A Slot It Beater For Less Than $20

[slotmadmac]

I was always thought the old Scalextric C134 Renaults had potential.

 

 

They are low, with a flat chassis and wide wheelbase. With a few minor mods I now have these running as fast - or in some cases much faster - than my Group C Slot Its.

 

The chassis / guide mount comes like this

 

 

but needs to be trimmed and the extra plastic that sits proud of the chassis removed.

 

 

A standard Slot It guide will fit perfectly now. Next glue in the motor - then more dremel work to get the body to float. The channels that hold the front axle also have to be widened to fit an axle tube. The stock front tyres are trued and the front axle is put in 1/8" tubing that has been reamed a bit and oiled to make sure the axle spins freely. The solid front end is essential for good handling.

 

Rear tyres are NSR 20 x 13 Formula 1s that are glued and trued on the stock Scalextric axle and wheels. The rear bushings are then superglued to the chassis. Setting up the front end is easy - just put the guide in a set up block, and the glue the tubed axle in place, ensuring it's square. This technique ensures maximum guide depth.

 

 

The chassis now has some float. I like to drill out the chassis screw holes a bit and then use Scalex Sport screws for extra body rock.

 

 

And that's it. The car now sits a lot lower than the original.

 

 

This job took me less than a hour to do.

 

On the track this set up is a joy to drive - incredibly stable with very fast cornering ability. With a new standard Scalextric motor (Aud$3 on Ebay) this set up will do 6.9secs on my 95' wood track. (Very few cars break 7secs - I only have one Slot It Group C that does.)

 

Using this set up, SlotJockey(our National 1/32 champ) pulled a 6.6sec with the Brabham Parmalat below. (My outright track record is 6.35. The GT class Slot It that SlotJockey won the NZ Nationals with runs 6.3 - 6.4 secs on my track.)

 

We are all amazed that this essentially stock Scalextric set up with some NSRs on the back can be so fast. All the cars pictured below are now set up this way.

 

 

They are as cheap as chips to buy - it's easy to get them for under A$20 on ebay - but often they're a lot cheaper. I got the Renault in this post for GBP1.99 - that's about A$3 dollars! Freight to NZ was A$5. The NSRs were A$5. The guide and others bits were from the parts bin but let's say A$6. Not bad for a $20 build considering the performance.

 

At a recent club night these were a resounding success with close, fast racing. And open wheelers that are hard to break is an added bonus.

 

Mac

[SLOTJOCKEY]

I will back Mac up and say these cars haul butt. Great fun and so easy to setup. There are plenty for sale around the globe and perhaps Mac could set up a transtasman proxy for these cars. I would be in if it happens. They are so robust not much can go wrong { jinxed them already }..........Mike W aka Slotjockey

[manic35]

Thanks for the fantastic how-to doco there Mac.

 

I love these old F1 cars and used to have many as a kid - it's great to see that they can be made competitive on the track.

 

EDIT: Could you please post some more pics of the chassis showing the floating pod and front axle modifications?

Edited July 3, 2011 by manic35

[SlotsNZ]

We had brilliant fun, and being stable to drive also makes them a suitable new-comers class to run, and as Mike and Mac are setting these up for us to buy as club members as a cheapie, we'll all have one, and some spares kicking about (I presume), for new people coming to club.

 

Of course, when we see the EBay price for these rie to about AU$60, we'll blame all you ozzies....

 

I have to ask of course, GRT? Phil? Some of you guys may have a bunch of these lying about in your "junk box" . . . . you might make a few new friends by throwing them into the "for sale" section here . . . . hint hint....

[Stubbo]

 

 

I have to ask of course, GRT? Phil? Some of you guys may have a bunch of these lying about in your "junk box" . . . . you might make a few new friends by throwing them into the "for sale" section here . . . . hint hint....

 

"Junk box"? Might be junk to you guys but to me they are cherished treasures. Especially if they hit $60.

 

BTW I might have the odd spare Brabham BT49 or Williams FW07 in my treasure chest.

[SlotsNZ]

"Junk box"? Might be junk to you guys but to me they are cherished treasures. Especially if they hit $60.

 

I grovel and hang my head in shame for using such appallingly insensitive words.

If anyone wants me, I'll be down the back of the garden eating worms

 

Once I have mine Alan, I'll get a spare one and set it up as we race them, then flick it over to you as a working example if you fancy.

 

They're just the sort of thing you can let the workmates or the family loose on to have a lot of fun with, very little learning curve, floor-survivable, and easy handling characteristics.

[slotmadmac]

Not much else to show on the chassis Manic...

 

We superglue the bushings to the chassis mounts (you have to as there is no 'clip-in' bushing holder) and hot glue in the motor.

