up on the
bodv or windshield. Check the shape ami dimensions of the bod\ against
the photos and dimensions of the full-size car to be sure they agree. Finally,
look closely at the sides, nose, and tail of the clear plastic body. On most
full-size cars, these areas wrap under at the bottom. Mam clear plastic
bodies fail in these important areas and, as a consequence, never look quite
right on your model. II they roll under on the full-size car. thes should also
roll under on the model.
If all of these points check out, you’ve found a good, clear plastic body.
If not, don't buy. There are many better-quality clear plastic bodies that
offer all of these details.
CHOOSING an injection-molded body. As a whole, the injection-molded
bodies offer more detail, which is more easily seen, than the clear plastic
variety. Since the molds that produce these models are expensive, the
manufacturers arc more careful to capture the details, correct shapes, and
dimensions. An injection-molded body is produced by injecting hot plastic
into a cavity in a metal mold the exact size, inside and out, of the final
body shell. These molds usually come apart into at least two pieces, so the
body shell can be removed. These molds are "female” duplicates of the
body, or, in other words, they arc the same shape that would result if you
pressed the model car bods down into a soft block of clav. Obviously, it
is quite difficult and time-consuming to carve the correct shape into a
female type of metal mold. These molds require hundreds of hours of
skilled labor and thus are much more expensive to produce.
There are even "good" and 'best" examples of injection-molded bodies.
A model race car body takes a terrific floating when the car flies off the
track or is knocked around bv other cars. Consequently, the body must be
strong enough to withstand the abuse. The fewer the number of pieces
that you must glue together, the stronger the body. An injection-molded
body from only one solid piece of plastic would be ideal. However, a model
car hod) must be light in weight, and it must allow you to fit a motor and
chassis into it. So, it must be hollow, and, to allow removal from the mold,
some parts must be molded separate!) and glued together by the builder.
With modem molding techniques, the number of pieces has been dras-
tically reduced. Just remember that the body should be as light as possible
and have as few pieces as possible to be the best.
Even though the manufacturer’s expense is great, a few of the injection-
molded bodies are not correctly scaled, and a few do not even have the
103
proper shape. So, be particularly careful when you compare the body you
buv to the photos ami specifications of the full-size car. You have the
right to expect the best from any injection-molded model.
iemaee-moideu cleah plastic. There are a few firms producing clear
plastic bodies in cavitx molds similar to those used for injection forming.
These bodies arc referred to as female-molded clear plastic bodies. The
number 22 Lola is an example of this type of body as produced by the
Detail Model Company.
FIG 88 Female-molded dear pladk bodiet ho»t< lhe detail on the outside of the body. Thi* 1/32
scale Lolo hoi a Detail Models' body (see Chap. 8).
Chassis to Fit
The particular chassis you intend to use must be able to fit under the
correctly-sized body you have selected. The most critical dimension to
check on a chassis is the distance from the extreme front edge of the pickup
shoe to the centerline of the rear tires. Use a picture of the full-size car as
a guide to the proper location of rear wheels and chassis, making certain
that no part of the guide shoe extends past the front edge of the body. At
the same time, yon should also check Io determine if it will be possible to
locate the front wheels and axle in the proper position in the chassis. They
should clear the pickup-shoe pivot and front edge of the motor. Also,
before, you select a motor for your ear, be certain that it will fit under the
body. You will find that if your chassis is dimensionally correct, and the
body you utilize is accurate, the many little details such as number size,
driver position, etc., will be easi to judge correctly on your model.
104
Body Mounting
The art of joining the model car chassis and body together can win or
lose races for sou. If the body is not mounted securely, it can rub the
tires or gears and, without your knowing it, slow down the car or perhaps
ruin the motor. The body mounting can even affect the performance of
your car without touching any of the moving parts, hut this falls into the
category of timing. For now, let's see the various methods that have been
devised to hold cither clear plastic or injection-molded bodies to the chassis.
If yon purchase a ready-to-run car 01 a complete car kit, the body-
mounting problem has already been solved for you, but if you're building
your own car or adapting a new body to a kit car, you’ll have to devise
a method of mounting. Most often, you’ll want to mount one brand of
injection-molded body to a chassis designed for a different brand. Figure
89 illustrates the technique. The bodv-mounting posts are cut from the
inside of the body (in this case, a Kevcll I 24 scale Cobra) and assembled
to the new chassis (in this case, a 1/24 scale Cox).
fIG. 89 Any injection-molded body
con be adopted to any chassis
by changing th« location of the
body-mounting posts. This is о
Revolt 1/24 stalo Cobra fitted to a
Cox chassis
When you fit the body over the chassis, vou will lind that the body posts
must either be cut off to a shorter length or, as in this car, extended. To
extend them, use longer #4-40 screws (Perfect brand) and axle spacers to
adjust the height of the mounting posts so the body will clear the tires.
When you arc satisfied that the fit and alignment are correct, glue the posts
into the body shell with plastic cement. For extra strength, allow these
joints to dry for at least two days. It's not supposed to take that long, but
it does.
105
FIG. 90
Most of the popular body-mounting ideas are shown in Figure 90. All
of these cars are included in this book. From left to right:
Tor Bow	All 1 '24-scaIe cars. Lang Cooper (Chapter 9). Dynamic brass hody-mounts screwed to sides of body and soldered to frame. Chaparral (Chapter 9). Dynamic brass body-mounts screwed to sides of hods and tn frame. Maserati 151 (Chapter 9). 1/16" brass tubing soldered to frame. Pins pushed through clear plastic body into ends of tubing. Maserati 5000 (Chapter 9). Aluminum tubes through К & В chassis with self-tapping screws through body sides and into the ends of the tubes. McLaren (Chapter 5). Stock AMT kit mounts body to frame. Cobra (Chapter 9). Revell body with new post locations to fit Cox chassis.
Center:	1/32 scale BRM GP (Chapter 8). Body held in place by tight fit on chassis and single screw into post at the front. 1 2-1 scale Bannalli chassis (Chapter 2). Has rubber pads to grip body firmly with additional holding to washers over both axles.
106
Bottom Row: All 1/32 scale cars. Lola T70 (Chapter 8). Bottom flange
of clear plastic body attached to brass pan with four
self-tapping screws.
Ford CT 40 (Chapter 8). Cox Ford GT body has only
two mounting-posts. Brass Auto Hobbies frame modified
to fit body.
Ford GT (Chapter 2). Strombecker ready-to-run body
assembled, hollowed out, and brass strips epoxied in
place to fit Strombecker "Competition” chassis.
Cheetah (Chapter 5). Standard Strombecker ‘‘Competi-
tion” frame and body uses two mounting-posts beside
motor, one in front.
Chapparal (Chapter 5). Revell’s newest body -mounts
with two posts beside gears and one in front.
Cobra Coupe (Chapter 5). Auto Hobbies body uses two
back and one front screw-supports, similar to Monogram
and older Revell bodies.
More complex body-mounts can be custom-fitted to frame, and even with
clear plastic bodies they can be invisible from the outside of the car.
FIG. $n
The Lotus 30 in Figure 91, in 1/32 scale, is held in place at the rear
with two screws through the body, located and painted to appear as
taillights. The brass frame extension at the rear holds the two "tail-
light” screws. Front-mount is a bent, brass tube soldered to the frame with
a tight fit in the nose of the body. Complicated body-mounting like this
does take extra time for cutting and fitting, but it is more realistic, stronger,
and more reliable than most other methods. It works equally well on 1/24
scale cars.
107
Detailing and Painting Injection Bodies
Your first attempt at super-detailing a model car to look as realistic as
those on these pages should be with an injection-molded body. Using the
Revell Cobra kit as a starting point, I’ll illustrate many of the detailing
secrets used in accomplishing such realism. It is not really necessary that
you duplicate a real racing car right down to the exact color shade and
racing numbers. You do need to refer to the photos of the prototype for
the particular car you are modeling to see exactly where numbers are
placed, and where the latches, vents, and openings are located. И sou
happen to like the color or numbers used on a particular prototype racing
car, use them.
In thumbing through back-issues of Hoad Ъ Track magazine, 1 particu-
larly noticed the color cover on the June 1963 issue. Here were two Cobras
that really looked to me like Cobras ought Io look. One had a number 98 in
black on a white car and the other, a number 198 in white on a red car.
I later found out that this picture was taken at the second race for the
factory team at Riverside in January of 1963. But, even this detail is not
important. What is important is that I liked these particular Cobras. If
they don’t particularly appeal to you. find one that does before you begin
construction.
The pictures of the prototype will serve as a constant guide in detailing.
If the particular car you choose is not included in the full-size photo/data
inserts in this book, don't neglect to check the books and magazines listed
and to do your own research for the dimensions and photographs you will
need. After you have decided how you want your finished model to appear,
lhe rest of the job is merely a matter of time, patience, and pleasure!
FIG. 92 The full-tize cor, Ken Milct't number 98 Cobra at Rlvnrtidv, 1963. The I /32 Kale
Cobra would be even more realistic with the tide grilb filled in. with tide exhausts and with a
driver to match the car.
108
FIG 93 The models: Number 98 is 1/32 stole Revell кН, pointed to motch the Full-site tor.
Number 3 is a duplicate of the Cobro hardtop raced at Le Mans in 1963.
Specifications
Wheelbase.- 90 inches
Track Width; Front/Rcar 53/52
Over-all Length: 151 inches
Over-all Width: 65 inches
Front Tires: 6.70 x 15
Rear Tires: 8.20 x 15
NUMBER	DRIVER(S)	RACE	FINISHED
98Л	Ken Mlles	Riverside S.C.C.A. '63	Won
98	Bill Krause	Riverside 3 Hour ‘63	dnf
198	Dave MacDonald	Riverside S.C.C.A. '63	2nd
3	Bolton,-'	Lc Mans '63	7th
Sanderson
PLANS: Car Model. May 1964, all scales
Mode/ Cars. October 1964, 1/32 scale
COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
White with black numbers. Model and lull-
size car pictured above. RT 6/63{color),
CD 5/63
Same a:; 4'98 above but red car with white
numbers. SCG 1/63, RT 1/63
Red, same as Krause /'98 above.
CD 5/63, RT 6/63(color)
Li^ht Cobra blue with white square on
sides and circle on nose for black num-
bers. Fitted with hardtop. CD 9/63,
RT 9/63, SCG 9/63
There arc three important points to learn from the photos and captions
about detailing:
First, the finish on your completed model is only as good as the plastic
underneath. Always look over the body for the fine lines that appear when
the plastic shell is taken from the mold at the factory. These are called
“parting-lines," and they are not generally a part of the detail on the
model. They should always be filed or sanded down Hush with the surface.
If you see a line on the body, and you’re not sure if it should be there or
not, look at the picture of the real car to find out. The Cobra does not have
a ridge running across the top of the fenders, so sand it off!
Second, the model manufacturers who offer beautiful!) detailed body
shells go to great expense and effort to be certain that hood outlines, door
edges, body-panel joints, etc., appear on the body in their proper places.
109
FIG 94 Most bodies hovn о thin crease, or mold-parting line, running aero» th» top of the grill, over
the tops of the fenders, ond back across the trunk lid File or sond this line flush with the rest of tho
body before pointing. Ako, file or sond tho bottom edge of the body ond the wheel openings to
remove any burrs.
FIG. 95	Cut and file the windshield wiper flush with the top of tho cowl.
FIG. 96	Sproy the body with AMT lacquer primer. Fog on the first coat and let dry for 30 minutes or
more befor» applying the additional coots needed to fully cover the original plastic color. Follow the
instructions on the can carefully. A tip: All spray paint will Row on smoother if the con is first healed in
a sink of hot tap-water for 5 minutes.
FIG. 97	The primer coat will reveal ony imperfections loft on the body. Uso #600 sandpaper to smooth
off. The finol color con now bo sprayed on with the AMT lacquer. The number 98 cor in the photo is
white. Again, fog on the first coot, follow AMT's instructions, ond heat the con before spraying.
FIG. 98	The correct windshield is an
important detail on any model. Use tho
bock window from the hardtop, included
in Revell's kit, to moke the single racing
screen. Cut this new windshield 1/16"
larger than the size shown by the line,
and then file or sand to size. Set the
completed windshield aside until body
detailing is complete-
FIG. 99 To accent the hood,
door, and trunk line». Irate over
them with the point of a
thorp X-Acto knife at thown
Work very slowly and carefully
to avoid cutting into other
areas of the body.
Yet, most of us will paint over these lines, and unless you look extremely
closely, this is the last time these details arc seen. On full-size cars, the
body-panel joints are an obvious part of the car. It is easy to make them
visible on a model: After you have applied the final color coat to the
model, use an X-Acto knife to trace these body-joint lines. Cut only deep
enough to penetrate through the last layer of paint. This leaves a small
crack around all of the seams as on a full-sized car. Brush black India ink
over these lines, and then wipe it off with a damp rag to shade them in
and make the lines stand out. The black ink stays only in the cuts you
have made, leaving a perfect, hairline edge showing on the finished body.
Be sure to wipe the excess ink off within a few minutes of application to
avoid rubbing it into the finish. The ink will dissolve in water for a few
hours after it has dried. If paint were used for this detail, vou would have
to wipe it off with thinner, and part of the bodv color would be wiped
off with it!
FIG. 100	After cutting completely around all the line», paint
the cut» with block Indio ink a» illustrated. Accent the louver» on
each side of the car, using Indio ink in the some manner.
FIG. 101	Immediately offer you have bruthed on the India
ink, and before it dries completely, wipe it oft first with a damp,
then о dry, rag. Remove all brace* and tmudget from the body
iurface. Гои will find that the block will remain only in the cut».
Thi* leave» о perfect hairline indicating the joint*, etc. Aho
wipe off the Ink in the jide louver», leaving only whot remains
in the bottom of the louver».
FIG. 102	Ute only the tide of the tip of о
fine pointed (#0 or #00) truth to detail the
Cobra badges on the nose, trunk, and body tides.
These emblems are raised from the body surface,
so you con only touch the paint on their top
edges. The "Cobras" and bottom section of the
side bodges are blue. The word "Cobra" and the
ring on the front ond rear emblems are red os
in the top section of the side badges. Touch the
hood latches, trunk and door handles, gas cap, and
parking and taillights with silver paint. When
dry. point only the toillight lenses red.
Third, it is important to choose the correct color and number style for
a really accurate scale model. On full-size cars, this is as much a part of
the character of the car as the body-shape itself. For the most part, lull-
size racing cars in international competition are painted to identify the
country of the entrant. Since most races arc entered by the factories, they
are painted in the racing color of the country in which they arc produced.
The Color ( hart in this chapter indicates what color, or combination of
colors, has been established bv the international racing organization for
each land.
In many cases, the factory will sell racing cars to private individuals. If
the new owners do not have a particular team color of their own. they will
often paint the cars to match the colors of their homeland. The famous
white cars with blue stripes of the American Cunningham team are good
examples of this. In rare cases, the factory entering a race may paint an
entire car the home color of its foreign driver. It is more common, however,
to merely identify the driver's homeland with a band of color on the nose.
Many of the Italian Ferraris and Maseratis driven bv the Englishman
Stirling Moss carried a green noseband on the red bodies. The Italian cars
driven by the Venezuelan Fangio often carried a yellow nose.
Some racing teams, both factory-sponsored and private, use identifying
combinations of their own. The possibilities of team colors are endless. The
team section of the Color Chart lists some of the more prominent teams
entered in international events.
To clarify a popular misconception, there are no specific color shades for
any country. There is no such color as Italian Racing Red. for example.
Italian Maseratis are a dark, almost maroon, shade of red. while Ferrari
uses a lighter shade. Both are correct for Italian cars. The English Lotus
cars are a medium shade of green, while the English BRM cars are a dark,
almost black, shade of green. Both are British Racing Green. Traditionally,
only the color of each country is specified, not an exact shade.
112
COLOR CHART
Country
Country ol Entrant	Primary Body‘Color	Approximate Shade*	Stripe Color	Hood Color	Number Color
Argentina light blue		PS2 2/ T9/TC72 /Т15R/US1	black	yellow	red-on-white
Belgium	yellow	A506/P8/PS8/T13/T25R/TC73/ USS	none	body	black
Brazil	light yellow	PL8/PSL8/PF8/T12/T6R	green	body	black
Canada	dark green	P5/PLS/PS5/PSL5/T23/TC74/ USS	white	body	white
Chile	red	AS05/P7/PL7/PS7/PSL7/T7/ TC84	white	blue	red-on-white
Cuba	yellow	A506/P8/PS8/T13/T25R/TC73/ US3	none	black	white-on-hlack
Czecho- slovakia	white	А504/Р2/ PS2/PL2ZPSL2 T45Z T26R/TC75/US4	red	blue/ white	blue
Egypt	light violet	T34/US17	none	body	red-on-white
England	dark green	PSZPLS/PS5/PSL5ZT23ZTC74Z US5	none	body	white
Finland	black	A503/P1/PL1/PS1/PSL1/T47/ TC77/US8	none	body	blue-on-white
France	light blue	P42/T8/T1SR	none	body	white
Germany	white (before 1922)	AS04/P2/PS2/PL2/PSL2/T45/ T26R/TC75/US4	none	body	red
	silver (after 1922)	A406ZPI l/PLll/PSl 1/PSL11/ T46/T21R/TC76/US7	none	body	red
Holland	orange	PF12/PL13/PSL13/T18/TC78	none	body	white
Hungary	white front- half green rear	A504/P2/PS2/PL2/PSL2/T45/ T26R/TC75/US4/PL5Z PSL5/T24/T1R	none	red	black
Ireland	green	PL5/PSL5/T24/T1R	orange	bodv	white
Italy	red	See TEAM COLORS-Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Maserati	none	body	white
Japan	white	A504 / P2/PS2/PL2/ PSL2/T45Z T26R/TC75/US4	red	none	black
Luxem- burg Mexico	pearl-gray	PF9	none	body	white-on-red
	gold	A204/P12/PL12/PSL12/PS12/ T44	none	body	white-on-black
Monaco	white	A S04/SP2 Z PS2 Z PL2Z PSL2 /Т45/ T26R/TC75/US4	red	body	black-on-whitc
Poland	white	A504/P2/PL2/PS2/PSL2/T45/ T26R/TC75/US4	red	body	red
Portugal	red	A505/P7ZPL7ZPS7/PSL7ZT7Z TC84	white	body	white
Scotland	green	P5/PL5/PS5/PSL5/T23/TC74/ USS	none	body	white
South Africa	gold	A2O4/P12/PL12/PSL12/PS12Z T44	none	green	black-on-white
Spain	red	A 505/ P7/PL7 Z PS7 f PSL7 / Т7/ TC84	none	yellow	white
Sweden	blue	PS22/T9/TC72/T15R/US1	yellow	yellow	white
Switzer- land	red	ASOS/P7/PL7/PS7/PSL7/ Т7/ TC84	none	white	white
Thailand	tight blue	PS22/T9ZTC72ZT15R/US1	yellow body		white
United States	white	A504/P2/PS2/PL2/PSL2/T45/ T26R/TC75/US4	blue	body	blue
Vene- zuela	white	A504/P2/PS2/PL2/PSL2/T45/ T26R/TC75/US4	green	body	black
* Color Code:
A series AMT lacquers in spray-cans
P series - Pactra enamels — brush on
PF series = Pactra flat enamel — brush on
PL series = Pactra lacquers - brush on
PS series = Pactra enamels in spray-cans
PSL series Pactra lacquers in spray-cans
T series - Tester's enamels — brush on or spray-cans
TC series = Tester’s "TCL" paint for clear plastic bodies - brush on
US series = Ulrich paint for clear plastic bodies
113
COLOR CHART
Team
7 cam	Country	Primary	Approximate Shade*	Stripe	Number
Name		Color		Color	Color
Alfa Romeo	Italy	red	AS05/P7/PL7/PS7/	none	white
			PSL7/T7/TC84		
BRM	England	dark green	P5/PL5/PS5/PSLS/T23/	fluores-	while
			TC74/US5	cent- ora nge	
					
			nose band		
Brabham	England	green	T22/TC74	bronze	bluck-on-white
		gold stripe	PS33/T44		
Comcradi	U.S.A,	white	A504/P2/PS2/PL2/	red	black
			PSL2/T45/T26R/ TC75/US4		
Chaparral	U.S.A.	off-white	T18R	brown	black
Cobra (1963 &	U.S.A.	light met.	P37/PS25/T53 (see note)	white	black-on-white
1964		blue			
Cobra (1965)	U.S.A.	dark met. blue	A402/US18 (see note)	white	black-on-white
Cooper	England	dark green	P5/PL5/PS5/PSL5/T23/	while	black-on-white
			TC74/USS		
Cunni ngham	U.S.A.	white	A504/P2/PS2/PL2/	blue	black
			PSL2/T45/T26R/ TC75/US4		
					
Ecuric Ecosse	Scotland	dark blue	P3/PS3/T11/US16	white	black-on-white
Ferrari	Italy	red	A5O5/P7/PL7/PS7/	none	white
			PSL7/T7/TC84		
Ford Advanced	England	green	PLS/PSLS/T1R	while	black-on-white
vehicles (Eng- lish-Ford GTs)					
Ian Walker	England	yellow	A506/P8/PS8/T13/	green	black-on-white
			T2SR/TC73/US3		
Lotus	England	green	PL5/PSL5/T24	none	black-on-white
Marancllo Con-	England	red	AS05'P7/PL7/PS7/	light	black-on-whitc
cessions ires			PSL7/T7/TC84	blue	
(English Fer- rari’s entries)					
Maserati	Italy	dark red	T7/T71/T7R/US6	none	white
McLaren Racing	England	red	A505/P7/PL7/PS7/	gray	black-on-whitc
			PSL7/T7/TC84		
Mccom	U.S.A	blue	A402/T39R	white	black-on-white
	(Texas)				edged in red
Normand	England	white	A504/P2/PS2/PL2/	blue	black-on-white
			PSL2/T45/T26R/ TC75/US4		
					
Reg Parnell (Lotus/BRM GP Cars)	England	blue/green	T-ll	red	white
Rosebud	U.S.A.	blue	T8/T15R/TC72	none	black-on-white
(Texas)
NOTE: If model-car bodies are fully spray-painted with Pnctra’s "Body Shop" or AMT’s
primer, conventional automobile touch-up paint in jars or spray-cans may be
used. Often this is the closest match for the full-size car, as no exact shade
is made. Examples of this arc the metallic blues of the early and late Cobras.
The 1963 — 64 cars used Eord's "Viking Blue" and the 1965 cars used Ford’s
"Guardsman Blue." The Chaparrals favor Ford’s "Colonial White." The car
dealer or automotive paint shops can supply these touch-up paints.
Later, when your car is completely finished, you will probably want to spray on
a clear, protective coat. If so, use only AMT or Pactra’s lacquer, Ulrich or
Tester’s paint for clear plastic bodies on all of the silver details such as win-
dow frames, door handles, etc., or on the entire body if it is to be silver. All
of the clear, protective paints will cause the silver to dissolve and run; these
four types will not.
114
Selecting the proper prototype color can add authenticity to your model.
The proper selection of numbers can be equally effective. You need not
use the exact numerals used by the real car, but the size and styling helps
carry the feeling of the car just that much further. II you build your cars
to scale, the proper size selection ol numbers can be simple. Compare their
size to the scale wheels. You can determine quickly whether the number
and circle are (he full size of the wheel (15" or 16"), or somewhat smaller
or larger. 'I'he use of pictures of the prototype car is indispensible for this.
The prototype pictures will also tell you whether the numbers were
placed on circles or directly on the car and will give you the all-important
style of the numbers. The Ameriean-style numbers used on Indianapolis
cars. Scarabs, or the famous number 96 Lotus 19 of Dan Gurney’s look
beautiful on models of these cars. BBM’.s Grand Prix car. conversely, needs
the straight-cut type of European number Io really look right. Most Fer-
raris use a square-cut style of European number.
FIG. 103	It the cor you ore modeling is to
have stripes as this Cooper G₽ body, outline the
edges of each stripe with the I 'M" wide striping
tape sold in modal stores. Choose a tape color
to match the stripe ond then point in the oreo
between the stripes as shown.
FIG. 104	Squara-cut decals used by the cody
racing Cobras (number 98 and number 198 in
photos) ora made by tho Champion Decal Co. and
are available through most model railroad thops.
Cut the decals apart os close os possible to the
edge of each number. Dip into water for only
a few seconds, then remove ond place on a
paper towel. Dip all decals for a single model at
one time, and allow to sit until the decal con be
moved around on the paper backing. This
allows the glue to dissolve without washing it off
the decal.
Apply the decol to the cor by laying the
number in its proper position with the paper backing
still attached. Then, hold the number In place
with a moistened finger, and slide the paper
backing out from under the decal. If you find the
decal is stuck tight in the wrong place, touch a
few drops of water to the edges to loosen, then
position correctly. Allow decals to set overnight
before handling the body.
In some European racing events, the race organizers specify the type
and size of numbers to be used. The Mille Miglia in Italy, for example,
requires specific three digit numbers 12" in height. Most are the square-cut
style in white with no circle. The I.e Mans officials paint black numbers 15"
high on white circles on all entries. You can obtain American-style number
decals from old kits or from Auto Hobbies. Straight-line European-style
numbers can be obtained from Ulrich. Busskit. Pactra, or Auto Hobbies.
The Ferrari-style numbers are available at most model railroad shops. Be
sure to check prototype pictures anil the color chart for correct style and
color.
Vers often circle decals and stripes must be placed over complex body
curves or door openings. The decals will seldom fit these contours without
help. A product called Solvasct is available at hobby shops that specialize
in model railroading. Apply a thin film of this fluid over the decal, and
allow to dry for about six hours. Sometimes when the decal is very loose
It will wrinkle. Press it flat again In dabbing lightlv with a soft cloth.
Il is wise to check the decal from time to lime, as the Solvasct dries,
to be sure it is conforming to the body surface. Be careful if you must touch
the softened decal, because it tears very easily. 1 found that Sobaset was
the only way I could get the nose decals on the Strombecker Brabham GP
and the IMG Lotus 38 to fit. It should definitely be part of your paint
collection.
Detailing and Painting Clear Bodies
I have purposely left the clear plastic body-painting until now. H is,
frankly, more difficult to do than the injection-molded variety. The clear
bodies such as the number 22 Lola shown earlier are molded with the
details on tho outside of the Irody, rather than on the inside. You can take
advantage of these female-molded clear plastics l>x spray-painting them
on the outside.
Begin by brushing a coat of Vaseline over the areas you wish to remain
clear, including the windshield and perhaps the headlights and carburetor
covers. Then spray on one light coat of the lacquer color. Let dry over-
night. and then spray on the additional coats to cover completely. When
the final color-coat is dry, cut around the edges of the clear areas you
masked with the Vaseline. The paint will peel easily from these areas and.
with the Vaseline wiped off. you can proceed to detail the rest of the bodv.
You can, if you wish, use this method on the other type of clear plastic-
bod ies.
The vacuum-formed clear bodies have two primary disadvantages. First,
all of the crisp detail is molded on the inside of the body. Second, they, as
well as the female-molded clear bodies, are difficult to mount on a chassis.
However, with a few years of experience, and with the help of the model-
116
car-parts manufacturers, several methods have evolved to accentuate the
details, and various methods of body-mounting have already been
described.
The appearance of a completed clear plastic-bodied race-car depends
entirely on how much effort and time is spent. But then, this is true of any
model, so let’s see how building and detailing a car using a clear plastic
body differs. The photos will give von step-by-step instructions for paint-
ing and detailing: however, a few, basic points should be remembered as
you proceed to follow them.
Before the hotly is painted, it should be mounted firmly to the chassis
and run on a track to be certain that there is adequate clearance for the
tires, gears, motor, and pickup. If any, or additional, clearance is needed,
it should be provided by cutting away the offending portions of the body
or by adjusting the body-mounts. With the unpainted, clear plastic it is
easy to see just where the gears, motor, etc., fit under the body-shell.
FIG. Ю5 Using prototype photos о* о guide, trim the wheel openings ond the bottom edges of the body
to within 132" of the correct sixe. An X-Acto knife with о #28 hook blade works belt for thi* purpose
Cut very (lowly to be certoin you ttay within the correct contours of the openings
FIG. 106 File the body openings to final shape with a jeweler'» file a* ihown. A piece of Fine landpaper
wrapped around a short dowl or small, round bottle can olso be vsed. Use the X-Acto knife offer
sanding to scrape away any burr* left on the edge* of the body.
FIG. 107 Next, position the body over the chassis os
pictured ond adjust to the correct height with the wheel*
centered in the wheel cut-outs. Mark the «nds of the
tube* on the outside of tho body ond cot 1/8" holes
of these point* by twisting a jeweler's file into the ploslie.
The details that most affect the over-all appearance are the cut edges of
the body and the window and the grill openings. Sand or file all the body
edges to 1м? certain that they are smooth. Use only a small, fine-pointed
brush when painting the window edges. The molded frames will help to
(low the paint right up to the window with a smooth edge. Grill and vent
openings should be painted on both the inside and outside of the body
with flat, black paint. The outside paint makes them appear to be open,
while the inside paint will maintain the proper outline if the outer coat is
accidentally chipped off. It is not wise to actually cut out any of these grill
openings as this tends to weaken the body and cause it to split. The very-
best paints for clear plastic bodies arc Ulrich or Testor TCI. colors. These
are the only ones that will not flake off when the body is knocked around.
Remember to paint the body on the inside by applying details, stripes,
and numbers first, and the final color last. Decals can bo made to stick
lace down on the inside of the body if you wipe over them, before apply-
ing, with the glue from a spare piece of wet decal backing. As an extra
precaution, fix the decals by brushing over them with clear Ulrich or TCL
paint before apph ing the final car-color. This seals the decal to the plastic,
so none of the final body-color will seep underneath. If you wish, the
decals may be applied to the outside of the body. It is easier, but they
will be more easilv chipped off on the outside.
FIG. 108 To toko full
odvanloge ol the deor
plostic construction, these
bodies should be pointed on
the inside. First, wipe clean
with a rag dippud in
point thinner Mask off the
areas ne»l to the stripes
with Scotch Magic Topo.
This provides a much
sharper dividing line than
ordinary maiking-tapu
and remains cloudy until
firmly in place.
118
FIG. 109 If the number decoh interfere with the stripes,
apply them first, seal them with Ulrich or Tester TCI
clear, lot dry, then mask off for stripes. Point the
stripes, remove the tope ond paint the grill ond body
openings with black paint—inside, remember. Tho
headlights, door handles, etc., can be pointed with Silver
Pla. Next, brush the final color around the window
openings ond next to. but not on, the racing stripes,
finally, paint the rest of the body, except the
windows, with your final color.
FIG. 110 Hood- ond door-opening lines are
accented by outlining Most o< the clear plastic
bodies have these lines recessed. The 1/64"
black trim lope can be pressed into these lines
on the outside of the body. However, if you
carefully scrape over those lines, as shown,
with the tip of a knife (they protrude on the
inside of tho body), you will remove about 1 /64"
of the body paint Paint these scraped lines
from the inside with fiat block. A very
fine line simulating depth is visible from tho
outside.
The newest clear plastic bodies have extremely sharp detail-lines mark-
ing the body-panel joints and hood and door openings. These lines can be
accentuated by first painting over them with the final body-color, allowing
it to dry overnight, and then scraping over them with a knife blade,
removing only a thin line of the body-color. Paint these lines with flat
black and, when viewed from outside the body, you’ll have perfect, black
hairlines outlining all of these joints. Paint the mounting screws or pins to
match the body after remounting.
The results of your efforts will be a beautifully detailed bod) that will
withstand almost unlimited abuse without a nick or scratch to mar the
paint!
FIG. Ill With the bady mounted to the
chassis, and the driver inside, the clear plastic
blob suddenly become» a reasonable replico
of the 5000 GT Maserati.
FIG 112 Thi» Auto Hobble» 1/32 scale Cobra coupe kit is now on authentic replica of the car
that won the GT class at Sebring in 1965. All of tho sponsor decals, stripes, and even the GT
mark typical of Sebring car» are present on the model and exactly as they appeared on the real car.
Finishing Touches
You’re now an expert, in theory at least, on applying paint and decals
to any type of model car body. The finer details add the finishing touch to
your models and set your cars apart from most builders’ efforts, because
few are willing to take the trouble to proceed any further.
The driver details and the more unusual body markings arc among the
many small items that add authenticity to your model.
FIG. 113 When you hove rhe
room, a full cockpit interior
enhances the realism of the entire
car. Cox's lotus 30, in tho
foreground, i» on example of a
kit thot includes this detail.
120
The cockpit detail will depend on how much room you have inside the
body. The 1 24 scale cars, like the Chaparral and Lotus here, will often
have room for a full cockpit-interior including seats, dashboard, and most
of the driver’s legs. Cox and Ulrich furnish full driver-figures.
On most cars in both 1/32 and 1 24 scales, the motor will extend into
the cockpit area. You can hide the motor with a postcard or file card
painted flat black. The usual driver-figure with only head, arms, and
shoulders is glued to the card, .and the card is held in place under the
cockpit with masking-tape.
FIG. 114 Driver, glued Io о
fiot block cord, fill* out
the cockpit orca.
FIG. 115 "U"-shoped rollbar can
be bent from bran tube and
epoxied inside of body.
121
The proper color and style of the driver’s helmet and clothes can add
greatly to the authenticity of your models, particularly if the real car was
often driven by a certain driver. Anything but a dark blue helmet on the
driver of the famous number 96 Lotus 19 would look out of place. This car
with Dan Gurney driving was an almost unbeatable combination in 1962.
The following chart will give you the most frequent colors worn by the
more popular drivers. Note that the current style of racing helmet was not
used, particularly in Europe, until the late 1950s. Drivers of these early
cars should have helmets similar to those supplied with the 1/32 scale
Strombecker ready-to-run cars. Drivers of the early 1950s wore either plain
leather helmets or no helmets at all.
Most of the current drivers, particularly those who drive the Grand Prix
circuits, wear a suit or coverall of light blue, flame-resistant cloth made by
Dunlop. The word “Dunlop” is over the chest pocket in black lettering.
Earlier drivers, especially before the 1960s, often wore short-sleeve polo
shirts or whatever suited their taste.
HELMET and DRIVING SUIT COLOR CHART
Driver	Helmet
L. Bandini
| Behm
| Brabham
j. Clark
| Fangio
G. Farina
K. Ginther
I). Guiney
G. Hill
P. Hill
I. Ireland
B. McLaren
J. Stewart
| Surtees
W. Von Trips
white or yellow
white with black-and-white checkered
band
silver with black stripe
dark blue with white visor
white leather or small-bowl style, dark
blue
white leather or small-bowl style
white or silver
dark blue
dark blue with white, pointed, vertical
lines about 1" x I" around it
white
white with black-and-white checkered
band
white
white with red. plaid band and black
visor
white with narrow black stripe and
band
silver
Suit
light blue coveralls
light blue coveralls
blue coveralls
light blue coveralls
yellow shirt
yellow shirt
light blue coveralls
light blue coveralls
light blue coveralls
light blue coveralls
light blue coveralls
light blue coveralls
light blue coveralls
light blue coveralls
light blue coveralls
One of the most often overlooked details on a model racing car is the
wheel design. Again, like all of the other facets that make up the character
of a car, the wheels arc unique. Determine the type of wheel needed by
examining the full-size car photo. You may be able to obtain miniatures of
an accurate wheel-unit, such as the Cox Chaparral wheels, to match. If not,
plastic wheel-inserts can be used to simulate the correct wheel-style.
122
SCALE MODELERS' CHECK LIST
BODY SHELL
1.	Do the body contours match the prototype?
2.	Are body width and length correct Io scale?
3.	Are wheel wells or cut-outs located properly for a scale wheelbase?
CHASSIS
4.	Arc chassis, track, and wheelbase correct?
5.	Are front and rear tires the correct size?
6.	Are wheels correct for the car?
ASSEMBLY
7.	Does the body dear the motor proper!} for scale height?
8.	Is the guide-shoe completely within the body?
9	Are wheels in propel position with the hods mounted?
10.	Is the body mounted at the correct height?
OPEBATIOV
11.	Does the pickup swing freely?
12.	Do all tires clear the body?
13.	Is there sufficient ground-clearance?
DETAILS
II. Are windows or windshield in correct position?
15.	Is the color correct compared to the prototype?
16.	Are the correct style and size numbers in the correct position?
17.	Is the driver on the correct side of the car?
18.	Is the driver mounted at the correct height?
19.	Are mirrors, roilbars, and exhaust pipes correctly installed?
Protective Coatings
The hard knocks of racing and the oil and solvent from tuning and
racing your cars will quickly destroy an unprotected paint job. There are
several excellent spray and brush-on clear paints that will protect the
decals and paint on your ear and add luster and depth to the finish. None
of these products is perfect. Pick the one that best suits the type of body
you are covering.
Tester’s “Scratch-Guard" does not seem to affect any type of windows,
but it is a little softer than some others. Flecto-Varathane is available from
hardware, paint, and some boat stores. The brush-on variety works on
almost any finish, but the spray type will frost most injection-molded win-
dows. Varathane seems to be the hardest and clearest of all. However,
when it does chip, it is easy to peel. Nicks and scratches should be touched
up as soon as possible. Spray and brush “Russcoat" by the Russkit Com-
pany has similar characteristics. The spray should not be used on injection-
molded body windows. Russcoat holds very well, but must be applied in
a single, very thin coat or it will yellow. This yellow tint seems to increase
with age.
123
Before you apply any of the clear finishes, be sure to allow the paint and
decals to dry thoroughly, about two days. Do not apply the clear finish to
the driver or the cockpit area. If the driver's helmet extends above the
rollbar or spoiler, you should give it a protective coat of paint. The driver
and cockpit area should remain the Hat finish for more realism. It is a good
idea to mask or remove them and the windows before you spray the clear
finish. Reassemble, and you are finished with a beautiful bodv that has a
protective “skin" that will prolong the life of vour masterpiece.
124
Chassis, Motors, Gears.
Wheels, and Tires
AFTER YOU have assembled, modified, and raced a few
kits and ready-to-runs, you begin to form some pretty definite opinions on
what you like or dislike about the many model car components. When you
have reached this stage, you will seldom, if ever, find a kit that contains
every component you would choose. You’ll want to make up your own kit
of parts to build a complete car.
Before you get involved in that, you will need to know what different
types of components are available, so that you can make an intelligent
selection of the features or particular manufacturer’s product you want.
You can see most of them at your hobby dealers. Auto World, 121 Jefferson
Avenue, Scranton. Pennsylvania 18503, has a reasonably complete catalog
for fifty cents.
I explained the advantages of the different types of model car bodies—
how to choose between them, and how to paint and mount them to the
chassis. 1 might remind you to be certain that the chassis and motor you
select will fit inside the bod\ you select. If vou are not particular! v excited
about any special car, and if you're building only your second or third car,
pick the largest body you can in the proper scale (1 32 or 1/24). The
larger cars have wider and longer wheel-spacing and are considerably
easier to handle. When you're a little more experienced, you can graduate
to smaller cars. Any 1964 or later Grand Prix car, Lola 70, Chaparral, or
Ferrari 365P2 sports car would make a good first choice.
The choice of body, chassis, and motor can be likened to the old chicken
and egg story: Which comes first? In this case, it is pretty much up to
you; however, you must keep all three components in mind when you
select the parts for your custom-built models. The style of the chassis
depends, to some extent, on the motor and the style of the body. The
125
motor, on the other hand, must (it the chassis, which, in turn, must fit the
body. A trial fit of body, chassis, and motor is the wisest way to start
selecting components to build a car.
FIG 116 Four examples o* ’he in line" chassis. All orc Icalvred in Chapler 10 Each is 1/24
scale with a chop pickup and a Mabuchi motor, toff to right. Russkit "Scrotchbuildcr/' Monogram,
Co'ben, and Revell. All orc described, in detail, in Chapter 9.
Chassis
There are two basic chassis designs: the in-line and the sidewinder, or
spur-geared. The motor shaft on the in-line type is at right angles to the
axle shaft: on the sidewinder ty pe, it is parallel to the axle, Tho sidewinder
type of chassis offers the most efficient way to mount the motor since the
gear teeth are in direct mesh with one another. The gears are mechanically
more efficient with this kind of .set up. Unfortunately, it is often much more
difficult to assemble a sidewinder chassis.
