# life like COT magnetless ?



## demether (Aug 26, 2008)

Hi, 

I'm currently thinking of increasing my nascar collection, I saw these really nice life like licensed cars, but when I see them on video, they seems too fast for my own taste. 

I wonder if anyone succeeded to run them magnetless, or replace the chassis with another one (pancake ?).

I'm pretty sure to have seen on youtube some guys running these bodies on modified tjets...

ANother question about the cars choice : for what I've seen, some lifelike nascars seems to be more realistic (proportions, details) than other ones. What serie/models should I take a look on ? 


thank you for your help !


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## Gareth (Mar 8, 2011)

Hi Demether,

I'm not sure about running them magless but you could certainly replace the chassis with an original Rokar chassis. They're very similar to an Aurora G Plus with no traction magnets and have the same mounting system as the later M and T chassis.

If you wanted to remove the traction mags from a LifeLike T chassis, it is a simple job to use a sharp knife or screwdriver and lever them down and out of the car. And then hopefully a pair of silicones will see you right for grip. Although the chassis will still be blisteringly quick so might not be the best option!

I too have seen some LifeLike bodies on Tjets but not sure how they were mounted. 

Good luck with the project and don't forget to post photos of your experiments.

Cheers
Gareth


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## demether (Aug 26, 2008)

Hi Gareth, 

Thank you for your feedback. Concerning rokar chassis, today I'm not too much in vintage chassis. A few years ago, I thought it was the way to go magnetless on ho scale. But finding oldskool chassis (tycopro, rokar) at good price (not more expensive than a today usual chassis), and in good shape is not that easy, finally. 

Once you take your old chassis, you hunted it for week on ebay, and realize once that you need to replace multiple things on it...Put a body on it,and the price starts to look like "too much 1/32 scale-ish" for my own taste 

The 2nd issue I found with vintage chassis is the fact I never achieved to have 4 balanced and more or less equal ones. 



That's why these days I'm more into simply remove magnets, or, at "worst", change the chassis for new pancake (xtraction, tjet) ones, just adding silicon tires on them. 


The last thing I didn't said is that my track is running on around 13.8volt (12volt "lab" powersupply, in fact more around 13.5-14volt, 8amp).


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## demether (Aug 26, 2008)

I also remember someone here running diecast cars...That 's sound interesting, concerning the cheap price of them, and probably very well adapted to magnetless racing (because of weight). 

Maybe also a way easier to find than modern lifelike nascar bodies...



I need to investiguate...


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## neorules (Oct 20, 2006)

Demether-- you could put a "stop Wedge" on your controller so you could only go say half throttle on your controller. That way you could have the cars be slower.


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

The newest Life Like t-chassis that is under the NASCAR COT cars is UNDRIVEABLE without the traction mags. And personally, I find the manufacturing of it to be dodgy one car to the next.

The body, however, is correct wheelbase for AFX / AW Xtraction / short wheelbase TYCO. You could also add body posts and run tjets under them for a natural slider type experience.

Personally, I'd probably go for the AFX/XT, tjet or TYCO HP7 chassis for a more fun drive. The 440X2 would be fast like a vintage TYCO NASCAR racer circa 1985-1995 and wouldn't squirm around very much.

Also, re: diecast . . . Me & my group back home raced diecast from 1994 until a year or so ago. The best combination for fun and low cost / easy maintenance was to use the Tyco HP7 on stock rims with either stock tires or slip-on rears and run on short ovals. Everyone who tried it liked it a lot. A lot.


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## Gareth (Mar 8, 2011)

Hi Demether,

I think the Rokar chassis is generally quite available and easy to find. I've managed to pick up several in the past year or so while buying some older LifeLike and Rokar cars. 

However your second point about balancing four vintage chassis for racing is so, so, so true!! Like you I have ended up buying four brand new X-Tractions for mounting under cars for my home races. I'll probably buy four brand new Turbo chassis for the same reason rather than trying to sort through the several dozen I have to try and balance them. 

