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1967 Honda Ra273 Formula1 Proxy Car


Terry

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There is a proxy series about to start in Canada, the series is based around Formula 1 cars which competed in the Canadian grand prix of 1967, cars from the 1967 F1 season are eligible to compete.

 

I have a little bit of proxy experience especially in F1 (or Tasman) cars so I thought it would be interesting to have a go, before I go too far here I should explain that this proxy series has been promoted in the 132 Formula 1 forum, and in that forum there are some very serious and very talented car builders, in some respects there skill levels are extraordinary, so for me I'm really jumping in at the (very) deep end.

 

Finding a suitable car to run came down to what was available, in a body form, and as I do watch my spending the costs are a consideration.

 

Fortunately the solution was close by with Phil being able to supply the car body, the Honda is a little unusual as this car did not turn up to run the Canadian GP, but it was a runner for the rest of the 1967 F1 year, so it is eligible to run.

 

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Hopefully my car will look something like this one!

 

My starting point was the chassis, for me a fairly basic brass and piano wire construction, but i wanted to see if I could build some sort of flex into the chassis, as the motor choice is open i wanted something that may cope with the extra power.

 

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So I came up with this chassis, there is some flex and I quickly realised that there was not as much as I originally anticipated, however I pressed on as I knew this design would work and I accepted the fact that maybe my next chassis will be more adventurous.

 

The motor choice is the scalextric FF050 18K motor which is quick enough and with Pauls tyres on the back I thought I was well equipped.

 

Little did I know that was not going to be the case, with the extra grunt and urethane tyres in a light chassis I could not get traction, wheels spinning everywhere and quite bad axle tramp.

 

Despite me adding more weight the thing still kicked like a mule, so much so that it tore the motor mount out of the chassis!

 

I badly misread the power and traction issues, a chassis rebuild resulted in much more bracing around the motor mount, a change of tyres, now using NSR Ultragrips, and additional weight to the chassis, finally I now had traction and some light was starting to appear at the end of the tunnel.

 

 

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Edited by terry
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154348.jpg

 

Because of other slot car commitments I let the Honda build sit for maybe a little too long and then noticed the shipping date looming, not unusual for me, I felt a bit like Corporal Jones in Dads' Army, running around screaming "Don't panic, Don't panic !!" Time to press on and get the build finished.

 

The chassis is sort of like my Tasman cars, but in this case a solid front axle, and I have tried to get the car down low to improve the c of g, I was always checking to ensure I didn't go too low and below the 1.6mm clearance spec

 

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Body got a bit of a tidy, driver fitted, now its starting to look like a slot car

 

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Finally painted and decaled, overall I'm pleased with the results, I'm still trying to lift my game in some areas and this car is probably my best scratch build so far, but the windscreen!!! Thats another story

 

As far as speed goes I've done a 4.4 something in testing here and thats pretty okay, so heres' hoping its competitive

 

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Edited by terry
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Lovely choice of body...

Even better implementation.

 

Well done so far Terry.

If it goes half as well as it looks, it should be a weapon.

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Beautiful work Terry. I often start with the best of intentions but fail at last few hurdles. Agree windscreen can be troublesome. The right glue however is a great help.

 

Love the body and particularly the engine detail. Think Art of Dart Hobbies has a similar kit.

 

Basic body appears to be one of Phil's best efforts. What a great starting point. Best of luck with competition.

 

Your car is a fitting competitor for Chris's Lotus 49 effort.

 

Regards Chas Le Breton

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From the looks of the photos I'd say you're in with a great chance, well done on the build.

Never doubt yourself, everyone has started off with no knowledge and it appears you have a hell of a lot more than others (me).

 

Can you share the link to the proxy, I'd love to see how you go and have a squiz at the other cars.

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