FIG. 1)7 A tpur-gnor pair for
sidewinder molar mounting
Tho smaller gear is a pinion
gear, the larger, a spur gear.
126
The type of car, body style, and the scale you are modeling determine
which type ol chassis you must use. The 1 24 scale stock cars, drag-racers,
and larger Grand Prix cars will usually have enough room between the
tires to use the sidewinder mounting. Most 1 32 scale models must use the
in-line mounting method. Only the largest 1/32 scale sports cars have
room for sidewinders. Ixical rules ami cars will also have some influence
on your decision. If, for example, you can race a 1 32 scale car with extra-
wide track or with the wheels and tires protruding from the body, you can
probably side-wind its motor. Incidentally, a sidewinder is the only rcallx
competitive way to set up a drag-racer, since it allows the greatest per-
centage of weight on the rear wheels. On some super-lightweight road-
racers. this same factor is often a disadvantage to the car's handling. Briefly,
if you've got the room in the car for a spur-gear sidewinder, at least try it
once. It may suddenly make vou a race winner!
FIG. 48 Sidewinder choni» for 1/24 stole cors with Mabuchi 500 motors, left to right; К & В,
Dynamic, and Cox. Those chassis are described, in detail, in Chapter 9
Your choice of chassis should also be influenced by the type of material.
If you like to solder, choose a brass chassis. It is the best choice for most
1/32 scale cars since, generally, you will need to add “pan” weights. Those
arc simply flat pieces of brass or lead about the size of the track width and
wheelbase of the car. They are positioned under the car as close as pos-
sible to the surface of the race track and an- used when more than a half-
ounce of weight must be added (pan weights are discussed more thor-
oughly in Chap. 10). The lightweight magnesium or aluminum chassis
can be used on your 1/24 scale cars, but be sure you buy body-mounts of
the same brand as the chassis you selected. This will .save a lot of trouble
later on.
127
Chassis with скор pickups can often he an advantage on 1/24 scale cars,
since they keep the guide shoe in the slot even when the front wheels go
over bumps or lift on acceleration. A drop pickup is almost a necessity on
a sidewinder car. because the motor-torque reaction and rear-weight dis-
tribution often allow the front wheels to lilt whenever the car accelerates
rapidly.
FIG 119 Some frame» ore decignnd for dual motor» driving both front ond r«or oxlot. Thii
tidewinder > by Auto Hobble». Ru»»kit'» Block Widow it on in-line chatti» for duol-motor,
four-wheel drive.
Motors
The basic operation of model car motors is described and illustrated
in Chapter I, and Chapter 1 outlines the system of voltage rating used.
Remember to keep both the chassis and body at hand when you decide on
a motor. Each style of motor—the tin can, laminated field, in-line, and
sidewinder—has a best application for some particular car or track. Look
at them all before you make a final decision.
128
MAGNET
FIG. 120
The Mobuchi-style, tin-con
motor components. The motor shaft moy extend out either end of
the motor, depending on which brand you buy. All Mobuchi 300. 500, and POO serie» motor» use thi»
style (Courtesy Dynamic Model»!
FIG. 121 The latest tin-con
style motors clockwise:
Сох TTX250, К & 8 Royal
8ob:ot, Revell set motor,
Strombecker TC32,
Strombccker Hemi 400,
Monogram set motor. Russkit
23, К 4 В Wildcot. Classic
CM 160. Revell SP40. All
but Strombecker'» were
mode by Mobuchi.
FIG. 122 Some lominoted
pole-motors, left to right.
Pittman DC65A, Pittman
DC85A. Ram DC850. Athern
Jet 500, Kemtron X503,
Mini Auto (KTM) DV18E, and
Mini-Auto DV18D.
FIG. 123 In-line motors with
built-in, rear axle brackets.
Left to right Pittman DCI96A
VIP Club" special with 4:1
gears, MRRC Super three-pole.
Typo 901, Strombccker
Scuftler" Aristo Craft five-pole.
Tradeship five-pole.
The Mabuchi tin-can motor-design is so popular and efficient that a
number of other companies, both in Japan and in .America, have copied
it. Strombecker *s TC32. TC24, Hemi series, anti Russkit’s 24 are examples
ol othei Japanese designs. The Pittman. \\ ilsou motors, M.P.C. Dyn-O-
Charger. and Russkit 25 are all their own designs and made in America.
All of these motors can be mounted in either sidewinder or in-line chassis
in 1 24 scale cars. But you must use the in-line method of installation for
I 32 scale cars, because the motors are too long for side-winding.
The laminated field-motors, like those shown, are the most expensive
and durable available. Thcv concentrate the greatest mass ol weight in
one area. They have no real competition in drag-racing, and when set up
as a sidewinder, can produce a well-balanced, road racing car. The lami-
nated field-motors are imquestionablv the most powerful for their size.
The terms used for the next two motor types may be a little perplexing,
but they are commonly known as “In-line” and "Sidewinder" types of
motors. This does not refer to the method of attaching them.
The in-line motor is best mounted at right angles to the rear axle in
an in-line chassis, although it can be mounted as a sidewinder. The biggest
advantage is the ease of inspection it affords. The armature and motor
brushes are visible and easily cleaned. Often, the stretched-ont design
of these motors prov ides better weight distribution. Most of the latest in-
line motors have axle brackets built in. If not. a rear-axle bracket will
have to he incorporated into the chassis or soldered on the motor.
The sidewinder motor combines the open design advantages of the in-
line motor with the weight concentration of the laminated-field kinds.
Most provide built-in axle-brackets, so that the axle can run cither behind
the motor or inside it. between the magnet and the armature.
FIG. 124 Sidewinder motor», Inlt to right- Pillmon 706, Rom 0C426 (alxt ovoitoble with csxle on
outside os DC426A), Tyco 952.
Motor Tuning
A few simple timing steps should be followed to obtain maximum per-
formance from all motors. Before installing the motor in the chassis, con-
130
nect it to a 12-volt D.C. power supply, and listen. Then, reverse the
motor connections and run the motor in the opposite direction. Again, listen.
Usually, you’ll find that the motor has a higher-pitched sound, or "best"
sound, in one direction. Scratch a small arrow in the motor case pointing
in the direction the motor sounds best. Generally, model car motors will
rev slightly faster in this direction. Always connect the power suppls so
that the motor will turn in this direction. Now, reconnect the power sup-
ply to the motor lead-wires, and rim the motor al half-throttle for about
an hour, without oil. Then, gradual!} increase the power until the motor
is running at 3 4 speed for another hour. During this second hour, add
one drop of oil to each of the motor bearings every twenty minutes. This
will allow the motor brushes and bearings a breaking-in period for
smoother and more powerful operation.
Next cut a 1 A" strip of number 60(1 emery cloth or crocus cloth. Mark
the position of each motor brush, and remove them from the motor. .Now,
hold the strip of emery cloth around the commutator, and turn the arma-
ture by hand or in a drill to polish the commutator. Use light pressure on
the emery cloth, and polish until the entire commutator is bright copper.
Put the motor brushes back in their original positions.
As a final step, connect the motor leads to full power. Then, using your
fingernail or a toothpick, Irj lightening and loosening the pressure of the
brushes on the commutator. As you do this, you will notice a considerable
change in the speed of the motor. If the motor revs faster than normal
with a pressure change, remove the brush spring, and stretch it to provide
a greater amount ol brush tension, or contract it to provide less tension.
If you follow these steps closely, your motor will produce a maximum
amount of power and speed. However, the motor's full potential cannot
be realized until you install a chassis and try various combinations of gear
ratios, tires, and weight distribution. Often a slow-reving motor can pro-
duce an extremely fast car if the perfect gear-ratio, tire, and weight com-
bination is found.
There are three primary causes of motor failure: excess current, bind-
ing shafts, and oil. First, let us consider excess current as a motor-failure
cause. If you run a 12-volt motor on 36 volts, you can expect it to fail.
Also, the kind of power supplx used often affects the motor. Some of the
most popular kinds of 12-volt transformers will deliver surges of power as
high as 18 volts, and this is enough to ruin many of the 6-volt motors.
The second cause of motor failure is not as obvious as il may sound.
We all have tried to race a car that did not roll freely, hoping the motor
would break-in the bearings. Always check the motor shaft and the front
and rear axles to be sure they are free to spin in their bearings. Check
both before and after you install the motor.
Finally, apply oil only one drop at a time to the motor, axle bearings,
and gear faces. If you race once a week, you should only need to oil
131
these points every three nr four weeks. Do not apply any oil to the com-
mutator or motor brushes. Only a slight increase in the speed of the motor
is obtained by this process. Ultimately, the oil holds the worn-off particles
of the brush material on the commutator and builds up in the small, insu-
lating spaces between the’ commutator segments. These pieces short-out
the commutator segments. A little blue flash of light streaks around the
commutator, and you've ruined a motor!
Motor Rewinding
Several years ago, a group of enthusiasts began experimenting with
older, slow-reving, model railroad motors to see if there wasn’t some way
to increase their speed. They removed the copper wire wrapped around
the armature poles (armature windings) and replaced this wire with either
a smaller number of windings, a different size of wire, or both. They dis-
covered that the motor speed was drastically increased.
For a year or two, these rewound motors were the fastest things around.
Fortunately, the motor manufacturers quickly realized that this was the
type of roving motor (at the sacrifice of some reliability) that model ear
racers wanted. Thus, the “6-volt” motors began to make their appearance.
These factory-produced rewinds were well-designed racing motors for
model cars. and. generally, they were at least as fast as the custom-built
motors.
About the same time that American and English-made motors were
being rewound, other racers discovered the Japanese Mabuchi model 15R
motor. These motors, with 4:1 or better gear-ratios, proved to be equal
in performance to the custom rewinds and their factory-rewound 6-volt
successors. The 15R design is still being sold in the inexpensive Revell
ready-to-run car. This same design was improved by flattening the case
and changing the magnet design to produce the Mabuchi 500 series
motors. The 500 series, with many internal changes, became the basis
for the Monogram Tiger XI10, Russkit 23, and the Revell SP80. Larger
examples of the Mabuchi design were produced as the 600 series. The
Сох TT-X250, К & В Royal Bobcat, and the Revell SP90 are a few of the
different brands sold. Recently, smaller flat Mabuchis, the Series 300, have
appeared as Revell SP80s. and Monogram X88s. The medium size, ball
bearing, Mabuchi 26D is an even greater improvement with its “rewound”
armature and heavy-duty magnets.
Chapter 10 covers motor rewinding and rewound armatures more thor-
oughly for more advanced tuning.
Gears
The most popular gearing is the crown gear and pinion. This is also the
easiest system to install. In any gear set, the gear on the motor (the
smaller of the two) is called the pinion. The reason for the designation
132
‘crown" gear on this set-up is obvious. This t\pe ol’ gearing is the least
mechanically efficient, since the crown gear teeth (traveling in a circle)
will wipe across 1/16" or more ol the pinion gear teeth. This rubbing
action causes vibration, and the extra friction of the rubbing teeth steals
a small fraction of the motor’s speed and power. It could be stealing that
small fraction your car needs to win! The sidewinder, or spur-gear, set-up
does not have this rubbing action; the onh gear friction is that of the faces
of the teeth as they mesh. (Teflon or Delrin crown gears will perform
more smooth!) than the cast or stamped-metal types.)
FIG. 125 The most popular type of gear »et-up
available for In-line mounting of motors.
Its disadvantages are outlined in the text
FIG 126 MRRC's ’Brake' gear works on a principle similar to К & B's "Cortina" brake unit
and Cox's broke oxle
133
An improved version of the crown gear and pinion set-up was intro-
duced by MRRC of England. The MRRC brake-gear is a set of three
pieces: a nylon braking-collar with a set screw, a free-rotating (no set
screw) nylon crown gear, and a press or sokler-on brass pinion. The crown
gear and the collar have three small ramps that engage each other on
the axle. The collar is clamped to the axle with a set screw, and the brake
gear is held in place by the axle and the three ramps. The crown gear
must be spaced exactly on both sides with washers to allow about 1/64"
of play. When the motor is driving the wheels, the three ramps engage
tightly, and the gear performs normally. When the motor is shut off at the
end of a straight-a-way, the axle tries to keep rotating faster than the
motor. This forces the collar and the crown gear apart, through the ramps,
wedging the motor to the sides of the frame. This wedging action slows
the axle since the collar is firmly attached to it. Thus—simple, effective,
mechanical brakes.
Obviously, if dynamic braking is wired into the track circuit, the motor
will slow down even more in relation to the axle and gear, making the
brake gear function even better. A strong, rear frame gives the ramps
something solid to wedge against. Still, there is no problem when reapply-
ing the throttle, since the nylon wedges slip smoothly together when the
motor is again delivering power. At present, these gears come in a set of
two crown gears, two collars, and two pinions. The same brake idea is
incorporated into the specially grooved axle by Cox as well as the К & В
Cortina” brake unit, which is a small device that fits between the gear
and axle bearing.
The third method of gearing an in-line motor is through the use of
bevel gears. ‘Bevels’' transfer power at right angles, like a crown gear and
FIG. 127 A bovclgeor tel
up. One oF the tmoothetl
wciyt to troniFcr motor
rototion to axle rotation
134
pinion, but with very little rubbing across the pinion gear because of their
shape. The bevel gears are almost as efficient as the standard, spur gear
set-up if the\ arc properly adjusted. Approximate!) 3 4 to 9 10 of the gear
faces must engage with only a small amount of play between the gears. Il
takes patience to install bevel gears, but their extra efficiencx can result
in extra speed!
FIG- 128 The late»» thing
in gearing is Tradeship's
hypoid b*vel gear which
allows the motor shah to be
lot below the axle.
The most recent development in gears are hypoid bevel and hypoid
crown gears. The hypoid bevel gears are a conventional bevel gear with
the teeth cut al matching angles to allow the pinion shaft to be off-set from
the axle. The important feature here is that it allows the superior power-
transmission of bevel gears and lowers the motor almut 1 8". Consequently,
the center of gravity is lower than the center line of the axle. Hypoid bevel
gears are extremely difficult to set up properly. 1 would recommend prac-
ticing on a set or two of conventional bevel gears first. The hypoid crown
gears offer the same advantage in lowering the motor and. though some-
what rougher in operation, they are easier to adjust. Use only the cast-metal
crown gear and break it in completely.
Regardless of which gear you select, you must be certain you are getting
the maximum performance-potential from them. This is the real speed
secret of gearing. When setting up sidewinder gearing, the motor pinion
shaft and the axle and spur gear shall must be absolutely parallel from
all angles. On an in-line set-up, the pinion shaft and the axle shaft must
be on exactly the same plane (except hypoids) and at a precise 90 degree
angle.
135
Most of the pinion, spur, and crown gears have a 48 diametral pitch
(48 teeth per inch of gear contact diameter). Good engineering practice
recommends that any 48 pilch gear-mesh should have between .003” and
.005” clearance between gears. A piece of newspaper held tightly between
the gears at their meshing point will provide very close to this amount of
clearance. Do not, under any circumstances, set gear mesh any tighter
than this. A properly cut gear, with correct alignment and adjustment,
should only be polished by wear at its contact points on the teeth. Over-
meshing will make the teeth grind into a new pattern and lose their
efficiency.
Not all model gears have identical tooth shape and size. However, if
you keep gears of the same brand together, you can be pretty well-assured
of having matched sets. Goars that are not labeled with their pitch and
pressure-angle i i.e., 48 pitch. 14-1 2 degree pressure angle) should be
mated only with other gears of the same brand. Those brands of gears
that are cut to the 48 pitch, 14-1/2 degree pressure angle can be freely
interchanged with little fear of mismatched sets. The pressure angle is
the angle at which the teeth contact each other. It does not affect the
adjustment of the gears. It is merely an engineering standard to allow dif-
ferent brands of gears to interchange.
Gear Ratio
Now that you have decided on one of the gearing methods, let’s see
exactly what the term “gear ratio” means. First, there is no correct ratio
for all motors and tracks. To find the best ratio for your own car, it is best
to find out what gear ratio the fastest cars at the track you race on arc
using with the motor you intend to use. The gear ratio for any particular
car and motor can vary considerably, depending on the size of the track,
track surface, and power supply, so first find out what’s winning.
Let’s say, for example, that you find most of the local race winners run-
ning a 3:1 gear ratio. What does “3:1” mean? As applied to model car
gearing, it simply means that, by using gears, the motor is running three
times as fast as the rear axle. You are not wasting motor revolutions through
gearing. Since none of the motors currently being used by model car
racers delivers enough power to drive the wheels directly, you must gear
the motor to the axle so that it can revolve at least twice as fast as the
axle. This would be a 2:1 gear ratio. With some motor/tirc/track combina-
tions, you may have to have the motor revolving as much as six times as
fast as the axle (6:1). Again, the exact ratio depends on the exact car
and track you have available.
Now, how do we achieve, say, a 3:1 ratio? Bevel and hypoid bevel gears
come in matched sets of motor and axle gears that are marked with the
136
exact ratio they will produce. II you intend to run this type of gearing,
simply purchase a set of 3:1 bevels and install. However, you may feel you
would rather run a crown gear and pinion type, so you can change only
one of the gears to change the gear ratio. A much more careful realignment
is required for a gear ratio change using bevel gears.
You must know the number of teeth on each gear to determine the gear
ratio of the crown and pinion gear set-up. This is where the Gear Ratio
Table in this chapter will prove indispensable. As a start you must know
the number of teeth on your pinion gear. If you already have one on the
motor, use it. Suppose you find vou have a 10-tooth pinion. Refer to the
Gear Ratio Table, and locate the number 10 on the far left or right of the
table | number of teeth on driver gear). Then, run a ruler under this num-
ber 10. across the table, until you locate the number 3:0. Look to the top
of the column and you will see a number 30. This 30 is the number of
teeth you will have to have on the crown, or driven, gear to produce a 3:1
ratio with the 10-tooth pinion. This ratio is derived by dividing the num-
ber of teeth in the crown, or driven, gear (30) b\ the number of teeth in
the pinion, or driver, gear (10). The table simply does the dividing for
you. You would also have a 3:1 ratio with an 8-tooth pinion and a 24-tOOth
crown, a 9-toolh pinion and a 27-tooth crown, etc.
Should you wish to change this 3:1 ratio to 4:1, you would only have to
change one of the gears. Since most pinion gears are pressed on the motor
shaft, and most crown gears are merelv held on with a set screw, it is
easier to change the crown gear. With a 10-tooth pinion, simph repeat
the process you used to find the 3:1 ratio: locate 10 on the driver-gear
column, read across to the number 4.00, then up to the driven gear, which
would be a 10-tooth crown gear, to give the new 4:1 gear ratio (40 10=4).
All this will give you an idea of the gear ratios you may obtain by simply
changing the crown, or driven, gear. You’re only limited by the diameter
ol the rear tires. The crown gear must be al least 1 16" smaller in diameter
than the rear tires.
The Gear Ratio Table is even more useful when you cannot change the
crown gear. If you have to keep the 30-tooth crown, then you must change
the pinion gear to change from a 3:1 to a 4:1 ratio. Here vou would first
locate the number 30 on the top of the gear table and then read down
this column until you came to a number as close as possible to 4.00. In this
case, you would have to settle for a 3.75 (3.75:1). Reading across the
table (left to right), you would find that an 8-tooth pinion gear is required
for the 3.75:1 gear ratio, which is as close as you can get to 4:1 with a 30-
tooth crown gear. This slight difference in ratio can be corrected by chang-
ing the tire size and using the Tire Travel Table, but we’ll talk about that
later.
When you change the crown gear, you must usually readjust the gear
mesh with spacer washers. In some cases where the crown gear diameter
137
GEAR RATIO TABLE	driven geor _ gear rotio
driver gear
Number of teeth on driven gear (crown or spur gear)
6	8	9	10	И	12	13	14	15	16	18	19	20	22	24	26	27
6	1	1.33	1.50	1.67	1.83	2.00	2.27	2.33	2.50	2.67	3.00	3.17	3.33	3.67	4.00	4.33	4.50
8	0.75	1	1.13	1.25	1.38	1.50	1.62	1.75	1.88	2.00	2.25	2.38	2.50	2.75	3.00	3.25	3.38
9	0.67	0.89	1	1.11	1.22	1.33	1.45	1.56	1.67	1.78	2.00	2.11	2.22	2.45	2.67	2.89	3.00
10	0.60	0.80	0.90	1	1.10	1.20	1.30	1.40	1.50	1.60	1.80	1.90	2.00	2.20	2.40	2.60	2.70
11	0.54	0.73	0.82	0.91	1	1.10	1.18	1.27	1.36	1.45	1.64	1.73	1.82	2.00	2.17	2.36	2.45
12	0.50	0.66	0.75	0.83	0.92	1	1.08	1.17	1.25	1.32	1.50	1.54	1.67	1.83	2.00	2.17	2.25
13	0.45	0.61	0.69	0.77	0.85	0.92	1	1.07	1.15	1.23	1.38	1.46	1.54	1.69	1.85	2.00	2.07
14	0.43	0.57	0.64	0.72	0.79	0.86	0.93	1	1.07	1.14	1.28	1.33	1.43	1.57	1.72	1.86	1.93
IS	0.40	0.53	0.60	0.67	0.73	0.80	0.87	0.93	I	1.07	1.20	1.27	1.33	1.47	1.60	1.73	1.80
16	0.37	0.50	0.56	0.63	0.69	0.75	0.81	0.88	0.94	1	1.13	1.19	1.25	1.37	1.50	1.63	1.68
18	0.33	0.45	0.50	0.56	0.61	0.67	0.72	0.78	0.83	0.89	1	1.06	1.11	1.22	1.33	1.44	1.50
19	0.32	0.42	0.46	0.51	0.58	0.63	0.69	0.74	0.78	0.87	0.95	1	1.05	1.16	1.26	1.37	1.42
20	0.30	0.40	0.45	0.50	0.55	0.60	0.65	0.70	0.75	0.80	0.90	0.95	1	1.10	1.20	1.30	1.35
22	0.28	0.36	0.41	0.45	0.50	0.55	0.59	0.64	0.68	0.73	0.82	0.86	0.91	1	1.09	1.18	1.23
24	0.25	0.33	0.37	0.42	0.46	0.50	0.54	0.58	0.63	0.67	0.75	0.79	0.83	0.92	1	1.08	1.13
26	0.23	0.31	0.35	0.38	0.42	0.46	0.50	0.54	0.58	0.62	0.69	0.73	0.77	0.85	0.94	1	1.08
27	0.22	0.30	0.33	0.37	0.41	0.44	0.48	0.52	0.56	0.59	0.67	0.70	0.74	0.83	0.89	0.96	1
28	0.21	0.29	0.32	0.36	0.39	0.43	0.47	0.50	0.54	0.57	0.64	0.68	0.72	0.79	0.86	0.93	0.96
30	0.20	0.27	0.30	0.33	0.37	0.40	0.43	0.47	O.SO	0.53	0.60	0.63	0.67	0.73	0.80	0.87	0.90
32	0.19	0.25	0.28	0.31	0.34	0.38	0.41	0.44	0.47	O.SO	0.56	0.60	0.63	0.69	0.75	0.82	0.86
34	0.18	0.24	0.26	0.29	0.32	0.35	0.38	0.42	0.45	0.48	0.54	0.57	0.59	0.66	0.72	0.78	0.81
35	0.17	0.23	0.26	0.29	0.32	0.34	0.38	0.41	0.43	0.46	0.52	0.55	0.57	0.64	0.69	0.75	0.78
36	0.17	0.22	0.25	0.28	0.31	0.33	0.36	0.39	0.42	0.45	0.50	0.53	0.56	0.61	0.67	0.73	0.76
38	0.16	0.21	0.24	0.26	0.29	0.32	0.35	0.37	0.40	0.43	0.48	0.51	0.53	0.59	0.64	0.69	0.72
39	0.15	0.21	0.24	0.26	0.29	0.31	0.34	0.36	0.39	0.41	0.46	0.49	0.51	0.57	0.62	0.68	0.70
40	0.15	0.20	0.23	0.25	0.28	0.30	0.33	0.35	0.38	0.40	0.45	0.48	0.50	0.55	0.60	0.66	0.68
42	0.14	0.19	0.21	0.24	0.27	0.29	0.31	0.33	0.36	0.38	0.43	0.46	0.48	0.52	0.57	0.63	0.65
44	0.14	0.18	0.20	0.23	0.25	0.28	0.30	0-32	0.35	0.37	0.41	0-44	0.46	0.51	0.55	0.60	0.62
45	0.13	0.18	0.20	0.22	0.25	0.26	0.29	0.31	0.33	0.36	0.40	0.43	0.45	0.49	0.53	0.59	0.61
46	0.13	0.17	0.20	0.22	0.24	0.26	0.29	0.31	0.33	0.35	0.40	0.42	0.44	0.48	0.52	0.57	0.60
48	0.13	0.17	0.19	0,21	0.23	0.25	0.27	0.29	0.31	0.33	0.38	0.40	0.42	0.46	0.50	0.55	0.57
50	0.12	0.16	0.18	0.20	0.22	0.24	0.26	0.28	0.30	0.32	0.36	0.39	0.40	0.44	0.48	0.53	0.55
60	0.11	0.13	0.15	0.17	0.19	0.20	0.22	0.24	0.25	0.27	0.30	0.32	0.34	0.37	0.41	0.43	0.46
80	0.08	0.10	0.11	0.13	0.14	0.15	0.16	0.18	0.19	0.20	0.23	0.24	0.25	0.28	0.30	0.33	0.34
6	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16’	18	19	20	22	24	26	27
28	30	32	34
6	4.67	5.00	5.33	5.67
8	3.50	3.75	4.00	4.25
9	3.12	3.33	3.55	3.78
10	2.80	3.00	3.20	3.40
11	2.54	2.73	2.92	3.09
12	2.34	2.50	2.67	2.83
13	2.15	2.31	2.46	2.62
14	2.00	2.14	2.28	2.43
15	1.82	2.00	2.13	2.27
16	1.75	1.88	2.00	2.12
18	1.55	1.67	1.78	1.89
19	1.48	1.58	1.64	1.74
20	1.40	1.50	1.60	1.70
22	1.27	1.37	1.45	1.52
24	1.17	1.25	1.33	1.42
26	1.04	1.15	1.21	1.31
27	1.02	1.11	1.18	1.26
28	1	1.07	1.14	1.21
30	0.93	1	1.07	1.13
32	0.88	0.94	1	1.02
34	0.84	0.88	0.94	1
35	0.81	0.86	0.91	0.97
36	0.79	0.83	0.89	0.94
38	0.75	0.79	0.8*1	0.89
39	0.72	0.77	0.82	0.87
40	0.70	0.75	0.80	0.85
42	0.67	0.71	0.76	0.81
44	0.64	0.68	0.73	0.77
45	0.63	0.67	0.71	0.75
46	0.62	0.65	0.69	0.74
48	0.58	0.63	0.67	0.71
SO	0.56	0.60	0.64	0.68
60	0.47	O.SO	0.53	0.57
80	0.35	0.38	0.40	0.43
28	30	32	34
35	36	38	39
6.83 6.U0 6.33 6.50
4.38 4.50 4.75 4.88
3.89 4.00 4.22 4.33
3.50 3.60 3.80 3.90
3.18 3.27 3.45 3.54
2.92 3.00 3.17 3.24
2.69 2.77 2.92 3.00
2.50 2.57 2.72 2.78
2.33 2.40 2.53 2.60
2.18 2.25 2.37 2.44
1.94 2.00 2.11 2.16
1.84 1.90 2.00 2.05
1.75 1.80 1.90 1.95
1.59 1.64 1.73 1.77
1.46 1.50 1.58 1.62
1.35 1.38 1.46 1.50
1.30 1.33 1.41 1.44
1.25 1.29 1.36 1.39
1.17 1.20 1.27 1.30
1.09 1.12 1.19 1.22
1.03 1.06 1.12 1.1S
1	1.03 1.08 1.11
0.97 1	1.05 1.08
0.92 0.95 1	1.03
0.90 0.92 0.97 1
0.88 0.90 0.95 0.98
0.83 0.86 0.91 0.93
0.80 0.82 0.86 0.89
0.78 0.80 0.84 0.87
0.76 0.78 0.83 0.85
0.73 0.75 0.79 0.81
0.70 0.72 0.76 0.78
0.58 0.60 0.63 0.6S
0.44 0.45 0.47 0.49
35	36	38	39
40	42	44	4S
0.67 7.00 7.33 7.50
5.00 5.25 5.50 5.63
4.45 4.68 4.89 5.00
4.00 4.20 4.40 4.50
3.64 3.82 4.00 4.09
3.33 3.50 3.67 3.75
3.07 3.23 3.38 3.45
2.85 3.00 3.14 3.21
2.67 2.80 2.93 3.00
2.50 2.62 2.75 2.82
2.22 2.33 2.44 2.50
2.10 2.21 2.32 2.37
2.00 2.10 2.20 2.25
1.82 1.91 2.00 2.04
1.67 1.75 1.83 1.87
1.54 1.61 1.69 1.73
1.48 1.56 1.63 1.66
1.43 1.50 1.57 1.61
1.33 1.40 1.47 1.50
1.25 1.31 1.38 1.41
1.18 1.23 1.29 1.32
1.14 1.20 1.26 1.28
1.11 1.17 1.22 1.25
1.05 1.11 1.16 1.18
1.02 1.08 1.13 1.15
1	1.05 1.10 1.13
0.96 1	1.05 1.07
0.91 0.96 1	1.02
0.89 0.94 0.98 1
0.87 0.91 0.96 0.98
0.83 0.88 0.92 0.94
0.80 0.84 0.88 0.90
0.67 0.70 0.73 0.75
0.50 0.S3 0.55 0.57
40	42	44	45
(Courtesy Model Car it Track)
46	48	50	60	80
7.67	8.00	8.33	10.00	13.00
5.75	6.00	6.25	7.50	10.00
5.12	5.34	5.56	6.67	8.89
4.60	4.80	5.00	6.00	8.00
4.18	4.27	4.54	5.4S	7.27
3.83	4.00	4.16	5.00	6.67
3.S4	3.69	3.84	4.61	6.15
3.28	3.42	3.57	4.27	5.72
3.07	3.20	3.33	4.00	5.33
2.87	3.00	3.12	3.75	5.00
2.56	2.67	2.78	3.33	4.44
2.43	2.52	2.66	3.15	4.21
2.30	2.40	2.50	3.00	4.00
2.09	2.18	2.27	2.75	3.63
1.92	2.00	2.08	2.50	3.36
1.76	1.8-1	1.92	2.30	3.15
1.70	1.78	1.85	2.22	2.96
1.64	1.72	1.78	2.19	2.86
1.53	1.60	1.67	2.00	2.67
1.44	1.50	1.56	1.87	2.50
1.35	1.41	1.47	1.76	2.35
1.31	1.34	1.43	1.71	2.28
1.28	1.33	1.39	1.67	2.22
1.21	1.25	1.31	1.58	2.11
1.18	1.23	1.28	1.54	2.05
1.15	1.20	1.25	1.50	2.00
1.09	1.14	1.19	1.43	1.90
1.05	0.09	1.14	1.36	1.82
1.02	1.07	1.11	1.33	1.78
1	1.04	1.09	1.30	1.74
0.96	1	1.04	1.25	1.67
0.92	0.96	1	1.20	1.60
0.77	0.80	0.86	1	1.33
0.58	0.60	0.65	0.75	1
46	48	50	60	80
Number of teeth on driver gear (pinion gear)
changes, yon may have to re-position the pinion gear on the motor shaft
so that the two gears will mesh. Incidentally, when buying alternate crown
or bevel gears, be certain that you have enough clearance between the
motor bearing and the axle to accomodate a larger gear.
To set up the spur gear and pinion, which can only be used in the side-
winder motor/chassis unit, you read the table exactly the same as for the
in-line crown gear and pinion. There is one more point to watch with spur
gearing: the gear on the axle shaft, the spur gear, must be large enough to
enable the axle to clear the motor. On most motors, this requires at least
a 39-tooth axle (spur) gear. You must run a 13-tooth pinion gear on the
motor to achieve a 3:1 ratio with a 39-tooth spur gear.
Now you know what gear ratio is and how to obtain it. but there is one
other extremely important aspect of gearing that is often overlooked. The
motor revolutions are transferred to the axle through the gears. However,
just a revolving axle isn’t going to propel your car down the track. You
must have a wheel and tire on that axle to run a car. This is where the
problems creep in. Remember, each time a circle, or a tire, makes a com-
plete revolution, it covers a distance equal to its circumference. Circum-
ference is derived by midtiplying the tire diameter by - or 3.1416. There-
fore, each small change in tire diameter is magnified over three times as it
rolls along the track. Tire diameter, coupled with gear ratio, is important
in obtaining maximum performance from any motor.
Let’s refer to a hypothetical car with a 3:1 gear ratio. Suppose this car
is running a 1" over-all-diameter tire; this means that each time the axle
revolves, the car moves 3,1416" (I" x 3.1416). Dividing this by the 3:1
gear ratio would mean that car moved 1.05" each time the motor revolved.
Since you cannot alter the motor revolutions, the axle revolutions can be
changed through the gears or tire diameter. If you substitute a 1-1/4" diam-
eter tire on the 3:1 ratio car it would move 1.31" for each motor revolution.
This has the same effect on over-all speed as changing the gear ratio on
the original 3:1, 1" tire car to 2.5:1. In other words, yon can change the
speed of the car by changing gear and tires. The Table to Determine Tire
Travel for Each Motor Revolution will tell you just exactly how far your
car will travel with any gear ratio or tire size.
The Table to Determine Tire Travel can also be of great help in tuning
and building scale cars. It enables you to see pretty well how your car
would perform with a change in gear ratio by simply substituting a larger
or smaller diameter tire to equal your proposed new ratio. II. on the 3:1
car we’ve discussed, you found that the car performed better with a 1-1/4"
diameter tire, you would know that you could change back to the original
1" tire and change the gear ratio to 2.5:1, and the car would perform as
well as with the larger tires.
139
TABLE TO DETERMINE TIRE TRAVEL FOR EACH MOTOR REVOLUTION
tire circumference = inches of travel
gear ratio
Tire Size	3/4” Dia.	13/16" 15ia.	7/8" Dia.	15/16" Die.	1" Dia.	1-1/16" 1-1/8"		1-3/16" Dia.	1-1/4" 1-5/16"		1-3/8" Dia.	1-7/16" Dia.	1-1/2" Dia.
						Dia.	Dra.		Dia.	Dia.			
1.5:1	1.57	1.70	1.83	1.96	2.19	2.23	2.32	2.50	2.62	2.75	2.87	3.01	3.18
1.7$: 1	1.34	1.46	1.57	1.68	1.80	1.91	1.98	2.28	2.24	2.36	2.46	2.58	2.69
2.0:1	1.17	1.27	1.37	1.47	1.57	1.67	1.74	1.87	1.96	2.06	2.15	2.25	2.36
2.25:1	1.05	1.13	1.22	1.30	1.40	1.59	1.54	1.66	1.74	1.83	1.92	2.01	2.19
2.5:1	.981	1.02	1.10	1.18	1.26	1.34	1.39	1.50	1.57	1.65	1.72	1.80	1.88
2.75:1	.855	.26	1.00	1.07	1.14	1.22	1.26	1.36	1.43	1.50	1.56	1.64	1.72
3.0:1	.785	.850	.916	.960	1.05	1.11	1.16	1.25	1.31	1.37	1.44	1.50	1.57
3.25:1	.725	.784	.846	.905	.969	1.03	1.07	1.15	1.20	1.27	1.32	1.39	1.45
3.5:1	.672	.728	.785	.840	.899	.956	.991	1.07	1.11	1.18	2.23	1.29	1.34
3.75:1	.626	.680	.732	.784	.839	.892	.925	1.00	1.05	1.10	1.15	1.20	1.26
4.0:1	.589	.638	.688	.735	.786	.837	.869	.936	.981	1.03	1.08	1.13	1.18
4.25:1	.554	.600	.648	.691	.740	.788	.816	.880	.923	.970	1.01	1.06	1.11
4.5:1	.523	.566	.610	.652	.699	.743	.771	.831	.872	.915	.958	1.00	1.05
4.75:1	.495	.537	.568	.619	.661	.703	.730	.788	.826	.869	.906	.950	.991
5.0:1	.470	.510	.550	.589	.629	.670	.694	.749	.785	.823	.861	.902	.942
5.25:1	.448	.486	.524	.560	.600	.639	.662	.712	.749	.785	.820	.860	.899
5.5:1	.427	.464	.499	.534	.571	.608	.631	.680	.712	.749	.782	.820	.856
5.75:1	.408	.444	.478	.512	.548	.582	.804	.651	.682	.718	.749	.785	.820
6.0:1	.392	.425	.457	.491	.523	.558	.579	.622	.653	.688	.718	.752	.775
Tire	3/4"	13/16"	7/8"	15/16”	1"	1-1/16"	1-1/8"	1-3/16"	1-1/4"	1-5/16"	1-3/8"	1-7/16"	1-1/2'
Size	Dia.	Dia.	Dia.	Dia.	Dia.	Dia.	Dia.	Dia.	Dia.	Dia.	Dia.	Dia.	Dia.
(Courtesy Model Car d> Track)
GEAR RATIO
TIRE SIZE
You can, through the use of the table, determine a “magic number” for
any particular motor. Once you have found this number, you can run
virtually any size tire, and by changing the gear ratio to maintain the
inches of travel, you can maintain maximum performance from that motor.
In other words, if you found that your motor ran best when it was moving
the car 1.31" for each motor revolution, vou could equip that car with
3/4" diameter tires at 1.75:1 gearing, 1" diameter tires at 2.5:1 gearing,
and 1-1/8" tires at 2.75:1 gearing, and still have virtually the same
performance.
The principles used to illustrate the results of gear and tire changes will
apply to any car. The two tables then eliminate the need to race a car with
larger or smaller diameter tires than it should have for proper appearance.
Also, you can set up a winning motor combination and place it in nearly
aux size car in any of I hi* popular scales!
Wheels
Wheels and tires, both in prototype and model form, are often discussed
by racing car enthusiasts. Many figures and dimensions are talked about
without any real knowledge of how or where they apply to a tire or wheel.
Let's clear up some confusion.
First of all, wheels—tires on passenger cars, racing cars, sports cars, or
Grand Prix cars—are mounted on drop-center rims of a shape similar to
140
that in Figure 129. This is not a wheel, it is a rim. When this rim has a
steel or aluminum plate welded to it. or machined into it. or when it is
laced to a hub by wire spokes, then it becomes a wheel.
CROSS SECTIONAL PLAN
DROP CENTER RIM
FIG 129 Courfciy Model Cor & Track
Wheel diameter is not the over-all diameter of the rim. Wheel diameter
is measured where the bead of the tire rests on the rim. (The tire bead is
the portion of the tire that rests on the rim.) In other words, it is approxi-
mately equal to the inside diameter of the tire that it is designed to fit.
Again refer to Figure 129, diameter A. The flange immediately above diame-
ter A holds the tire onto the rim. The exact height of this flange varies
somewhat from rim to rim. However, it is usually 3 I" to 7 8" high. Since
nominal wheel diameter. We must, therefore, add this 1-1 2" to 1-3 1" to
it continues all the wav around the rim. it adds 1-1 2" to 1-3/4" to the
the nominal wheel diameter to produce the actual over-all diameter of the
wheel. Since we can not accurately measure 1/2" or 3/4" in 1 24 or I 32
scales, let's round this figure off to an even 2" and see what happens to the
wheel diameter. A 12" wheel would measure 12" al the beads, but it
would measure approximately 14" over-all diameter. A 13" wheel would
measure 15", a 14" wheel would measure 16", a 15" wheel would measure
17", etc.
Therefore, if we measure a 1/32 scale wheel and find it to have a 5/8"
over-all diameter (20/32), this would correspond to a 20" over-all diameter
full-scale wheel. Deducting the 2" we talked about, this wheel would be
an 18" wheel.
The next most obvious problem is how to arrive at the nominal dimen-
sion on wheel size. As we mentioned, it is equivalent to the inside diameter
of the tire and is specified when we specify the tire size for a full-size car.