 

 

And here is the front axle - tubed and glued for rigidity. A spacer washer at each end stops the plastic hub from binding.

 

 

And the internal body edges are shaved on all areas where it connects to the chassis - just enough to let the chassis 'float'. By shaving the body and using thin chassis screws in widened screw holes - the body will rock on the chassis. This makes the car handle considerably better. (You can achieve the same thing by shaving the perimeter of the chassis.)

 

 

If you are not used to floating the chassis you will be amazed at how a 1/2 screw turn can effect the handling of a car. Once the chassis is free to rock, take your time experimenting with different screw settings / levels of float.

 

Mac

[paulthetexan]

Howdy

 

I'm so glad someone else has re-discovered these little beauties . I have also spent some time giving my collection the once over . I find it funny that people will spend much more on a slot car then much more time tuning them but for some reason these are neglected with little time spent on tuning them , wich is a shame because when you do they fly . Fix the front axle , spend a bit of time on the guide then standard true and glue .

 

The mabuchi motor cars scoot and I have even found the Johnson can cars to be fast over a lap if down on acceleration a little . MJK make tyres which transform them and most don't even need additional weight once you have fixed the front axle . I just wish my club would race them .

 

Here's a couple of pics of my oldies .

 

 

There's nothing to say it has to be new to be fast or fun !!!

 

Paul

[slotmadmac]

Great minds....

 

I have the Tyrrell Elf, JPS and the Ford March set up with Mabuchi motor - but run them together as they don't handle as well as the cars shown in the my pictures.

 

Agree about the Johnson cans. They have a nice power band but lack punch and run about .4 of a second down on the mabuchi cars on my track.

 

I'm not so keen on the club cars or the B42 Brabham - I prefer the cars with a seperate chassis. I do like the Indy Cars - but the narrower rear wheelbase means the old school 80's F1's we have been setting up leave them in the dust.

 

Mac

[first corner crash]

Maybe a vintage f1 proxy could be fun? It would certainly be different. Some of the fossils might awaken and put in an entry who knows. Just spotted a Gitanes Ligier on evil bay. That would save me having to paint a car.

[manic35]

Not much else to show on the chassis Manic...

 

We superglue the bushings to the chassis mounts (you have to as there is no 'clip-in' bushing holder) and hot glue in the motor.

 

 

And here is the front axle - tubed and glued for rigidity. A spacer washer at each end stops the plastic hub from binding.

 

 

And the internal body edges are shaved on all areas where it connects to the chassis - just enough to let the chassis 'float'. By shaving the body and using thin chassis screws in widened screw holes - the body will rock on the chassis. This makes the car handle considerably better. (You can achieve the same thing by shaving the perimeter of the chassis.)

 

 

Thanx mate, great thread!

 

If you are not used to floating the chassis you will be amazed at how a 1/2 screw turn can effect the handling of a car. Once the chassis is free to rock, take your time experimenting with different screw settings / levels of float.

 

Mac

[slotmadmac]

Just spotted a Gitanes Ligier on evil bay. That would save me having to paint a car.

 

I hear you. I've always liked the Ligiers - I'm waiting for a couple to arrive at the moment. They're wide and low - perfect for this class.

 

I'll let you know how they go once I set one up.

 

Mac

[slotmadmac]

Maybe a vintage f1 proxy could be fun? It would certainly be different. Some of the fossils might awaken and put in an entry who knows.

 

I'll talk to the local guys. Maybe we could host a rapid fire proxy series here in Hawkes Bay. We have 4 tracks: Kennedy-Rds, SlotJockeys, mine and SlotsNZ's new track is well under way. We will need to get SlotsNZ involved. His proxy reporting skills are second to none.

 

Is a 4 track series long enough to warrant shipping cars over the ditch? The whole thing could be over in a month.

 

Who would be keen?

 

Mac

[Stubbo]

Maybe a vintage f1 proxy could be fun? It would certainly be different. Some of the fossils might awaken and put in an entry who knows.

 

I'll talk to the local guys. Maybe we could host a rapid fire proxy series here in Hawkes Bay. We have 4 tracks: Kennedy-Rds, SlotJockeys, mine and SlotsNZ's new track is well under way. We will need to get SlotsNZ involved. His proxy reporting skills are second to none.

 

Is a 4 track series long enough to warrant shipping cars over the ditch? The whole thing could be over in a month.

 

Who would be keen?

 

Mac

 

Maybe this could be like the old Tasman series. 4 Rounds in NZ and 4 rounds over here?

 

I'd certainly be in it.

[Mohawkk]

Thats a great idea guys.

i like the idea of a tasman series too!

we would just need time to paint and set up a car and im in.

