# I Want To Build Fray T-jets



## GOODWRENCH88 (Feb 3, 2009)

I would like to build some Fray T-jets. What do i need and where is the best place to get it? This includes all the tools and gizmos. Links to suppliers would be helpful too. Thank you in advance. Dan


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## cwbam (Feb 8, 2010)

Don't go to the Dark Side, some never return, insanity of building a good car and returning the next day and having run like sh$^^&&&@.

http://www.hosers-slotcars.com/tools.html

this is ment to scare you ! be very afraid.

http://www.rt-ho.com/tools.html 
http://www.scaleengineering.com/

This is just scratching the surface, to a journey the darkside.
( did NXT say) what will $2,000 get ya ? an good fray car!


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

I have 4 or 5 cars set up that way. Nowhere near competitive in a real organized race, but fun to blast around with. I just took a good smooth-running Tjet and put wide rear tires and big wide brass fronts on it, then lowered the body waaay down as far as I could with a little judicious wheelwell hacking. 

The biggest thing is the wide brass fronts, which you can get from a number of places... the ones that come to mind are RT-HO, JW's Tjet Parts, and Wizzard, but I'm at work and don't have access to my list of bookmarks. (I actually think it's posted here on the boards that JW's is changing ownership, but JAG Hobbies is still selling his stuff, IIRC.) A couple of mine have custom delrin rear wheels, but others just use Tuffy rears. 

Again, these are not competitive. If you REALLY want to get competitive in some of those classes you have to match magnets, polish gears, choose the right arm and balance it, diddle with pickup shoes, and on and on... the couple of those type races I was able to run in, I was just lap traffic. Don't get me wrong, I had fun. I just didn't go in with any notions of a podium finish.

--rick


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

it is just much easier to get Hiram to build you one. not cheap. but cheaper than buying all the tools and parts to sort, experiment with, tweak, tune, fiddle and build with. just a thought. there are some pretty good tutorials on this site that explain step by step the process of selection and prep to make these parts work in harmony.


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## GOODWRENCH88 (Feb 3, 2009)

cwbam said:


> Don't go to the Dark Side, some never return, insanity of building a good car and returning the next day and having run like sh$^^&&&@.
> 
> http://www.hosers-slotcars.com/tools.html
> 
> ...


NO WORRIES CHUCK. I`M NOT AFRAID. THE INLINE CARS HAVE STOLEN MY HEART LONG AGO. BEING FLEXIBLE IS NOT A BAD THING.


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

goodwrench sounds like you want to build instead of buy a ready built. first you must read the bible of fray building. you can find it in the tuning seaction of our ht site . however you must read it 4 or 5 times before it sinks in. i have never turned a lap against another driver so i cant speak about compitition. for me its the process of takin a jet and makin it the best it can be. read on my brother the good book is calling you. fray tuning is the word.


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

I bought one of Hirams KC-jets to use as a gauge against the cars I build, plus to look at his car & see what kind of tricks he did etc. I have to say he builds some very nice cars, smooth & fast & they handle Great.
Its taken about a year & I have a ton of build notes & techniques, but now I can take a chassis & in about 6-8 hours have something that will run pretty close to the purchased KC-jet right of the bench. I have a couple chassis combos that are actually faster than the gauge car. Thats what I strive for each time, build within the rules & get faster each time. 

Its all in how much time you want to spend, & if you enjoy the building / tinkering part, then I say go for it. The most difficult part for me was the tweaking of the brushes, springs & pickup shoes, there is so little room for error here, every little mistake slows the car down. I am no expert by any means & am still learning. I have raced several times with some local "fast" guys & now can compete,I even put a car on the podium a couple times, so as a self builder I am happy with the cars I build for myself, not sure If I can compete elsewhere but hope to get things aligned in my life again where someday I can go race in surrounding states in the future. 

You never know if you can do it & how good you can be unless you try.

Boosted


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

boosted i like to look over yer shoulder and watch. the idea of a gauge car never occured to me. would even like to go to a race just to see the big boys in action.


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## GOODWRENCH88 (Feb 3, 2009)

Joe, believe me these guys are very good. It`s the only place I`ve seen a t-jet go so fast. That is where I want to be someday.


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## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

> What do i need ... ?


1) Money



> ... where is the best place to get it?


2) Job, Rich Daddy, Sugar Mama, etc.

In the words of a famous person ...

_"Never was so much spent by so many to go so slow."_


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

Joe I would have no problems with you or anyone else looking over my shoulder. I have learned its more a function of how you do things than what you do to the car. I follow the sticky build guide on here & there is another guide out on the net by Tom Bowman, I vary a little from the guides on some personal preference things I do, but those guides are great starts, just have patience when you start to tweak it. When you find something that works jot it down, For me if I don't write it down I will forget, by the next build. Take the KC-Jet I bought, it truly is a little piece of finely tuned black art. It was almost .5 sec faster on a 4x8 routed oval than anything I had at the time, Now I have a couple cars that are .3 faster than it per lap, and the other 5 or 6 cars that I previously built are now up to within .05 of the KC-jet lap times. First thing I did was to document the speed of the gauge car when it was new & I know if it falls off, but it has not yet, but I dont race it, its just the gauge car (trailer queen). 