A 6.40-15 tire fits a 15" wheel; a 5.20-13 fits a 13" wheel, etc.
The width of the rim is also an important consideration when mounting
a prototy pe tire. Again, the wheel width is not the over-all width of the
wheel. Figure 129 illustrates where the actual rim width is measured. This
dimension is actually the width across the beads of the tire. The rim and
141
tire manufacturers have agreed on certain engineered combinations of rim
and tire widths. Each tire manufacturer has a booklet indicating what size
tire goes on what size rim. The important fact here is that the rim width for
racing car tires is always narrower than the widest portion of the tire. So,
you will never have a model wheel that is wider than its tire if you want
to maintain a realistic appearance.
Notice that one side of the rim is wider than the other in Figure 129.
The wider side of the rim, marked “ramp” on the sketch, is usually placed
toward the inside of the car when the wheel is assembled. When it is taken
apart and reassembled with this ramp toward the outside, or when the rim
is moved further away from the car on assembly, the wheel is referred to
as a “reversed rim” wheel. It is very popular with hot rodders. Strangely
enough, mans Ferrari wire wheels and American-production car wheels
arc produced with this reverse effect at the factory.
So far we’ve talked mostly about the rim. The center, or disc, is also a
fascinating portion of the wheel unit. Cast aluminum or magnesium wheels
are the most popular recent designs and are used on virtually every cur-
rent Cirand Prix car. The rim shape on these wheels (as shown in Fig. 129)
is cast in one piece with the center of the wheel. The hub is a separate unit
on most racing cars. It contains the bearings and is bolted to the cast
wheel assembly with 3 or 4 bolts. The once popular knock-off hub that
uses a single wing-nut to hold the wheel in place is losing favor because
the modern tire designs are so reliable and long wearing.
The disc wheel used on our passenger cars has a steel plate welded or
riveted on the rim to produce the wheel unit. It is strengthened by care-
fully engineered waves and folds stamped into the disc. The aluminum or
magnesium wheel obtains its strength primarily from sheer mass of the
lightweight metals. Most foreign car and disc-type, racing car wheels are
vented with 1" or larger vent holes which aid in brake cooling. The steel
disc, race car wheels are usually produced by Dunlop in both a knock-off
and a bolt-on pattern, and are common to Jaguars, Listers, and BRMs.
Porsche has a similar wheel produced for their cars.
The romantic wire-wheel design of sports car fame continues to be very
popular. In actual fact, a properly engineered wire wheel is not only a
thing of beauty, but of quite useful quality as well. The design principle
of the wire wheel is that the weight of the car hangs from the spokes, and
that the weight is never pressed down onto them, but, rather, pulled away
from them. Because of this, relatively small-diameter wire can be used to
produce a strong, light wheel. The weight of a racing wire wheel generally
falls somewhere between that of the cast aluminum or magnesium wheel
and that of the all-steel disc wheel. The wire wheel, however, offers the
advantage of infinite adjustment for trueness and concentricity with an
added bonus of the all-important brake-cooling for a race car.
142
Wheel design is an important and integral part of a race car’s concep-
tion, engineering, and building. Therefore, it becomes an important part of
the “character” of the prototype. A successful model needs the proper style
wheel to have the proper appearance. Most Chaparrals should have a
magnesium spoke wheel, for example, and Ferrari Sports Cars should have
wire wheels, and so on. You should determine, from a photograph of the
prototype, what wheel your car should have and then select an appropriate
cast wheel or wheel insert from those available. Most of the inserts are
plastic. It is a simple but rewarding task to cut down an insert, if necessary,
to fit a smaller wheel. The proper style will set your model apart as an
accurate scale model racer. Remember, on an object as small as a wheel,
even 1/32" can make the wheel and tire look out of proportion. It is best
to stick as closely as possible to the exact size to maintain the best over-all
effect.
There are hundreds of different wheels on the market. With few excep-
tions, all of them arc true running and of lightweight aluminum or mag
nesium. When I select a wheel for a model. I’m especially concerned with
three things: Does it have the proper width and scale diameter to fit the
tire I want to use on either front or rear? Is the shape of the rim edge
undercut to match the full-size car wheel? Is it an exact copy of the, wheel
design used on the full-size car, or will it lake one of the plastic wheel
inserts appropriate to the full-size car? There arc a great number of
machined and drilled wheels that are quite pretty, but they do not have
the slightest resemblance to a full-size car wheel, and most are too shallow
to allow an insert to fit inside. 1 prefer a realistic wheel. Ulrich, Cox, and
Dynamic have some excellent cast wheels that arc almost exact mates for
American Mag wheels, Ferrari and BRM GP wheels, Ford GT or Cobra
wheels, and more.
Tires
A scale tire for our scale wheel is our next consideration. All types of
tires are identified in some manner with a size marking. In the English-
speaking countries, they arc sized 6.10-15 or 6.00 6.40-15. for example. The
last number always refers to the wheel diameter as we have discussed. The
first number refers to the size of the cross section of the tire. When only a
single number appears (i.e., 6.40), it refers primarily to the width of the
tire. However, this number can be used to arrive at the approximate over-
all diameter of the tire by doubling this figure (6.40 plus 6.40 equals 12.80)
and then adding the wheel diameter (12.80 plus 15 equals 27.80). A quick
glance at the chart shows that a 6.00 6.40-15 should have a 26.57 diameter,
so we’re only 1.23" off. Now, where did that 6.00 in the 6.00 6.40-15 come
143
RACING TIRE SIZE CHART
SIZE OF TIRE	MAXIMUM	OVER-ALL	TREAD WIDTH
CROSS SECTION	DIAMETER
Prototype Nominal	Prototype in inches	1/32 Scaled Prototype		1/32 Scale-*- inches	Prototype in inches	1/32 Scale# inches
		inches	in inches			
4.50-12	5.41	11/64	20.91	21/32	4.13	1/8
5.20-12	6.21	3/16	21.78	11/16	4.46	9/64
4.50-13	5.48	11/64	22.02	11/16	4.15	1/8
5.20-13	6.17	3/16	23.08	23/32	4.58	9/64
5.90—13	6.93	7/32	23.80	3/4	5.00	5/32
6.00/6.50-13	7.52	15/64	24.60	49/64	5.47	11/64
7.00-13	9.30	19/64	25.30	25/32	6.50	13/64
5.50/8.10-13# 8.50		17/64	23.50	47/64	7.50	15/64
6.00/10.50-13# 10.5C		21/64	24.50	49/64	9.50	19/64
7.00/12.50-13# 12.50		25/64	26.00	13/16	11.50	23/64
5.20-14	6.08	3/16	24.18	3/4	4.53	9/64
5.90-14	6.82	7/32	24.74	49/64	5.00	5/32
4.50-15	5.41	9/64	24.12	3/4	4.18	1/8
5.00/5.20-15	6.06	3/16	25.01	25/32	4.58	9/64
5.50/5.90-15	6.70	13/64	25.72	51/64	5.00	5/32
6.00/6.40-15	7.53	15/64	26.57	53/64	5.52	11/64
6.50/6.70-15	7.96	1/4	26.82	27/32	5.88	3/16
7.00-15	8.81	9/32	27.70	55/64	6.45	13/64
8.20-15	8.95	9/32	28.63	57/64	6.82	7/32
8.20-15	11.30	23/64	29.30	59/64	7.60	15/64
(Stock Car Special'						
9.50-15	9.80	5/16	25.30	51/64	Not available	
9.90-15	10.00	5/16	25.70	13/16	Not available	
12.00-15	11.70	23/64	28.30	57/64	Not available	
12.40-15	12.50	25/64	29.00	29/32	Not available	
5.00-16	6.10	3/16	25.87	13/16	4.58	9/64
5.50-16	6.67	13/64	26.78	27/32	5.00	5/32
6.00-16	7.61	15/64	27.79	7/8	5.57	11/64
6.50/6.70-16	7.98	1/4	28.02	7/8	5.82	3/16
7.00-16	8.60	17/64	29.06	29/32	6.34	13/64
* Compiled from Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company "Sports Car Special" and
"Indianapolis 500" tire charts. Since racing tire sizes are similar between
brands, Dunlop and Firestone racing tires will have similar dimensions.
# Scale dimensions are rounded off to the nearest 1/64".
# These dimensions are measured from actual Firestone Super
Sports Indy tires.
FRACTION CHART
1/64	17/64	33/64	49/64
1/32	9/32	17/32	25/32
3/64	19/64	35/64	51/64
1/16	5/16	9/16	13/16
5/64	21/64	37/64	53/64
3/32	11/32	19/32	27/32
7/64	23/64	39/64	55/64
1/8	3/8	5/8	7/8
9/64	25/64	41/64	57/64
5/32	13/32	21/32	29/32
11/64	27/64	43/64	59/64
3/16	7/16	11/16	15/16
13/16	29/64	45/64	61/64
7/32	15/32	23/32	31/32
15/64	31/64	47/64	63/64
1/4	1/2	3/4	
This chart will assist you tn rounding off 1/6-1 dimensions to more easily
measured figures for tire diameter and width.
from? Years ago, the double number was meant to indicate first the approxi-
mate tread width (6") and second, the width at the bulge or sidewall of
the tire (see Fig. 130). On racing (ires, it is merely to indicate that this
single racing tire size is designed to replace both a 6.00-15 and a 6.40-15
with the one 6.00/6.40-15 racing tire size.
8 dimcnuon л Wkllh
С с-п-вшип и Manmum Section
FIG. 130 Courtesy Model Cor A Ttack
All these figures work out fine in theory. In actual practice, their use is
almost coincidental, particularly in racing tires. In most instances, a racing
car is limited to a certain over-all diameter by the fenders or gearing. Since
more tire on the ground equals greater cornering power, a wider tread and,
therefore, wider cross section is desirable in racing sports cars. It is this
demand, coupled with the requirements of the tire’s inner construction
and tread pattern, that has led the racing tire manufacturers to produce
tires as sized in Figure 130. For a given size, the racing tire will have a
much wider cross section (for stability) and tread pattern (for traction)
than its nominal size would indicate. The Goodyear Stock Car Special, as
used on the team Cobras, is a nominal 8.20-15 which (using our approxi-
mate formula) would be a tire 8.20" wide and 31.4" in diameter (8.20
plus 8.20 plus 15). In actual fact, this tire is 11.30" wide and 29.30" in
diameter.
This brings up an important point for us, as model road racers. The
12.40-15 tire is the largest tire used on current prototype road racing
machinery. In 1/32 scale, this would mean a tire of 25 64" maximum width
(a little over 3/8") and 29. 32" over-all diameter. On the other end of the
scale is the 5.50/5.90-15 which is about the smallest 15" rear tire being
14S
run on a prototype racing car. This tire would have a minimum width of
11 64" ( just under 3 16") and a minimum diameter of 51/64" (just under
13 16"). Proportional dimensions will apply to 1 24 scale cars. Check the
rear tires on your cars to sec how their size compares to the prototype
specifications. The chart will help you here. If you are running a car that
used 13" wheels and tires in the prototype, or a vintage car using wheels
larger than 16". be sure to check both its wheel and tire sizes.
For rear tires, your safest bet is to use what is most popular and effective
on vour track. On manv commercial tracks, a medium-soft sponge tire,
especially the German Graupner Record tire, is usually best. However,
many are finding the hard, solid tires of Silicone rubber to be most effec-
tive. The most popular tires for 1/32 scale club racing are the harder
sponge tires from Auto Hobbies and Monogram. Almost any of the soft,
solid, rubber tires or any of the above work equally well on home tracks.
The front tires on I 32 scale cars should be soft, solid rubber with a
medium amount of traction. Monogram, Revell, and Auto Hobbies me-
chanical tires are examples. On the other hand, 1/24 scale cars handle
best with an absolute minimum of traction on the front. You can use the
extra-narrow Dy namic or Cox front tires or coat any of the wider ones
with clear lacquer to reduce traction.
Axles
You will find an extremely wide choice of axles ranging in cost from a
dime to a half-dollar. For 1/24 scale cars, it pays to invest in a hardened
steel axle with a Hat in the center for the axle-gear set-screw. The stainless
steel varieties are only necessary when you arc building a sidewinder where
the axle passes near the motor and can become magnetized. In 1/32 scale,
it is best to purchase a non-hardened axle. Since the bearings are usually
quite close to the wheels, you will often need to cut oil portions of the
ends of the axle to keep it inside the wheel or to fit a wheel insert. Be sure
that the unthreaded, smooth portion of the axle is long enough to extend
all the way through both bearings in your chassis. Front axles that allow
each wheel to rotate independently will often help a car to corner faster
on the tighter 1 24 scale and most 1 z32 scale tracks. Independently rotat-
ing front wheels don’t always help, but you’ll never know about any car
until you try them.
Ball Bearings
Ball bearings arc available to fit any motor or axle shaft. As a general
rule, the motor or chassis will have to be drilled to fit the outside of the
ball bearing. The cost is quite high. A complete set of six for both axles
146
and motor will cost from twelve to fifteen dollars. II your car is a winner,
it’s worthwhile since they will wear many times longer than conventional
bearings. Ball bearings are not a cure-all for a slow car. It is best to build
a car with winning potential using conventional bearings. Then, install
ball bearings. You can install them as you can afford them, starting with
the motor shaft, then the rear axle, and. finally, the front. All ball bearings
must be kept surgicalh clean and oiled only lightly.
147
FIG 131 ТЫ» thopter will outline the materials ond assembly doto on these nine component cars in
1/24 stole number 3 Moseroti 5000 GT, number 16 lotus 23, number 97 long Cooper, number 66
Chaparral 2, number 11 Cobra, number 61 Moserati 151, number 4 lotus 25, number 82 lotus 38. and
number 30 Porsche 8.
FIG. 132 The basic chassis motors for these nine 1 24 stole tors ore positioned exactly os in Fig. 131
К & B/$upe> Challenger, К & 8 Wildcat, Monogram X220, Dynamic Сох TT X150. Cox.'Ronnolli V,
Russkit 'Stratthbuilder,'' Corben/Classic CM160, Revell/$P80, ond Dynomlc/Tyco,
8
Building 1/24 Scale Cars
from Components
THE ONLY REAL difference between a kit and a car
you build yourself is the fact that you have complete freedom in the
selection of all the parts that make up a model racing car. The previous
chapter, and a quick trip to your local hobby dealer or raceway center,
will give you a good idea of the numerous components that are available.
The drawings and information in Chapter 5, added to the practical knowl-
edge you have gained from assembling a few kits of your own. will give
you the background you need to build your own “component" cars.
Parts Selection
I’ve selected what I consider to be the best sets of components for nine
different 1/24 scale cars. You can follow along precisely or select your own.
In either case, you should find the Bill of Materials and assembly notes
with each of the nine most helpful. Merely substitute all or part of your
own choices of components for mine in the Bill of Materials. It is a good
idea to make up your own Bill of Materials even if you’re making your car
from an entirely different set of parts.
All of the cars 1 have outlined here use some type of commercial chassis.
When you purchase the chassis, you’ll receive detailed instructions on
assembly, so 1 won’t duplicate the information. You will, however, want to
learn to solder, even if it’s just to connect the motor lead-wires from the
motor to the pickup braid. Later, you'll likely want to make your own
“space-frame" chassis similar to the Russkit “Scratchbuilder” shown here.
Again, you’ll need to know how to solder.
149
The Technique of Soldering
With all of the different chassis kits available, soldering nun seem a
waste of time. However, if you expect reliable performance from your
cars, vou must know the basic techniques of soldering. All electrical con-
nections, for example, must be soldered to assure a positive How of current.
In addition, extra weight should be soldered on, and many of the brass
chassis can be made more rigid and reliable by soldering the connections.
Soldering is a simple technique. It is not an art and no luck is involved.
It is actually simpler to use than epoxy!
Soldering is not “putting on" solder as you would glue. Soldering is the
application of “heat transfer." This term is simple a brief description of
what you do when vou solder correctly. The basic idea is to heat the metal
you are joining until it is hotter than the melting point of tho solder. This
allows the solder to flow into the joint. Melted solder follows the principle
of capillary action, that is, it will flow more readily into a narrow' opening
than a wide one. Briefly then, you How the solder onto metal surfaces that
have been heated with a soldering iron to a temperature greater than the
melting point of the solder.
Since you must have an adequate suppk of heat, the proper soldering
equipment is essential. A 25- to 40-watt iron is sufficient for soldering wires
and pickup brushes. The small irons, such as those supplied in woodburning
sets, arc adequate for this purpose. An 80- to 100-watt soldering gun, or
iron, is a must to solder a chassis or attach lead weights. The most popular
soldering tools: A Busskit chassis-assembly jig (Adjnsto-jig) and a Weller
soldering gun, and assorted hand tools. A 100-watt soldering iron is also
an excellent investment for the serious model builder.
fIG 133 Before voider will hold, the
metal surfaces must be fifed or tcrapod
dear of all oxides and grease.
150
Surfaces to be joined must be perfectly clean and free from oxidation or
oil so that the solder can form a strong bond. A small file or knife is used
to clean these surfaces. Aluminum tweezers such as X-Acto’s are a great
help for holding heated parts while soldering.
Solder is made of tin and lead and comes either in solid wire or with a
hollow core filled with acid or flux to help bond the solder. The type best
suited to model work is a 50 50 or 60 40 tin lead solder with either no core
or a flux core. Perfect supplies a small portion of high-quality flux core
solder for fifteen cents. This is adequate for simple electrical connections.
For extensive soldering on frames, etc., it is best to buy a small box of
television- and radio-quality, flux-core solder. Ersin supplies one of the
better brands. Also, for frame soldering, etc., vou would purchase a small
tin of soldering paste such as Nokorodc. Avoid any rosin or acid-core solder,
or soldering paste, because they can attack motor insulation and paint.
Radio and television supply stores are the best source of solder and
soldering paste.
Since soldering is basically the transfer of heat from the soldering iron
to the work, it is essential that the iron always be clean. Oxide, etc., insu-
lates it from the work. Before using the iron, file or scrape all of the oxide
off the tip until it is shiny copper. Then heat the iron, and touch a small
amount of soldering paste to all of the surfaces on tip. Next, while the iron
is still hot, cover the entire tip with solder and shake or brush off any
excess. This “tins” the tip and helps to prevent the copper from oxidizing.
You will have to repeat this process occasionally as the solder burns away
and the copper oxides form.
Now that you’ve collected an adequate soldering iron or gun, a file,
knife, tweezers, solder, and soldering paste, let’s try some soldering tech-
niques. To solder two pieces of metal together for a frame, first file or
scrape the surface to be soldered as shown in Figure 133. Then, apply
soldering paste to the area to be soldered as in Fig. 134. This paste com-
pletely cleans the metals to assure greater adhesion. It also allows the
solder to spread over the entire area to be covered. This paste is a must
in soldering frames or adding weights. Spread only a thin layer on the
surface.
FIG 134 Soldering posle, opplied to
the orca being soldered, further
cleans the material ond allows the
solder to hold the material firmly.
The next step is to '‘tin” the surface to be soldered. “Tinning” simply
means that a thin layer of solder is applied to the area to be soldered and
allowed Io cool before the two pieces are in place. Be sure to heat the
metal enough, so the solder forms a puddle anil Hows over the area you
cleaned and covered with soldering paste. Use only the amount of solder
necessary to leave a thin, smooth film on the metal. Remember, you want
to flow the solder, not lump it on like cement.
Tin the second piece of metal Io be joined, and hold it Io the first piece
with the aluminum tweezers. Heat the joint, but do not apply any addi-
tional solder until you can see the solder change color and melt. Then,
remove the iron while holding the pieces in place until the soldered joint
cools. Now, wipe off any excess soldering paste. A few practice runs with
some scrap brass will give you the feel of soldering. You’ll see, for example,
that the solder becomes quite shiny when it is molten, and that it gradually
dulls as it cools.
On some joints it is either inconvenient or impossible to tin both surfaces
before soldering. Clean both surfaces of these joints, apply soldering paste,
and assemble or clamp into position. Then, melt a small puddle of solder
at one point on the joint, and gradually move the iron over the joint slowly
enough to keep the melted solder from hardening. You’ll see the solder
flow along the seam, and due to the capillary action mentioned earlier,
the solder will flow into the joint as well as on the edge. This process is
called “Seam Soldering."
On some models, it is often helpful to have assembly nuts soldered to
the frame so that only a screwdriver is needed for assembly or disassembly.
To solder an attaching nut to a frame member, simph file one surface and
one or two flats ol the nut and the frame. Now. hold the nut to the frame
with tweezers, and apply only a small drop of soldering paste to the edge
of the nut and the frame member. Next, apply a small dot of solder to this
joint, heat until it puddles, and remove the iron. Be careful not to hold the
iron in position too long, or the solder may flow up into the threads of
the nut. Be sure to clamp with the tweezers until the solder cools.
You can also use soldering techniques to keep the mounting end of your
car’s pickup-brush from fraying. Dip one end of the Stranded brush into
the paste. Hold the brush about 14" from the end with tweezers exactly
as pictured in Figure 138. The tweezers act as a heat sink to keep the
solder from flowing through the entire length of the brush. Now, apply
enough solder to this short end of the brush and heat with the iron until
the solder complete!) covers the exposed end. This gives a solid surface
that can be drilled for attaching to the pickup, yet all but the I 4" at the
attaching end is loose anil springy for positive electrical pickup.
152
FIG 135 When possible, о thin film of soldo»
should b* "flowed’ onto eoch of the
surfaces Io be joined.
FIG. 136 Hold the two pieces to bo joined with
aluminum tweezers and heat lhe joint as shown until
the solder melts. Remove the iron ond allow to coal
before removing tweezers.
FIG. 137 Attaching nuts con be held Io the frome
members by soldoring. Do not allow the soldo» to Row
into lhe threods of the nut.
FIG 138 For positive pickup, solder about 1/4" of
the attaching end of the brush attachment solid
so that it can be drilled for attaching to the pickup.
FIG 139 Reliable electrical Row is essential for any
race cor. Moke certain the wire joints are positively
attached by flowing solder onto the ends of lhe lead
wires and then soldering them Io the motor and pickup
153
The proper method nF applying solder to the motor lead-wires is to tin
them before soldering to the motor or pickup brushes. Again, use the
tweezers to hold the wire and to act as a heat sink to keep the solder from
flowing down the wire. Then, the wire ends can be soldered to the tinned
motor or pickup brushes for reliable electrical connections. (Refer to
Chap. 5 for additional help.)
With just a little practice, you can become adept at these soldering
techniques which will produce reliable racing cars as a result of securely
soldered joints and wire connections.
The more advanced model racers often use the “space” frames like those
shown here A good starter kit for brass-tubular frame construction is
Russkit’s “.Scratchbuilder” series. Later, you can add your own ideas and
variations, purchase your own brass tubes, brackets, motor, wheels, etc.,
and build your own. The rear-pivoted "drop flag” on the space frame above
is an example of one of the best 1/24 scale frame designs. Although it
appears to be quite complex, a close study will reveal it to be only a modi-
fication of the “Scratchbuilder” frame.
FIG. 140 Tho Russkit
‘Scratchbuilder" lit provide* all of
the pieces to moke thi* simple,
bra*» lube "space frame."
FIG. 141 Thi» complex frame
could be adapted to any of the
sport» car» in thi» chapter. Note
the rear pivot point» on the
"drop pickup" arm and the
eras*.braced rear bracket». Thi»
chats!» also features a hypoid
crown gear to offset the motor
downward.
LOTUS 25 and 33 GRAND PRIX CARS
The two Lotus Grand Prix ears on these pages span the history of these world-
champion cars from 1962 (the number 4 car) to the last of the I-1 2-liter racing
formula in 1965 (the number 17 car), lire 1962 Lotus 25 revolutionized the design
of all the GP ears racing at that time. In the superior hands of Jim Clark, the Lotus
won the World Championship in 1963 and 1965. The same, basic design, in the
Lotus 38, won the Indianapolis 500 Pace in 1965. Lotus and Clark have set the
pattern for the American open-wheel races as well!
The secret of the phenomenal success of the Lotus can be attributed, in somewhat
over-simplified form, to one thing. Lotus was tire first race car manufacturer to
develop a successful inonocoque chassis. This design, now common to most successful
racing ears, uses a scries of boxes, which are usually riveted aluminum or bonded
fiberglass, assembled together to form both the bods and the chassis. The advantage
of this type of construction is primarily the fact that an extremely rigid chassis is
obtained with much less weight than if tubes or rails were used.
The engineering concept is that both the performance and handling of a car are
increased by using a rigid chassis and a relatively soft suspension. Considerable time
is spent designing front and rear suspension systems which keep the tires on the
ground when the ear is accelerating, cornering, or stopping. If the chassis Ilexes
during a race, much of the engineer's efforts are wasted. The weight of the chassis
must be as light as possible for maximum performance. The monoeoque design, first
used on airplanes, fills all of these requirements better than than anything known.
Lotus had a considerable amount of talent in all of the other aspects of racing
had it first. So. it was continually a step ahead.
car design, hut so did its competition. The chassis made the difference, and Lotus
The 1962 Lotus 25 was modified continuously during 1963, 1964, and 1965. The
change in model designation, in 1964. from 25 to 3? is not noticeable. However, the
change to 13" tires by the entire Grand Prix car field prompted the new model
number. Clark won the 1965 French Grand Prix in a Ixitus 25, but it was impossible
to distinguish it from the Lotus 33s in the same race. It was reported that this 25
was slower than the newer and slightly lighter 33. but more suited to the twisting
course used for the race than the 33. Some of the 196-1 Lotus 25 cars used the same
body with windshield and uncovered transmission as the 1965 Lotus 33s.
Specifications
(Lotus 33. 1965.)
Wheelbase: 91.5 inches
Track Width: Front/Rear 55/50
Over-all Length: 140 inches
Over-all Width: 27 inches
Front Tires: 6.00 x 13
Rear Tires: 7.00 x 13
155
FIG. 142 The fulluJt» cat The lotus 33, in th» hondi ol chompion Jim Clark, was ono of «he
most successful Gron Prix designs ever. Clark I* shown hero at the 1965 Belgian Gron Prix,
(Gunther Matter; courtesy Pood & Track}
NUMBER	DRIVER(S)	RACE	FINISHED	COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
Lotus 33				
17	Jim Clark	Belgian GP 65	Won	Medium green with yellow stripe and wheels. Pictured above. RT 9/65
18	Jim Clark	Dutch GP i£i	Won	Same as #17. CD 8/64
24	Jackie Stewart	O‘i Italian GP ‘65	Won	Same as #17. CD 12/65
6	Jim Clark	So. African GP ‘65	Won	Same as #17. CD 4/65
1	Jim Clark	German GP 65	Won	Same as #17. CD 11/65, SCG 10/65, RT 11/65
Lotus 25				
4	Jim Clark	Dutch GP •62	9th	All medium green with black 15 wheels. Model pictured. RT 9/62(coIor), RT 1/64, RT 8/62, CD 8/62, SCG 9/62
I	Jim Clark	So. African GP ‘63	Won	Same wind screen ar. #17, same color as #17, with 15" wheels. CD 4/64
9	Jim Clark	Monaco GP •63	—	Same as #4 with exposed transmission. RT l/64(color), RT 8/63, SCG 12/63(color)
Lotus BUM				
22	Bob Bondurant	Mexican GP ‘65	dnf	Similar to #17. Carburetor stacks not ex- posed. Dark blue/green with dark red nose-stripe. CD 1/66, SCG 1/66, R 1/9, RT 9/65{color)
10	Chris Amon	Dutch GP ‘65	Sth	Same as#22 with 15" wheels. CD 8/64
PLANS: Lotus 25: Road & Track, September 1962, 1/24 scale
Lotus 25 <Jc 23: Model Carts, September 1964, 1/32 scale
FIG. 143 The model: A clear plattic Shork lotus 25 body Revell wheel inserts, carburetor
intakes, and exhaust odd realism to this Grand Prix mod*!.
LOTUS 25 GRAND PRIX
The easiest cars to model are the 1962 and 1963 Formula I Grand Prix cars. Ihe
later Grand Prix cars featured cut-away rear body sections with the complex trans-
mission and suspension components in the open from the rear axle on hack. The
Lotus 25 model here is a perfect example of the 1962 and 1963 cars. To correctly
model the later versions of these cars, the Lotus 33 shown on the previous page, the
transmission and much ol the rear suspension would have to be duplicated. The
number 4 car is an accurate model of the earlier Lotus 25. Additional suspension
arms should be added at front and rear to add authenticity to the model Revell’s
Lotus Grand Prix detail components can be used to add realism to the clear plastic
Lotus 25 body shell.
The chassis I selected for this car is the Corbcn simple brass in-line unit. This
chassis consists of only three major pieces: the frame itself, the front axle bracket,
and the “drop” pickup arm. Bend the front axle bracket to a "7” shape, as shown,
to lower the front of the frame and the motor about 1/8". Solder a 1/8” inside brass
tube to this bracket to serve as a front axle bearing. Solder the rear bearings in
place. The Corben piano-wire "drop” arm. as with all others like it, does not operate
properly. Either wire it up solid to the frame or solder your own together, using
three 1/16" brass tubes from the arm pivot to the pickup holder and a 1/16" brass
tube across the chassis as a pivot block. Several ready-made brass drop pickup arms
could also be substituted if you don’t want to try your own.
The body on this particular car is a tight fit over the motor. Brass tube axle
spacers between the wheels and the bearings can be used to keep the body from
shifting front to back. This same principle of using the axle spacers to locate the
157
IhkIv can be used effectively on all of the narrower 1/24 scale Grand Prix bodies. If
the particular body and chassis you select do not fit tightly, the body can be held
in place by soldering a single 1/16" brass tube across the center of the chassis at
the bottom Two straight pins, driven through the body sides anti into the tube, will
hold the body in place. If it fits around the axle bushings, it may take a little cutting
and fitting to get the body to fit snugly and yet not slow down the rotation of the
axles. This is still the simplest form of mounting.
Bn.i. of Materials
CHASSIS:
BODY;
Corbcn #907 brass frame
Monogram X-l 10 motor
Corbcn #900 pickup shoe
Dynamic #751 pickup collar
Revell #R34IC rear wheels
Monogram #SR 1002 front tires
Rear tires to suit track conditions
2-3/8" front and rear axles w/nuts
Crown gear and axle spacers to suit
1/8” perfect brass tubing
Shirk lx>tus 25 body (clear plastic)
Revell = R1023 body for wheel inserts, ex-
h.iusts. carburetors, and driver
Russkit decnl numbers and circles
158
1964 CHAPARRAL 2A
The most successful American sports racer is. beyond question, the Chaparral. The
entire chassis, with the exception of the suspension members, is constructed of a
set of fiberglass boxes bonded together. The side boxes and cockpit bottom double
as gas tanks. The suspension on all four wheels is by independent “A anus. Originally,
these were from Lotus, but the\ were gradually redesigned and replaced by com-
ponents of Chaparral's own manufacture. Ihe engine is a Chevrolet 327-cubic inch
V8 with aluminum block and heads and down-draft Weber carburetors.
The most interesting and controversial aspect of the Chaparral fc its shape.
Although all of the ears have similar shapes, it is the difference that makes each one
so interesting. All can be duplicated with either standard, or slightly modified, model
car bodies. The very first Chaparral 2. in lair 1963. carried the high nose and. later,
was fitted with a "snow plow" under the nose. A 1 32 scale Hawk body could he
modified to match. The actual Hawk kit is a duplicate of one of the Chaparrals raced
in mid-1964. The other 1964 version can be duplicated by modifying the exhaust
pipe of the Hawk kit. There is no 1/24 scale version of these early cars. Car Model
magazine ran a set of plans, in all scales, for this car. The original Chaparral 2 ran
the Lotus wheels as used on the 1963 Lotus 25 Grand Prix car. Later they were
changed to Cooper wheels
The body was modified in late 1964 to accommodate the wide» rear tires and to
mold the spoiler into the rear hotly section to form the famous bathtub shape. Scoops
were added to the tops of the front fenders to vent the brakes Some used Cooper
wheels and later the two-piece Chaparral spoked aluminum wheels. This is the
numbei 66 car pictured on the next page. The 1/24 scale Cox or Monogram cars
and either Monogram or Revell 1/32 cars can lie modified to this version.
For the 1965 Sebring, the ears had extra fender lips which fully covered the tires
as required by the F.I.A. rules. An extra pair of lights were added to the nose. This
is the number 3 ear shown above. Cox has this exact car in 1/24 scale and Detail
Models has a clear plastic 1/32 scale version.
The development of the Chaparral is continued in Chapter 5.
Specifications
(Number 66 Mosport. 1964)
Wheelbase: 91.7 inches	Over-all Width: 64 inches
Track Width: Front/Rear 53/51	Front Tires: 5.50 x 15
Over-all Length: 158 Inches	Rear Tires: 7.25 x 15
159
NUMBER	DRIVER(S)	RACE	FINISHED	COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
3	Jim Hall/ Hap Sharp	Sebring '65	Won	4 headlights, extended fender lips front and rear. Pictured above. CD 6/65, RT 6/65, SCG 6/65
66	Jim Hall	Mo:; port '64	dnf (crashed)	Fitted with older. Cooper-style wheels. Model pictured. SCG 12/64
66	Roger Penske	Laguna Seca •64	Won	Same as #66 above with one "6” in cen- ter of circles, the other "6" on edge of circles. Newer-style wheels. CD 4/65 (color), CD 1/65, SCG 1/65, RT 1/65
6	Roger Penske	Riverside ‘64	2nd	Same as above. CD 1/65, SCG 12/64
68	Hap Sharp	Road America	dnf	Same as above. SCG 12/64
4	Gordon Jennings/ Ronnie Hissom	Sebring '65	22nd	Same as #3. CD 6/65
PLANS:	Model Cera, July 1965, 1/32 scale; Сае Modal, November 1964, al! scales			
Л1! Chaparrals listed ate painted ivory with dark				brown side panels and black numbers.
Additional Chaparral data in Chapter S,
FIG. 144 The fvll-iixe tar: The fontou* Chaparral This on», with Jim Hall driving, an it» way to
win the 1965 Sebring 12-hour. (Courtesy Road & Track)
CHAPARRAL 2
The Chaparral 2 body is a “natural" for a model car. It has sufficient width to
allow a sidewinder motor with wide rear tires, and the long nose allows a reasonably
long pickup drop aim with the pickup shoe still under the body. When combined
with a sidewinder chassis, the Chaparral body allows use of a full cockpit interior for
greater realism The current trend in full-size cars to wide tires and bodies with rear
engines will provide modelers with an even greater variety of bodies that can be
equipped with sidewinder chassis, leaving the cockpit area free for a detailed interior.
I'he Lola T70. Ferrari 3651*2» and Lotus 40 Ixtdics. presented elsewhere in this hook,
are some of the cars that can be adapted to this chassis and cockpit idea. Lancer
160
makes a vaocum-formed clear plastic cockpit interior that could be used. Or you can
do as I did—rob the seats and details from a display model kit.
The Dynamic chassis used for this car is one of hundreds of combinations of Dy-
namic parts that could be used. The Dynamic chassis “system" consists of a series of
aluminum motor mounts to fit any model car motor connected by a "tongue’’ of
either brass or aluminum to another series of front axle brackets that allow you to
use ball bearings, roller bearings, Oilite bearings, or plain aluminum bearings with
either a solid front axle or a "split" front axle with independently rotating wheels.
In addition, a hinge can lx: interposed, as I have done on the Chaparral chassis, to
allow the entire front wheel and pickup unit to “drop” out from under the body. This
is a variation on the drop pickup arm supplied with most other brands of chassis. The
body mounts' furnished by Dynamic bolt to any of the motor brackets and can be
adjusted to fit any body. Most <4 the Dynamic front and rear axle bearings are plain
aluminum. There is room, however, on both front and rear brackets to drill them out
to 3/16“ to accept Dynamic #752 Oilite bearings. These can then be inserted and
epoxied into place.
Bill of Matehials
CHASSIS;
Dynamic #512 chassis kit
Dynamic #543 lunged front end
Сох TTX150 motor
Dynamic #660 pickup shoe
Dynamic #401 body mounts
Cox #14012 front wheels
Cox #14014 rear wheels
Cox 2-3/4" tapered axles, front and rear
Cox #14010 front tires
Spur and pinion gear to suit track
Rear tires to suit track
Axlo spacers as needed
BODY:
Russkit Chaparral 2 clear plastic body with
exhausts and carburetors
Cox "full" driver
Scats from AMT display model sedan
Mille Miglia number, circle, and decals
FIG. 145 The model: Russkit’s clear plastic body is a duplicate of the first Chaparro's to hove
the dished-in 'bathtub" rear deck. Wheels ore Cox’s Chaparral style.
U1
COBRA 427
The standard Cobra roadster is equipped with a 289-cubic inch (4.7-litcr) Ford V8.
I his engine, in the competition-prepared car, was powerful enough to win the 1964
S.C.C.A. "A" Production Championship in America and, in the Cobra coupe, the 1965
GT World Championship. For 1965 and 1966 S.C.A. racing, however, there was
some thought that the Corvette 426-cuhic inch Stingray might just be competitive. Not
ones Io take any unnecessary chances with competition, the Cobra factory fitted the
127-eubic inch Ford V8 into their roadster, tested it in modified-dass races during
1964 and early 1965, and produced enough of them for production class “A” S.C.C.A.
racing in 1965 Ihe Corvette competition failed to materialize, and the 427 Cobras
walked away with the Class “A” Production title once again.
Specifications
Wheelbase: 90 inches	Over-all Width: 66 inches
Track Width: Fiont/Rear 54/57	Front Tires: 6.70 x 15
Over-all Length: 151 inches	Hear Tires: 9.06 x 15
NUMBER	DRIVER(S)	RACE	FINISHED	COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
98	Ken Miles	Laguna Sees ‘65	1st tn man- ufacturers race.	Dark metallic blue, white stripes. Mode/ and full-size car pictured. CD 8/65, RT 9/65, R 1/4
96	Ed Leslie	Laguna Seca ‘65	2nd to 98 above.	Same color as #98. CD 8/65, RT 9/65
91	Skip Scott	Bridgehamp- ton 500/500 ‘65 Targe Florio ‘64	3rd	White with black stripes bordered in red. Body same as ’798. CD 1/66, SCG 12/65
146	Jerry Grant/ Dan Gurney		8th	Light Cobra blue with black numbers and red band over nose. CD 7/64, RT 7/64, AY 12(color), SCG 7/64
11	Hal Keck	Daytona U.S. Won "A" R.R.C. '65 Production Class		Dark Cobra blue with white stripes. Model pictured. RT 3/66
16	Gurney/ Johnson	Daytona ‘64	4th	Light Cobra blue with white band across nose. RT 7/64(color)
33	Bob Johnson	Mosport ‘65	4th	Same as ••98. RT l/66(color)
32	Jack Sears	Brands Hatch -64	Won	Red with 2 white stripes, white numbers on sides. Black numbers in white cir-
cle on nose. SCG 10/64, RT 1/65
(color #23).
No scale plans available
FIG. 146 The full-sit* cor: Th*
427'Cubic inch Cobra roadster has
won «very major race In Ihe
S.C.C.A. "8 Production1' category.
This it Ken Miler on hit woy to win
at laguna Seco 1965. (Courtesy
Dave Friedman)
FIG. 147 The model. A Revell
1/24 Mole injection-molded
body adopted to a Cox chassis.
The Cox wheels arn very
similar to those used by the
real car.
COBRA ROADSTER
The 427 Cobra body, with its bulbous rear fenders, is one of the relatively few
1/24 scale bodies that is wide enough to allow the Mabuchi motor to be mounted as
a sidewinder. W hen you are considering a sidewinder chassis and body combination,
remember that you’ll need at least a 2-3/4" wide body (6ft scale inches) to allow
the 1/2" wide rear tires usually necessary for the best handling. The cockpit and
driver piece of the Revell Cobra kit includes the body mounting posts. To adapt this
lx)dy to the Cox chassis, these posts must l>e relocated. They can be ent free, leaving
about a 1-1/2" diameter flat on top and cemented into the body to fit the Cox chassis.