It sounds to me like your reduced voltage should help to keep things manageable when you take the magnets out. I'm guessing some brass weights would be in order as well to improve your traction.

Have you looked at the slide guide chassis types such as the Rattler?

I'm intrigued by these diecast conversions! Definitely will be adding that to my list of things to try. Especially when die cast are so cheap to pick up relative to slot cars.


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## demether (Aug 26, 2008)

thanks for your help ! 

I searched in my parts wreck, and found 2 diecast 1/64 bodies. So I tried to find a matching chassis and found some tyco 440x2 ones. 

Here's a "mockup" montage, just to show you the matching wheelbase. You can see the chassis just pulled into the body, so forget about body height, tires not matching, etc...































440x2 widepan chassis works great without magnet, on 12-14volt. Their powerfull motor's got enough brake inside too (wich is a good thing with such an heavy body). 



I plan to make a specialty race serie with diecast and slide guides, to go on my 1/32 oval. I found in my wreck some nylon slide guides. I'd have to make them thicker for 1/32 slot, but it's a start : 











My 1/32 oval is there : 










It's around 4.00 meters by 1.5 meters (around 13.5 feet x 5feet)


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

I'm no expert, but I think if you try and race HO Slotcars on 1/32 track, besides the guide, you'll also have to solder on some Braids to the pick-up shoes to make good electrical contact ?


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## Hilltop Raceway (Feb 12, 2006)

For Lifelike bodies you can also add mounts if you want to run the older AFX chassis. They can be mounted inside the orginal Lifelike mounts. As stated the older Rokar chassis will also work...Hope this helps...RM











The first block is a just a plastic spacer glued in, then I glued the AFX mount to the spacer. Tjet posts can also be added if you want those type chassis.


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## demether (Aug 26, 2008)

thanks ! 

Actually, I already modified some lifelike nascars with tomy turbo chassis under them :freak: 

It was in early 2009, and I didn't remember that my nascar bodies were from lifelike too  







































I guess the wheel base still the same with last COT models ? So it's obviously compatible with xtraction, and all afx stuff (more or less)...So I knew the answer of one of my questions :tongue:




> ANother question about the cars choice : for what I've seen, some lifelike nascars seems to be more realistic (proportions, details) than other ones. What serie/models should I take a look on ?



That question remains, I bet I can answer the other ones now. Just have to watch in my slotcars display furniture :tongue:


I'll come back with answers and pics, so at least, this topic will be usefull for other people.


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## demether (Aug 26, 2008)

I just saw if a tjet fits my old lifelike bodies : 










It works. A bit narrow wheelbase, but it works. Interesting since you can also make a slightly larger than a normal tuff one tjet, since you've got room under the body. It's also visually nice, since there are not the typical tuffone rear wheels out of the body. 


Now, I have to find nice new lifelike bodies and a pack of tjet chassis (and good tuffone silicon tires...mine are ugly with bubbles). I know there is plenty of series (mine are quite old, I believe), and some series seems to be more realistic than others...


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

When you remove the traction magnets from some (most/all?) chassis, the front tires may no longer touch the track unless you weigh it down. Running a magnet chassis on a non-magnetic track has the same effect. The pickup shoe springs lift the front tires off the track.

Removing the traction magnets won't slow you down either. That can only be accomplished by lowering the voltage, but then you have the problem of overcoming the downforce.

I guess if you could remove the traction magnets and weigh down the front of the car, you might have a driveable car at lower voltage.

Joe


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## Shadowracer (Sep 11, 2004)

Just for giggles, do a search for BRP Nascarz. As well as do a google search on "Nas T Jets".

A few neat ideas floating around regarding building and racing COT tjets.


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## demether (Aug 26, 2008)

thank you for your help ! 

Concerning magnetless magnet cars, the best (only?) success I had is with tyco 440x2 widepan. These chassis, with slight modifications (adding weight on the pans, adding silicone rear tires) are really good magnetless racing candidates, as soon as you lower the voltage to 12-14volt. 

You can have a look on my experiment here : 

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=247218&highlight=magnetless


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