I read somewhere on the net a quote from Hirmam that went something like this, He basically said that he did not believe that the ability to build a competitive car should hold someone back from being competitive in slot car racing, after all you still have to go as fast as you can & keep it in the slot to win. I thought that was a very honest and profound statement from a gentleman who definitely knows about fast T-Jets. He may not be selling you his A++++ car, but I bet the one you buy is in the top 99% range.

Boosted


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## E-Force-1 (May 31, 2007)

Fray Jets type cars at a national event. They are fast.


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## cwbam (Feb 8, 2010)

I am the old crusty one, but I've found a car that I can race put together.
Back to TJETS and lets aim a little lower than FRAY. 
Where do you start? What chassis (any new stock?) What magnets, brushes, wheels & Tires (whats a good starting height)?
Is there any New complete Chassis you can start with and put some wheels & tires on 
and run some laps?
thank you


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

CW, By the way Sir I think I have bought some items from you on E-bay, and always was a pleasure to do business with you. As for a complete chassis ready to run the KC-jet is one, I have seen several advertised on e-bay & some went for almost what I paid for the KC-jet, I have no idea how the E-bay built cars perform in comparison.

I will only use an Original t-jet chassis, never seen any difference in the chassis number to number from my stock after the prep work is done to it. The new JL chassis has too many inconsistencies in the mold. 

I like to use a aurora top plate that has a square top post for the Idler gear, but have use the round as well without a ton of difference, it's more important that it is straight & fits the chassis well

I like the new Dash magnets although I have used JL's as well, either is almost perfectly matched out of the box, if you have several sets you might try to match them a little closer. but there very close to start with. 

Wizzard brushes always, they just work better for me, they wear a bit at first then settle down & your good to race. 

Pick up shoes, I use either wizzard or slot-tech, usually what I have or what I can find & afford. 

Tires-I build my own silicone over foam, rear tires & they are in the .355 - .365 dia range, I use wizzard brass fronts & grind my tires to ~.305, depends on the body a little. Height also depends on the roughness of the track, routed tracks I will slam it down to .301 in the front & .350 in the rear & almost drag the body. 

armature - I look for std Aurora 16+ - 19 ohm & try to match ohms pole to pole or as close as possible, you also need to check balance & straightness of the comm plate, some are good, some not. 

gears - I run std Aurora, & try to find straight holes & good teeth, from there I lap everything in the gear train together. I know RTO offers nice gear sets but I get good results this way @ min cost. 

I use gage pins for a rear axle blank, as well as the rear cluster gear shaft, all highly polished.

Hope this helps you out.

Boosted


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## Ogre (Jan 31, 2007)

This might help.

http://www.marioncountyraceway.com/files/Speed_Tips/Fray_Car_Tuning/index_Fray_Tuning.htm


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## TEAM D.V.S. (Nov 11, 2007)

*T-jets / Links*

HERE YOU GO ! 

Look under the vendors and the links tab !

http://slotters.weebly.com/index.html


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

team dvs thanx for posting that link. i just ordered some stuff from rabbit racin from that link.


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

Go at it Joe, You get stuck let me know, I will try to walk you through it.

Boosted


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

well it,s been a week since i tried to order some stuff from rabbit racing waited till weds for invoice then a call then another order still nothing now i noticed that they,re not talkin any "t-jet" orders! so i ordered the stuff i needed from batjet.i think that when it comes to buildin lil cars ya need 1 stop shopping. ya know like gears/ axels/ fronts/ rears and such.i almost always order fixins from jag hobbies but, i wanted to try some other suppliers too.kinda mix it up.


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

Joe, Rabbit was just recently aquired by a real young fellow named Zach. he isn't terribly organized and still hasn't gotten all the inventory from the purchase. I have been after him for bevel head brass screws and he thought he was going to get some in the inventory. they turned out to be brass equivilant of the original t-jet screws. give Zach a little more time to organize and rebuild the site. give him another chance in a few weeks. I know he has been real busy buying and reselling AW drag sets and the new release 7 of t-jets. he will be at the Super Bowl show on LonG Island, so if you are going look for him. tell him alpink sent ya! ... LOL


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

thanx al i will. i did get a chance to chat with him for a sec. and i will try rabbit racin in the future.i guess where i was goin is 1 stop shopping. i just dont like payin shippin for just 2 or so parts. i,m a cheap bastard.and under employed.just wishin the building trade would pick pickup soon! com,on springtime !


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