I‘he chassis itself must be used as a jig to properly position the posts. Attach the
posts to the chassis, and adjust their height with axle spacer washers to support the
body the proper distance from the tires. Chapter ft shows this chassis and body reads
to have the posts cemented in plaice
The Cox chassis Is assembled as outlined in the instructions. The front axle
bracket must be moved further back about .3/16" to fit the Cobra body. Drill a new
1/8" mounting hole in the chassis to mount the front axle the proper distance back.
Drill out the front bearings to .3/16" and epoxy a length of 1/8" inside-diameter, brass
tubing in place to serve as a new hearing. The drop pickup arm supplied with the
chassis kit places the pickup shoe out from under the front of the body. The shorter
#9239 Cox drop arm will move it back under the body where it belongs.
Bill ok Matehials
CHASSIS;
Cox #4350 chassis with pickup, wheels,
axles, and front tires
Rannalli Electron V motor
Cox #9239 drop arm (short)
Rear tires to suit track
Spur and pinion gears to suit track
1/8" inside-diameter perfect brass tubing
BODY;
Revell ir R.3262 injection-molded Cobra body
kit and drivei
1/16" and 3/16" perfect brass tubing for
exhaust
Mille .Miglia numbers and decals
Perfect brand 4-10 screws, 1" long
Revell axle spacer washers for mounting
body
163
FIG. 148 The lull -lire Cor: The
famous orange Lang/Cooper
was Idler ra:ed with the white
ond block colon of it* Essex
Cable sponsor. (Courtesy
Doug Kraft)
LANG COOPER FORD
I'he 1964 Lang Cooper Ford Ixidy was designed by styling expert Pete Brock as
die prototype body for the 1965 Cobra sports/racing cars. 'lhe chassis for this car
is the same as the 1963/64 King Cobra outlined in Chapter 8. Unfortunately, perhaps,
the 1965 Cobra racers failed to materialize. The Cobra factory dropped their ideas
for a Cobra racing roadster when they were chosen to campaign the Ford GT racing
cars. The prototype ear was sold to racing enthusiast Craig Lang, and the ear has
since been known as the Lang Cooper Ford
The chassis for the proposed 1965 Cobra racer was originally to have been con-
structed by deTomaso in Italy to be fitted with the Ihock designed body. When the
1965 Cobra project was abandoned. deTomaso proceeded on his own with the car.
It is no surprise then that the 1965 de Tomaso prototype should appear similar to the
Lang, l he deTomaso is a larger and more refined version of Brock’s earlier design.
Specifica HONS
Wheelbase: 91 inches
Track Width: Front/Rcar 5*1.75/55
Over-all Length. 157 inches
Over-all Width: 67 Inches
Front Tires: 6.40 \ IS
Reai Tires: 8.20 x 15
NUMBER DRIVERfS)
93	----
97 Ed Leslie
RACE
Riverside
Times ‘65
Laguna Seen
‘65
No scute plans available
FINISHED COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
dnf While with black stripes bordered with
yellow. Pictured above.
7th Orange with black numbers, silver de-
tails. Model pictured. SCG 8/65, SCG
1/65. Also ran at Mosport '65 (5th),
SCG 9/65, and at Riverside U.S.R.R.C.
‘65 (dnf), SCG 7/65
164
FIG. 14? Tho model: A clear plaitic Ruukit body, pointed in tho original Long orange
with К & B'j ’ Mag" style wheel inserts and wheels.
LANG/COOPER
lhe Lang/Cooper body is one of the narrowest of the full-size sports cars. Until
yon have some experience with building ami timing model cats, yon are wisest to
use an in-line chassis on narrow ears like this, l he adjustable Monogram drop arm
tension spring is excellent. Adjust it until only a very light pressure will move the
drop arm. You can solder the Dynamic I;
gram chassis, or, if you have them, you
mounting straps for clear plastic bodies.
Bill of
CHASSIS:
Monogram "Tiger 220” frame and
motor w/pickup shoe
К & В #229 wheels with "Mag" inserts
К & В #230 wheels with "Mag" inserts
К Л R #418 front tires
Rear tires to suit track
ody mounting bracket directly to the Mono-
can substitute Monogram's own brass body
Materials
Dynamic #401 body mount
2-1/4” axles, front and rear
Axle spaces as needed
BODY.-
Russkit clear plastic Lang/Cooper with decals
and “carburetors"
Revell # R3501 driver
16S
MASERATI 5000 GT
The 196-1 Maserati 5000 CT. like most Maserati racing cars of the last five years,
was designed for competition in the Le Mans 24-hour race. The 5000 was, appar-
ently, constructed on the same chassis used for the 1962 Maserati Type 151 coupes
that appear elsewhere in this chapter. The 4-litcr engine of the Type 151 was replaced
with 5 liters in the 5000 and a new body fitted, theoretically, to improve the aero-
dynamics. Only one ear was constructed. It appeared at the Le Mans pre-race prac-
tice with only a small oval rear window. This was enlarged to the size shown here
for the actual race. The car worked its way up to third at Le Mans and to sixth at
the Kheiins 12-hour race later in 1964. but failed to finish either. The 5000 was com-
missioned by Maserati’s French distributors and raced by French drivers, which ac-
counts for the blue/red/white stupes of the French racers and the typical. Italian
racing-red body color.
Specifications
Wheelbase: 91 inches
Track Width: Front/Rear 49.5/50.5
Over-all Length: 151.3 inches
Over-all Width: 61.5 inches
Front Tires: 6.00 x 15
Rear Tires- 7.00 x 15
NUMBER 2	DRIVER(S) Trintignant/ Simon	RACE Le Mans ‘64	FINISH dnf
3	Trintignant Simon	Reims 12-Hour ‘65	dnf
1	Simon	Le Mans practice session '64	
PLANS:	Model Cor &•, Modal Cnrs,	Track. December 1964, November 1965. 1/32 sc	
COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
Red with white and blue stripes. Pic-
tured above. SCG 9/64, NM(color),
MC 11/6S
Same car as r-2 above. Model pictured.
MCT 12/64
Same as #2 but unpainted aluminum with
black number. Single, oval rear window
in tail. CD 7/64, RT 3/66, SCG 7/64
1/24 scale
FIG 150 The full-иге car: Thi» Moierati 5000 GT woi raced at le Men* in 1965 by
Trintignant ond Simon, but failed to finish. (Courtesy Road A Track)
166
MASERATI 5000 GT
FIG. 151 The model A Sho'k clear ploilic body with expenuve genuine wire wheel» by Ruiikit.
With this car. I’ll begin to show you some of the techniques and ideas that can be
used with some of the narrower 1/24 scale bodies to fit a competitive chassis. It is
relatively easy to make a large, and especially a wide. 1/24 scale car coiner well. The
narrower full-size cars, however, when reduced to 1/24 scale, have a tendency to roll
or to spin out in the comers. The secret, if you can call it that, is to keep the motor
as low as possible and learn to use narrower and harder tires effectively. On some
tracks, a relatively soft tire, such as the “German" foam, is the only thing that seems
to be competitive. On the narrower cars, when “soft" tires are fitted, they should be
between 3/16” and 5/16” thick. Or, in other words, the wheel diameter should be
3/8" to 5/8” smaller than the over-all tire diameter. Often, a harder foam rublx-r tire
will be more effective than you would imagine if it is narrow enough, say 1/4” to
3/8”, with well-rounded edges. Here, especially, it pay’s to experiment
The К & В "Challenger" chassis adapts easily to the К & В "Super Challenger"
motor by filing a larger notch to clear the motor in one side. Mount the motor so that
the bulk of the weight is below the axle. Chapter 5 will give you some further ideas
for the К & В chassis.
Bill or Materials
CHASSIS:
К & В #309 frame with pickup shoe
К & В 'Super Challenger" motor
Russkit iilll front wire wheels
Russkit #726 rear wire wheels
К & В #418 front tires
2-1/2" front and rear axles
l)ynaml< #441 -3 lobs knock-off axle nuts
1/8" aluminum tubing
Rear tin-s to suit track
К & В “Challenger" gear sets to suit track
BODY:
Shark Maserati. 5000 GT (clear plastic)
Cox #9202 driver
Russkit number, circle, and Maserati decals
167
FIG. 152 The full-iize car: The 1962 Porsche flot 8 Grand Prix cor was lhe factory's first and lost
serious Formula I cor. This one, driven by Dan Gurney, won the French Grand Prix in 1962.
(Courtesy American Model Raceways and Rood 6 Track)
1962 PORSCHE 8 GRAND PRIX CAR
The world’s largest producer of 1-1/2-liter sports cars. Porsche, was expected to be
a real threat when it was announced that the Grand Prix racing formula, from 1961
to 1965. was for l-l/2-liter engines." In 1961, Porsche ran a car based on production
components with little success. An entirely new car. featuring 8 air-cooled cylinders,
was designed and built for the 1962 races. The flat 8-cylinder engine made the Porsche
unusually wide for a GP car. The most unusual feature of the car was this air-cooled
engine, when all of its competition used water-cooling systems. As Porches first, and
last. Grand Prix eat. the flat 8 was not particularly successful, although it did manage
one win at the French Grand Prix in 1962. The Porsche factory did not compete in
the 1963 Championships.
Specifications
	Wheelbase: 90.5 inches Track Width: Front/Rear 51.3/53.5 Over-all Length: 149 inches			Over-all Width: 32 inches Front Tires: 5.00 x 15 Rear Tires: 6.50 x 15
NUMBER	DRIVER(S)	RACE	FINISHED	COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
30	Dan Gurney	French GP *62	Won	Silver with black numbers. Model and lull-size car pictured. RT 10/62(color), CD 10/62, SCG 10/62
4	Dan Gurney	Monaco GP ‘62 British GP *62	dnf	Same as «30. RT 9/62
10	J. Bonnier		9th	Same as «30.
7	Dan Gurney	German GP *62 U.S. GP *62	3rd	Same as «30.
10	Dan Gurney		5th	Same as «30. CD 1/63
11	J. Bonnier	U.S. GP *62	13th	Same ar. «30. SCG 9/62, CD 1/63
16	Dan Gurney	Italian GP *62	dnf	Same as «30 with higher windshield and flat discs covering wheels. RT 12/62, CD 12/62
8	Dan Gurney	British GP ‘62	9th	Same as «30. CD 10/62
PLANS: Rood & Track, October 1964, 1/24 scale
Model Cnr Plan Service, «MM/733, 1/32 scale
168
FIG. 153 Tho model: A Lancer clear plastic body. Tho wheel inserts, almost exact duplicates of
the Porsche wheels, are from AMT's 36 Ford coupe kit.
PORSCHE 8 GRAND PRIX
Few of the Grand Prix bodies are wide enough to allow the use of a sidewinder
type of chassis. The full-size Porsche Grand Prix car of 1962 used a wide Hat 8-cvlinder
air-cooled engine, and the body was unusually wide to cover it. A model Porsche 8
Grand Piix body, then, makes an excellent “cover" for a 1/24 scale sidewinder chassis
with a Tyco sidewinder motor. Even here, however, the body must be cut away to
clear the gears.
The wide body is relatively close to the wheels, so the gears are not too obviously
in sight. It they bother your sense of realism, they can be covered with a chunk of
silver-painted plastic formed in a toy Mattel Vacu-fonn machine. The 1936 Ford
wheels, furnished in AMT's display kit. are almost a perfect match for the wheel style
used on the 1962 Porsche. Cut the Ford plastic wheels to fit inside the Monogram
aluminum wheels and epoxy in place.
Bill of Materials
CHASSIS:
Dynamic #562 motor mount
Dynamic #54(1 tongue
Tyco #902 motor
Dynamic #583 independent rotating front
wheel bracket
Dynamic #660 pickup shoe
Monogram # SB 1102 front wheels
Monogram #SR1002 front tires
2-1/4" front ami rear axles
5-40 threader! spur gear ami pinion
Gear Io suit track
Rear tires to suit track
Axle spaces as needed
BODY.
Lancer Porsche 8 CP (clear plastic)
Ulrich Mini Man driver
AMT 36 Ford for wheel inserts
Auto Hobbies #AH7O8B number decals
169
FIG. 154 The full-size cor:
Jim Clark on hi» way Io win
the 1965 Indianapolis 500
in Ihe lotus 38. (Courtesy
Road & Track)
1965 INDIANAPOLIS LOTUS 38
The Indianapolis 500-milc race is the highlight of the American Championship
series of races. It is usually held on oval, or modified oval, tracks. Prior to 1963, the
open-wheel cars that compete in this event had been front-engine cars. The World
Championship Grand Prix races had determined that the rear-engine design provided
(he best handling car. Lotus, by almost winning the "500” in 1963 and 1964, and
finally winning the race in 1965. established its design as the best. Only 5 of the 33
cars in the 1965 Indy 500 had front engines. Sixteen of the cars, including all of the
Lotuses, ran Ford dual overhead cam V8s.
Specifications
Wheelbase: 96 inches
Track Width: Front/Rear 60/60
Over-all Length: 156 inches
Over-all Width: 30 inches
Front Tires: 9.10 x 15
Rear Tires: 12.00 x 15
NUMBER	DRIVERfS)	RACE	FINISHED	COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
82	Jim Clark	Indianapolis SOO ‘65	Won	Medium green with yellow stripe, white circles, and black numbers. Wheels, dark gray. Exhaust was dull gray with chrome ends for practice and all flat yellow for race. Model and full-size car pictured. FC500—65, CD 8/6S (color), AY#13(color)
83	Bobby Johns	Indianapolis 500 '65	7th	Same as #82. FC500—65
17	Dan Gurney	Indianapolis 500 '65	26th	White with dark blue nose outlined in red, "Yamaha Special" on sides. Body same as ••82. FC500—65
PLANS: Model Cars, January 1966, 1/32 scale
Model Car &. Track, October 1965, 1/24 scale
170
FIG. 155 Th» model: IMC'»
"'disploy" kit for the Lo»v» 38
adopted to racing. Flimiy
ploiti: suipenjion arm» »liould
b« replaced with 1/16"
aluminum tubing, Wheel» ore
Cox lotu» style.
LOTUS 38
The IMC Lotus 38 Ford display body kit can be adapted easily to a model racing
ear. Assemble the body following the instructions, but do not install any of the engine,
suspension, or the seat. When the glue has dried for a day or more, use a Dremel
motor tool to grind out the bottom of the body to fit the Revell chassis. Try the chassis
with the wheels ofiset about 1/8" to the left, the way they were on the full-size India-
napolis car. (I could find no difference in handling between the centered and olfset
chassis.) Be sure to bend the drop arm over, so that the pickup shoe is centered
between the wheels. If it works out for you. you can use the IMC top-front suspen-
sion arm. Replace the thin suspension arms and roll bar with 1/16“ aluminum tubing,
epoxied to the body. Cut a front and a rear body mounting post from a Monogram
body, and fit into the IMC Lotus body, using the same technique outlined for the
Cobra roadster earlier and in Chapter 6. Part of the underside of the exhaust and
the body under it will probably have to be cut away to clear the crown gear you use.
Epoxy the exhaust pipes in place after you have fitter! the body to the chassis. The
yellow nose decal and stripe will lie in place by coating them with "Solvaset” as out-
lined in Chapter 6. Ulrich paint can be used to duplicate the flat-yellow “VHT” paint
used in the full-size car’s exhaust pipes.
Bill of Materials
CHASSIS:
Revell #R33U frame
Revell SP80 motor
Cox #3231 pickup shoe
Dynamic #752 pickup collar
Cox narrow Lotus front wheels with nuts
Cox wide Lotus rear wheels with nuts
Cox tapered axles 2-1/2" front and 2-5/8"
rear
Revell #R3475 front tires
Rear tires to suit track
Crown gear to suit track
BODY:
IMC Lotus 38/Ford Display Kit (injection-
molded )
Monogram 1/24 scale body kit for driver and
mounting posts
.Ml decals from IMC kit
1/16“ aluminum tubing for "suspension" arms
171
FIG. 156 The Full-size cor: The lolu» 23 ho» the faitoit ond mo»» successful body/chassis for
Unde» 2-liter racing. This is rhe stock body. Most were modified by their owners, with fender
lips ond vent» on the body. (Dave Friedman; courtesy American Model Raceways!
LOTUS 23
The sleek Lotus 23 was an exciting car when it was first introduced in 1962. In its
first race, at the Nurburgring, it led all the larger, more powerful cars (with its tiny
1.6-liter engine) before returning with mechanical failure. George Fullmer replaced
the Lotus engine in his 23 with a 4-cylinder Porsche to win the United States Road
Racing Championship (U.S.R.R.C.) in 1965. Until the introduction of the 1965 Ferrari
Dino (see Chap. 8), the Lotus 23 was the most successful, under-2-liter, spurts racing
car.
SPECIFICATIONS
Wheelbase: 90 inches
Track Width: Front/Rcar 51.5/50
Over-all Length: 140 inches
Over-all Width: 59.5 inches
Front Tires: 4.50 x 13
Rear Tires: 5.50 x 13
NUMBER	DRIVER(S)	RACE	FINISHED	COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
99	John Morton	Riverside •64 U.S.R.R.C	dnf	Metallic blue. Pictured above.
16	George		Won at	White with gold numbers. Early car had full rear skirts (same as А-'Э? above). Later cut halfway up (Laguna Scca) as shown, and finally lipped. Model pic- tured. SCG 6/65, SCG 10/65, RT 1/66, SCG 8/65, R 1/7, R 1/5
	Follmcr	Champion- ship ‘65	Pensacola ‘65 over Chaparral.	
1	Graham Hill	Mosport *63	3rd	Yellow with green nose and stripes. Green wheels, white numbers, stock body. RT 12/63
66	Bill Nolle	Tucson ‘63	dnf	Bright metallic blue, white numbers, stock body. SCG 6/63
95	Skip Hudson	Laguna Seca ‘62	dnf	Red with white numbers outlined in black, stock body. RT 9/63
PLANS:	Car Mode!, March 1966, 1/24		scale	
172
FIG. 157 The model; A duplicate of George Follmer's 1965 U.S.R.R.C. winning lotu» 23 oi it
appeared in mid-year. Body, wheel», and inter*» are Revell'».
LOTUS 23
The Lotus 23 is one of the very smallest sports cars raced on either model or full-
size tracks. The model pictured is patterned after George Fullmer's famous 1965
U.S.R.R.C. championship-winning Lotus 23. You have quite a bit of latitude with this
particular body. It seems Follmer was plagued with the same problems we modelers
face. He wanted to fit wider and wider tires. Ihe ear raced the 1965 season, painted
and numbered much like this model. .At the beginning of the year, the body was
almost exactly as delivered except for a cut-out in the rear deck to cleat the Porsche
engine. About mid-year, the rear lenders were opened up slightly as shown. .At the
end of the 1965 season, the rear fenders were radiused to clear the tires, and fender
lips fitted You can fit wider rear tires to the К & В chassis shown by doing the same
to your body. 1/25 scale display model “hot rod" fenders can be used to build up
the fender lips on the Lotus body. This particular chassis''body set-up is a perfect fit.
using the parts outlined. The body mounting posts need to be relocated, but other-
wise, it’s a simple assembly.
Bill of Materials
CHASSIS:
К At В is 311 frame and pickup shoe
К & В Wildcat motor
Revell if R340I rear wheels
Revell # R3-100 front wheels
Monogram #SR 1004 front tires
Corben #GT30 "German” foatn rear tires
2” front and rear axles
Spur gear to suit wheel diameter and track
BODY:
Revell #113253 injection-molded Lotus 23
body with driver (two bodies arc needed
for 4 correct wheel inserts)
Model Airplane 1/2” gold number decals
Pactra "ad” decals
173
MASERATI 151
A thorough article on the Type 151, with detail photographs and specifications on
the first car out of the Maserati factory, appeared in the February, 1963, Car and
Driver magazine. Apparently, only three cars were built. Two were purchased by the
American racing stable ol Briggs Cunningham, and one by an Italian. All three were
raced at Le Mans in 1962. Cunningham's cars were numlwred 2 and 3 in large black
Le Mans regulation numbers on both doors, on the light side of the nose, and on the
back edge ol the right rear lender. Number 2, driven bv Hansgen and McLaren,
clocked 177 inph on Le Mans' Mulsanne straight, and number 3, driven by Thompson
anil Kimberley, clocked 171 inph. Both cars were painted the American racing colors,
white with two thin blue stripes running nose to tail. The third car, driven by Trin-
tignant and Bianchi, clocked 173 mph and was painted Italian racing-red with black
numbers on white circles. The Le Mans officials forced the .Maserati factory to sub-
stitute cleai plastic for the aluminum on the top of the carburetor bulge on the hood
for better (?) vision. For the modeler, this exposes the eight carburetor throats. The
regulation spare tire was also carrier! in plain sight in the back window area. None
of the three finished the race.
The Cunningham ears were shipped to America after Le Mans; the Italian car
remained in Europe. Cunningham renumbered the cars to 61 and 62 in black, keeping
the same bluc-on-white color scheme. The two cars raced at Bridgehampton, Long
Island, and Elkhart Lake, Indiana, but failed to place, and at Riverside, California,
where they finished seventh and eleventh. One car was sold to a Californian and was
raced, with the same color scheme, but with the carburetors covered, as number 37.
Cunningham installed a -127-cubic inch Ford V8 engine in the remaining ear, which
ran .it the 1963 Daytona Speed Month Race as number 21. This car crashed and was
severely burned.
Specifications
Wheelbase; 91 inches
Track Width: Front/Rcar 50.5/19.5
Over-all Length: Not Available
Over-all Width Not available
Front Tires: 6.00 x 16
Hear Tires: 7.00 x 16
FIG. 158 The full-size cor The 1962 Moserati 151 {number 61) woi designed for Le Mans ond
later raced in America. Augie Pabst finished sixth al Riverside 1965 in th* cor above. The
number 34 cor is a lotus 23. (Courtesy Dave Friedman)
174
NUMBER DRtVERfS)
61	Augie Pabst
62	Chuck Daigh
2 Hansgen/
McLaren
3 Thompson/
Kimberley
-I Trintignant/
Bianchi
21 Marvin Panel*
RACE
Riverside
Times '63
Riverside
Times *63
Le Mans ‘62
Le Mans *62
Le Mans *62
Daytona *63
No accurate scale plans available
FINISHED COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
6th White with blue stripes. Pictured above.
SCG 1/63, CD 12/62
11th Same as *61. Model pictured. SCG 1/63
dnf Same as *61. SCG 10/62, CD 9/62,
NM(color)
dnf Same as *61. SCG 10/62, CD 9/62,
NM(color)
dnf Red car, white circles with black num-
bers, same body as *61. CD 9/62,
RT 9/62, NM(color)
dnf Same as *61 with white circle edged in
black on center of nose with black
number. SCG 5/63
FIG. 159 Tho model: A Shark
clear plarlie body wilh Runkit
wheels and inserts.
MASERATI 151
This chassis is included here to give you an "easy" way into the complicated field
of model car tube or Space frames.
The Russkit Scratchbuilder kit. if assembled as outlined and shown here, will require
additional bracing at the rear axle to maintain gear adjustment. ’I’he kit is an excellent,
if expensive, way to get started on your own frame designs. There is enough material
to "free-lance” almost any chassis design you wish, including sidewinder frames. The
only major modification not covered in Russkit’s well-illustrated and complete instruc-
tions is a way of removing the motor without disassembling the chassis. The chassis
in the photo has been altered to allow motor removal.
The front motor mount is assembled so it just barely grips the rear bearing, leaving
about 1/16" between motor and bracket. The two screws in the rear bracket hold the
motor tightly in place; the front bracket is merely additional support. To remove the
motor, remove the two rear screws and pry out the front bearing from its bracket,
removing the front end of the motor first, then the back. Be sure the notches in both
brackets face downward. I'he piano-wire drop arm is being replaced by Russkit’s
improved "Golden Guide Ann” of stamped brass in the current kits.
Bill of Matehials
CHASSIS:
Russkit "Scratchbuilder" including frame.	BODY:
motor, pickup, axles, front and rear wheels. Shark Maserati 151 body (clear plastic)
wheel Inserts, and front tires	Revell #R3501 driver
Hear tires to suit track	Auto Hobbies #AH708B number decals
Crown gear to suit track	Carburetors from 1/25 scale display kit
175
9
Building 1/32 Scale Cars
from Components
YOU CAN combine the scry best chassis and motor with
a both of your choice. The resulting component car is very much the
equal of any hand formed chassis or body with the extra advantage of
having replacement parts reads and waiting at your local dealer.
The small over all size of a 1 32 scale car and the relatively small radius
corners on I 32 set and club tracks place a special emphasis on car
smoothness. The less vibration from motor and gears you transmit to the
rear tires and the pickup, the better and faster the car will run. Although
I 24 scale cars must be smooth running and vibration-free, it is even more
important in 1 32 scale. I ll give vou some further ideas on this in the next
chapter, but there is one extremely helpful “speed secret" that must be
built into the chassis at the start.
You will need to know the basic timing and assembly information out-
lined in Chapters 2 and 5. II you haven't memorized it through experience
on other kits or ready-to-run cars, go back and review it now. You'll also
need to become thoroughly familiar with the use of the soldering iron,
covered in the previous chapter, before we can proceed further.
"Pan Chassis"
For some inexplainable reason, there is no 1/32 scale chassis that could
be considered truly competitive in club racing. For reasons I’ll explain in
more detail in Chapter 10. the 1/32 scale cars, although theoretically lighter
than the 1/24 scale counterparts, must weigh about the same if they are
to handle well. It is possible to build a 1/32 scale car about a half-ounce
lighter than a 1 24 scale, but the 1/32 scale car needs that extra weight
close to the track to handle its best. In short, you can improve the handling
of any 1/32 scale ready-to-run, kit, or component car by adding a weight.
176
I
usualb a brass pan, under lhe chassis. No commercially available 1 32 car
has a true "pan chassis."
If, in the process ol adding a pan to the bottom of the chassis, you can
also remove some of the weight that is higher up, then so much the better.
I have found, and so have other I 32 scale racers, that some of this extra
weight should be concentrated out near the edge of the body. A .020"
to .060" thick brass plate, 1-1/2" wide and from 2" to 2-1/2" long, depend-
ing on the wheelbase of the car, is the place to start. A competitive I 32
scale ear should weigh somewhere between 3-3 4 and 4-1 4 ounces. The
track and tire conditions, the speed and torque of the motor, and your
own driving skill will decide where your cars will fall within the weight
range.
1 mentioned that weight distribution was a factor in car acceleration and
handling. It can mean the difference between winning and losing a race
and is particularly true on 1/32 scale cars where additional weight is
always necessary. Virtually all the current motors produce more power than
the rear tires can contain. This results in excessive wheelspin during accel-
eration ami a whipping tail when cornering (explained in detail in Chap
10). All testing for weight distribution should be performed with the bodv
mounted on lhe chassis, since lhe body contributes to lhe over-all weight
of the ear.
Adding Weight
When we speak of adding weight to model cars, we are not talking about
a pound or. usually, even an ounce. Only about 1 2 to I 4 ounce of addi-
tional weight is needed, in addition to a brass pan, to lower the center ol
gravity if your car is equipped with proper gearing and tires for the tracks
y ou race on. Weight is used to increase traction. Il slows dow n the over-all
speed and alters a car's weight-distribution. It is not for simply increasing
the over-all weight; nor is it the correction for out-ol-round tires or im-
proper gear ratios. It is best to test a ear with and without weight with
each change in gear ratio or tire diameter.
Modeling clay makes ideal extra weight for testing purposes, because it
can be placed wherever needed without disassembling the entire car.
Always keep it away from the running parts! Never, repeat, never run a
car for more than a few laps with clay weight. The heat and the lubricating
oil from the motor will melt the clay and allow it to run onto the tires, the
track, or into the motor, bearings, or gears with disastrous results!
Weight should be applied somewhere between the center of the car and
the rear axle and as low as possible to keep the car from being top-heavy.
Never add weight behind the rear axle, because it tends to raise the front
end from the track, causing poor electrical pickup. An inexpensive postage
scale can be used to weigh two pieces of clay, 1 4 ounce each. Position
177
these pieces either on the bottom sides of the body/chassis immediately in
front of the rear wheels, or on the top of the body in front of the rear axle.
After you have determined the proper gear ratio, tire diameter and
weight location, tn slightly less than the 1/2 ounce of weight to see if the
car performs as well. Usually, you’ll find you can get by with less. When
\ ou determine the exact amount of clay weight required, replace it with
an equal amount of brass or lead weight cut in two equal pieces and
soldered or bolted to the chassis on both sides of the motor at the location
your testing proved to be the best.
Silastic Motor Mounting
I’m indebted to Glen A. Seegers and his fellow members of the DuKanc
Model Racing Club, just outside Chicago, for the idea of gluing the motor
with rear axle bracket to the brass pan with Dow Corning or General
Electric “Silastic" caulking cement.
Assemble the rear axle bracket to the motor. A Revell motor and
bracket is shown in the photo, but every type of motor either has a built-in
bracket or you can buy or make one to fit it. This would include, of course,
all Mabuchi or tin can motors and all in-line motors. Cut a brass pan to
size to fit your car. It should extend from the center of the rear axle to
about 1/2" behind the front axle. Notches to clear the motor armature
(on in-line motors) and the rear wheels and tires can be easily cut out
with the Nibbiers.
FIG. 160 For imootheil
performance, 1/32 scale
mofor/roai axle aitembliei can
be glued to the brail pan with
Silaitic caulking cement. For a
light bond all oil and dirt
muit be cleaned from the pan
ond motor.
178
FIG. 16) The two popular pickup styles in 1/32 scale: The conventional flog style on the right
and the pin style on the left. Note the brass tube stops on the flag-equipped cor for limiting the
swing of the pickup.
Cut 3 pieces of wax paper about 1/16" smaller than the outline of the
motor. Sandwich the 3 layers of wax paper between the motor and the pan.
Position the pan exactly where you want it. under the motor and rear axle,
and clamp the whole thing—motor, wax paper, and brass pan—together
as shown. Then lay about a 1/8" diameter bead of the Silastic cement along
each side of the motor. Leave both ends of the motor free. Allow the
Silastic at least 2-1 hours to dry, and then remove the clamp and the wax
paper. The front half of the frame, including pickup, front wheels and body
mount, can now be soldered tightly to the brass pan. Do not connect any-
thing but the motor lead-wires to the motor and rear axle bracket. Com-
plete assembly of the chassis, and break it in as with any other car. The
whole assembly will probably perform and feel just exactly the same as if
you hadn’t bothered with the Silastic.
When you’re satisfied that the chassis is performing well, you can pro-
ceed to whittle away at the Silastic beads on each side of the motor with
a hobby knife. Gradually trim off 1/32" slivers of the Silastic until you can
move the motor and rear bracket about 1/16" with hand pressure. Try it
on the track, and fit the body in place. If yon wish, you can continue to
trim away the Silastic until the rear wheels are loose enough to touch the
body. It is not necessary to have it too loose, however. You’ll have to
determine the exact degree for yourself by trial and error. If you cut too
much Silastic away, you can always reinsert the wax paper, apply the
clamp, and try again. The Silastic will hold tighter if you rough up the
pan and motor slightly with a coarse file.
The Silastic acts as a vibration damper to isolate motor vibration from
179
the pickup and body and to also keep shocks from the pickup from travel-
ing back into the rear tires. In short, it not onh smooths out the car, it
even helps to smooth out the corners since each curve is an abrupt change
in direction which “shocks” the entire car through the pickup blade or
pin. The Silastic serves as a “shock absorber” lor the pickup and a “vibra-
tion damper" for the motor. The motors under the Lola, Dino Ferrari, and
BRM GP are mounted in Silastic. By adapting the built-in rear axle bracket
to the .Auto Hobbies Ford GT 40 chassis, the Strombecker Cooper Ford
chassis, the Monogram chassis under the TR4, these cars could also be
Silastic mounted. The loose pan on the Dynamic chassis, under the Lotus
19, has some advantages of its own that I'll discuss in the next chapter.
There is no practical way to have four-wheel drive and a Silastic-mounted
motor too, so the MRRC chassis for the 158 159 Alfa Romeo is best
left as is.
180
Pin or Flag Pickups
You will find one point of controversy if yon discuss I 32 scale club
racing with enthusiasts from coast-to-eoast. Some will prefer, even insist,
on a “pin” guide, and others prefer the convention "flag" pickup shoe com-
mon to all 1 24 scale cars. Those, mostly in the Midwest, who prefer the
single solid nylon pin to guide the ears, argue that it is easier and quicker
to corner marshall a pin car. If you do come out of the slot, and we all do
eventually, you’ll spend less time in the hands of a corner marshall and
more time catching or leading the other cars. The fact that the pickup
brushes stay in one place, with no moving motor lead-wires to flex and
break, adds to the reliability. The slot must be perfect!) smooth for a pin
to work at all. however, and the adjustment and “spring” in the pickup
brushes must be perfect or the) will lose contact with the track, and you'll
lose power and speed or, worse, stop completely. It takes a lot of “brush"
fiddling before each race to get them right.
Those who prefer the pickup Hag will general!) solder on I 16" braces
ahead and under the front axle to limit the swing of the pickup shoe to
about 60 in each direction. Often, this will keep the car from spinning
out completely, and it also keeps the pickup from rotating completely
around to tangle and eventual!) break (he motor lead-wires. With a flag
set up in this manner, many of its disadvantages are eliminated. A flag will
run on the roughest of slots. The brushes are isolated from one another by
the “blade" of the pickup and held in position b) lhe pickup itself. These
features allow a lot of latitude in brush adjustment. Some wind a "tension
coil’’ into the motor lead-wires so that when the car does leave the slot,
the pickup will spring back to a straight-ahead position. 1 have tried both
systems, and, probably because 1 started that way, I prefer the Hag. When
you compare a perfectly set up flag to a perfectly set up pin, there is
really little to choose between, although I do think it’s harder to get a
perfect pin set-up. But the decision will really be up to you. Monogram
can furnish the excellent pin from their set cars as a separate item. This
works quite well when tho plate is mounted so that the pin protrudes to
the standard 1 32 scale, club slot-depth of 3 16". The Lola T70 in this
chapter has a pin guide, and the photos and story there should allow you
to adapt a pin simply and easily to any other chassis.
181
FIG. 162 Ihe full-size con
The beautiful 1964
monocoquc BRM. Graham
Hill Gniihod second a» the
1964 Monaca Grand Prix in
this one. (Gunther Matter;
courtesy Rood S Tracfc?
1964 BRM GRAND PRIX CAR
The 1964 BRM must be rated as one of the handsomest and most streamlined GP
ears of the 1-1/2-liler formula. Driven by Graham Hill, the BRM was accidentally
nerfed by Banditti’s Ferrari, allowing his teammate, John Surtees, to win the cham-
pionship in his Ferrari.
Late in 1964, the top-mounted carburetors were placed in between the camshafts
on the V8 engine. The carburetor throats appear on the sides of the Ixrdy, and the
bundle of exhaust pipes, now on the top of the engine, is visible through the old
carburetor openings on Ihe top of the body.
This car, with the high exhaust pipes, won the 1961 United States Grand Prix and
was used for all of the 1965 races. BRM, again, was second in the 1965 World
Championships.
Specifications
Wheelbase: 90 inches	Over-all Width: 33 inches
Track Width: Front/Rear 53/55.2	Front Tire»: 6.00 x 13
Ovc'-all Length: 148 inches	Rear Tires: 7.00 x 13
NUMBER	DRIVER(S)	RACE	FINISHED	COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
8	Graham Hill	French GP 64	2nd	Dark green with fluorescent-orange nose, white numbers. Full-size car pictured.
3	Graham Hill	German GP •64	2nd	Same as 78. Model pictured SCG 10/64, NM(color)
3	Graham Hill	English GP ‘65	2nd	Same color as •'8 with black numbers on white circles. High exhaust car. CD 10/65
4	Jackie Stewart	English GP ‘65 Italian GP 65	Sth	Same as ’•3 above. CD 10/65
32	Jackie Stewart		Won	Same car as •'•3 above, with white num- bers. RT 12/65
4	R. Ginther	Austrian GP •64	2nd	Same as •’'8 above. RT 11/64
7	R. Ginther	Monaco GP	2nd	Same as 78 above. CD 8/64
‘(.4
PLANS: 1965 "High Exhaust" car: Model Cars, June 1965, 1/32 scale
Model Car & Track, November 1965, 1/24 scale
182
FIG. 163 The model. Super
Shell of England’s
injection-molded BRM body,
wheels, ond correct wheel
inserts.
1964 BRM GP
The Monogram 1/32 scale Grand Prix cars are in a class by themselves. With a
very few changes, they look and handle Itctter than any custom-built chassis and
body yon could have. For most 1/32 scale racing, only lour modifications are neces-
sary. The “drop” pickup atm should be soldered tightly in place. On the small radius
corners of most 1/.32 scale tracks, it allows the car to toll over sooner than a rigid
pickup mount. The chassis can l>e lowered about 1/32" under the motor by removing
the rear assembly brackets or tabs and inserting a 1/32” piece of lead between the
motor and the pan. These lower the center of gravity and increase rear traction The
motor, lead, and chassis pan can all be glued together with Silastic as shown earlier.
The motor can be "de-wound” 20 to 40 turns, as outlined in the next chapter, or
a 90/32 armature substituted. Finally, the gear ratio needs to be changed to about 4:1
A Corbcn 7-tooth pinion allows a 28-tooth crown gear, which should clear the trans-
mission cover with very little grinding. For variety, different Grand Prix bodies can
be fitted. The Super Shell 1964 BRM is one example.
The wheel cutouts must be opened out to clear the chassis, and a single mounting
post cemented to the BRM body. Drill four 1/16" holes to allow the Monogram real
suspension "arms” to fit into the sides of the BRM and that’s it. Atlas or Super .Shell
Brabham bodies can be adapted in the same manner.
Bill of Materials
CHASSIS
Monogram 1/32 scale Ferrari GP kit com-
plete with chassis, front and rear axles,
spacers, pickup, ami X88 motor
Corben 7-to<ith pinion gear .078" bole
Super Shell's wheel inserts
Crown gear to suit
1/32" x 1/2" x 2" lead weight
BODY.
Super Shell 1964 BRM GP (injection-molded)
Russkit BRM and number decals
FIG. 164 Tho chassis:
Monogram’s I/32 Grand Pri*
chassis and XS8 molar. The
chassis it lowered slightly
to clear the BRM body.
183
FIG. 165 The full-iize can This
Cooper/Ford wo» one ol teveral
raced by the Cobra factory.
There cor» become known a> lhe
King Cobro». Thu late Dore
MacDonald ii »hown winning the
1963 Riv*r»ide Time» race.
'Courtesy Da-re Friedman)
1963 COOPER FORD
The Cooper Car Company of England was the first manufacturer to successfully
build and race rear-engine sports cars. The first ancestor of lhe Cooper Ford was the
original Cooper 1100 sports car designed back in 1955. Then, as now, the chassis was
welded from a multitude of small, steel tubes to form a space-frame design with, of
course, a rear mounted engine.
Cooper calls the car shown here a Cooper Monaco. Originally designed for a
4-cylinder Coventry Climax engine in 1959. lhe car is a copy of the 1959 and I960
World Champion Grand Prix Coopers. On the Monaco, the frame has merely been
widened to accept a 2-seat sports ear body, and the engine bay modified to accept
American VS engines. Hie majority of these cars were fitted with Ford V8 engines,
ami the car liecame known as a Cooper/Ford.
t he Cobra factory selected a series of four Cooper Fords to campaign in modified
sports ear races in 1963 and 1964. These cars became popularly known as King Cobras.
In 1963, they were raced with the body details shown above. For 1964 racing, the
body was extensively' modified to accommodate larger front and rear tires and to
improve the streamlining.
SPECIFICATIONS
Wheelbase: 91 inches	Over-all Width: 66 inches
Track Width: Front/Rcar 54/54	Front Tires: 6.40 x 15
Over-all Length: 145 inches	Rear Tires: 8.20 x 15
NUMBER	DRIVER(S)	RACE	FINISHED	COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
98	Dave MacDonald	Riverside Times ‘63	Won	Light Cobra blue. Model and full-size car pictured. CD 1/64, RT 1/64
99	Bob Holbert	Laguna Sec a 63 Daytona ‘65	dnf	Same as ;:t)8 above. SCG 1/64
9	Skip Hudson		dnf	Metallic purple, same body as -V98 above. CD 5/64
PLANS: Model Cars, August 1965, 1/32 scale
FIG. 164 The model: Monogram's
Cooper/Ford body is a close
copy of the King Cobro cars, right
down to the wheel inserts.