 

Kai

[SLOTJOCKEY]

Definately need rounds on both sides of the ditch but why the need to paint them when they are already done?.

[Mohawkk]

some of them are a bit rough

[slotmadmac]

I was playing around with the parts bin again and put a well used Slot It orange bell in one of the 1980s Scalextric Renaults at the top of this thread. It was always going to happen. To be fair, I thought the chassis wouldn't handle the extra grunt - but boy was I wrong on that front.

 

 

I set it up the same way but added a Slot It axle and crown, Sloting Plus bushes, NSR Vanquish rears and a Slot It wood guide - all used parts from other projects. Front wheels are some old plastic Slot Its with stepped down tyres to reduce front drag. No added weight but plenty of body float.

 

 

This car is unbelievably quick and easy to drive on the edge. The cornering speed with the wide NSRs and low chassis is amazing. My best hot lap broke into the 6.2 bracket - a first on my track - but lap after lap just off that pace is a breeze. The motor I used was a cast off from an old GT car - so the next step will be to try a new one - or a NSR blue can.

 

I'm not the worlds fastest driver but I think once SlotJockey gets his hands on ths car the 5sec bracket is up for grabs. The boys in the club would never have believed we'd be contemplating those sort of times six months ago.

 

Mac

[first corner crash]

Looks really good Mac. I have just got a Ligier off evilbay and am awaiting its arrival now. I have started painting my cars in a Gitanes Livery hence my earlier comment at not having to paint a Ligier. I am a crap painter but i have done a few cars now and some look better than others, I have 4 slot.its and 3 Nsr's done so far. Specialising in one livery means i will eventually get it right lol. I got to stop pulling the decals off after a heat when pulling the lane tape off. The cars tend to go faster and faster because the drivers get better at driving and buiding the cars as well as the tracks themselves tend to speed up with more use.

 

I think these old F1 cars could go really well with some serious tweaking and i wonder how far the envelope can be oushed with these things? A good Ninco F1 can handle heaps of power we regularly see NSR king 25 motors in open f1 and the grip from a good set of F! tyres is a level above what can be expected from a GT tyre.. I think a higher revving lower torque motor would be the go for these things as they are so light and a smooth power delivery would be advantageous.

[slotmadmac]

I set up about 10 of these cars with standard scalextric mabuchis to sell to the guys for a club class last night. Who grabbed what was quite interesting - as some of the cars I liked the most were left to last. Anyway, everyone grabbed at least one and we had a ball racing them. All the guys commented about how whisper quiet they run. We always thought of the old scalex plastic pinion and black contrate as a fairly noisy combo - but bang some fat NSRs on the back and the noise reduction is amazing.

 

After all being so obsessed with Slot Its etc and often spending NZ$150+ on cars (by the time you add extra kit) it's funny that these old bangers are such a hit. SlotsNZ took a vid of the cars circulating. Hopefully Mark will post it here soon.

 

Mac

[SlotsNZ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwifaaNr2Bc

[SLOTJOCKEY]

Nice footage, shame that handsome Slotjockey guy had to miss it.............

[slotmadmac]

I thought you were driving the black car? Looks like it.

 

Mac

Edited July 22, 2011 by slotmadmac

[nvmyre]

Looks like whoever was driving the yellow car had to keep slowing down to let everyone catch up

[slotmadmac]

A few years ago, I came up with this idea of reworking the old 70's / 80s Scalextric F1 and Indy cars - and it's proven a really popular club class. I decided it was time to revisit the set up and see if I could improve it. I took my time with this one - flattening the chassis and making sure everything was super square.

 

 

The set up fits our club rules but on testing there was a slight shudder coming out of corners under full power, so I added a brace between the motor and the rear bushes - it had to be set under the bushes so the body posts would still fit.

 

 

I even treated it to a quick paint job to make it stand out from the pack.

 

 

On the track these cars always go well but the brace added a new level of silky smoothness. With a stock 18k mabuchi it's not about straight line speed but the cornering speed with these cars is just phenomenal and the car was soon lapping under 7.0s on my 95' gloss track - with a best time of 6.82. To put that in perspective a 6.82s time would have qualified this car well and truly in the top half of the field in the 2013 Auslot NZ proxy when I hosted a round last year. The proxy has open gearing and motor rules - and it's probably worth pointing out that my outright track record is around 6.1s.

 

So 6.82 is not bad considering that everything about this car's running gear is stock except the Slot It universal guide, Slot It braid and NSR F1 tyres. Everyone who knows slot cars and see these cars perform on my track is always amazed how well they go. Maybe it's a gloss track thing but I'd love to know if they work as well on a ferrodore track.

 

Mac