184
COOPER/FORD
The Monogram Cooper Ford body can be adapted to the Strombecker chassis by
changing the location of the body mounting posts. It is best to cut away a portion
of the body when yon cut out the posts, so two body kits will be needed. Chapter 6
outlines the correct procedure.
You can lower the center of gravity on the Strombecker chassis, when you attach
the brass pan, by cutting away the overlapping “angle" brackets beside the motor
and soldering the pan to the front and rear axle brackets.
A 1/16" brass tribe, soldered to the front axle bracket and to the rear motor mount,
will keep the ''modified” chassis from flexing. The chassis shown here has conven-
tional Oilite bearings soldered in place of the original Strombecker Delrin self-aligning
bearings Later experiments proved that, by polishing the axles before inserting them,
the Strombccker bearings had less friction, and their “self-aligning” feature was
retained.
Bill of Materials
CHASSIS:
Strombccker #8544 brass chassis w/lxtarings
and pickup
Strombecker Hcini 300 motor
Monogrant #SR1103 front wheels
Monogram #SR 1105 rear wluxtls
Monogram #SR11O3 front tires
Monogram #SRI107 rear tires
Wheel inserts from Cooper Ford body kit
lx-low
.028” x 1-1/2" x 2-1/4" brass pan
1/16" К & S brass tubing
1/16" x 1/8" x 2” lead weight
1-3/4" front and rear axles cut to 1-1/2"
Crown gear and axle spacers to suit
вот.
2 Monogram Coopcr/Ford body kits
(injection-molded)
Russkit 1/32 scale number decals
Pactra ''Flying Red Horse" «lw.il
FIG 167 Tho chassis: Tho body
posts in the Monogram
Cooper/Ford must be relocated
to fit the Strombecker chassis.
Center weight of chassis is cut
away and a bra» pan
soldered in place.
185
FIG. 168 The full-size cor
The Triumph TR3 I» a
popular cor in local and
national S.C.C.A. production
races. This is Pete Mergeni
at Chavez Ravine in 1963.
I Dave Friedmon; courtesy
American Model Raceways)
TRIUMPH TR3 and TR3-S
The Triumph TR3 is an excellent example of the racing background of production
sports cars. From the time the car was first introduced as the TR2 in late-1954 to the
present, it has won innumerable S.C.C.A. Production Class races. With technical aid
from competition-conscious distributors, the cat has been in the limelight of American
racing for over ten years. In 1965, it won the class "F" production title in S.C.C.A.
racing.
The experiences of the TR3 include an episode at Le Mans, 1959, when thiee cars
were entered. Each was fitted with a prototype, dual overhead cam engine and ex-
tended wheelbase to fit. These cars were the TR3-S model. They did not finish the
race, but clocked over 140 mph with 98-mph laps. This race, and numerous other
Triumph efforts at Le Mans, helped provide the racing background for the production
cars and technical data for the private owners who raced them.
Specifications (1959 1л Mans TR3-S)
Wheelbase: 94.5 inches
Track Width: Front/Rcar 46.5/46
Over-all Length: 156 inches
Over-all Width: 56.5 inches
Front Tires: 5.50 x 15
Rear Tires: 5.50 x 15
Specifications (Production TR3)
Wheelbase: 88.5 inches
Track Width: Front/Rcar 46.5/46
Over-all Length: 150.5 inches
Over-all Width: 56.5 inches
Front Tires: 5.50 x 15
Rear Tires: 5.50 x 15
NUMBER	DRIVER(S)	RACE	FINISHED COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
30 F	Pete Merge ns	Chavez	——	Typical S.C.C.A. "Production Class'
		Ravine '63	Cur. Pictured above. Per.
25	Sanderson/ Ct л_	Le Mans ‘59	dnf Model pictured. AY«6
26	otoop Bolton/	Le Mans ‘59	dnf Same as «25. AY«6
	Rothchild		
27	Jopp/Dubois	Le Mans ‘59	dnf Same as «25. AY«6
11	Brian	Daytona	Won F Pro- White car. RT 3/66, SCG 2/66
	Fucrstenau	U.S.R.R.C.	duction
		‘65	
PLANS:	Model Makers	Plan Service,	«MM/499, 1/32 scale
186
FIG. 169 The model:
Aurora's shelf model TR3 must
be slimmed 1/8" to b* In
accurate 1/32 stole. The
full-size version of this car was
raced in 1958 at le Mans
with a body ond chassis 6"
longer than lhe slock TR3.
TRIUMPH TR3
The Aurora display model Triumph TR3 comes in three basic pieces—the two sides
and a lop or center section. If assembled "as is," the car is a full 1/8" trx> wide and
lacks the slim look common to the full-size cars. Trim 1/16" from each side of the
body center section before you glue the sides on. Body posts, cut from a Monogram
Ferrari body and glued inside lhe Triumph, can be used to mount the body to the
Monogram chassis.
Tile Monogram chassis is shown here in the earlier version furnished with the 1/32
scale Monogram kits. Il, like the Strombecker chassis, can be improved by removing
the side channels and substituting a brass pan under the motor with 1/16"
brass tube braces on top. The altered chassis has a lower center of gravity and is
stronger than lhe original.
Bill of Materials
CHASSIS:
Monogram “old-style” Ferrari 275P kit com-
plete w/frame, front wheels, axles, pickup,
wheel inserts, and axle spacers
К & В Wildcat motor
Auto Hobbies #AH31."MS rear wheels
Auto Hobbies #AH415MS foam rear tires
.028" x 1-1/2" x 2" brass pan
.028" x 1/4" brass strip
1/16" К & S brass tubing
Crown gear to suit
BODY:
Aurora Triumph TR3 display kit (injection-
molded )
Monogram mounting posts from 275P kit
above
Ulrich Mini Man driver with Strombecker
"set car" head
Auto Hobbies #AH707B number decals
Auto Hobbies #AH703 white circle decals
FIG. 170 The chawisi
Monogram'i oldcr-ttyb
chami lightened and
braced. A brail pan hoi
been added.
FERRARI 275P ROADSTER
The 1964 275P Ferrari is a direct descendant ol the original 1963 250P. There arc
three basic 275P budy styles: the stock factory body with hill windshield, spoiler/
rollbar, and large rear fender scoops; a similar body style with spoiler and lull wind-
shield. but smaller, oval-shaped rear fender scoops; and the cut-down windshield, no
spoiler car. such as number 11 in the photos.
There is a great amount of confusion regarding Ferraris model designation for
these cars. All “P” ears are roadsters, while all “LM” or “P/LM” cars are coupes.
Both styles use similat bodywork except, of course, for their roofs. The numbers 250,
275, and 330 refer on/у co engine displacement, not Ixjdy styles. The 250 is a 2.9-liter
engine; the 275. a 3.3-liter: and the 330, a 4.0-liter. O.K. so far? To muddy things up.
as only Ferrari can do. be has used three slightly different body/chassis with the
above engines. The 1963 and 1964 roadsters were the shortest of all. at 163.7" over-
all. I het were 65.9" wide. The 1963 and 1961 coupes : most of them) were 1-1/2"
longer and 1" wider Late tn 1964. Ferrari used this slightly longer btxly for roadsters.
These longer roadster bodies were usually raced, with the larger 4.0-liter engine, as
330Ps. There is a pair of louvers on the tail of these longer bodies. All the cars had
the same chassis dimensions of 94.4" in wheelbase, with 53.1" front track and 52.7"
rear track. In 1965, a completely new hods/chassis, dubbed the “P2." was raced.
Some of the P2s were fitted with a 4 4-liter engine and carried the model designation
365/P2. This cat is covered in Chapter 5.
Specifications
Wheelbase: 94.4 inches	Over-all Width: 70 inches
Track Width: Front Rear 53.2/52.7 Front Tires: 5,50 x 15
Over-all Length: 165 2 inches	Rear Tires: 7.00 x 15
FIG. 171 The full-size can John Surtees drove this modified Ferrari 275P Io fourth place at
Riverside in 1963. (Courtesy Dove Friedman)
188
NUMBER	 DRIVF.R(S)	RACE FINISHED		COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
11	John Surtees	Riverside Times '63	4th	Red, windshield cut down, spoiler re- moved and rollbar substituted. Model and full-size car pictured
S	Pedro Rodriguez	Mosport ‘63	Won	Same as #11. SCG 11/63
4	John Surtees	Mosport ‘63	dnf	Same as #11. SCG 11/63, MCT 2/66
22	Parkes/ Msglioli	Sebring ‘64	Won	Red, full windshield with spoiler. CD 6/64. SCG S/64
23	Scarfiotti/ Vaccarella	Sebring ‘64	2nd	Same as #22. CD 6/64. SCG 3/64
IS	Pedro Rodriguez	Le Mans *64	dnf	Red car, white nose, full wind screen and spoiler. CD 9/64, SCG 9/64
20	Guichet/ Vaccerelta	Le Mans '64	Won	Same as #22. SCG 9/64, RT 9/64, CD 9/64, NM(color)
1	Pedro Rodriguez	Bridge- hampton *63	2nd	Same as #11. CD 1/64, SCG 12/63
81	Pedro Rodriguez	Bridge- hampton ‘64	2nd	Same as #11 with letters "N.A.R.T" across front of nose. CD 12/64, SCG 12/64
30	G. Hill/ Rodriguez	Sebring ‘65	37th	White with Mecom blue stripes. AY# 13
3	Graham Hill	Goodwood '64	Won	Red, same ss #22 with light blue nose and stripe. RT 11/64
PLANS:	1962 250P Model Car & Track.		November 1964, 1/32 scale	
FIG. 172 The model: Monogram» 275P body kit hos a high windshield and spoiler like the
fullsize car. Number 11, here, ha» cut-down windshield and no spoiler to match the Surtees
Riverside car.
FERRARI 275P
The Ferrari 275P Ixxly, supplied by Monogram, includes that spoiler and full wind-
shield used on the full-size car for long distance races like Sebring. Le Mans, and the
Nurburgring (No. 20 in the photo). Most of the full-size ears that raced in America
did not have the spoiler supplied in Monogram's kit. and they had lower windshields
like the one in the photo. It is easy enough to fill in the spoiler mounting holes on the
189
rear deck of the Monogram body and to trim down the windshield with a Dreinel
motor tool to duplicate the car in the photos.
Cut a .028" x 1-1/2“ x 2-1/2" brass pan to clear the gear, rear wheels, and arma-
ture, anti solder to the Atlas rear body mounting bracket, now mounted on the bottom
of the chassis. Л short piece of 14” brass strip connects the pan to the front of the
chassis.
Bend loin small 3/8" brass angles from 0.28" x 1/4" brass strip and drill a 1/16"
hole in each to accept a #2 sell-taping screw Epoxy these to the inside edges ol
the body to mount the body to the edges of the brass pan. Drill 3/32" holes in the
edges of the pan for three screws. Assemble the angles to the pan. and adjust and
block up the body in its proper position over the chassis while the epoxy sets.
Bn t of Materials
CHASSIS.-
Atlas Ford GT Kit chassis with front wheels,
axles, inserts, front tires, and pkkup
Ulrich #542 independently rotating front
axle cur to 1-3/4"
Monogram # SR 1105 rear wheels
Monogram ff SR 1007 rear foam tires
1/16" Perfect brass tubing
.028" x 1-1/2" x 2-1/2" brass pat.
.028" x 1/4" brass strip
Corben #751 brass and tooth pinion gear
4 Dynamic #730 self-tapping #2 screw*
Crown gear and axle spacers to suit
BODY;
Monogram 275P Ferrari (injection-molded)
Auto Hobbies #AH702—5/8" white circle
decals
Russkit numbers, decals cut to size
FIG. 173 The chassis: Th*
Altar chassis has been
modified with th* addition
of a brow pan. Bra»
mounting plates epoxied to
the sides of lhe body will
bolt to tho outside edges
of lhe pan.
190
LOTUS 19
The first, and by far the most successful, Lotus rear-engine sports car was the
famous "19.” It was originally called the "Monte Carlo,” but the simple “19” model
designation is the one that stuck Although designed and constructed in 1960. many
Lotus 19s are still competitive.
In 1959 and 1960, Cooper Cars of England .von the World Championships with
a rear-engine car. The handwriting was on the wall, and just as al Indianapolis in
1965, the racing ear builders hurried to construct rear-engine racers. So. the Lotus 19
was basically a rear-engine Grand Prix car with widened frame, to accept two seats,
and a full-lendered body. A trend of constructing sports cars Irased on GP design de-
veloped and is continued in the current Ferrari Dino sports ear.
The Ixrtus 19 has a tubular space frame consisting of a series of thin-wall steel
tubes welded and bolted together to carry the engine and front ami rear suspensions.
The engine is a 2-1 2-litcr, 4-ey finder, double overhead cam with 239 horsepower
made by Coventry Climax. The body, with the exception of aluminum lower side
panels, is fiberglass. The car weighs 1.232 pounds.
A number of Lotus 19s were produced and sold to private entries Io be fitted, in
later years, with American VS engines. Both Ford ami ( hevrolet engines were used.
The most famous Lotus 19 was the bright red number 96 car driven so successfully
during 1961 and 1962 by Dan Gurnev He won the Nassau, Kent, Daytona, and
I-aguna Seca races during this periml.
The Lotus body design suffered, as did most sports racing cars that were designed
in (he early 1960s. from a lack of space for the current super-wide racing tires. As a
consequence, most of the Ditus 19s raced in 1964, 196-5, and 1966 have modified
fenders and/or fender cut-outs. Sonic have been modified beyond recognition. Gurney
modified one of the later 19s for 1964 It had cut-out rear fenders and large lips on
both front and rear fenders to provide clearance and cover for the tires. This is the
famous Pacesetter car he ran at Daytona and Riverside. Regardless of the change,
however, the model 19 Monte Carlo is still the best sports/racer yet to come from the
Lotus factory!
/•
Specifications (1961 ear)
Wheelbase: 90 inches	Ovc--all Width; 65 inches
Track Width: Front/Rear 49/47-5	Front Tires: 5.00 x 15
Over-all Length: 141 inches	Rear Tires: 6.50 x 15
NUMBER DRIVER(S)
RACE
FINISHED
COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
99	Dan Gurney	Nassau '61	Won	Red, silver bottom-half. Pictured above. RT 3/61
96	Dan Gurney	Kent *62 Daytona ‘62 Laguna Seca ‘62	Won Won Won	Same car and color as #99 above. Model pictured. CD 1/63, CD S/62, RT 1/63, RT 5/62, SCG 12/62, SCG 9/62, SCG S/62, SCG 1/62, SCG 1/63, RT 4/61
19	Dan Gurney	Riverside Times ‘64	—	White with blue fender tops trimmed in red, silver bottom-half. Radiused and lipped fenders, airfoil on nose. CD 1/65, SCG 1/65
9	Dan Gurney	Nassau ‘64	dnf	Same as ••T9 above. CD 3/65
8	Jerry Grant	Riverside ‘65	dnf	White, silver bottom-half, rear spoiler, radius and lipped fender cut-outs. CD 2/66, RT 2/66, RT 1/66, SCG 1/66
21	Dan Gurney	Daytona ‘64	dnf	Same as #99 above. SCG S/64, CD 5/64
77	Innes Ireland	Kent ‘62	dnf	Rosebud blue with silver bottom, white circles, radiused rear wheel cut-outs. Wire wheels. SCG 12/62, SCG 2/64
4	Sterling Moss	Nassau ‘62	dnf	Same as #77. No white circles, white numbers. SCG 3/62
6	Innes Ireland	Nassau ‘63	Won	Same as #77.above. RT 3/63
PLANS: Model Cars, September 1965, 1/32 scale
FIG. 174 The full-tan car: Dan Gurney'» famous Lotus 19 at Nassau in 1961. where it won its
first time. The car was later numbered 96. (Courtesy Road 4 Traci)
192
FIG. 175 The model: Shoml>e:ker'i lotu* IP body need» detail work and $vpe< Shell of
England's lotus inserts to be on accurate replica
LOTUS 19
Strombeckers Lotus 19 body must he considered as a semi-accurate reproduction
of the original car. 'I'he basic contours of the nose, windshield, and rear deck are
quite accurate, but for some reason the rear wheel cut-outs arc too high, and the
front wheel cut-outs too large. It is the only injection-molded body of the famous Lotus
You can use old plastic left over from display model kits to build-up these areas
to match the proportions of the full-size car pictured here. MEK (Methyl Ethyl
Ketone) will dissolve the plastic scraps into a workable putty if the plastic scraps arc
allowed to soak in a tightly sealed glass jar for about a week. W hen you work with
MEK, lie certain to do so outdoors oi in a very well-ventilated room, as it evaporates
quite rapidly, and it can lx? poixonous. The advantage in using it is that when the
plastic “putty" you have mixed dries, it bonds itself completely to the body, and it
becomes impossible to tell lhe original plastic from lhe filled area. Sort of like molding
vour own bodies.
When the filled areas have dried for two or three days, again outdoors, you can
sand, file, or grind them just as though they were there to Iwgin with. Mount the
body to the edges of the pan using four 1/4” brass angle brackets as described for
the 275P Ferrari in this chapter.
The front tab on the Dynamic motor bracket must be cut off, so you can move the
front axle bracket close enough Io gel the proper wheelbase. You will have to trim
about 1/16" from the front bracket also. The rear, lower holes in the #585 Dynamic
bracket are for 1/24 Scale cars with their larger diameter wheels. You can trim away
this hole, as I have done, to lighten lhe bracket.
Cut a 2" long pan from .028” x 1-1/2" brass to clear the gear and rear wheels. Drill
and countersink two holes at the front to attach it to the bottom of the frame through
the two holes in the front of the Dynamic bracket. The pan can be attached al the
rear by soldering 1/16" brass tubing from lhe pan to the two holes in the rear of the
Dynamic bracket. Let the front mounting screws "bottom out” in the frame, and file
193
or countersink the holes in the pan so it is free to move up and down 1/64" to 1/32”,
but not sideways, The two holes in the rear of the frame can be drilled out to 3/32"
to allow the rear of the pan to be loose also. When complete, the pan should be able
to move up and down about 1/64” to 1/32" at both ends.
Mount the body rigid))' to ihe pan. The pan with the body is completely isolated
from any motor vibrations. Further advantages of this “loose” body mount are covered
in detail in the next chapter. By using flat-head, -1-40 screws (tapered under the head)
to secure the pan to the chassis as outlined here, with the matching holes in the pan
enlarged to allow it to “hang” 1/64* below the chassis, this same loose pan idea can
be adapted to any car in either 1/24 or 1/32 scale. In 1/24 scale, the pan can be
aluminum to keep its weight to a minimum.
Bill, of
CHASSIS:
Dynamic #546 motor inouot
Dynamic #541 chassis tongue
Dynamic #585 front axle bracket
Revell SP80 motor
Ante Hobbies Inmt wheels #A315N-5
Auto Hobbies rear wheels #A315M-5
Strombecker "set car" front tires
Auto Hobbies medium foam rear tires
#AH415MS
Super Shell Lotus wheel inserts
Materials
Dynamic #660 pickup
Dynamic #752 rear bearings
.028” x 1-1/2" x 2" brass pan
1-3/4" front ami rear axles (cut to 1-5/8")
Crown gear, axle nuts, and axle spacers to
suit
BODY;
Stromlrecker Lotus 19 body (injection-
molded )
Auto Hobbies #766 number decals
FIG. 176 The chassis: Dynamic
chassis parts end loosely-mounted
brass pan/body mount make one
of the simplest and most
competitive 1/32 scale
combinations.
194
1965 FORD GT 40
The Ford GT 40 for 1965 was actually a direct development of the 1961 Ford GTs
as raced at Le Mans. Ford's lack of success and general lack of practical racing knowl-
edge prompted them to turn the entire Ford GT program over to Carrol Shelby's
Cobra factory in 1965. The fact that Ford was competing against Shelby's own Ford
coupes with official or unofficial Ford backing (believe what you want) no doubt
played its part in the decision also. Ford of England continued development of a
separate group of cars, the GT roadsters, and the Ford GT XI roadsters are part of
the English effort, but that is another story.
Ford's 1964 Le Mans effort proved at least two things. One, that (he seventy-odd
wind-tunnel tests were entirely inadequate for actual road racing; they did a fair job
of ducting air to the driver, but little else. And two, the Colotti transaxles (transmis-
sion with integral differential) were totally inadequate. The Cobra factory set about
to correct these deficiencies and to add considerable racing knowledge to the car's
development.
The Shelby crew made a number of minor modifications to the body ami various
scoops to improve air flow both inside ami over the outside of the car. The original
Ford 256-cubic inch V8 engine was replaced by the 289-eubic inch engine used so
successfully in the Cobras. The transaxle was replaced by a ZF unit, and some of the
older Colottis were fitted with Ford-made gears. Numerous minor changes were also
made to the suspension. The cockpit, one of the most comfortable in the racing
world, was left unchanged.
The GT 40s, in this form, competed at Daytona (the number 73 car pictured) and
at Sebring (the number 10 ear is an example,!, in 1965. One of the cars won Daytona,
and another was third. At Sebring, earlier in the year, they were beaten by the
Chaparral, but did manage a second place.
Le Mans '65 was further proof that the aerodynamics of the body and the trans-
mission strength were still inadequate. The nose of the body was lengthened, and
various fins, particularly on each rear fender, were added to try to increase high-speed
stability. None finished.
Further body modifications, including a more integrated slope on the tail and a
lower nose, plus additional chassis modifications and a 426-cubic inch V-8 engine, con-
stitute the latest variation, the Ford GT Mark II. Mark Ils finished first, second. and
third at the 1966 Daytona 24-hour race. The previous events were only a little over
12 hours. Still, development continues.
Specifications
Wheelbase: 95 inches	Over-all Width: 70 inches
Track Width: Front/Rear 54/54	Front Tires: 7.50 x 15
Over-all Length: 158.6 inches	Rear Tires: 9.50 x 15
195
FIG 177 Tho fullsize cor. Richie
Ginther raced thi* Ford GT 40
ol Sebring in 1965. The cor did
not finish lhe race. (Dave
Friedman; courtesy American
Model Raceways)
NUMBER	DRIVER! S)	RACE	FINISHED	COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
JO	R. Ginther	Sebring ‘65	dnf	Dark Cobra blue, white markings. Pic- tured above SCG 6/65
72	Ginther/ Bondurant	Daytona '65	3rd	Same as P10. Model pictured. CD 6/65 (color), RT 5/65, MCT 2/66
11	McLaren/ K. Miles	Sebring '65	Won (Pro- totype Class)	Same as ••10. CD 6/65, RT 6/65, RT 5/65, SCG 5/65
73	Ken Miles	Daytona '65	Won	Same as -10. CD 6/65, CD 5/65, RT 6 65(color), RT 5/65, SCG 5/65
15	Tr intig na nt/ Ligier	Le Mans *65	dnf	Dark red with white stripes and block numbers.
12	P. Hill/ McLaren	Nurburgring '65	dnf	Same us ••10. SCG 8/65, AY# 13
16	Trint ignant/ Ligier	Nurburgring ‘65	dnf	White with blue stripes. AY#13
No scale plans available
FORD GT 40
The versatile body mounting built into the Auto Hobbies chassis allows you to
mount the Cox Ixxly, and most others, without altering the body posts. You will need
to trim away a bit of the chassis, at the rear, to clear the body. A long 4-40 screw
and a pile of axle spacer washers will extend up from the chassis to the front
body-mount.
Brace the chassis by soldering a length of 1/16" brass tubing from the back bearing
bracket to the front bearing bracket on each side. Solder the axle and pickup bear-
ings in place. If additional chassis weight is needed, use 1/16" x 1/4" lead strips
along each side of the motor, soldered to the frame. A paint supply store and some
raceway centers can provide the lead strips.
Bn.i. or Materials
CHASSIS:
Auto Hobbies #AH610 chassis with 1-3/4"
axles uncut
Russkit 23 motor
Auto Hobbies #A315N5 front wheels
Auto 1 lobbies #A315M5 rear wheels
Auto Hobbies Cobra wheel inserts (from
( #AM1(K)1B body kit)
Auto Hobbies #AH2O3 pickup shoe
Auto Hubbies #AI1415.MS rear foam tires
.Monogram #SR1003 front tires
1/10" Perfect brass tubing
Perfect 1" 4-40 screws
Crown gear and axle spacers to suit
BODY:
Cox Ford CT injection-molded body and
decals
Ulrich Mini Man driver
196
FIG. 178 The model: The Cox 1/32 scale body is о near-period replica ol Ihe 1965 Ford GT 40,
Auto Hobbies wheel inserts orc a closer match for the actual wheels.
FIG. 179 The chassis; Auto Hobbies chassis, shown in stock form, needs о 1/16" brass tube
brace from front Io rear bearings and additional weight beside the motor to be truly competitive.
197


FIG. 180 The full-size car: The Lolo T70, racing under the rod and green colors of the Surtees
Team, driven by Jackie Stewart, is shown practicing for the 1965 Riverside Times race, (Courtesy
Doug Kraft)
LOLA T7O
The Lola 4'70 must be ranked as one of the top six sports/racing cars in the world.
Similar, in many details, to the Chaparrals, the Lola features a number of unique
technical features which helps to make it competitive. The cars arc built for racing
by both the facton and private customers and have won every important race in
England, as well as in America.
Most of the successful racing Lola T70s use a Chevrolet V8 engine with Weber
carburetors. When the down-draft-style Weber is used (like the Chaparral’s), only the
eight inlet tubes project above the body. When the side-draft-style Weber is used, a
portion of the body' above the mounted engine is cut away to provide clearance for the
carburetors. This leaves the manifold and carburetors exposed and makes a most
interesting model!
Specifications
Wheelbase: 95 inches
Track Width: Front/Rear 54/54
Over-all Length: 156 inches
Over-all Width: 68 inches
Front Tires: 6.00 x 15
Rear Tires: 7.00 x 15
NUMBER	DRIVER(S) RACE	FINISHED	COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
No Number	Jackie Stewart Riverside Times ‘65	dnf	Red with wide, green stripe bordered with narrow, green stripes on each side. Pictured above.
22	John Cannon Sebring ‘65	dnf	Mecom blue, white stripe and circles. Screen over carburetors. Model pictured RT 7/65(color), CM 11/65, SCG 6/65
1	John Surtees Silverstone ‘65	2nd	Same as photo above with white numbers. MCT 9/65, SCG 6/65, SCG 8/65, CD 6/65
4	John Surtees Brands Hatch ‘65	Won	All red, with "J. Surtees" in black-on- white patch each right rear fender. Same body as photo above. SCG 11/65, MC 12/65
5	Jackie Stewart Brands Hatch ‘65	3rd	Same as photo above with "J. Stewart" on both rear fenders as *4 above. SCG 9/65, R 1/7
11 PLANS:	John Surtees Mosport ‘65	Won Car Model. November 1965, all scales Model Cars. December 1965, 1/32 scale Road & Track, July 1965, 1/24 scale		Same as ••‘5 above. CD 9/65
Additional LOLA T70 numbers, colors		, and details in Chapter 5.	
198
FIG. 181 The model: Detoil Models* fcmolu-moldcd dear plastic Lola T70 u mounted by its lower
flanges to the chassis.
LOLA T7O
When you purchase the detail model Lola T70 body, you’ll notice small flanges
inside each wheel opening. These should be trimmed to a uniform 1/32" width and
reinforced with a bead of epoxy inside the flanges. 1-1/4" can be trimmed from the
center of the bottom, leaving a flange at the Ixittom of each side of the body for
mounting it to the frame.
The Monogram set car chassis provides the front bearing and pickup brackets. Only
the front 1" of this chassis is used. The Monogram nylon pin and entire pickup plate
will have to be spaced down about 1/16" with axle spacers. The lugs for the pickup
braid keep it in alignment, and a 1/8" nylon Screw and nut hold it in place.
The Monogram kit chassis connects the brass pan to the pickup and front axle.
Solder the pan to these brass side brackets. The body is mounted with 1/4" brass
strips, drilled 1/16" at each end to accept #2 self-tapping screws The chassis side
brackets need only be screwed to the rear axle bracket until the Silastic joint between
the motor and the pan dries. They can then be removed. The rear body mounting holes
on the Monogram rear axle bracket must be cut off to clear the I-ola body.
199
Bill of Materials
CHASSIS:
Monogram "set ear" brass chassis
Monogram #SR1655 “Supertiger" chassis
Monogram Tiger XI10 motor
Auto Hobbies #AH315N5 front wheels
Auto Hol hies #AH3I5M5 rear wheels
Monogram # SR 1003 front tires
Monogram #SR1007 rear tires
1/8" nylon screw and nut (from electrical
supply house )
1-3/4” front and rear axles
Auto Hobbies “Cobra'' inserts from
#AH 1001В body kit
Crown gear and axle spacer washers to suit
.028" x 1/4" brass strip
.028" x 1-1/2" x 2" brass pan
BODY;
Detail models Lola '170 body (female-
molded clear plastic)
Driver from Auto Hobbies Cobra
"SI*" letters dry transfer Lctra Set 1/8"
Auto Hobbies = AH707\V side number decals
Auto Hobbies #AI17OBW nose and deck
number decals
Auto Hobbies # Al 1702 side circle decals
FIG. 1B2 The chassis: A combination of Monogram's set chassis (Mt) and its kit chassis (tight)
with a brass pan added for the best of both (bottom!.
200
FERRARI DINO 166/2O6/2O6S
The Dino sports ear is little more than a two-seater body on a 1964 Grand Prix
chassis. Ferrari was seriously interested in competing in the 1967 Formula 2 races.
The engines for this formula must be derived from GT cars, such as the new Fiat
Ferrari under-2-liter car, and they must have six cylinders with under-1.6-liter dis-
placement. Since the 1964 GP Ferrari was a VS. Ferrari resurrected his 1961 GP
engine, a V6. and increased its displacement to 1.6 liters. This is the engine used for
the 166 coupe which showed its heels to many of the larger Ferraris. Cobras, etc., to
place fourth at the Nurburgring 1000-kilomcter race.
The car used to defeat Ferrari's biggest competitor in the under-2-liter class for
the 1965 hill climb championship was a Dino roadster with a 2-liter version of the V6
engine. The roadster is basically the 166 coupe without the top or rear window, and
with a cut-down windshield. The roadster, being a 2-liter six cylinder, is called the 206.
For 19(56, Ferrari replaced the roof support of the coupe to act as a spoiler and
fitted the higher windshield and side windows of (he earlier 166 coupe, all. apparently,
to help reduce wind-resistance. The lower driving lights have been moved up directly
under the headlights and both covered with a single, plastic cover. This version is
dubbed model 206S.
Specifications
Wheelbase: 90 inches
Track Width: Front/Rcar 53.2/33.2
Over-all Length: 150 inches
Over-all Width: 62 inches
Front Tires: 7-00 x 13
Re.u Tires: 8.50 x 13
NUMBER	DRIVE R(S)	RACE	FINISHED	COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
31	L. Bundini	Nurburgring ‘65	4th (Won Under 2-liter class) Won dnf	Red with yellow wheels. Pictured above. SCG 8/65, CD 9/65, RT 10/65, AY#13(color>
482 53	L. Scarfiotti Baghetti	Cesana- Sestiere Monza lOOOKm. *65		Red roadster, light blue wheels, cut- down windshield, no top or spoiler. Model pictured. SCG 10/65 Same as #31. RT 8/65
26 64	L. Scarfiotti L. Scarfiotti	Trento* Bondon Hillclinib •65 Freiburgh- Schauins- land	Won Won	Same as #31 with numbers stenciled on. #2 on edge of each circle, #6 just to right. Same as #482 above.
8	L, Scarfiotti	Gaisbcrg- Austria Hillclimb ‘65	Sth	Roadster, same as #482 above.
40	Baghetti/ Caeari	Le Mans ‘65	dnf	Coupe, same as #31. AY# 13
172	L. Scarfiotti	Ollen-Villars Hillclimb •65	Won	Same as #482 above. SCG 11/65
PLANS: Scale Modeler. December 1965, Vol. 1, No. 1, 1/24 scale
Model Cars, April 1966, 1/32 scale
201
FIG. 183 The full size cor! The famous Dino Ferrari at one of its earliest races. Bandini won the
Under 2-liter clast with thi» cat al the Nurburgring in 1965. (Courtesy Road & Track)
FIG. 18- The model: The Strombecker Dino Ferrari, modified to duplicate the car that won the
1965 European Hillclimb Championship. Wheels and insert» are from Monogram's GP Ferrari.
202
FERRARI DINO 206
The Strombecker "Dino" body was modified, much like the 275P Ferrari earlier,
with a cut-down windshield and no top or spoiler. The full-size Ferrari Dino that won
the 190.5 European HUIcliinb was modified much in lhe same manner. Number 482
is a duplicate of this car. The cut-down windshield should be epoxied in place to
provide a smooth joint with the body. The rollbar is a bent paperclip, epoxied in place.
Assemble the Ram 283 motor with gears and rear axle. Start with a 32-tooth axle
and an 8-tooth pinion. This 4:1 gear ratio seems to work out on the DC283 for most
1/32 scale tracks.
Flatten out the rear clips on the Auto Hobbies pickup and front axle mount, and
solder two pieces of 1/8" square. К & S brass tubing. 1-3/4" long, to each side. Space
the square tubes 3/8" apart. Space the front anti rear axles lor a 2-13/16" wheelbase.
Lay the motor magnet between the brass tubes, glue in place with Silastic, and allow
to dry overnight. This .028" x 1-1/2" x 2" brass pan can be cut to clear the motor
and soldered to the brass tubes.
Bill of Materials
CHASSIS:
Auto Hobbies #AH605 front pickup and
axle mount with axle
К & S 1/8" square brass tubing
Ram DC283 motor
Auto Hobbies #AH315M5 rear wheels
Auto Hobbies #AH315.\5 front wheels
Auto Hobbies #AH415MS rear tires
Strombecker “set car” front tires (see below)
К & В #561 32-tooth 5-40 thread spur gear
К & В #532 8-tooth brass pinion gear
2" rear axle cut to 1-3/4"
Revell pickup #h3500
BODY:
Strombecker Dino Ferrari "set car" kit (in-
jection-molded Ixxly)
Auto Hobbies # Al 1702 circle decals
Champ 3/8" block Gothic numbers (model
railroad decals)
FIG. 185 The chassis: A very
special 1/32 «ale sidewinder
chassis with Silicone-mounted
Ram 283 motor.
203
FIG. >86 The full-iixe <ar:
Ono of the moit successful
Grand Prix con of oil time,
the >58/159 Alfo Romeo.
Photo shows Juan Fangio
winning the 1950 Son Romo
Grand Prix. (Road & hack;
courtesy American Model
Raceways)
1950 ALFA ROMEO TYPE 158/159
GRAND PRIX CAR
The Alfa Romeo Type 158/159, although winning the World Championship in 1950
and 1951. is considered to be the best of the pre-war or vintage racing ears. It raced
first in 1938. In its fourteen years of racing, it achieved one of the most remarkable
records in history. It won 36 major races. In 1950 alone, this Alfa won eleven of the
eleven races entered. The supercharged, straight eight engine was only 1-1/2 liters
and was originally designed to produce 180 horsepower. By 1951, it was producing
-120 horsepower from the same engine size! The car was a true, classic design with
its big wire wheels, long louvered hood, and an upright driving position. Alfa retired
from Grand Prix racing when they won the 1951 Championship.
Specifications
Wheelbase: 98.6 inches
Track Width: Front/Rea: 49.3/50.2
Over-all Length: 169 inches
Over-all Width: Not Available
Front Tires: 6.00 x 18
Rear Tires: 7.00 x 18
NUMBER	DRIVER(S)	RACE	FINISHED	COLOR AND DETAIL NOTES
18	Fangio	San Remo GP ‘50	Won	All red with white numbers. Pictured above.
4	Fangio	French GP '50	Won	Same as #18 but with yellow band around grill. Model pictured.
2	Farina	British GP 'SO	Won	Same as к18 above. RT 4/65(color), RT 3/65
1	Farina	Silverstone	Won (Daily Express) '50		Same as #18 above. RT 4/65(color)
2	Fangio	Silverstone 50		(Same car color won Swiss GP 'SO) Same paint as #4 above. Partial cover over grill, additional black band around grill. RC 1/65, RT 4/65(color)
PLANS: Road Лг, Track. Match 1965, 1/24 scale
Model Makers Plan Service, •‘•‘MM/490, 1/32 scale
204
FIG 187 The model: MRRC of
Englond's femolemolded, dear plastic
body painted ond detailed on
the inside
ALFA ROMEO 158/159
Assemble the MRRC four-wheel drive chassis exactly as outlined in the instructions.
You must know how everything functions before you can modify it to the Alfa Romeo
158/159 specifications. This is a very different chassis that ma) just Stimulate your
imagination to try other 1/32 scale, four-wheel drive chassis of your own design. The
/Vila Romeo is a smaller car than the Mercedes the MRRC chassis was designed to fit.
Disassemble the front steering assembly, and replace it in the second hole back to
give a 3-1/16" wheelbase. The motor shaft and spacer will have to be shortened 3/8"
also. File off 1/16" from each of the front spindle bearings to narrow the front track
from 1-5/8" to 1-1/2". Replace the rear axle and wheels with Auto Hobbies’ 3-48
threaded ones, and adjust the rear track to 1-1/2". Each end of the axle will have to
be shortened 3/16". Cut down the original rear wheels to serve as wheel inserts.
Bill of Materials
CHASSIS:
MRRC (of England) 4-wheel drive chassis
kit w/motor, gears, pickup, front wheels,
and front steering
Auto Hobbies #AH302 rear wheels 3-48
thread
Auto Hobbies # AH 108—3/32" x 1-3/4"
axle 3-48 thread with nuts
Monogram #SR1003 rear tires (7/8")
V.I.P. small front tires
BODY;
MRRC Alfa Romeo 158/159 (female-molded
dear plastic)
Auto Hobbies #AH707W numbers and decals
Russkit Alfa Romeo decal
Merit exhaust pipe and clover decals
(from 1/24 scale Alfa Romeo 158 display
kit)
Ulrich Mini Man driver
FIG. 188 The chasm: Tho MRRC
1/32 Mole chatsil I» the only
ono with both steering front
wheels ond four-wheel drive.
10
Advanced Tuning
and Hop-Up Procedures
I'HE PARALLEL between Full-size automobile racing
and miniature automobile racing extends even to many of the procedures
used to increase the performance of the cars. Every part of the car, from
the tires to the body, must be investigated to see what modifications can
be made to give you an edge over vour competition. Unfortunately for
vou, your competition always seems to have the same idea. So, advanced
tuning procedures have become pretty much standard practice to win in
organized competition!
Currently, organized model car racing falls into two basic categories:
the commercial raceway centers and the private clubs. The commercial
raceways hold organized races for 1/24 scale cars on large, six- to eight-
lane tracks with lap lengths averaging between 150' and 300'. The organ-
ized races held by private clubs are primarily for 1 32 scale cars on shorter
tracks of about 40' to 100' per lap. Obvious! v, the corners have a larger
radius and the straights are longer on the 1/24 scale tracks than they are
on the 1/32 scale tracks, but you can race both scales on either track.
Scale Differences
The difference in the sizes of the tracks results primarily from the size of
the cars. You begin to loose sight of a I 32 scale car on a 300' track, and
a 1/24 scale car is really too large for a 50' track. Conversely, the size of
the track also influences the design of the car. You will find that both 1/24
and 1/32 scale cars put in about the same lap times on a small 50' track.
A car larger than 1/32 scale is of little advantage here. Bigger cars do,
however, have a distinct advantage on the large 1 24 scale tracks. The
1/24 scale car is definitely faster than the 1/32 scale on a 300' track. Gcn-
206
'/ъг SCALE CAR
'/24 SCALE CAR
erally, cars in both scales use the same motors and power supply so their
top speed and acceleration should be, and usually is, equal. A 1/24 scale
car must, then, be able to corner faster than a 1/32 scale car. But why?
Theory of Handling
Before you can fully understand what to do to improve the handling of
a model car, you must know why it comers as it does. The speed of a
model car through a corner is limited by how much pressure you can place
on the pickup shoe before it comes out of the slot, and by the amount of
traction Ihe tires have. When you increase the traction to a certain point,
the car corners so fast that the pickup is literally yanked out of the slot.
The tracks used for 1 32 scale cars have much sharper turns than the 1 24
scale tracks. These tight, small radius corners limit the maximum speed on
any size car. but the well-prepared 1/32 scale ear will run through the
corners at a speed fast enough to almost yank the pickup out of the slot.
The 1/24 scale car, trying to navigate such a small radius turn at the same
speed, will deslot for those reasons.
The commercial tracks have corners with much larger radiuses and,
in addition, the corners are often banked so that centrifugal force also
helps to keep the pickup in the slot. A car can run through a larger radius
turn much faster. The advantages of a larger car here is apparent.
Figure 189 shows the relative difference in width between a 1/32 scale
car and a 1/24 scale car or. if you prefer, between a small 1 24 scale car
and a large L/24 scale car. The force that ultimately pries the pickup out
of the slot. if. of course, the rear tires don’t slip and allow the car to spin
out tail first, is the force that causes the car to roll over. As the car starts
to roll, the pickup is pried from the slot. This action is an application of
the ’‘lever” principle. The force that is trying to roll the car is. in effect,
being applied from the outside of the car on the outside of the corner. The
weight of the car, primarily that of the motor, is resisting this rolling force
207
to hold the car on the track. When the car begins a roll, it rocks on the
outside edge of the tires (on the outside edge of the curve) just before
it rolls. By increasing the distance between the center of gravity on the car
(the motor) and the outside edge of the tire, we increase the leverage
holding the car on the track. It will then take a greater force to even start
to rock the car enough to pry the pickup out of the slot and allow the car
to roll.
By increasing the weight of the car. we can also increase its resistance
to roll if the weight is placed low enough. Extra weight, however, also has
a very important disadvantage. It tends to make the car spin out easier.
Figure 190 shows the relative layout of a model racing car. When a car
speeds through a corner, the centrifugal force tries to swing the entire car
out so that it pivots around the “flag pivot” location. The heavier the car,
the greater the centrifugal force. With the centrifugal force trying to spin
the car around the pickup, it would logically follow that the weight of the
car should be as close to the pickup as possible. Remember though, the
only thing that keeps the car from swinging out is the traction of the rear
tires. It takes a certain amount of weight at the rear tires to achieve maxi-
mum traction.
The over-all width of the car is the major factor that prevents the car
from rolling. When a car starts to roll, you would assume that the traction
is reduced, since only one tire is on the track. Because of the weight trans-
fer, the traction is not reduced to only half as you might expect. If the
outside tire has enough traction, you may even increase the traction to (he
point where the car will roll. There are some experienced model car build-
208
ers and drivers who spend about half of the time in the corners with only
the two outside wheels firmly on the track'
it has been proven, through experiments across the country, that the
center of gravity on a model car, in cither 1/24 or 1/32 scale, should be
somewhere between the center of the car and about 50 to 60 per cent
toward the rear. Figure 61 in Chapter 5 indicates this as the point of bal-
ance on the car. The shaded weight location in Figure 61 suggests you add
weight only to the rear of the car. As you reach the advanced stages of
tuning, this is not always the best, particularly in 1/24 .scale. Il is extremely
easy to concentrate too much weight at the rear of a 1 24th car. If you do,
you have, two choices to correct it. Either shift the motor (always the
greatest mass of weight) forward, or add weight to the front of the car.
Sidewinders
Now, if you go out and balance almost any 1 21 scale sidewinder car,
you’ll find that the majority have more than 60 per cent of the weight on
the rear. So, why are sidewinders so popular? There are two reasons. First,
the track design itself. On a track with all banked corners or most of the
corners banked, a sidewinder is good because it increases the rear traction.
The banking helps to keep the pickup in the slot and the rear of the car
from spinning out, so you can effectively increase the weight over the rear
wheels to almost 70 per cent if the tracks you race on feature banked
comers. The second reason for using a sidewinder, even if the corners are
not banked, is that this style of chassis is effective in concentrating most
of the car’s weight over the wheels or close to them rather than in the cen-
ter of the car as with an in-line chassis. A sidewinder chassis plus enough
weight over the front axle to get the 50 to 60 per cent rear balance is
excellent. You do have the disadvantage of a slightly heavier car, but the
efficiency of the sidewinder gears should offset the weight.
Weight Balance
There is a very delicate balance between the over-all length (from the
pickup to the rear axle) and the over-all width of the car. If the pickup
is too far forward, the car has too much centrifugal force in the comer,
and it will spin out. If the pickup is too far back, it is easier for the car to
roll. The force causing the car to roll is constantly being counteracted b\
the force causing it to spin out. 1 am assuming, for the moment, that you
are getting the ultimate in traction from the tires, that the center of
gravity of the car is as low as possible, and that the car, in both cases, has
the same weight distribution when cither the pickup pivot or over-all
width is changed.
209
Take another look at Figure 190. The contact edges of the tires are
labeled “C” and the pickup pivot location is shown. Measure the distance
from the pickup pivot to the rear axle center, and also measure the over-all
width of the rear tires at their contact points. By dividing the pickup phot
length (dimension P) by the over-all tire width (dimension W), I have
arrived at a pickup-to-width ratio that must be maintained for an\ car in
any scale if it is to handle well. This ratio must fall somewhere between
.60 anti .70.
I’ll give you a prime example of this so you can try it yourself. The
Cobra roadster in Chapter 8 is a car with a relatively wide, rear width as
compart'd to its length. If you build this car as I outlined, using the Cox
sidewinder chassis, axles, anti wheels with the short #9239 Cox drop arm,
you’ll have a 1-1/4" pickup length (P) and a 2-5/8" over-all rear-width
at the tire edge (W). By dividing 2-5/8 by 4-1 4 you get a ratio of about
.62. With the stock Cox drop arm, the pickup length (P) is 4-1/4" and
the ratio wotdd be .58. This chassis, however, is a sidewinder and is best
on banked tracks, so you may get by with the .58 ratio.
On the same Cobra with the Cox frame, you could substitute a different
rear axle to increase the over-all tire width (dimension \V) to 2-3/4". You
could also fit the Cox drop arm from their 1/32 scale chassis, or make your
ow n, to bring the pickup closer to the front axle. This would give you a
pickup-lo-rear-axle distance (dimension P) of only 4". With both of these
modifications, the W/P ratio would be about .69, which is very near the
maximum!
You can try various pickup locations and tire widths to determine which
is best for you. Keep in mind that the type of track (short, long, banked,
or flat), the weight distribution of the car (50 to 60 per cent or more on
the rear wheels), and the type of tire (hard or soft), will all affect the
handling, so you’ll have to experiment a little to sec which W P ratio is
best for any particular car.
By combining the information from Figures 189 and 190, we begin to
get a complete picture of the various forces that affect car performance.
You can sec why the larger car, in cither 1 24 or 1/32 scale, handles better.
The amount of leverage required to roll it (Fig. 189) or to spin it (Fig.
190) becomes greater when you increase the width at the rear wheels and
the pickup length within the .60 to .70 W P ratio. Just how large you go
will depend on your choice of cars, the scale, and whatever rules are in
effect where you race. Generally, 1/32 scale cars are limited to 2-3/8"
maximum over-all width and 1/24 scale cars to 3-1/4" maximum over-all
width. You may wonder why anyone would bother with a smaller car
than this.
210
Smaller Cars
When you take these maximum widths into consideration, the reasons
become apparent. The 2-3/8" converts to about 76 scale inches for I 32
scale and the 3-1/4" converts to about 78 scale inches for 1/21 scale. If
you examine the specifications for the narrowest of the full size racing
cars in this book, the TR3 Triumph, you’ll find that it is 56" wide. It is 22",
or about 28 per cent, narrower than the widest car in this book, the Chapar-
ral 2, which is 73" wide. If both model cars were prepared by an experi-
enced modeler, the Chaparral would definitely corner faster. The Triumph,
however, is not in the same class as the Chaparral in full-size racing, and
there is no reason for it to be in model racing. (Chap. 15 will give you
some suggestions on special racing classes.)
Lowering the Center of Gravity
The diagrams in Figures 189 and 190 clarify the difference between
1/24 and 1/32 scale cars. You can see why a 1/32 car cannot compete with
a 1 24. You should also, by this time, be able to imagine why both I 32
and 1/24 cars should weigh about the same. If you can give a 1 32 scale
car traction equal to a 1 24 and, at the same time, help to counteract its
greater tendency to roll, it will handle better. A 1 32 scale car will natural!}
be lighter than a 1/24 because it is smaller. By adding the brass pan, you
get the same amount of weight over the tires, and the low-mounted weight
makes it more difficult for the 1/32 car to roll in the corners.
The smallest-diameter scale tires for 1 24 scale still allow quite a bit of
room between the track and the bottom of the motor as shown in Figure
189. You can lower the center ol gravity to increase their speed through
the corners b\ lowering the motor, in a sidewinder chassis, this is quite
simple. Just move the axle up. On an in-line chassis, hypoid crown gears or
hypoid bevel gears will do the job. You could run undersize tires to simply
lower the whole car. This, obviously, would lower the center of gravity too,
but the car’s appearance would suffer since the smaller tires would be out
of proportion to the over-all size of the car.
You can also lower the center of gravity by reducing the amount of
weight mounted above the chassis. A Dremel motor tool, as shown in Fig-
ure 191, can be used to grind away the inside of the injection-molded
bodies. Grind carefully, and hold the motor tool and the body tightly.
You can tell how thin you are getting the body by holding it up to a strong
light as you grind. By using this method, you can reduce the weight of an
injection-molded body to that of a vacuum-formed clear plastic.
Another trick to reduce body weight is to replace the injection-molded
windows and cockpit area with new, thinner, and lighter units vacuum-
formed over the originals in a toy Mattel Vac-U-Form machine. If you like
211
FIG. 191 Injeclionmald^d bodioi con
be lightened to о» little o$ half
their original weight by grinding
down the thickness of the plattic with
о Dremel motor tool.
injection-molded plastic bodies, the Mattel Vac-U-Form kit is a worth-
while investment. You can also use it to duplicate wheel inserts or to make
cockpit covers (or clear plastic bodies.
Front Tires
The front tires perform two functions on all model race cars. They
definitely help to keep the car traveling in a straight line, without it “fish-
tailing,'’ down the straights. In a corner, they do their part to keep the car
from rolling over. They are also a part of the reason that drop-arm pickup-
mounts are often a necessity on 1/24 scale cars. When spaced widely, as
they should be to get an accurate 1/24 scale track width, they will pry
the pickup out of the slot quicker than if they were closer together. The
drop pickup-arm lets the pickup Slav in the slot longer after the car has
started to roll, often long enough for it to settle back to a more stable position
without deslotting. The front tires have very little steering force since the
car is usually sliding or drifting through the corners rather than following
a true arc. For this reason, the pickup-actuated steering-units such as Lind-
berg’s, Coxs, or MRRCs, seem to have little or no value. The front tires
on a 1/24 scale car should, in fact, be quite hard-surfaced to provide
minimum traction or steering. Coating a soft, wide, front tire with clear
lacquer to harden it will almost always improve the handling of the car.
The hard, rubber tires found in I 25 scale display models make excellent
1/24 scale front tires if you can pry them onto the wheels.
Front axle-assemblies that are “spring loaded” to carry a portion of
the weight of the car, will often help the handling of a 1 24 scale ear
212
as well as the hard front tires. The most successful method is to hinge
the center of the front axle so that with the car on the track and the
pickup in the slot you can lilt one front wheel or the other without moving
the rest of the car. At this point, the entire weight ol the front ol the car
rests on the pickup. The front wheels do not contribute any thing to keep
the car from rolling. When the car rolls, Ihe wheel and half of the axle
swing up and allow it to roll on over. You can add the spring to this
hinged front axle by soldering a single, fine, piano-wire brace from behind
one wheel to the front frame, and then behind the other. The spring
should be heavy enough to support the total weight of the front of the
car (about one ounce) and light enough so that the total weight of the
car (about three ounces) will move the axle. It will take some experi-
menting with piano wire, soldering points, etc., to get just exactly the
right amount of spring. Model airplane shops carry the piano wire.
Dynamic Model’s new “sprung” independent front-axle. #586. follows
this idea exactly. It may he wiser, if you’re new at the game, to trv this
unit first before you think about making your own. You can also modify
Dynamic’s #584 independent front-end by filing out the bracket so the
axles sw ing up and down, and adding your own piano w ire. Spring it to
suit your car. The Dynamic units use I 16" axles, so if vou don't have
the proper wheels, you’ll have to bush yours with I 16" inside-diameter.
Perfect tubing.
The small radius corners on the, 1 32 scale tracks require a different
type of front tire and wheel arrangement. When the corners are tight,
a model car travels in more of a true arc through them. Here, front tires
with a certain amount of traction will help the car to corner faster. The
front tires supplied with Monogram and Resell I 32 scale kits offer ideal
traction if they arc cleaned regularly. You don’t need quite as much trac-
tion as at the rear. In 1 32 scale, .steering front-ends seem to have little
value either. The only car that reallx benefits is one with four-wheel drive,
such as the MRRC chassis in Chapter 9, where the front wheels arc
actually helping to pull the car through the corner.
You will find that many I 32 scale cars, hut certainly not all, will bene-
fit from the use of independently rotating front wheels. I can find no
advantage in bending “camber’ (tops or bottoms of opposite tires arc
closer together) or “toe out’’ (front edges of the tires arc further apart
than the rear) tire set-ups. Some claim it helps their cars. You might give
it a try . However, the most noticeable benefit comes from simply allow-
ing each front wheel to rotate independently.
W hen 1 refer to 1 32 scale cars and 1 32 scale courses, please remember
that many of the 1/32 scale timing facts apply equally to smaller 1/24
scale cars that race on tracks with relatively small comers (say 12"
to 24" radiuses for a point of reference).
213
Further Modifications
You can build a very competitive car that is a precise scale duplicate
of the real thing, like all of the cars presented here. Or you can build a
slightlv faster and better handling car by stretching things a bit with
ultra-small and extra-wide tires, an extra-long pickup arm. and extra-wide
track width. You can improve the handling of a racer even further by not
making an exact-scale duplicate of some full-size car.
However, most serious model road racers are interested in continuing
to race miniature automobiles that look exactly like full-size cars, and
I’ll assume you are too. Further modifications, from this point on, will be
made with this idea in mind. (Before you proceed too far along with
changes to your car, though, vou had better check the modification rules
that are in effect where you race; they arc as important in model car
tuning as they are for their “big brother” racers.)
Eliminating Vibration
All of the modifications you can make to a model car will do little good
if the car tries to hop down the track. It must roll under all conditions,
and it must roll smoothly. Tire hop must be eliminated completely. Chap-
ters 2 and 5 cover the methods of mounting and sanding tires so that they
are perfectly round and free from wobble. There are, however, other less
obvious things that will cause the tires to hop. Most stem from motor
and gear vibration. All of the rotating parts of a model car—the motor,
gears, and wheels—must be balanced to eliminate vibrations.
Two razor blades bolted to an aluminum bracket or a block of wood
can serve as a balancing table for all model car parts. Be sure that both
blades are new anil free from any nicks, and mount them perfectly level.
To balance a motor armature, place it on the blades as shown, and roll
it along three or four times, letting it coast to a stop. Each time it stops,
make a different mark on the portion that is down toward the table.
You’ll find the marks always in the same area. This is the heavy side of
the armature. Use a 1/8" drill to drill out the center of this heavy “pole”
about 1/16". Repeat the rolling, marking, and drilling until the armature
stops rolling in any position. It is then balanced.
It will also pay to balance the rear axle, gear, and wheel-and-tirc assem-
bly. Be sure the gears and tires arc well broken-in and round. Remove
them from the car, and reassemble only the gear on the center of the axle.
Place the axle and gear on the razor-blade balancing table and repeat the
procedure used to balance the armature. Add one wheel and tire to the
axle/gear assembly and balance it. Then, add the other and balance.
Mark the positions of the two wheels and tires and the gear by drawing
214
FIG 192 Two rotor blodet
mounted parallel to one onolber
ond abwlutely level, con 4*rve
os a ' balancing table" lor
armatures, gears, wheels, and tires.
a single chalk line across each. Disassemble and replace them in the car
with the three chalk marks lined up. You can repeat the same process
with the front axle, wheels, and tires. It’s a lengthy procedure, but just
another example of how far you must go for maximum performance.
Now is a good time to also check the motor mounting and rear axle
brackets. Be absolutely certain that the motor cannot Hex in the chassis and
that the axle bracket cannot Hex. If it docs, solder on braces or replace it
with a stronger bracket. If either the motor or the rear axle bracket
moves when the car is accelerating, the gear mesh will vary from tight
to loose. This can be a source of mysterious axle hop.
The Silastic method of gluing the motor and rear axle bracket to tho
chassis, outlined in Chapter 9. is almost a must for 1 32 scale cars. You'll
find the greatest improvement on tracks where there are small radius
curves such as some chicane sections.
Check the car on a testing block to be sure the pickup braid is soft
enough not to lift the front of the car. Again, take a close look at the
photos and drawings in Chapter 5 to gel the pickup shoe, pickup brushes,
and front wheels properly adjusted.
You can now test-run the chassis at racing speeds on the track. If you’ve
followed every point, you will have no wheel hop at all. If. by chance, you
still have some wheel hop, try a harder tire.
215
CUTAWAY VIEW
NORMAL BODY
MOUNTING METHOD
NORMAL BODY, PAN. ANO CHASSIS ASSEM-
BLY TELEGRAPHS ANO AMPLIFIES ALL
MOTOR, GEAR ANO PICKUP SHOE VIBRA-
TIONS TO TIRES
CUTAWAY VIEW
LOOSE BODY ISOLATES BODY FROM
MOST MOTOR CHASSIS ANO PICKUP
shoe v brations but body still
RESTS ON PAN ALLOWING SOME VIBRA-
TION TO BE TELEGRAPHED TO TIRES
FIG. 194
FIG 193
Body "Tuning"
You can now mount the body to the chassis and try out the complete
car. You will almost always find that the car does no* handle as well with
the body as it did without. Obviously, the body will make lhe car some-
what more top-heavy. It docs, however, adversely affect the car’s per-
formance for a different reason. Vibration! Often, you'll find that the addi-
tion of a body will actually be the cause of rear tire hop.
Figure 193 shows a body mounted to a chassis tightly, the way all of
the kit instructions and most articles direct. This particular diagram is
most like a 1/32 scale car with brass pan and an injection-molded body.
The principle applies to all types of chassis, in both 1 32 and I 24 scale,
and vacuum-formed clear plastic bodies as well as injection-molded bodies.
This is not the way to mount the body on a true competition car.
Figure 194 shows the best method of mounting the body on 1.24 scale
cars where no brass pan weight is required. Here the bods is loose on lhe
chassis. No matter how well you balance all the rotating components of a
model car chassis, they will still vibrate somewhat. When the body is
mounted tightly to the chassis, these vibrations are carried into it, and it
acts like a drum to amplify these vibrations to even larger proportions.
These vibrations are carried through the body, back to the chassis, and
onto the rear tires. When a rear tire—or a front tire for that matter—
vibrates, it bounces. When the tires bounce, the car hops, and whatever
perfect tuning or balancing vou may have done is completely wasted.
Often the car will not hop until vou an* trying Io get that Iasi ounce of
speed in a corner, and on I of th<‘ slot vou go.
216
FIG. >95 In injection-molded bodies,
4-40 oxle set screws Allen $:iews)
con be screwed into the mounting
posts so the mounting screws will
bottom tightly against them. This allows
the body to be mounted loosely
without falling oR the chassis
(SOO te*t;.
The problem is to mount the hods to the chassis loosely and yet still
keep it from falling off. You can simplx loosen the bodx mounting screws
and epoxy them in place, leasing about I 32" inch to 1 64" of clearance
between the chassis and the body mount. Here, though, vou must apply
new epoxy even time you remove the body. Hardly a practical idea.
Figure 195 shows the best method for “loose" mounting injection-molded
bodies. Thread a 1-10 Allen screw into the bodx mounting post with an
Allen wrench. Thread the Allen screw in far enough so that when the
body mounting screw is threaded in. it will jam tightly against the top of
the Allen screw, leaving the 1 32" to 1 64" space between the body and
the mounting post. You’ll have to remove the bodx screw to readjust the
depth of the Allen screw until you get exactly the right amount of clear-
ance. The body must literally rattle around on the chassis, but it also
must be held from rocking over onto either front or rear tires, ft will
actually just rest on the chassis. When the chassis x ibrates, it will do so
completely independent lx from the bodv.
You may have to file out the body mounting holes so that they don’t
hang up on the threads of the body mounting screxv. If the sound ol the
body rattling around the chassis bothers vou. be comforted by the thought
that the car is handling better because of it—that rattling sound used
to be tire hop. Do not attempt to silence it by fitting rubber washers
under the head of the body mounting screw or between the body and the
chassis. You’ll defeat the purpose of the whole idea. On a clear plastic
body, #2 or #4 self-tapping screws can be used, held tightlx with Plio-
bond, to provide the 1/32" to I 64" clearance between the body and the
chassis.
Figure 196 is by far the best method of body mounting for 1/32 scale
cars and smaller 1 24 scale ears where a pan is added to the bottom of
the chassis to lower the center of gravity. With this method, the pan is
mounted so that it is free to rattle under the chassis 1/64". The bodx is
mounted tightly to the pan. This is especially practical xvhen a clear
plastic body is used, because the body, mounted at the bottom to tabs
217
CUTAWAY VIEW
BEST BODY
MOUNTING METHOD
LOOSE PAN WITH BODY FIRMLY ATTACHED
HANGS BELOW CHASSIS TO VIRTUALLY
ISOLATE BODY FROM ALL MOTOR, GEAR
ANO PICKUP VIBRATIONS WEIGHT OF LOW
PAN ALSO HELPS TO DAMPEN OUT ANY
VIBRATIONS THAT 00 REACH BODY
FIG. 196
soldered to the pan, is held securely. If only the screws are loose, as in
rigure 194, the holes in the clear plastic body eventually become enlarged,
and the body is ruined. B\ mounting a clear plastic body tightly to the
pan, the mounting holes in the body never get the chance to work loose.
The heavy weight of the pan keeps the body suspended under the chassis
since it is attached firmly to the pan. With a conventional, tight body-
mount or a loose body as in Figure 194, the body is resting on top of the
chassis. In Figure 19(5 the weight is suspended under the chassis. The
practical effect is that the weight of the pan tends to absorb what vibra-
tions do reach the body, and the weight shift of the body moving in the
corners is minimized. The 1 32 scale Lotus 19 in Chapter 9 will give you
further ideas for mounting a “loose” pan.
The way to win is to get the entire body/chassis running silky smooth
at all times, whether cornering, accelerating, or stopping. Always balance
all the moving parts. Be sure the pickup is securely mounted so that it
merely pivots as it is supposed to and does not lean from side to side.
The axle and motor must also be a solid unit so that gear mesh is con-
sistent under all conditions.
I have given you the three methods of isolating vibration from the
chassis and body. (The Silastic-mounted motor in Chapter 9 keeps the
motor and gear vibrations from being amplified by the body.) The fol-
lowing are the various methods by which these ideas can be most effec-
tively combined for a vibration-free car that will handle as well as pos-
sible under all conditions. I’ll assume that you have already balanced all
rotating parts and completely “trued” all four tires.
218
CHART OF PREFERABLE BODY/CHASS1S
ASSEMBLY TECHNIQUE:
Best Handling 1. Silastic-mounted motor gear unit
Combination:	2. Loose pan under chassis
3. Body fastened tightly to loose pan (Fig. 196)
Goon Handling 1. Silastic-mounted motor/gcar unit
Combination: 2. Tightly mounted pan. or no pan at all
3. Body free to rattle on chassis (Fig. 191)
Good Handling 1. Motor/gear unit mounted rigidly to frame
Combination: 2. Loose pan under chassis
3. Body fastened tightly to loose pan (Fig. 196)
Fair Handling	I. Silastic mounted motor unit
Combination:	2. Tightly mounted pan, or no pan at all
3. Body fastened tightly to chassis (Fig. 193)
Fair Handling 1. Motor gear unit mounted rigidly to frame
Combination:	2. Tightly mounted pan, or no pan at all
3. Body free to rattle on chassis (Fig. 194)
Poor Handling 1. Motor gear unit mounted rigidly to frame
Combination:	2. Tighth mounted pan, or no pan at all
3. Body fastened tightly to chassis (Fig. 193)
More Speed
This chapter is supposed to tell you how to improve the speed of your
cars. Yet, so far, it has only discussed methods to improve the cornering
ability of your cars. This was done purposely. Frankly, 1 hope it will
influence your thoughts about what a "fast" model car may be. You can
win more races and have a more enjoyable car to drive if you stay away
from the "hot’ 6-volt or 4-1 2-volt motors until you have learned to drive
and tunc your model cars like an expert. If you follow and apply the
tuning techniques that 1 have presented up until now, you’ll have more
success in racing than any of the motor-speed modifications will ever give
you! It can be a tough pill to swallow when you think racing means all-out
speed and then find it doesn’t. Racing to win means keeping your car in
the slot while traveling at the fastest possible speed. You simply do not
have to have any more speed than a Revell SP80, Сох TTX150, KTM
6-volt, Strombecker Heini 300 or 400, or any 6- to 9-volt rated motor. To
go beyond this power morels invites more wheelspin on acceleration and
makes you brake sooner for the corners. Get the ear to handle, really
handle, first!
Learn the techniques for obtaining the optimum performance from a
stock motor before you try to modify it for grcatei speed (Chap. 7 ex-
plains them in detail). In short, you’ll want to find the direction in which
it revolves the fastest, break it in properly, polish and true the commu-
219
tator, and adjust the brush tension for the greatest speed. Silver, and part
silver, blushes are non available lor most motors. If you can get them,
use them; the) require less amperage and the motor runs faster with
less chance of the commutator “packing up” or shorting out. (The carbon
and copper motor brushes, supplied in even stock motor, will wear off
in dust or powder. This metallic powder collects in the insulated gaps
between the meta) commutator segments. When these gaps arc completely
filled, or packed up. a short circuit results. This overheats the motor,
melting the insulation, and if not noticed quickly enough, the motor is
ruined.) You may want to use masking tape to shim the magnets closer
to the armature on the tin-can motors. This will improve the "braking”
force of the motor, which in turn, will help the car stop faster.
After the magnets have been shimmed and the motor installed in the
chassis, the greatest improvement should be noted when you apply "dy-
namic” brakes at the end of the straight. A motor with shimmed magnets
should always stop the car sooner. Take particular note of the way the car
accelerates now. Often shimming will cause the motor to produce too
much instant power. This will result in pronounced rear wheel spin which,
in turn, will residt in poor acceleration and handling. A lot depends on
the size of the track, the car’s gear ratio, and you; so try it out. You may
want to remove the shims.
The Champion hcav v-dut\ Arco 33 magnets for 261). 500, anil 600 scries
Mabuchi motors are necessarx for optimum performance with anv replace-
ment or rewound armature rated at 3 volts or less. All 261) style, 3-volt.
Mabuchi motors have their own type of heavy-dut) magnets; however.
Champion's offer a noticeable improvement.
Replacement Armatures
Your safest and best bet for more speed from a Mabuchi. or anv other
motor, is to replace the armature with one that has been rewound at the
factory to produce more speed within the motor. Pittman, Strombccker,
К & В, Wilson, Ram, Classic, Revell, and Monogram all offer replacement
armatures that are faster than those you’ll find in stock “off the shelf”
motors. Fhe Classic, Revell, К & В, and Monogram armatures arc available
in two sizes to fit the 300, 500, and 600 series Mabuchi motors. These, and
the other brands, can often be used to replace armatures from different
brands of motors. If you’re not sure which replacement armature you’ll
need for your motor, you can take your motor with you when you buy
the replacement.
The following chart lists the replacement armatures for the popular
Mabuchi motors with the rated voltage (see Chap. 1) and a recom-
mendation of what anil where to use them. The Classic, Revell and Mono-
gram armatures can only be used when you want the pinion gear on the
220
magnet encl of the motor, opposite the brushes. The other brands arc used
when you want the gear on the "brush" end of the motor.
Strombecker offers their Hemi 300 and Hemi 400 motors in kit form
with complete instructions on rewinding the armature. Additional rewind-
ing instructions are furnished with the Siincxi brand of armature rewinding
wire. A few additional pointers will help you over the rough spots of
rewinding.
REPLACEMENT ARMATURES FOR MABUCHI MOTORS
Motor Site	ARMATURES TO ALLOW		PINION GEAR ON .MAGNET END OF MOTOR				Scale
			Number of Turns	IFire Size	Recommended Minimum:		
	Armature Brand	Voltage Rating			Track Length	Power Supply	
SOO	Classic	3-volt	60	30	300' plus	battery	1/24
Series	Monogram	3-volt	60	30	300' plus	battery	1/24
	Classic	4^6-volt	75	31	200'plus	trans-	1/24,
						former	1/32
	Monogram	4*6-volt	75	31	200' plus	trans-	1/24,
						former	1/32
	Revell	4 "6-volt	75	31	200 'plus	trans-	1/24,
						former	1/32
	Classic	6-volt	90	32	100 ' plus	trans-	1/24,
						former	1/32
	Monogram	6-volt	90	32	100' plus	trans-	1/24,
						former	1/32
300	Only the 6-volt armatures		above are i	recommended and then only		for	
Series	100 or longer	tracks.					
600	Classic	3-volt	60	28	300' plus	battery	1/24
Series	Monogram	3-volt	60	28	300' plus	battery	1/24
	Classic	4‘A-volt	75	29	200 ' plus	trans- former	1/24
	Monogram	4^ volt	75	28	200' plus	trans- former	1/24
	Revell	4>/j-volt	75	29	200' plus	trans-	1/24
				approx.		former	
	Classic-	6-volt	90	30	100' plus	trans- former	1/24
	Monogram	6-voit	90	30	100 ' plus	trans-	1/24
former
ARMATURES TO ALLOW PINION GEAR ON PLASTIC “BRUSH” END OF MOTOR
Recommended Minimum:
Motor Size	Anna tore Brand	Voltage Rating	Number ot Turns	IFire Size	Track Length	Power Supply	Scale
500	К & В	3-volt	60	30	300' plus	battery	1/24
Series	К & В	6-volt	90	32	100 ' plus	trans- former	1/24, 1/32
	К & В	8-volt	110	33	Any track	trans- former	1/24, 1/32
	К & В	9-volt	130	35	Any track	trans- former	1/24, 1/32
300 Series	Only the 6-,	8-, or 9-volt are recommended				trans- former	1/24. 1/32
600	К & В	3-volt	60	28	300' plus	battery	1/24
Senes	К & В	6-volt	90	30	100' plus	trans- former	1/24
	К & В	8-volt	110	30 approx.	Any track	trans- former	1/24
	К & В	9-volt	no	31	Any track	trans- former	1/24
NOTE: Many other styles of motors can be modified to accept these armatures. However,
the new 26D style Mabuchi takes only its own diameter armature.
Dewinding and Rewinding
The model racing-car manufacturers must produce cat kits that can be
assembled and raced by even a “first-time" enthusiast. In addition to
being easy to assemble, these kits must be reliable, or the manufacturer’s
reputation will suffer. Generally speaking, the faster a motor turns, the
more current it draws, the hotter it gets, and the more likely it is to fail.
As a consequence, the manufacturer must temper his desire for a fast
car, or motor, with the thought that it must also be reliable. However,
all of the companies are getting braver with their motors. You may have
noticed that the Mabuchi motors that came with the early Kevell and
Monogram kits, for example, are much, much slower than the ones avail-
able now! With a little effort on your part and a little gambling nerve,
even the fastest of the newer motors can be made faster yet.
Before you decide to tinker with your motor, you’re going to have to
decide how badly you want to win. The dewinding or rewinding proce-
dure will more than likely burn up, or cook, or short out at least one, or
maybe more, of the motors you rework. This procedure takes a little skill
and a lot of experience working with your types of cars, tracks, and power
supply to prove successful every time. Yet the reward for your efforts
may be the fastest car on the track!
Before you can talk intelligently about model car motors, you’ll need to
know and understand a few terms. We’ll refer to them constantly in these
examples. Learn them now and save yourself confusion later. The draw-
ings in Chapter I (Fig. 8) and Chapter 7 (Fig. 120) show the different
style motors and their components.
Armature: All of the internal parts of the motor that revolve when you
apply electric current to the motor brushes. The armature in-
cludes the armature shaft, commutator, armature poles, and the
armature windings.
Armature Shaft: The steel rod that protrudes out the end of the motor.
The armature rotates with the armature shaft.
Armature Windings: The rows of small copper wires that are wound around
the armature poles. Each armature pole is wound with a single
piece of copper wire.
Commutator: The round copper tube on the armature that the motor
brushes ride on. This tube always has three, five, or seven slots
running lengthwise. A three-pole motor has three slots, a five-
pole has five slots and a seven-pole has seven slots in the
commutator.
Commutator Segments: The solid areas of copper between the slots on
the commutator. Small copper tabs are formed on the ends of
these commutator segments and the armature windings are
soldered to these tabs.
222
Turns: The number of times the copper armature windings are wound
complete)) around the armature poles. Each pole has the same
number ol turns.
The electrical current Hows through the armature windings to produce
an electro-magnetic field. It is this field working with lhe motor magnet
that forces lhe motor to revoke. The more electrical current you apply
the faster the armature resolves!
There are two ways you can increase lhe amount of electrical current
that Hows through the armature windings. The first, obviously, is to in-
crease the amount of electrical current to lhe motor. Any armature will
revoke faster on 18 volts than it will on 12! The second method of
increasing lhe amount of electrical current flowing through the armature
wires is to lower the resistance of the wires themselves. A short piece of
wire will have less resistance to the How of electrical current than a long
piece. Ami, a large wire will have less resistance than a small one.
You should now be able to draw some conclusions of your own. Briefly,
then, you can make your motors faster by reducing the length of the arma-
ture wire, by increasing the size of lhe wire, or both.
Dewinding Technique
The armature windings are simply a single long piece of wire wound
around the armature poles. By unwinding a certain number of linns from
each armature pole, and cutting off what you remove, you reduce the
remaining length ol wire. A motor that has only a portion of its windings
removed is called a dewound motor.
To increase the wire size of the armature windings you must remove
all of the windings from the armature and replace them with a larger
size of wire. This new, larger wire must be rewound around the armature
poles. Hence, a motor that has had its armature windings completely
replaced is called a rewound motor.
By far the easier of the two alternatives lor a faster motor is to dewind
the armature. Remember, when you dewind a motor you leave most of
the original windings in place. These windings were wound on the arma-
ture by machine anil arc held in place with a motor winding lacquer, so
there is little chance of any of the remaining wires working loose and
breaking. You only need to cut anil resolder one wire per pole and, in
addition, you do not have to remove or relocate the commutator. In short,
its the easiest way to get started. (Later, after you have become familiar
with the technique of dewinding, you’ll also know how the motor goes
together. Then you can try your hand at a complete rewind.)
Now; you want to know how many turns of wire to unwind from each
pole: The 500 series Mabuchi motors furnished in the 1/32 scale “set’’ cars
such as the Revell SP 510X, the Monogram Tiger X100, Strombecker
TC32, etc., are usually wound with about 130 turns of wire per pole. If
223
you race on tracks powered by storage batteries you can remove 6-5 turns
per pole without sacrificing too much reliability. Transformer-powered
tracks usually lack the amperage capacity that a super-hot motor requires,
so it's best to remove onlv about 30 turns per pole for these tracks. You
can remove up to 3(1 turns from the newer Mabuchis furnished with most
kits and 1 24 scale readv-to-run cars. The large Mabuchi motors, such as
Revell’s SP90, К & B’s Bobcat, Ibisskits 34, Monogram's liger X22O. etc.,
have a larger wire size with less turns. Remove a maximum of 5 turns per
pole lor transformer power and 10 turns per pole for battery power supply.
A word ol caution if this is your first attempt at dewinding: Try remov-
ing only 10 or 1.5 turns from the smaller Mabuchis. You’ll be immediately
aware of the increase in motor speed, and you may be happier with a car
that does not spin its wheels as violently as it does when you remove more.
You can remove as many turns from any of these motors as you have
nerve, and if you've done a careful job. they’ll literally scream with speed
and power. But, not lor long! The wire insulation and motor materials
simply cannot stand the heat, and they’ll soon overheat and begin smoking.
The result will be a ruined motor. If you use the figures we've given you
as maximums, though, you can expect reliability.
With more motor speed conics more whcelspin, so, again, don’t expect
your car to handle as well with a dewound motor as it does with a stock
one. Your new, taster motor is going to require some changes in the gear
ratio ol your car, and possibly in the weight distribution and tires to
achieve maximum lap times.
Rewinding Technique
The most successful method of increasing the speed of any model racing
motor is to reduce the electrical resistance of the armature windings. As
we have seen, this can be accomplished by reducing the length of wire on
each pole (dewinding). When vou dewind a motor, however, you dras-
tically reduce the bulk of the wire that it contains. This sheer bulk or mass
of wire, with the electrical force it contains, is one of the factors that slows
the car for corners. In other words, a motor with only a small amount of
wire does not stop as well as one with a larger amount. Furthermore, the
dewound motor has less wire to dissipate heat and, therefore, it has a
shorter life.
The best method of reducing the resistance in the armature windings is
to increase the size of the wire. This is where the rewinding begins, for
to change the wire size you must first remove all of the original armature
wire and then rewind the armature with a larger size. The Chart of Mini-
mum Recommended Rewinds on page 000 will give you a good start. (Just
remember that the hotter you make your motor the less reliable it
becomes!)
224
A few basic points arc especially important il you expect the best per-
formance from your rewinds.
The copper wire you select must have the proper insulation. We can
recommend three types that have been proven successful: Simco Products’
200 Series Wire, LaGanke Wire, or Belden Nyclad Wire. 'I'he Simco and
LaGanke wire may be obtained through most hobby dealers or magazine
advertisements. Belden wire is available at most radio and electronic supply
stores.
It is best to practice winding a few poles Io determine how tightly you
can stretch the wire without breaking it. The tighter you can wind the
armature the less likely it will be that any wire will work its way loose
and throw or break. Check each each corner of lhe armature pole you are
winding to be sure that one or more wires do not hook or catch over the
outside ol the pole. Always wind each pole clockwise, and as you finish
winding one, refer to the diagrams to determine which pole to wind next.
The sequence is important.
Check your armature carefull) before you remove the commutator to
sec precisely where the slots between lhe copper commutator segments
line up with the pole. The position of these slots determines the pulse lime
of the motor. If this timing is not exactly correct your motor will never
perform properly. Mark the outside of one pole with a scratch to indicate
exactly where the slot should be when the motor is reassembled.
The final wire connections decide whether your rewind will run or not.
Connect the last pole first and refer to the diagrams before vou solder the
wires to the commutator.
The five-pole armature is fairly difficult to rewind. Before you attempt
to rewind one, you should be sure you have mastered the technicpies on
at least one three-pole armature. (You will find it most helpful when re-
winding cither armature to have a duplicate stock armature on hand to
refer to during the rewinding procedure.)
The five-pole wiring and timing are somewhat different from the three-
pole. Stud) either Figure 199 or 200 (whichever matches your magnet
brush configuration) to be certain that you know exactly where each wire
is to be connected.
Oh. just so you won’t feel too badh if your first rewind goes up in a
puff of smoke. When I first started rewinding, I ruined four five-pole arma-
tures before I got one to operate, and it was slower than a stock motor!
But then, 1 had to learn the hard way. If you follow the instructions to
the letter, your first rewind should be a winner!
The commutator segments (numbers Cl, C2. and C3) and the arma-
ture poles (numbers Al, A2, and A3) are laid out flat in these drawings to
show you the path of the motor wire from the commutator, around the
poles, and back to the commutator. The wire marked “X” on the left of
225
the drawing connects with ‘X” on the right of the drawing on the actual
motor. The small halt-circles at the bottom of Cl, C2, and C3 represent
the tabs to which the armature windings are soldered.
FIG. 198 Schematic Wiring Diogrom lor three-pole motors with brushes parollei
to magnet plotcs. Examples (all Mobuchi style motors): Revell SP series.
Monogram ’ Tiger" series. Russkit 22 & 33, К & В Bobcat, Kemtron Hornet ond
Indy 500, 15R Mabucbis, also Pittman OC196 A & B, Strombecker 9091, and Atlas-
226
The commutator segments (numbers Cl. C2, C3, Cl. and C5) and the
armature poles (numbers Al, A2, АЗ, A4, and A5) are laid out Hat in
these drawings to show you the path of the motor wire from the commu-
tator, around the poles, and back to the commutator. Alternate turns of
wire are shown as cither solid lines, dotted lines, or rows of +’s so that
you can determine where the windings around each pair of poles begin
and end. Wires X, Y, and Z at the left of the drawing connect with wires
X, Y, and Z at the right of the drawing on the actual motor. The small
half-circles at the bottom of Cl, C2, СЗ, C4, and C5 represent the tabs
to which the armature windings are soldered.
FIG. 199 Schomotic Wiring Diegram lor five-pole motor» with bru»hei parallel to mognel plotes
Example»: Pittmon DC703, 704, 705, 706, DC65. DC85, Tyco 952. Kemtron X5O3. KTM DVI8, and
Ram DC426.
FIG. 200 Schematic Wiring Diagram lor five-pole motor» with brvibtH ol right angle» (90*) to
magnet plate». Example»: Pittmon DC70, DC62B, Revell RP66. RP77, Vorney KM1, Mini-Auto DH13,
15, 4 18, Tyco 901, Trad«»hip five-pole, and Aritto five-pale.
227
СНАНТ OF MINIMUM RECOMMENDED REWINDS FOR THREE-POLE MOTORS
MOTOR
All Mabuchi 500 Scries
Atlas
Strombccker Scuttier
Or similar Vi" diameter
three-pole armature
All Mabuchi 600 Series
Russkit 34
Kemtron Hornet
Or similar diameter
three-pole armature
BATTERY-POWERED
TRACK
60 turns per pole
“30 gauge wire
Approximately 0.6 ohms
resistance
60 turns per pole
“28 gauge wire
Approximately 0.6 ohms
resistance
TRANSFORMER-POWERED
TRACK
75 turns per pole
#31 gauge wire
Approximately 0.9 ohms
resistance
75 turns per pole
#29 gauge wire
Approximately 0.9 ohms
resistance
NOTE: Due to differences in winding techniques and wire insulation the above figures
can only be considered approximate.
CHART OF MINIMUM RECOMMENDED REWINDS FOR FIVE-POLE MOTORS
MOTOR
Pittman DC 62B
DC 65
DC 65B
Tyco 902
952
Or similar ’’/j." dia-
meter five-pole armature
Pittman DC 703
DC 704
DC 705
DC 706
DC 70
DC 71B
Varney KM 1
Ansto 5-poie
Revell RP 77
Or similar %" diameter
five-pole armature
Pittman DC 85
Kemtron X503
Or similar ’4" diameter
five-pole armature
BATTERY-POWERED
TRACK
65 turns (approximately
8.2') per pole
“31 gauge wire
Approximately 1.25 ohms
resistance
50 turns (approximately
6.6') per pole
#32 gauge wire
Approximately 1.25 ohms
resistance
68 turns (approximately
10.4') per pole
#	30 gauge wire
Approximately 1.25 ohms
resistance
TRANSFORMER-POWERED
TRACK
65 turns (approximately 8.2 )
per pole
#	33 gauge wire
Approximately 2 ohms
resistance
65 turns (approximately 10.1')
per pole
#	32 gauge wire
Approximately 2 ohms
resistance
75 turns (approximately 12.8')
per pole
#	31 gauge wire
Approximately 2 ohms
resistance
NOTE: Due to differences in winding techniques and wire insulation the above figures
can only be considered approximate.
WIRE GAUGE SIZES
GAUGE	DIAMETER	GAUGE	DIAMETER
NUMBER	IN INCHES	NUMBER	IN INCHES
28	.01264	33	.007080
29	.01126	34	.006305
30	.01030	35	.005615
31	.008928	36	.005000
32	.007950		
228
Chemicals That Increase Model Car Performance
tire additives. Common household castor oil can be dabbed lightly
on the tires, then rubbed into them by hand. Wipe off the excess oil. It
will increase the traction on most loam tires and sometimes will even
help Silicone or other solid tires.
STP motor oil additive for full-size cars is extremely thick and sticky,
much like honey. It is useful only on the glass-smooth surfaces. Apply as
castor oil above. Be especially careful to keep the STP awax from the
pickup brushes and motor commutator as it acts like an insulator.
A lot of trombone valve oil on solid rubber tires makes them quite
slippery. If you rub a little in well it is especially effective for all solid
rubber tires and particularly for increasing the traction on 1/32 scale front
tires. It can be mixed with a small amount of STP to provide a useable
special compound lor 1/32 and I 24 scale foam tires. Use more STP for
1/32 cars than for l/24s.
DEARING and gear oils. Light machine oil especially prepared for
model car racing is sold by К & В. Cox. and others. Il is available through
raceway centers.
motor (commutator) oils. Light machine oil can be used for com-
mutators as well as bearings. When you oil a commutator you increase its
speed but you also run the risk of holding the worn-away brush particles
to the commutator and eventualb shorting it out. You’re better off replac-
ing the armature with a faster one and forgetting the oil.
Trombone valve oil is the most effective oil for the motor commutator.
You must, however, install a felt wick to rub the commutator and keep
the wick supplied with oil. A single application will only last a couple of
laps. A well-oiled wick can supply oil for an entire race. Be sure the wick-
docs not touch either brush. You still run the risk of packing up the com-
mutator. but your chances arc far better with trombone oil.
gear “rreak-in” compounds. Valve grinding compound is sold by most
auto supply stores to “lap” or grind automobile engine valves to fit. A
light application to each tooth on a new gear will speed up the “break-in”
period. Be sure to wash awa) all traces of valve grinding compound after
about an hour's running.
Tooth paste can be used, like valve grinding compound, to speed up
the “break-in" period with new gears. It is especially useful for polishing
axle surfaces where nylon or Delrin bearings are used. Be sure that all
traces of it are removed after an hour’s running or when an axle is polished.
(Tooth paste, by the way, is one of the most versatile compounds used in
model car racing.)
229
11
Expanding Racing Sets
into Complete Circuits
A GOOD NUMBER of model road racing enthusiasts,
myself included, become exposed to the hobby when they purchase a
complete racing set—track, cars, and controllers. The newest racing sets,
particularly those from Atlas, Aurora, Monogram, and Revell, are definitely
worthwhile investments because (1) additional track sections can be
purchased to expand them into larger tracks with either two or four lanes;
and (2) most of the racing sets feature tiny locking pins so that the entire
race course can be partially disassembled and hung in a closet or garage
when not in use. This is a definite advantage for those who do not have a
permanent, table-height base for their tracks.
.Most ol the race circuits in this chapter arc designed to be laid out on
combinations of lour 4' x 8' panels. The approximate lap lengths vary
between 24' and 54'. The four 4' x 8' sections can be arranged in a number
of ways that will fit inside a two-car garage and still allow room for spec-
tators. drivers, and corner marshalls. The four-lane “Daytona,” which fits
an 8' x 12' area, can be squeezed into a single-car garage. If necessary, the
panels can be supported by sawhorses or removable legs and taken apart
to store.
The So-Cal Course
A small course like the So-Cal circuit packs a lot of racing action into a
minimum of space. You may, however, derive greater satisfaction from
your racing plan if you pattern it after your favorite full-size course. The
layouts ol a number of these full-size race courses arc presented here.
The plans of the full-size courses are taken from a scale sketch of the
circuits to give you a proportional idea of the size of the curves, relative
lengths of the straights, and to provide the proper names for the more
230
famous corners. The current full-size racing circuits range from a 1.25 mile
length to 17.6 miles. To accurately model an exact scale copy of these
circuits would require a 1 32 scale track with approximately 207' per lap
for a 1-1/4-mile track and approximately 2900' for the 17.6 mile frack.
There is just not enough space for most home or club tracks for a four-lane
track ol such tremendous .size. The model track plans are scaled down to
preserve as much of the shape and corners of the real courses as possible.
FIG. 201 The most effective utilizotion of о 4' x 8’ area with sectional track for 1/32 and 1/24 scale
cars. The So-Col Plan provides approximately 24' per lap. lane crossing sections at the points marked "X"
nearly equal. Track sections required (Monogram.
will make lop times, on cither lane, very
Revell. Atlas, Aurora, or Strombecker):
9 Full Straights
2 Half Straights
13 Full Standard Curvet
2 Half Standard Curves
6 Outer Curves
The Daytona International Raceway
The Daytona International Raceway makes an ideal model circuit for
I hose who are not yet completely sold on model road racing. The model,
like the full-size circuit, provides a happy combination of high speed,
banked, oval, and twisting road racing. A Chevrolet sedan will be as much
at home on this course as a Ferrari 330P2.
A race course this size can be a rather expensive undertaking when you
use all commercial track. You needn't, however, purchase all your track
sections at once. Either plan can be started from a simple oval, then built
into a two-lane track. Chicanes, bridges, lap counters, etc., and the third
and fourth lanes may be added later.
231
FIG. 202 General configuration of the Daylana circuit. Daytona ii the annual scene of the opening
round of International Sports Cor competition. The Ford GT Mk II team's challenge to the Ferrari
supremacy in this field began here this February at rhe 24-hour race. The GT 114 finished I, 2.
and 3.
The Ooytono course is a 3.3 mile run using 2-1/3 miles of the famous 150 mph Daytono bonked
oval with the sports cors cutting into the infield in front of the stands for an additional 1.5
miles of twisting roads. It is an extremely lost course. The fast, bonked, end turns and general
layout moke it an ideal course to adapt for high-speed model racing. (Courtesy Model Car Science)
Many will wonder why an overpass was not incorporated to equalize the
lane lengths. Using the figure eight for all lanes to have equal right and
left hand turns is a good theory. In actual practice, only the two inner and
two outer lanes are even closely equal. An overpass is often a waste of
eflort in four-lane road racing for anything except appearance.
When you buy additional track sections for the 1/32 scale sets keep in
mind whether or not you intend to add track sections for two outer lanes
to make a four-lane track. You will want to bux the two-inch-wide skid
aprons for the outside ol all the curves so your cars can drill through
the comers without falling off the edge of the track or hilling a guard
fence. If you are only making a two-lane course, buy these skid aprons
now lor the outside of all the curves. If you are going to add additional
track for a four-lane course later, you can save money and get by without
them until you buy the outer curved track sections.
If you’re going to race 1/24 scale cars on your 1/32 scale set track you'll
have to obtain inner skid aprons for the inside of all the turns to keep the
cars from falling off the edge of the curved sections. They’re even a good
idea for 1/32 scale cars.
232
FIG. 203 Thi» Daytona Raceway plan is scaled for HO construction but the same layout idea con be
used with ony set track using 45-degree or 90-degree segments of о circle
Brand	Scale	layout Size	Straight Jratk Required '	Curved Track Required f	Average Length/lap
Aurora Atlai	HO <1/87)	4‘ x 8‘	48-9" sections 6-6" sections	5-6" radius 7-9” radius 7-12" radius 5-15" radius	33- 3"
Wrenn	1/52	4' x 8’	56 sections	24 inner 24 outer	32'
S.R.M.	1/40	4' x 8’	54 sections	24 inner 7-1/2 radius 12 standard 12-1/2 radius	30’
Scolectrlx	1/32	5' x 9'	32 full straights	16-22-1/2 outer	45'
24.45 standard
8 half straights 8-90 inner
• Deduct any special, standard-length sections such as chicanes, lap counters, bridges, start-finish, Le
Mons start, etc., from total.
t Radius measured around outer edge of circle formed by section*.
(Courtesy Model Car Science)
FIG. 204 Daytona can also be assembled for
twolano 1/24 and 1/32 scale raring on the
5' x 9' table site used for table tennis. This
plan can be assembled using Atlas, Aurora,
Monogram, Revell, Strombecker, Varney, or VIP
track sections. The following sections will
be needed:
17 Full Straights
18 Full Standard curves
233
		.	 4x8'
4x8	4 x8z
FIG. 205 Placing three 4' x 8' x 1/2” plywood
or particle wood boards together as shown
will give you on 8' x 12' portable table for a
four-lane Daytona in 1/32 or 1/24 scale. Folding
legs can be added to moire tobies. For
permanent construction and bracing see
Chapter 7. Plan in Figure 206 fits this area.
(Courtesy Model Car Science)
o’	?’	4'
ЧУМУ»!	4‘	- 1—	1'	4
SCALE
FIG. 206 This four-lone 8' x 12' layout for 1/32 and 1/24 scale cars is merely an expansion of the
two-lane course in Figure 204. The following frock sections will be required:
Brand	Scale	layout Size	Straight Track Required *	Curved Track Required	Average Length/Lap
Aurora	1/32	8'x 12"	44 sections	18 standard	43’
Atlas Monogram Revell Strombecker Kot-Kor	or 1/24 1/32	8’x 12'	22’ 4 lone	36 outer 3 full 4-lone circles	45’
• Deduct any	or 1/24 special, stondard-length, sections		such as chicanes.	lop counters, bridges.	start-finish.
Mons start, etc., from total.
- Radius measured around cuter edge of circle formed by sections.
(Courtesy Model Car Science)
234
fIG. 207 Thi» full-»i<» tourni located at Sucuka, Japan, I» 3.6 mile* p«r lap. (Cour»e»y
Model Car & Troth)
The Suzuka Course
The Suzuka race circuit in Japan is undoubtedly one of the best circuits
to use as a pattern for a model road racing course. It incorporates just
about every desirable element: sweeping bends, a hairpin, curves that grow
both tighter and looser, esses, and straights’ All these are an integral part
of Suzuka. The fact that the actual course is in the form of a distorted fig-
ure eight with an overpass can help to equalize the lap lengths of the
different lanes on a model track. This course is one of the three or four
courses in the world that actually does cross over itself. And, if all this is
not enough, the course incorporates a variety of up and down hill sections
for added interest.
The Japanese Honda Car and Motorcycle factory constructed the track
in 1961 to be used as a test track for their production and racing vehicles;
however, the 3.44 mile circuit was envisioned as the site of future Japanese
Grand Prix events. To be certain that the new course would be one of the
finest in the world, Honda engaged Mr. John Hugenholtz, the expert pro-
fessional course designer, to lay out the entire Suzuka concept. As a result
of Mr. Hugenholtz’s efforts every curve and straight is planned to produce
an exciting, challenging race. The plan is arranged so that a shorter 1.38
mile course, entirely visible from the main grandstands, can be used. On
a large club layout a system of removable sections, or perhaps switches,
could be utilized to allow model cars to race on cither the long or short
course.
The full-size Suzuka course winds through a natural valley with most of
the curves skirting the edges of the low rolling hills. The hairpin runs into
a natural canyon with the banks providing perfect vantage points for the
spectators. The entire course is lined with two rows of chain-link fencing,
set back about 50' from the track on the straights and 200' on the corners,
to protect the spectators. This type of fencing, also seen dividing Cali-
fornia’s freeways, will bring a car to a relatively slow stop to minimize
driver injuries without endangering innocent people.
235
FIG- 208 The Suzuka circuit cor»
be duplicoted by adding track
sections to any HO-tcole sot. This
two-lone version is devoted lor
tho crossover bridge on simple
2x4 and I » 4 wood blocks The
following totol number of track
sections will be needed:
4-5" Straight sections
6-b" Straight sections
8 -9" Straight sections
1-1/4 circle 6" radius curves
6 1/8 circle 9" radius curves
7-1/4 circle 9" radius curves
2-1/8 circle 12" rodius curves
So far, only sports car, sedan, Formula II, Formula Junior, and motor-
cycle races have been held on lhe course; however, with the advent of
Hondas Grand Prix car and rumors of a similar project from the Japanese
Nissan automobile manufacturers, it seems likely that the course will be
the site of a Japanese Grand Prix during the 1968 season.
A miniature duplicate of the Suzuka course should include various up
and down hill sections to take full advantage of the features of the full-
size circuit. The .spectator fencing and the hills surrounding the circuit
can be used to keep model cars from flying off the table top. The general
layout of the course lends itself to either a long, narrow area, or, by
increasing the amount of curvature in the middle of the straight, the plan
can be adapted to an L-shaped area. Because of the vast appeal of this
circuit, we shall undoubtedly sec a number of model race tracks laid out
to match the Suzuka plan. One modeler’s adaptation using the long, nar-
row area mentioned earlier is featured in the photos.
You do not, of course, have to pattern your home racing layout after a
full-size circuit. The interesting Revell two-lane course here was developed
into the four-lane circuit in Figure 213.
FIG- 210 Th« HOicolo Suzuka circuit expanded to
lour lane». See Figures 208 ond 209.
236
FIG. 209	This Suzuka plan	is drown for use with HO-scale track sections, but the some				layout idea can
b« used -	with any set track	using	45-dog-	too segments of a	circle for curves (eight pieces per circle).	
Brand	Stalo	layout	Size	Straight Track Required •	Curved Traci- Required t	Avcrrge longth/lcp
Aurora	HO	4'x 8'		16-9" sections 12-6" sections 8-5" sections	6-1/4 circle 6" rodius 8-1/8 circle 9" radius B-1/4 circle 9“ radius 8-1/8 circle 12" radius 21/4 circle 12" radius	22-1/2'
Atlas	HO	4’ x 8’		16-9" sections 14-6" sections 6-4-1/2" sections	6-1/4 circle 6" rodius 8 1/8 circle 9" radius 8-1 4 circle 9" radius 8-1/8 circle 12” radius 2-1/4 circle 12" radius	22-
Wrenn	1/52	4* x 8*		22 sections	24 outer 24 inner	18-1/2'
S.R.M.	1/40	4' x 8’		10 full sections 14 half sections	8 inner 24 standard 16 outer	гм/г
Scaleclrix	1/30	5'x9'		16 full sections 10 half	8-90 inner 8-45 inner 24-45 inner	28-1/2’
Eldon {2 lane)	1/30	5'x9'		21 standard	24 standard	28‘
 Deduct any spcciol, standard-length section! such os chicanes, lop counters, start-finish, adaptors, etc.,
from total.
• Radius measured around outer edge of circle formed by sections.
(Courtesy Mad о I Cor & Traci;-
237
FIG. 211 Thi» is о really large 1/32 or 1/24 scale duplicate of the Suiuka course An allic 0» basement
area would bo needed. About 3' clearance should be allowed on all sides for access. With this
clearance, о 16’ x 24' area would be needed.
Brand	Scala	Layout Siza	Straight Frock	Currad Trock	Average
			Required *	Required f	longth/top
Atlas	1/32 or	10’ x 20’	44 full straight	19 regular	54’
Aurora	1/24		12 half straight	10 half	
Monogram				48 outer	
Revell					
Strombecker					
Kal-Kor	1/32 or	10' x 20'	28 four-lone	3 full four-lane	52'
	1/24		straight	circles	
Varney	1/32 or	10’ x 20'	30 sections	24 regular	53’
(2 lane)	1/24				
V.I.P.	1/32 or	10’ x 20'	30 sections	24 regular	51'
(2 lone)	1/24				
• Deduct any special, standard-length sections such as chicanes, lap counters, start-finish, adaptors, etc.,
front total.
t Radius measured around outer edge of circle formed by sections.
(Courtesy Model Cor & Ttack)
238
FIG. 212 This two-lone Revell Vock wos ossembled in о single-car gorage ond began os о single
figure-eight racing set. Il was late' expanded to lhe 6' я 16' four-lone circuit in Figure 2)3. You
will need the following track sections to duplicate this frock pattern:
24 full straight sections
14 full standard curves
8 outer curves
FIG 213 An excellent four-lone set frock for о single-car garage. Its 6’ x 16' area allows room
on at least one side and end for earner marshalls ond drivers. The following track sections, plus
inner and outer skid aprons, will be needed. Additional half straights must be added at A ond B.
Brand	Scale	She
Atlas	1/24 or	6' x 16'
1/32
Straight Trock
Required •
40 full straight
8 half straight
Curved Track
Required f
16 standard
2 half
34 outer
Average
lenglh/lap
43'
• Deduct any special, standard-length sections such os chicanes, lop counters, stort-finish. adaptors, etc.,
from total.
t Radius measured around outer edge of circle formed by sections.
(Courtesy Model Cai i Track)
239
FlG. 214 (Covrlevy Modal Car & Track)
K£Y
HEAVY LINES ND1CATE LANE CENTERS
LIGHT LINES INDICATE BEGINNING ANO END OF CURVES TO AIO IN ROUTING
H-'S INDICATE CURVE CENTERS
POINTS A, 0, F, ARE STARTING OF LANE #2 В, C. F. LANE ft I FOR ROUTING
ANY SUGGESTED CHANGES IN HEIGHT OF TRACK ABOVE LEVEL ARE INDICATED 2>
(THESE FOUR LANES ARE TWO INCHES ABOVE TABLE TOP LEVEL.)
240
12
Routing a Custom Track
THE HOBBY/SPORT of model car road racing bites
hard, and it isn't long before the new enthusiast wants to design his own
track. It turns out to be plain hard work, but it’s less expensive than sec-
tional track.
A custom track must begin with a good plan. You’ll save time and mis-
takes by following one of those shown here, but, if you design your own,
there are a few basic points to remember:
1.	4' x 8' area is the absolute minimum table top for an active
1/32 or 1/24 scale course.
2.	Allow a minimum of 24" between the walls and the track edge;
36" is preferred.
3.	Allow access to all areas of the track for corner marshalls to reach
spun out cars.
4.	Keep the track plan interesting. A simple oval or figure eight is
too easy to drive. A more complex road circuit is much better.
5.	Your lirst track should be relatively flat with few hills and should
have a simple rectangular shape.
6.	Draw the plan lirst, either on the table itself, or on paper in
reduced scale (3 4" = Г is best). A 6" radius is an absolute mini-
mum lor curves; a 9" radius is preferable. Three-inch lane spacing
is about the minimum for 1. 32 or 1/24 scale.
The Plan
With all these in mind, I designed a two-lane, 30' per lap course. Two
lanes are about the maximum for a 4' x 8' area, without resorting to lengthy
chicanes or overpasses that restrict action and visibility. 1 endeavored Io
include as much as is practical in such an area: a banking, chicane, S turns,
straightaway, and an appearance of more than two lanes. Figure 214 shows
the resulting So-Cal International Raceway. If you have a 4' x 16' area
241
available, an additional 4' x 8' section can be spliced in at X and Y on the
plan This extra section would provide 62' per lap with a 12-1/2' straight,
if you want the extra length, build two 4' x 8' tables. Having the track in
sections will allow you to move or store it without tearing out a wall.
The fascinating Suzuka plan ( Fig. 217) for 1/32 and 1/24 scale club
racing fits a 20' area—the width of most two-ear garages—with a maxi-
mum width of 4-1 2’. The corner marshalling and driving is done on only-
one side so the track could be placed in a single garage with room for
working, storage, etc., as shown in Figure 215. Figure 216 shows how this
track can be positioned, high enough to clear the hood of your family car,
across the back of a two-car garage, allowing space for both full-size cars
and model racing. Altogether it is a most practical and exciting race course.
The three lanes give exciting club competition w'ithin a minimum space.
The average lap length is about 42'. Notice, particularly, the many changes
in elevation on the plan. With the up and down hill sections and the
twisting course, this layout really looks like a miniature road wandering
about the hills.
The basic track construction techniques used on the smaller So-Cal
International Raceway and the larger Suzuka circuit in this chapter are
quite similar. The full-size track ideas in Chapter 11, where model plans
for sectional track are shown, lend themselves to custom construction as
well. You can duplicate the plan of a full-size course more accurately when
you cut the slots with a router.
A router is a sort of rotating saw in a powerful, high-speed hand drill.
The drill, or motor itself, is referred to as the router and the sawr is the
_0 CAT ION OF'SUZUKA’
in single car Garage
FIG. 215 |Court«»y Modal
Car & Tfocfcl
LOCATION OF 'SUZUKA*
IN Two CAR GARAGE
FIG. 216 (Courteiy Model Cor & Track)
242
FIG. 217 (Courtcjy Model Cat & Track)
(ППШППГ-----1-----I	I
O'	I-	2-	J
SCM.E
FIG. 218 (CourtMy Model Car & Track)
243

o' l2*	2'	3'	4‘
FIG. 219 (Courfejy Model Car Science)
router bit. If you look closely at the end of the #11205 Stanley router bit
(recommended for model race tracks), you'll notice that the actual cutter
blade is the shape of a new moon and that it is not in the center of the
shaft. Spin the bit slow)) in your hand and you’ll notice that only one
edge of the moon docs the cutting as it swings around on the shaft.
The router motor is mounted in an adjustable framework so that the
router bit can be moved closer to, or further away from, the surface. This
adjusts the depth of the cut made by the router bit. The motor is an
extremely powerful, high-speed unit specially designed to revolve the
router bit at the best possible speed. A normal electric hand drill is not
suitable lor use as a router. The bearings in a hand drill are not designed
tor the side loads imposed in routing, and even if the drill is powerful
enough, it does not revolve fast enough for the router bit to do its job.
You can rent a good hand router for about $7.50 a day. Au entire course
like So-Cal or Suzuka can be routed in a day’s time so use the proper
tool—it does make a difference!
Select the best grade of particle board for the table top. 1 prefer U.S.
Plywood’s Filled Novaply because its surface is pre-coated to keep the
grain from raising as paint is applied. Novaply, along with the better
grades of particle board, will also allow you to cut a smoother slot with
less sanding needed to finish them.
The surface texture of a custom track should be glass smooth. This is
not exactly the same surface you’ll find on most commercial tracks.
244
BINCHWORK PIAN
FIG. 220 (Courtesy
MoM Car & track)
Benchwork
The track must be supported on well-built, solid benchwork if you
expect the joints between the various panels to remain in place. Follow
the photos and captions which explain the method used for the simple
4' x 8' benchwork. Here’s what you'll need:
BILL OF MATERIALS FOR BENCHWORK
Lumber Dealer
2 pieces	1" x 3" x 8' Select Pine (knot free)
6 pieces	1" x 4" x 8' Select Pine (knot free)
I piece	1" x 4" x 10' Select Pine (knot free)
I piece	4' x 8' x l/2~ thick medium-grade particle board (Filled U.S. Plywood Novaply is best)
Cut I piece into two 46-1/2" braces
Cut 1 piece into one 16-1/2" brace
and one 22-1/2" area brace
Cut 3 pieces into six 40" legs
Cut I piece into two 46-1/2" ends
Leave 2 pieces uncut for sides
Cut to fit for diagonal crossbrace
Table top
Sears, Roebuck i- Company
1	yardstick	Trammel for laying out plan in pencil on table top
12	2" x 1/4" carriage bolts	To attach 6 table legs
12	1/4" U.N.C. square nuts	To attach 6 table legs
24	1/4” round washers	To attach 6 table legs
2	#72823 4" x 7/8" mending plates with screws	To support start-finish area
100	#71924 1-1/2" x #8 flat- head screws	To assemble table braces and attach table top
245
Paint Store or Boating Supply Store
I quart Spar Varnish	'Го paint tabic top
Electrical Materials
#	7-120 rolls Mystic 1/4" copper tape
#	14-2 strand insulated wire
#	10-2 strand insulated wire
“Switchcraft’' brand 3-contact Lit tel plugs (female telephone jacks)
One 3-contact inale telephone jack for every controller you intend to use
D.P.D.T. (reversing) toggle switches for each lane
1 S.P.S.T. (on-off) switch (toggle)
One 6-amp circuit breaker switch (toggle)
1/4-10 x 1-1/4" fiat head machine screws for connecting power wires to the track
10-32 hex nuts
1/4" flat washers
Power Supply (optional)
For safely and adequate power, a #5001 Model Rectifier Corp.
0- to 18* volt 30-anip power center is recommended
If you arc an individual (as opposed to club or group) with limited funds,
a 12-volt (minimum 50-ampere hour rated) automotive storage battery
may be used with a trickle charger. To prevent explosion of the gases
generated while charging, the battery must be in an area adequately
ventilated with outside (fresh) air.
Handsaw (powersaw optional)
Keyhole saw (jigsaw optional)
Electric drill (hand drill could be used)
1/4" Twist drill
Sears “('raftsman" #9-4203 Pilot Bit
assortment
Sears "Craftsman” #3101 or “Yankee"
brand hand power screwdriver (a stand-
ard screwdriver can lie used)
Stanley Hand Router (can be rented from
any good tool rental yard)
two #11205 Stanley Router bits
one 3’ piece 1/4” bronze welding rod
one piece 5/16" O.D. Perfect brass
tubing
one 6' or longer straight 2" x 4" board
1/4" drill bit ‘
1/16" drill bit
Pencil
Screwdriver
Hammer
TOOLS REQUIRED
Files
2 “C" clamps
Tape measure
1/4" x I" x 36" wood strip or yardstick
with nail driven 1" from end and 1/4"
holes drilled 7", 10", 13", 16", 19".
22". 25", 28". and 30" from nail
1" x 1" x 4' wood strip
3 D finishing nails
putty' knife
X-Acto knife
Center punch
Drill
1/2" and 1/4" drill bits
#8 x 1-1/2 woodscrew pilot bit
Pliers
Wire Strippers
Soldering gun or iron
Solder
Soldering paste
An open grid type of benchwork (Fig. 220 and Fig. 22-1) is best for a
track with various elevations. Since you must adapt the 1x4 crossmembers
to fit your area, no benchwork plan is presented. It is mostly a matter of
determining the over-all shape of the track and the heights of the various
246
FIG. 221 the outer framework
is screwed together first. Do not
use nqib; they will work loose
in time. Two number 8x1/2
flat head wood screws are used
ot eoch joint, These will fit
lighter and easier if a pilot hole
is first drilled with a special
countersink bit. The screwdriver
shown is о "Yankee." lust set
the lever and push. The
tool does the hard, twisting
work, saves wrists ond time.
FlG. 222 The legs are installed, with the aid of
on assistant ond a level, by using two I • 2" x 2"
stove bolts with nut and washer per leg. This
allows them to be unbolted when layout is to be
stored or moved. Install two and legs first and
level, then install the two on the opposite end
Note carefully how legs arc positioned to keep fable
from swaying. Follow plan view carefully here
FIG. 223 For flat, simple circuits like So-Cal. the
lop con now be screwed down with four number
8 x 1-1/2 screws per side, one in tho center
of each end. Complete the 'able by painting with
a quality marine finish in a suitable color. Alter
the paint dries, transfer the plan Io the table top
beginning with the curve centers only. Then
add the curve lines ond the points to start and
stop routing. Finally, draw the connecting straights.
The completed So-Cal circuit Is illustrated in
Chapter 1 (Fig. 6).
247
FIG. 224 Open grid benshwork to
support the complex Suzvka circuit
Note that the «upporh on lh«
for ond arc higher than the center.
All sub-homing i* placed at the lowed
height of the trock orca each will
suppod. A good plan of the
final trock is essential to be certain
lhe open grid member» ore
located correctly.
truck elevations and fitting the (raining to conform. The Suzuka plan indi-
cates the elevation of lhe various areas from 0" for the hairpin chicane to
a 9” elevation on part of the esses.
To determine the exact height of the benchwork you must add the clear-
ance height—if you need to clear the hood of the family car, for example
—the height ol the lumber (approximately 3-1/2"), and the thickness of
the particle hoard (approximately 1 2") Io arrive at lhe correct height
for the lowest part of the course. On the Suzuka course in Figure 223
the dimension was .selected to be 35" from lhe top of the track to the
floor. This would make the highest point on the course 11", the main
straight 39". etc. This seems to be an ideal height for a circuit this size
because it allows yon to see the entire course. You may wish to build a
platform for the drivers if your track must be higher.
Table Top
After the various track elevations are determined, chalk the outline of
the tal>!<* on the floor. (Jut crossmembers to support the width of the track
from the wall to the table edge. Space these a minimum of 2' apart. Bolt
them to the wall at the correct elevation for the lowest portion of each
section of the track. At the chicane, for example, the crossmember meas-
ures 34-1 2" from the top to the floor (35" less I z2" for the thickness of
the particle-board table top). Support the front edge of every other cross-
248
member with 2 x 4 legs cut to the proper height. Fit 1 x Is to the front
edge of the table to complete the benchwork base (see photo). On this
layout a portion of an existing workbench was used to support the left
end of the track.
Now, draw the track plan, complete with table edges, curve centers,
and lines marking the beginning and end of the curves on 4' x 8' ( I 2"
thick) particle-board panels. II you’re building a flat, simple track like
So-Cal yon can begin routing now.
On the more complex tracks, like Suzuka. there arc a few more details
to take care ol before you can begin routing. Cut the edge of the table
leaving 5" on each side of the outer lanes for a skirl area, as shown on the
plan. Be sure to cut around curve centers, leaving them temporarily
attached to the track to provide pivot points for the router. Lay the panels
temporarily in place on the bench work. The straight, on the left of the
plan (Fig. 217), will lie directly on the benchwork, while the esses, in
the same section, will have to be supported at higher elevations, as indi-
cated. Determine exactly where additional supports arc required to raise
the track surface from the top of the benchwork. Screw I x 4s or scraps
of 1 2" plywood to the crossmember to elevate these parts of the track
to the proper height.
Begin to screw flown the track surlace, starting at the bridge and work-
ing out the straight in both directions, then into the curves. You will find,
as you progressively attach the particle board over the up and down hill
sections, that the lane centers on the area under the bridge do not line up.
You will have Io fit an additional piece ol particle board to fill the gap.
The bridge should be cut into a separate, removable piece to allow access
for routing, painting, and maintenance. Now. retrace the track and curve
centers to conform.
Routing
After the entire table top is screwed firmh in place you can begin
routing.
Routing! The mention of the word strikes terror in the minds of many
model racers. Actually, it s only difficult if you don't understand and use
the correct method; so, follow along and we'll try to help you learn the
mystical art of cutting a slot down a piece of particle board
The art of routing begins when you turn on the motor and start to cut
The irregular texture of particle board makes it absolutely imperative that
you use a trammel rod or compass arm to guide the router around all
curves, and a straightedge to guide it on all the straights. If you don't,
the rotating router bit will take the path of least resistance (just as a river
does) and the hard and soft wood mixture of the particle board will be
249
FIG. 225 Th» bridge section it left open until the entire tabic top it in place. Additional
supports raise the straight (nearest Ihe camera) above the rest of ihe track. Because of the up
and down hill areas, it is best to begin attaching th» table top at the bridge ond working outward
in both directions. This leaves о gap under the bridge to be filled wilh on additional
piece of particle board. All curve centers are left temporarily attached to the table for use
os pivot points when routing the slots.
When routing is complete the curve centers are cut away and the track surface is sanded
smooth, The bridge is also put in place. Note the extra-wide area on the outer edges of
all curves. These skid oreas will allow the racing cars to drift the corners without running out
of table.
Final stop before laying pickup tape or braid is to thoroughly seal off the particleboard
surface with several coats of spar varnish, sanding between each coat, Final color coal should
bo brushed on in several thin coats to eliminate brush marks. Complete photos of the Suzuka
circuit are in Chapter 13.
250
more than obvious. In fact, the slot cut with an unguided router will very
much resemble a river. For a smooth road course, guide the router with
a rigid support and it will cut perfect curves and straight straights. You
must be careful to keep a certain amount of tension on the trammel rod
and straight edge to insure an accurate slot. Let the router cut its way. at
its own speed, through the wood. Only a small amount of forward pressure
is needed to keep the router cutting along the guided line. (Do a little
practicing on a scrap piece of particle board, using a trammel rod and
straightedge to help you get the feel of routing.)
A few words of caution before you follow the photo instructions: (1)
'I’he tin) router bit is quite hard, but it is also brittle and breaks easily.
Never lay the router down on the router bit. A little nudge or kick and
you’ve broken it. (2) When you start to route a curve drill a starter hole
first. To do this you turn lhe router on then turn it off and press the bit
into the particle board, allowing it to drill its own starter hole and coast
to a stop. (3) When you’ve completed routing a section, pivot the router
up and out of the slot before you turn it off. (4) If you intend to run
guide pins rather than guide flags on your cars you’ll have to be extra
careful in routing. You can get a much smoother slot by first routing the
slot with the router set for IAS" depth, then going back over the slot using
the same setting, and finally, making a third trip around with the router
bit set for the full 1/4" depth. (5) The slot should be cut 1. 4" deep, even
though most racing standards specif)- 3 16". However, vou will undoubt-
edly sand off some areas of the track surface or accidentally cut slightlv
shallow in spots, so it is best to be sure of adequate slot depth. Be sure to
keep the surface swept clean. Sawdust under the router base could
decrease the depth of the slot. (6) The #11205 5/32" bit will last about
four or fix e times as long as a 1 8" bit and will cut a more nearh perfect
slot. If you're a real purist, go ahead and try an exact 18" bit. but be
prepared to break a few.
No matter how many precautions vou take while routing, the bit will
eventually wear and need sharpening or replacing. If you have a Dremel
tool with a small cone grinder you can sharpen the cutting edge by grind-
ing on the inside of the moon shape. Grinding on the outside will reduce
the width of the slot. It’s a good idea to buy a couple of extra router bits.
Three bits, properly cared for, should be sufficient for a course the size
of Suzuka.
Filling In
If you're human, you routed a few places you shouldn't have. Mistakes
like these are easy to correct. The photos will show you how to finish the
slots and the track surface to please even the “pin-guide gang.’’ When the
filling and sanding gets tedious, try to think ahead a bit. You won’t mind
251
FIG. 226 Double «heck the location of oil the curve center*.
Ma»k them dearly. You need a center point on each curve lor
pivoting the router. Make a compass to draw Ihe lane
center*. Drive a 3D finishing nail one inch from the end of a
yard stick. Drill 1/4" hole* at 7", 10", 13”. 16 , 19",
22". 25". 28", and 30” from the nail. Drive the pivot noil
lightly into the curve center on the particle board.
Insert a pencil at the correct inner radius (7" In this photo)
and draw the inner lane. Repeal the procedure for all four
lanes and all corner*. Use a straight edge to draw the various
straight sections between the curve*. Mark a good clear
line I" long across the lano at the exact point where
each curve touches each straight !the tangent if you remember
your geometry). The*e point* indicate exactly where to
start and stop routing on each lane of each curve.
too much if your car rolls or spins when you drive it too fast, but if this
happens because the slot, or the table top, are rough and bumpy you’ll be
more than a little displeased. If you spend some extra time now to get the
slot and the table top as perfectly smooth as possible vou can look forward
to hundreds of flours of pleasure from your track.
Track Surface
A smooth track surface is essential for good performance, so use patience
and time to obtain the best possible results. Sand the entire track surface
with a sanding block or a power sander with fine sandpaper. Then, vacuum
Ihe surface and the slots, and wipe with a dry rag. Apply three or four
coats of spar varnish, sanding each coat smooth before applying the next.
This should produce a perfectly smooth track surface. If not, apply addi-
tional coats of spar varnish, and sand until no trace of wood grain or wood
chips remains. The final track surface can be either latex wall paint or flat
Alkyd enamel. However, do not use white. Most white paint pigments
seem to oxidize rapidly, causing an extremely slippery surface. If you want
a surface where no tire additives are used you can substitute any premium
quality latex-base wall paint in dark grey or black and forget the primer
coat.
The pickup strip can now be laid in place. The best pickup material is
copper, brass, or nickel silver. Copper tape was selected because it seems
to shape better and lie flatter in the corners than most other materials and
it is easier to obtain. Some may prefer to substitute .05" or .010" soft brass
slum stock cut into 1/4" strips and held in place with contact cement.
252
FIG 227 Drill a 1/16" hole at each curve center to provide
a pivot hole for the trammel or сотрем arm on the router.
Bend a right angle at the end of о piece of 1/4" round
bronze welding rod and file the end to a point о» shown, There
are two holes, with set screws, in the bottom of the Stanley
router. Adapt one of these to hold the rod. Cut a 2" piece of
5/16" Perfect tubing to bush the hole- Insert it into the hole,
the rod into the bushing, and adjust the rod to fit the curve
radius measured from the point of the rod to the
center of the router.
Use a piece of wood Io measure the depth of cut made by
the 5/32“ router bit The bit is adjusted by loosening the thumb
screw and twisting the motor until exactly 1/4" is reached.
Tighten the thumb screw firmly Often, the routing must be done
on the floor because of the up and down hill
areas of the course.
FIG. 228 Hold the point of the bronze rod in the curve center while you start the router and gently
tilt it into the particle board at one of the marls which indicate the beginning and end of each
curve. Push the router away from the curve center ond lightly in the direction of travel while it cuts
the slot. Remember to practice on a scrap piece of particle board to get the feel of the router and
trammel rod.
Swing the router along the slot line until it reaches the mark indicating the end of the curve,
then gently tilt it out ol tho slot ond shut off the power Repeal the procedure on each lane of all
curves- Use a 2 x 4 to guide the router on the straights When all but the area between turns on
the hills is routed, the table top con be permanently attached to the benchwork.
253
FIG. 229 A typical routing mistake. Th* router bit woi carried too for around tho curve at the tangent
point. Result a slot that'» too wide.
Form a dam to prevent the putty from filling the slot Fold a piece of wox pop*r over the end of an
inch-square piece of 1 8" masonite. Push tho masonite, paper ond first, into the slot.
Scoop up a small amount of putty on the end of the putty knife. Push tho putty firmly into
th* hole with the tip of the knife. Collect a little more of the excess putty and push it into
the holo again to be certain it is completely filled. Use a downward pressure on the blade to smooth
tho putty so it is Rush with the track surface.
Lot tho putty dry overnight, removo the masonite dam, ond your mistake is corrected- All of th*
screw heads which arc I /32" or more below the surface of the track must also be filled with putty as
well as the particle board joints.
Inspect every inch of each slot for any lumps, projections, or sudden changes in width. Some can
be trimmed with an X-Acto knife.
All of the screw heads, routing mistakes, ond table-top joints are filled with putty. Every inch of the
surface, ond each slot, must be carefully Inspected and any blemishes filled.
Use a scrap 2 x 4 as a sanding block with 2/0 sandpaper to sand the track perfectly fiat. Rub
over it with the palm of your hond to check once more. If necessary, fill and sand again.
254
FIG. 230 The slot mu»» oho be winded Wrop 2'0 windpaper over the end of a small piece of 1/16"
thick masonite. Insert in the slot and sand each side of the slot all around the tro.k. You can't hove
smooth cornering cars with о rough slotl Take your time and be sure it's perfect.
The track surface must be primed and sealed with Sears Enamel Undercoat and Sealer or its
equivalent. Use a 3" roller ond be sure to cover the edges of the slots. Allow to dry
overnight ond then sand with 2/0 sandpaper on the sanding block.
Flat enamel will provide traction equal to glass enamel ond is much more realistic. Sears ^1842
Oil Bose (Alkyd) interior motte wall paint is a close match for concrete grey. The same brand o< black
with a touch of white can be used for a tar look. Again, roll on one coat, dry overnight, and sand.
Next, thin the point with an equal part of clear thinner ond point again let dry, so nd, ond roll on
third coal. Sand the last coot lightly and remove any trace of roller marks.
Vacuum the slots ond track surface. Wipe with a damp rag. Check eo.h slot all the way around the
track Cut away any point runs on the sides or bottom of the slot with on X-Acto knife.
255
From the standpoint of quality the two are equal, but the copper tape is
easier to install. All you do is remove the paper backing, stick in place, and
press it to the track. (If you use braided wire pickup strips, you must route
a recess the exact width and thickness of the braid on each Side of the
slot before the track is painted. This type of routing requires extra skill
and is not recommended unless you have experience with the use of
a router.)
Wiring
The wiring diagram follows N.A.S.R.R.A. ‘club" specifications so you
can use standard telephone jacks on your controls. Double check your con-
troller plug, however, if you also race at commercial tracks. They are often
wired differently. Polarity is also a problem between commercial and club
tracks, so a reversing switch is included in each lane.
LANE I
SO-CAL WIRING DIAGRAM
To comply with N.A.S.S.R.A. practice.
LANE 2

S.PS.T •ON-OFfl SWITCH
BRAKE
BRAKE
CONTROL POSITION
6 AMP CIRCUIT BREAKER
LOCATION I OPTIONAL!
CONTROL POSITION
CONNECT TO
ADDITIONAL LANES
FOR CONTROLLER
A CONTACT
8 CENTER (COIL!
CONNECTING TERMINALS C BRAKE
FOR PLUGS A SOCKETS
FIG. 231 (Courteiy Model Cor <S Traci)
12 VOLT BATTERY
Power Supply
A 12-volt storage battery is, beyond doubt, the best source of pure D.C.
electrical power. Unfortunately, there are other (actors to be considered.
You need a battery charger to keep the battery charged and a spare bat-
tery if the track is used often. You must contend with battery acid getting
on your hands, clothes, and the floor. In most cases, you must charge your
battery outside, for a battery can explode if it is charged in a poorly ven-
tilated room because of the highly explosive gases which escape.
So, storage batteries are messy, inconvenient, and risky. But if you can’t
afford anything else, buy one or two of about 60 ampere hour or greater
capacity with a 3-amp charger or better.
Understandably, serious model car racers, clubs, and commercial shops
are looking for a power supply other than batteries that will provide pure
D.C. current. Although “super power” transformer packs (up to 18 volts,
with enough amperage to supply eight racing lanes) are available, they,
like all transformers, “leak" some A.C. voltage; this burns motors and con-
trollers faster than almost anything else. Fortunately, some of the power
supplies arc beginning to approach the required standards. One of the
better units is Model Rectifier Corporation’s #5001. This compact electrical
monster pushes out 30 amps and up to 18 volts with 100 amps available
“surge" current. The voltage can be adjusted to exactly 12 with the built-in
Adjust-A-Volt knob. It is expensive but works like a charm!
13
Scenery, Buildings, and People
THE OVER-ALL effect of complete scenic details on a
track almost has to be seen to be lielieved. All of your cars, detailed or
not, appear more realistic flashing by miniature hills and trees, running
past the pits, around the stands, past the judges, etc. They actually -appear
to be going someplace! You drive your car around the course, selecting
landmarks as braking and accelerating points. You start at the pits and
finish at the pits, covering a great variety of landmarks on your way.
Landscaping
When selecting scenic materials, make sure that they have no readily
loosened particles, for nothing can cause more trouble with a racing car
than loose sawdust or gravel in the gears or motor. The “grass” is a good
example: many modelers use dyed sawdust. This loosens and flakes off as
cars spin out. throwing loose particles onto the track. But a grass mat of
flocked paper, such as True-Scalc manufactures, eliminates this problem,
allowing rugged skidding and abuse.
Another point to remember when landscaping a race track is to keep
wooden trees or telephone poles—things that will break—out of the area
where corner marshalls reach. The Suzuka track is designed to be mar-
shalled from one side only, so all trees, etc., are located on the back side.
Also, the infield areas are landscaped with materials that are not easily
broken such as lichen and Britain’s flexible-plastic trees.
To keep spun-out cars off the Hour, 2" or 3" hills can be placed around
the edge of the track. (The hills on my tracks were formed from interior
wall plaster over door screening. I chose Red-E-Crete brand plaster
because it is a powder mixed with solid chunks of aggregate filler about
the size of buck-shot. These little chunks roughen the “ground,” making
the hills look exactly like real dirt.)
258
50 lb. bag Red-E-Crete interior wall
plaster
.Aluminum door screening
Scrap wood 1 x 2s. 1/2" plywood or
particle board
1/2" wire staples to fit staple gun
Tru-Scale Grass landscaping mat
Tru-Scale Lichen (green)
Tru-Scale 0 gauge Green Trees
Tru-Scale HO Pine Trees
’ Britain's #1801 Apple Tree Kit
• Britain’s # 1806 Silver Birch Tree
SCENERY BILL 01- MATERIALS
•	Britain's # 1807 Beech Tree Kit
° Britain's #1810 Scots Pine Tree Kit
•	Britain's # 1809 Fir Tree Kit
Strips plastic hair (used as shipping pad-
ding; try typewriter supply store)
Pla oi Name! spray paint: fiat white,
green, blue, brown.
Pactra Name!: flat brown
Brown dry artist's color (burnt sienna)
Black dry artist's color
20 #8 X 1-1/2 wood screws for attaching
supports
* Available at large toy stores or the distributor: Reeves International, 1107 Broadway.
New York, N.Y. 10010.
TOOLS REQUIRED
Screwdriver
Scissors
Staple gun
Hand Saw
Paint Brushes
One 3 lb. coffee can (for mixing plaster)
Two 10 oz. soup cans (for measuring
plaster mix)
Hand drill
1/8" drill bit
Building the Hills and Valleys
Buildings, People, Accessories
Full-size racing cars seldom run through open countryside. It's people,
the pits, the grandstands, and the advertising banners that really bring
life and excitement to a race course! The Detailing Bill of Materials will
give you an idea of the vast array of different accessories available to
bring this life to your course. It is quite a problem just to decide which
items to use.
The Plasticville U.S.A assortment containing one each of their pits,
grandstands, judges stands, and spectator groups was selected to populate
the So-Cal Raceway at a minimum cost. The Airfix pit kit. also used on the
Suzuka course, is a fine example of Grand Prix racing pits complete with
tools, number boards, car names, and even an exposed stairway leading to
the spectator area on the roof. All were assembled according to the instruc-
tions furnished with each kit.
You will obtain maximum realism for spectators, pits, and other trackside
buildings if you use only semi-gloss paints. Pactra Name!, for example, is
available in flat brown, Hat red, flat white, flat black, flat orange,
flat green, flat yellow, and flat blue and is an ideal paint for this purpose.
The painting of these accessories can set them apart as a truly realistic
addition to anv racecourse.
J
w
FIG. 232 The s»ort of a mountain—scrap particle board or plywood piece} are screwed to the track
to provide tho basic support.
FIG. 233 Begin attaching tho wire screen by cutting a piece a few inches larger than the total
lace of the hill. Then loy this piece on the track surloce edge ond staple to the wood table top
along tho outside of the curve.
After the screen is stapled all along the track edge, fold It back over the staples and onto
the framework of the mountain, then staple in place. Send humps and gullies into the screen and
then trim off the excess os shown.
One-eighth-inch plywood was cut to roughly match the contour of the hills at the edges of the table,
then nailed and glued against the table edge to give a finished appearance to tho layout (step
can be omitted).
FIG. 234 Mix interior wall plaster 2 parts water to 3 ports
plaster to produce a consistency equal to thick cream.
Then, press the mixture onto the plotter screen working
from the bottom up. Don’t forgot to mask off the
track surface first.
Final humps ond rocks are applied to the top of the
mountain. Color tips.- You can avoid a lot of painting
by adding 2 or 3 tablespoons brown (burnt sienna) dried
artist colors to each 20 ounces of water when mixing
the plaster. Use a different amount of color in each botch
of plaster to vary the color. Grey rock color is made
by using 2 tablespoons of black color rather than brown.
Real rocks were used in some areas where deslottcd
cars could not possibly hit them.
260
FIG. 235 Screen, colored plotter, ond pine trees were alto vied in the area inside the curve. A
deeper depression wot formed in one area to serve os о lake bottom, just in front of the reek».
Flat white Pla ond blue Pla were sprayed lightly onto this area to approximate the colors of a lake.
Aller it dried Ihe area wot then filled with clear shellac to form a smooth, shiny surface. The result—
weblooking water!
Rvbberixed plastic hair {carpet backing) was painted green, cut the shape of the edge, ond
then stapled info place at the outtide edges of the track.
As a final detail, green True-Scalo lichen (Moss) was glued to the hills with rubber cement.
Other bits of lichen were glued into gullies on hills and around the lake.
The larger trees In the back are English Britain's brand. The ultrarealistic plastic trees ore 1/32
scale ond come in kit form. The flexible tree trunk is twisted and bent into a spreading tree ond
then the plastic leaves arc pressed onto the limbs. No glue is needed.
The Britain's trees come with small plastic presson stands. These were used temporarily to
position the trees for the best effect. The trees in the background are Tru-Scale О gouge model
roilrood frees temporarily supported on clay bases
After you ore satisfied with the location of all the trees, drill 1/8" holes in the tabletop, at
least 1/4" deep for each tree. Then, insert the trees.
Patches of grass can be sprayed on some areas with leaf green Pla.
261
Half tires, hay bales, oil drums, and pylons are seen in abundance on
lull-size race courses. They help make certain that the racing cars cover
the full circuit with no shortcuts’ flay bales arc also used extensively to
prevent spun out cars from hitting curbs or poles and also to provide some
protection for spectators. Most of these necessary details are available from
Strombecker, Scalextric, and Monogram.
The advertisements seen in such abundance around a real race track
serve as more than just decoration on a model track. .All of your cars will
appear much taster if they are passing static scenery than if they are
simply Hying down an open track. .Appropriate scale ads arc furnished
with many accessory kits. However, you will most certainly want to sup-
plement these with additional banners. The best source of this type ad is
the automotive accessory advertisers in car magazines or general interest
magazines. A careful study of photos of full-size racing in the sports car
magazines will give you the brand names of race advertisers. For maxi-
mum realism, limit vour selection to those cutout advertisements with these
brands. They are most frequently tire or oil companies with some notable
exceptions such as Martini & Rossi's abundant ads for vermouth' Try to
get as many dillerent sizes and varieties as possible, but limit their size to
a maximum of 1-1/2" x 8".
Fits and Pit Accessories
#1875 Plasticville U.S.A, pit kit with 3
men, tools, 4 tires
#9198 Strombccker pit garage
Airfix racing pit and owner’s-stand kit
with tools
#K701 Scalextric racing pit kit
#K702 Scalextric racing pit and owner’s-
stand kit
#A202 Scalextric racing pit. assembled
#A203 Scalextric racing pit and owner’s-
stand. assembled
#A223 Scalextric pit accessory kit (10
pieces)
Official Buildings
#1878 Plasticville U.S.A, official’s stand
kit with 3 figures
#9290 Strombecker pagoda control-tower
kit
Airfix press-box kit
K703 Scalextric control center kit
K7O4 Scalextric marshall's hut
A201 Scalextric event board and but
A208 Scalextric control tower
A211 Scalextric first-aid hut
A233 Scalextric entrance building
DETAILING BILL OF MATERIALS
#1877 Plasticville U.S.A, unpainted sit-
ting people (22)
#9145 Strombccker unpainted trackside
figures (10)
#9155 Strombecker unpainted spectators
(10)
#	1256 Britain's painted man with tire
#	1257 Britain’s painted man lying down
#	F306A Scalextric unpainted sitting fig-
ures (5)
#	F306B Scalextric unpainted sitting fig-
ures (5)
#	R I6 V.I.P, mechanics (6)
#	F300 Scalextric painted track officials
and pit crew (6)
#	F301 Scalextric painted spectators and
photographers (6)
#	F302 Scalextric painted TV camera and
crew set
#	F304 Scalextric mechanics and drivers
(6)
# F305 Scalextric painted vendors and
spectators (6)
Track Markers
#RS3110 Monogram half tires, hay bales,
and pylons (36)
262
А238 Scalextric timekeeper's hut
Monogram control tower
Monogram "Dunlop” spectator bridge
Grandstands
#	38.37 Eldon grandstand with six painted
spectators
#	1876 Plasticville U.S.A, grandstand
#	9399 Strombecker grandstand
Airfix grandstand
#	A209 Scalextric grandstand
People
#RS 3101 Monogram drivers and pit
crew (12)
# RS 3102 Monogram track officials (11)
#RS 3103 Monogram spectator group
(10)
~RS 3101 Monogram newsmen and
vendors (II)
#3834 Eldon painted sitting people (6)
#3832 Eldon painted flagmen and pit
crew (6)
#9130 Stromlrecker half tires (24)
#9’35 Strombecker barrels (12)
#9140 Strombecker hay bales (121
#A204 Scalextric oil drums (12)
#A205 Scalextric hay bales (12)
#	A227 Scalextric half tires (1)
#	A255 Scalextric marker cones (1)
19232 Scalextric hurdles (1)
#	R44 V.l.P. hedge for straight. 5"
#	R45 V.l.P hedge for curves, 5"
Advertisements, Flogs, etc.
#	9150 Strombecker ads, flags, car num-
bers
A212 Scalextric start-finish banner
A235 Scalextric signa! & international Hags
A2-36 Scalextric flags, pits, car numbers
A213 Scalextric track signs (5)
#	R47 V.l.P. start-finish banner
# R43 V.l.P. ads on billhoard and shut-off
markers
#R48 V.l.P. international flags (17)
note: This is a list of the more popular track detailing components for model road
racing tracks. Since there are no specific dimensions for buildings, etc., most
can be used for either 1/32 or 1/24 scale courses.
263
FIG. 236 Signs of life on о racecourse ore tho ever-present advertisements. To odd detoil to о model
racecourse, cut out appropriate tire, gasoline, and auto accessory advertisements and glue in place
with rubber cement. Keep the size of these clippings to about о maximum 1-1/2" x 8" so that
they will not appear oversize. A car flashing by a series of these ads appears to be traveling
twice os fost as it is, because you hove something still to compare to tho cor's speed.
The half-tires on the inside edge of the track
In track surface The Plasticville U.S.A, grandstand
area on the So.Cal frock. Point tho spectators with
ore Strombecker items prossed into holes drilled
and spectators odd a life-like appearance to this
Pactra flat, not gloss, <>nam«l for greater realism.
FIG, 237 The plaster of Paris clifls and well plaster hills
are complete on the Suzuka course. This is a real road
course, wandering around, up, over, and under the hills
and valleys. Linoleum sky backdrop, painted light
blue, covers the wall studs. Trees, gross, bushes, ond о
lokc have been added. Additional interest results
when the table edge follows trock contour.
The pit» ore kits from Airfix af England. These finely
detailed models come complete with car names,
advertisements, number boards, ond even a set of scale
tools. Each pit has on open stoirway on the back
loading to a spectator area on the roof. The canopy,
welding tanks, ond figures on the left ore from the
Plasticville pit kit. Again, paint all these figures and
buildings with flat enamel.
Slight jog in straight provides some anxious moments at
race meets. Cars normally race out from under the
bridge, whip around the chicane at the edge of lhe
table, sweep up the hill toward the сотого, drift
around lhe bend on the end of the track under the
camera, accelerate down the straight, through the loop
of tho far end, into lhe esses, ond bock
under the bridge.
264
14
Organizing Race Meets
THE ORGANIZED races conducted at commercial race-
way centers will have a variety of rules and follow individual shop formats.
It is necessary for you to follow their systems when vou enter races at the
commercial shops.
Those who race on home or club tracks will find, as their group of
enthusiasts grows and races become more competitive, that the inevitable
question “Who is the host driver with the best and fastest car?” will arise.
The only way to determine this is to allow each car and driver an equal
chance to beat the others. Some system must be devised where the driving
and or building abilities of the drivers are the only factors deciding who
wins—the equal chance.
Classifying Cars
There arc many considerations involved that you may not have thought
even existed. On some tracks one lane is faster than the others. There is
the problem of classifying the cars so that a 1/32 scale car does not have
to compete with a 1/24 scale car. This, obviously, can become quite com-
plicated since not only the scale, but the over-all size of cars, exposed or
enclosed wheels, and modifications will all seriously affect car performance,
giving the edge to one car or the other. (The next chapter will give vou
some ideas on racing classes based on the full-size cars your models are
patterned after. The allowable modifications within the classes will have
to be decided.)
You can hold races for only absolutely stock-kit cars, or for cars with
everything stock but the rear tires, or place some limitation on anything
you want. You’ll find, however, that inevitably one or two particular brands
of kits will always seem to fare better than others. The brand can be any-
thing; the point is that tint/ limitations on chassis modifications will always
265
benefit one car more than another. Unless yon limit your races to one
brand, one body-style events, you’re best to leave the chassis area open
to the individual builders.
Rules
You can also place any limitation you wish on the appearance and scale
size of the cars. Here your individual tastes and desires and those ol the
other chib members will have to be considered. The strictest rules for car
appearance that are accepted by more than just one club arc those of
the North American Miniature Bating Association (NAMRA), P.O. Box
578. Times Square Station. New York, NA. 10036, and the North American
Scale Boad Bacing Association (NASRRA), 357 North Charlotte, Lom-
bard, Illinois 60148. These groups are composed primarily of private club
members who race 1/32 scale cars. They are not really in competition with
one another. The NASRRA people are primarily in the Midwest and the
NAM BA people, in the East. There are constant rumors that they will
merge, but. for now. they work independently toward more or less the
same goal of uniform-scale, model-car competition on private club tracks.
If vou enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope, mailed to either, you
can obtain a complete set of their rules and membership qualifications.
Briefly, both sets ol rules stipulate minimum and maximum tire diame-
ters. and that all cars be replicas of full-size cars that have raced. The
emphasis is on accurate scale models. You can start with these rules for
vour own group ami either add more of your own or not follow those that
do not appeal to your ideas of model car racing. Obviously, if you race in
events sponsored by either of these groups, you’ll have to comply with
their rules to the letter.
If you do some racing on commercial tracks, particularly in 1/24 scale,
or if you want to pattern your rules after those used by most commercial
racing centers, Official Rules and Regulations for Model Cai Racing from
the American Model Car Bacing Congress, 8447 Wilshire Boulevard, Bev-
erly Hills, California 90211, is a must. Send fifty cents and your address
for a cops of this complete rulebook. It not only covers the rules used by
most commercial centers, but it also describes the various types of actual
organized racing you are like!) to encounter at a commercial track.
Once you have established a set of rules governing lhe cars you will
race, you can concern yourself with delegating the chores of lap counting,
starting the race, and corner marshalling to the members of your group.
These duties, particularly corner marshalling, arc often done on a rotation
basis where those not driving run the race until it is their turn to drive.
You will need some system of lap counting. This can range from a dollar
hand counter to an adapted counter from a racing set. a handmade, elec-
tric-eye device, or a two hundred dollar, commercial-raceway unit. It all
depends on your club's pocketbook and skill.
266
A Race System
With car arid race rules established, .someone Io run the races, and a lap
counter, you're ready to hold a race meet. The system I'll describe is used
by the club I belong to. Although it may sound complicated, it is a truly
fair system to all of the competitors. You can use it as is, simplify it. or
add races to suit your own group.
The racing system utilized by the S.C.A.L.E. Club, one ol the private
clubs which adheres to strict rules regarding scale measurements, is not
generally practical for commercial or shop races, since there is a bit of
driver changing from lane Io lane. This system minimizes the luck clement
and helps to eliminate any advantage of a particular lane.
hi all S.C.A.L.E races the power is turned off as soon as the winning car
crosses the finish line or at the end of a specified time period. The cars
remain on the course in the exact place in which they finished while the
laps, and fractions of a lap, completed arc recorded on the score sheet.
The track surface is divided by a thin, black line into twenty equal parts.
Every other line constitutes one-tenth of a lap with the lines in between
indicating 1 2 of a tenth of a lap. These section lines are numbered right
at the edges ol the skid area with I 8” dr\-transfer numbers.
On a four-lane track, each driver tuns 1/4 ol each Consolation Race,
Semi-Main, or Main Event on each lane, therefore driving on all four lanes
in each race. At the quarter, half, and three-quarter point of the race, the
power is turned oil and the number of laps and tenths recorded for each
driver. The cars and drivers then move to the next lane in the same frac-
tion ol a lap just completed, and the race is resumed. A race on a three-
lane track is run in 1 3 sections to allow each driver a chance on each lane.
The driver's total number of laps and fractions of a lap on each lane are
added to determine his position. This completely equalizes any difference
in the various lanes. The over-all winner of a race meet is determined at
the end of the Main Event or final race of the meet. The balance of the
positions, second on down, is determined by the order the cars finished in
the Main, Semi-Main events, and a series of Consolation Races. Each driver
is given an opportunity to qualify for the above races by competing in two-
minute Heat or qualification races on each of the four lanes. The drivers
who accumulate the three highest numbers of laps during their four two-
minute races qualify for the Main Event. The rest of the competitors
qualify for the Semi-Main or the Consolation Races based on their lap
total for their lour two-minute races.
At feast one lane must be left open in all of the final races to allow the
winners ol the previous event a chance to move up to the next race. The
fourth lane in the Main Event is left open for the winner of the Semi-Main
Event. Similarly, one or two lanes in the Semi-Main Event are left for the
winner (and sometimes second-place) in the first Consolation Race, and
267
one or two lanes in the first Consolation Race are left for the winner (and
sometimes second-place) of the second Consolation Race. This system
allows a driver who may have done poorly in his heat race, or who had
mechanical problems, a chance to work his way through the Consolation
Races, the Semi-Main, and, finally, the Main Event. Thus, it allows each
competitor the fairest possible chance to win the Main Event.
The Heat or Qualifying Races are the first events of a race meet. The
Consolation Races are next. The exact number (if any) depends on the
number ol entries. If, for example, only seven drivers compete, only a
Main and Semi-Main are needed. If eleven drivers compete, there will
have to be two Consolation Races. The second Consolation Race is run,
then the first, then the Semi-Main, and finally, the Main Event. It all
sounds rather confusing, but, in practice, it works quite smoothly. There
is rarely cause for complaint and little room for argument over who fin-
ished where.
Score Sheet
A score sheet ( Fig. 238) helps avoid confusion and mistakes. The driver’s
name is entered on the diagonal lines labeled "Heats." Rating the drivers,
based on their past performances, further equalizes the competition if the
better drivers race each other in the Heat Races. By alternating the better
drivers, end to end on the chart, they are automatically forced to compete
against others of similar skill.
The boxes below the drivers’ names are used to indicate their total
number ol completed laps in each Heat Race. The drivers move over one
lane for each heat, with one man going off and another coming on. until
the second from the last Heat Race, when the first man off returns to race
on the other three lanes in the balance of three heats. The Heat Races are
complete when each driver has raced once on each lane. Each driver’s
total number of Heat Race laps determines the order of placement in the
Main, Semi-Main Event, and the Consolation Races.
The top three qualifiers from the Heat Races are placed in the Main
Event. The last four qualifiers are placed in a Consolation Race. The
remaining number must be divided between the other (if any) Consola-
tion Races and the Semi-Main Event with a minimum, naturally, of two
drivers in each race.
Before you give this up as too much confusion, try it. Similar systems
have been working for years. Make a couple of copies of the Score Sheet
and run a few races our way. It’s the only system we’ve found where
everyone really has an equal chance! I think you’ll find, as we have, that
it tends to hold the interest and enthusiasm of all the drivers through a
full evening of racing.
268
DATE	SCALE event
FIG. 238
269
15
Special Classes
for Added Racing Interest
THE FIRST IMPULSE that grips a new, model car
racing enthusiast is, quite simply, to race. Race any size, style, or shape of
model car on any track, but race! Eventually, he begins to wonder why a
Cobra, for example, that is about 6" long should race against a larger 9"
Cobra. Here, he discovers “scale.” The small Cobra, he reasons, must be
1/32 scale and the larger. 1/24.
Soon, the budding enthusiast begins to want his models to look like their
full-size counterparts, not only on the shell but while racing. He discovers
that (he cars without fenders generally have a slight advantage over cars
with lenders. The open-wheel cars easilj rierf cars in adjacent lanes, and
their relatively lighten weight allows them to handle and accelerate better.
This same difference in performance is present in full-size racing cars and,
in part, is the reason there are different classes of racing. By grouping dif-
ferent types of similar cars into various racing classes, cars of at least
theoretically equal performance can race one another with, again theo-
retically, no particular car having a distinct or unfair advantage over its
competition. The first reason for racing classes, then, is to attempt to
equalize performance.
270
Sports and Grand Prix Cars
For man\ model racers, a division of cars with fenders and those with
open wheels is sufficient. The cars with lenders are all grouped into a broad
category termed “Sports Cars." Open-wheel cars are grouped into the
broad category "Grand Prix.” If you arc just beginning the hobby, or if
you arc more concerned with racing models than in duplicating full-size
cars in miniature, these simple divisions, "Sports” and “Grand Prix," arc
satisfactory.
Grand Prix Classes
As you progress further and further in your hobby/sport, you will find
that you will obtain more enjoyment and excitement by duplicating vari-
ous full-size racing cars. You'll want vour model cars to look as much like
their full-size brothers as possible. When you model, for example, a minia-
ture 1956 Lancia Ferrari D50 Grand Prix car. you arc disturbed al the
size of this relatively large car racing against, again lor example, a model
of the 1961 BRM Grand Prix car. To capture the feeling of full-size racing,
the larger Ferrari really should compete against ears of similar size. Here,
then, you begin to feel that the Grand Prix class should, perhaps, have
different classifications within the open-wheel class.
The Grand Prix cars are pure racing cars designed with one purpose
in mind: race ami win! No pretext is given that these cars could run on
public highways or in day-to-day driving, so no fenders, lights, or passen-
ger scats, etc., are required. A Grand Prix car is generally envisioned by
racing enthusiasts as a competitor in the international series of races that
decide the World Champion, the same championship that was won by
Jim Clark in 1965 in his Lotus 33 GP. This championship, and all truly
international championships, are governed by the rules established by the
Federation Internationale d’ Automobile, or more commonly, the F.I.A.
The F.I.A. stipulates the regulations for each racing season.
The most popular class of open-wheel racing is termed Formula 1. It is
the only class ol racing that sports car enthusiasts recognize as the true
(?) international world’s championship. The F.I.A. rules directed that the
1961 through 1965 seasons would be run with cars having engines of less
than 1500cc. (1-12 liters, or 90 cubic inches) displacement, and that,
during the 1966 through at least 1968 season. Formula Is can have super-
chargers on the 1-1 2-liter engines, and they can run un-supcrcharged 3-
liter engines. The Formula I Grand Prix cars are covered by a vast number
of other rules. However, the important points to the modeler are that his
particular form of miniature Grand Prix car must be a duplicate of an
open-wheel car that raced during the 1961 through 1965 seasons at an
F.I.A.-sanctioned Formula I race. Since the 1966 cars are basically the
271
same over-all size, they can run with the earlier cars, at least for the
present.
Open-wheel cars that ran in other races, or in other years, can also fall
into the Grand Prix classification. They could, however, constitute separate
classes from 1-1 2-liter Formula 1. The current Indianapolis cars, for
example, race under F.l.A. sanction (among others). These cars do not
comply with the F.l.A. current Grand Prix Formula 1. so the "Inch win-
ners do not receive points toward the World Championship. Scale models
ol Indy' cars are so much larger than scale models of 1-1 2-liter Formula
1 cars that the Indy cars have a distinct advantage on model road race
circuits. For equal competition, these two classes should be separate.
There are many interesting full-size Grand Prix cars that were raced
prior to 1961. These cars, lor model purposes, can easily and logically fall
into a "Post-World War 11" classification. The\ were considerably larger
than the current formula cars and were, for the most part, quite different
in appearance from the Indy cars, so tbev constitute a realistic class of
their own.
These three classes of Grand Prix cars. 1961 to 1968 Formula I, Post-
World War II, and Indy, will each produce more realistic miniature races.
The various models that would qualifv to race as '61 to ’68 Formula I
would lx? representative of the current era of full-size racing. The detail
FIG. 239 The interesting racing classes of years post can be recreated in miniature
even though few of these full size cars will ever be seen again. The con in thi» photo are all
1/32 scale duplicates of th* Grand Prix car» raced during Ihe old 2-1/2-liter Formula I, which
ran from 1952 to I960. Boel row, nearest to the pit area, are (left to right): 1956 Lancia
Ferrari 050, 1956 Vanwail, 1959 Ferrari Dino; center raw: 1954 Maseroli 250F, 1955 Mercedes
W196; front row: 1958 lotus 16, 1959 Cooper. The 1/32 scale Lancia. Dino, and Maserati bodies
are available in America. The Vonwall, Mercedes, lotus, ond Cooper ore English model kits.
272
and care spent in producing an exact replica of. say, a 1961 I'errari GP
would be rewarded by seeing it race against duplicates of other cars that
it had actually raced to win the 1964 World Championship! The presence
of this same I'errari in a field of Indy cars would certainly not be correct
under this class system.
Vintage Cars
If you really love racing automobiles, you're ahead) familiar with the
‘ vintage ' cars (hat raced before, and the few years after. World War II.
These were the days of hard-riding, hard steering racing cars: automatic
or even sy ncromesh manual transmissions were unheard of. A dyed-in the
wool racing car Ian will swear that no cars, before or since, embody so
many features that were truly masculine in character, making the driver
so much a part of his car. As I’ve heard ’em say , " Them were the day s." I
sure wish I could have been there, don't you? Well, no need for the
nostalgic tears; one of the big kicks in model car racing is that you can
run your moving, three-dimensional bit of racing history to recall those
days.
FIG. 240 Ancient, but ever fascinating, history: The full-size version of these 1*0 cars last
raced in 1934, but they can compete again, whenever you wish, on your model racing circuit,
Both are 1/32 scale models of the MG K3‘s. The number 17 car is a copy of the 1933 car ond
the number 18, th» 1934 cor. The bodies were assembled from modified pieces of severe' kit»
and mounted on a conventional chassis and motor unit A model ro Ing circuit, especially for
vintage cars, should include some street scenes, as much of the pre War competition, unlike
today's, was held on public streels ond highways.
273
The M.G.’s here and the Alfa Romeo in Chapter 4 are examples of the
true vintage racing automobile. The sleek lines of the body, the upright
driver (arms lighting the wheel and the wind), and the long, louvered
hood characterizes most vintage racing cars and lends a fascination to
these cars that sets them apart from more common pre-War cars. These
features, duplicated in miniature, retain the fascination and unique dis-
tinction of the full-size cars. The thin tires and high bodies featured on
the prototype cars of the era are generally a disadvantage in model car
racing. They limit traction and make for a top-heavy car that usually can
not compete with the wider tired, low-bodied cars of our time. In addi-
tion, the delicate exhaust pipes and the cycle-type fenders on the sports
cars, which are highlights of vintage, cars, won’t remain in place long under
the rough treatment most model cars receive.
Therefore, many model oar enthusiasts race these in a special “Vintage
Class.” This makes it possible to establish special rules to limit the speed
of cars so that these mementos of another era are less likely to be dismem-
bered. Also, class distinction, as it were, in this case allows your beautifully
finished, delicate vintage car considerably more respect from its equally
beautiful and delicate competitor than it would receive from other more
sturdy, race-winning machinery. This is the ideal class for those old
Mabuchi, DCl95s, DC60s, etc., motors that arc no longer competitive in
open class racing. Couple these motors with a gear ratio of 5:1 or greater,
in 1/32 scale, to further limit the speed and increase the handling, and
you’ll have a Vintage Class with ears that can compete equally with each
other for exciting races from the history of motor racing. You can separate
the vintage cars into sports and Grand Prix to form two classes for vin-
tage cars!
Sports Car Classes
Cars with fenders, or sports cars, may also be divided into specific prac-
tical and realistic model car classes. As with Grand Prix cars, the rules
of the organizations that govern lull-size racing can be applied. The rea-
son for wanting to separate model sports cars into various classes is mostly
to improve the appearance and realism of each race. You obtain more
personal satisfaction from your models if they race against the same types
of cars they ran against in full-size racing. A street Cobra roadster should
not really race against a King Cobra such as the 19€>4 Riverside winner.
The King Cobra is a modified sports car while the street Cobra is a pro-
duction sports car. This is the major division in sports car racing. There is
a Production Sports Car class and a separate and distinct Modified Sports
Car class.
In the United States, the Sports Car Club of America (S.C.C.A.) has
rules that determine whether a car is “production” or not. The cars that
274
arc raced as production could be purchased from an\ dealer's showroom.
The F.l.A, has similar rules for production cars. For miniature racing, it is
most practical to combine cars that qualifv as production on S.C.C.A. or
F.l.A. listings under a Production Sports Car class. All other sports cars
arc then classified as Modified Sports Cars. This produces fields of model
racing cars that most closely approximate the type of cars that would
likely be seen at full-size races. There is more incentive to build an accu-
rately detailed model if you know it will be raced against cars of a similar
class.
Grand Touring Classes
Some modelers separate sports cars into a third class. All coupes are
classed as “Grand Touring," or GT, cars under this system. It is a fairly
simple division for model purposes, allowing such obviously modified sports
cars as the Type 151 Maserati coupe to race against a production XKE
sports car. Usually, however, groups that use the GT classification race all
production and modified sports cars as "Sports Cars" and all coupes as
"Grand Touring" cars.
The exact rules your particular group may wish to follow for determin-
ing which classes you race may be as simple or as complicated as you wish.
Each of the classes discussed here can be developed into special model
racing classes with special rules complying almost exactly with those used
lor lull-size cars. Some clubs are doing just this!
You can build detailed 1 32 scale, model road racing cars in any of the
popidar racing classes from the chassis, car kits, and racing-set cars by
following the previous chapters. All of the cars in the following list are
featured with complete construction detail, along with the full back-
ground, color, and detail notes on the full-size car.
There is some duplication between classes—see asterisks:
275
FULL-SIZE CAR
SCALE
CHASSIS
CHAPTER
GRAND PRIX CARS
Vintage Formula Cars (1929 to 1951)			
1950 Alfa Romeo 158/159	1/32	MRRC	9
2Yi-Liter Formula I Cars (1952 to 1960)			
1956 Lancia/Ferrari D5O	1/32	Hawk	5
Current Formula I Cars (1961 to 1968)			
1962 Porsche flat 8	1/24	Dynamic	8
1962 to ‘65 Lotus 25 & 33	1/24	Corben	8
1964 to ‘66 Brabham	1/24	Strombecker	5
1964 to '65 BRM	1/32	Monogram	9
1964 to ‘66 Ferrari	1/24	Cox	2
1964 & ‘65 Honda	1/24	Rannalli	2
	Indianapolis Formula Cars		
1965 Lotus 38	1/24	Revell	8
SPORTS CARS	Production Sports Cars		
1964 Cobra 289	1/32	Revell	6
1965 Cobra 427	1/24	Cox	8
♦1963 Corvette	HO	Aurora	3
*1962 to ‘63 Ferrari GTO	1/32	Revell	2
♦1962 to ‘66 Jaguar XKE	HO	Tyco	3
♦1965 Mustang GT 350	1/32	Aurora	2
•1963 Porsche 904	HO	Atlas	3
1958 Triumph TR3	1/32	Monogram	9
	Modified Sports Cars		
1964 Chapnrral 2	1/24	Dynamic	8
1965 Chaparral 2	1/32	Revell	5
*1965 Cheetah	1/32	Strombecker	5
• 1964 Cobra Coupe	1/32	Auto Hobbies	5
1963 Cooper/Ford	1/32	Strombecker	9
*1964 Corvette GS	HO	Aurora	3
1964 Ferrari 275P	1/32	Atlas	9
*1965 Ferrari 330 LM	1/32	Monogram	2
1965 Ferrari 330P2	1/24	К & 13	5
•1966 Dino 166 & 206SP	1/32	Ram	9
• 1964 Ford GT	1/32	Strombecker	2
♦1965 Ford GT 40	1/32	Auto Hobbies	9
1956 D. Jaguar	HO	Tyco	3
1964 to ‘65 Lang/Cooper	1/24	Monogram	8
276
•1963 Lolo Mark VI	HO	Aurora	3
1965 Lola T70	1/32	Monogram	5
1965 Lola T70	1/24	IMC	9
1960 Lotus 19	1/32	Dynamic	9
1962 to '65 Lotus 23	1/24	К & В	8
1965 to ‘66 Lotus 30 & 40	1/24	Сох	5
1965 McKee	1/24	Teator	2
“1964 Maserati 5000 GT	1/24	К & В	8
“1962 Maserati 151	1/24	Russkit	8
•1966 Porsche Carrera 6	1/24	Russkit	2
1958 Scarab	1/24	MPC	2
Grand Touring or GT
“All arc coupes and would run as GT or Grand Touring curs in model car racing.
FIG. 241 Sedan or ttock cor racing it very much о рог» of real life ond model road
racing. These particular cars arc IMC's rcady-to-run Ford, Chevrolet, ond Plymouth
in 1/32 scale.