# Low Budget Race Team



## Ralphthe3rd

*Racin' on a Budget*

Hello everyone, I guess it was time to start my first thread in this section. But compared to most of you other modelers, I'm Racin' on a Really Low Budget, but cars of this type of racing sometimes were. And in Dirttrack Racing, pristine paint jobs and perfect bodies won't last long, so that's where this Race Team began. Anyway, I was playing with my camera tonight and doing some lighting experiments, and I used a few of my Dirttrack Modifieds as the subject material. FYI- some of the cars featured are WIP, and are not finished, as I need to get some number and sponsor decals on them. But as my thread title suggests, the L.B.R.T. builds on a shoestring budget, but racin' is racin' no matter how much money you spend 
If anyone has any questions or comments, feel free to post 'em 



































BTW- the lighter shade pix were taken without Flash-and only room light and a slower exposure. While the darker pix used the flash and somewhat darker room light, and I think the pix look a bit more like an after dark race scene.


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## WesJY

That's so COOL!!! it looks like you guys are having FUN!!!:thumbsup:

Wes


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## Ralphthe3rd

WesJY said:


> That's so COOL!!! it looks like you guys are having FUN!!!:thumbsup:
> 
> Wes


Thanks Wes  BTW- I'm a Tyco Freak too(I also love T-Jets too) ! And although I love Mopar's, I also love Fords...and well- Bowties are ok too


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## kiwidave

Cool dirt cars. I like the after dark pics. Always good to see a new thread.


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## bobhch

Ralphthe3rd said:


> Thanks Wes  BTW- I'm a Tyco Freak too(I also love T-Jets too) ! And although I love Mopar's, I also love Fords...and well- Bowties are ok too


Ralphthe3rd,

For a Second there I thought it said you were a Taco Freak too. Now I see you said Tyco Freak....love them all myself!! 

That Tyco Body you have painted up in Metalic Blue is one fo me favorites...:thumbsup:

Bob...pipes sticking up through hood are good...zilla


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## Ralphthe3rd

Here's some pix of my fastest T-jet...I call it my Hot Rod Lincoln, and like to pretend it's modeled after a 1930 Lincoln 2 door Coupe. Btw- the chassis is an early Black Plastic JL and is pretty much stock, except for the Aurora Hot Rod rear wheels and slightly narrowed AJ's 900 series Orange Gumdrops, and independent early AFX fronts, but it's FAST and handles pretty well for a tall Jalopy.




































BTW- this car has since been numbered/decaled since these early pix were taken. 
PS- I bet nobody can guess where this highly modified "nylon/plastic" body came from ?!


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Tycos and Tacos*



bobhch said:


> Ralphthe3rd,
> 
> For a Second there I thought it said you were a Taco Freak too. Now I see you said Tyco Freak....love them all myself!!
> 
> That Tyco Body you have painted up in Metalic Blue is one fo me favorites...:thumbsup:
> 
> Bob...pipes sticking up through hood are good...zilla


 Hey Bob, I'm only just finishing that Tyco Super Modified, and have another body on the way from another forum member. FYI, that body has been modified to now work on both an HP2 chassis as well as a U-Turn chassis. The nose was removed and the hood shortened, and then the nose was re-attached, and then a notch was cutout for the diode in the front of the U-Turn Chassis to protrude. And with THAT chassis, the diode kinda looks like a radiator, and the frame juts out quite a bit further and really makes the front end look cool. Sometime I'll post pix of that body on a U-turn chassis..... I still have headers to add to the super mods as well as the Injectors to my 2nd SM- which are not OEM Tyco Injectors. The ones on this mod are actually diecast and came from an old McDonalds- Hotwheels car, while I also have another plastic set of injectors that came from a HW Chaparral 2, that I'll fit onto my soon to arrive 2nd Super Mod body..


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## Ralphthe3rd

Here's a few of my OTHER Tyco Bombers....FYI- the Aqua colored '57 Chevy HotRod is using a HW Plastic body over a narrow 440X2 Chassis....



































PS- since these pix were taken, the HW '57 body has been lowered and had the Diecast bumpers replaced with HW Plastic bumpers to save weight and make the car handle better.


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Stung by the Hornet*

Just a Hudson Hornet Body(from CARS) with bigger rear tires and radiused wheelwells....


















PS- since these pix were taken, the windows have been blacked out an a debris screen placed into the windshield.


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## WesJY

AWWW SWEET!!! I didnt think of doing that to a Hudson car!! DOHH!! I am gonna make one soon. Keep them coming!! It's nice to know there are Tyco guys out there. 

Wes


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## XracerHO

Great looking dirt cars, like what you did to the PT Cruiser & the Hudson. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: Always good to see a new thread & keep the pictures coming. ..RL.


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## Hilltop Raceway

That's some cool stuff R3!!! Lots of good ideas here!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:
Been thinking about that Tyco coupe myself, yea I like Tyco's & Taco's too...RM


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## Ralphthe3rd

Here's some of my other Ground Pounders...








My old Lumina/Grand Prix Nascar body converted to dirttracker, sitting on Tyco U-Turn chassis(I love that chassis for dirttrack style slidin'). And my 1/64 scale Harley XR750 Flattracker...just for show 

















My Pinto Modified sitting atop it's HP2 chassis before it was completed. And my former '57 Chevy turned '55 Bomber, before it was lettered/numbered.

















FYI- this body was a basket case when I got it...but then again, so were 1:1 Bombers


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## NTxSlotCars

Great start to a great thread Ralph!!! I like that 64th Harley! 
Sparkys been lookin for one like that all over the place!


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## partspig

Two questions who made the white coach?? and who made the Hudson? Inquiring minds want to know.  Actually I want one of each !!! :thumbsup:


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## slotcarman12078

Awesome thread RalphIII!! No doubt you've spent years at dirt tracks, as you've certainly got the whole scene down!!! Awesome rides!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Ralphthe3rd

partspig said:


> Two questions who made the white coach?? and who made the Hudson? Inquiring minds want to know.  Actually I want one of each !!! :thumbsup:


 Hey PP, the '32 Vicky is a Resin Copy of Tyco's old version, and mine was made by Bruce(RIP) from Bad Dawg....fyi- I own 3 of those resin '32 Vicky. The "CARS" Doc Hudson is made my Mattel(uses HPX2 chassis) and was from one of their Battery Powered Figure 8 sets from a few years ago....Btw- there was two dif paint versions of the Doc Hudson Body, and this one had the white paint(dirt) spatter on the sides originally.


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## roadrner

R3,
Look pretty good to me. Like the way you dropped the Hudson! :thumbsup::thumbsup: rr


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Hudson Hornet*



roadrner said:


> R3,
> Look pretty good to me. Like the way you dropped the Hudson! :thumbsup::thumbsup: rr


Actually, the Hudson wasn't dropped at all, thats the same height it came from the factory. All I did was open up the rear wheelwells, swap out the rear axle and remove the paint spatter from the sides and add some decals.


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## bobhch

Some more great lookers...the Pinto just says Race Me a few more laps please! :woohoo:

Bob...Alway ready for some Dirt Track Racing...Yeah!...zilla


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## alpink

it may be low budget, but not low on creativity. nice work.


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## Dslot

Ralphthe3rd said:


> PS- I bet nobody can guess where this highly modified "nylon/plastic" body came from ?!


Did I miss the answer to this?


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## Ralphthe3rd

*DreadHead*



Dslot said:


> Did I miss the answer to this?


 Nobody gave it their guess. But the answer is, it was originally a HotWheels Crasher car called "Dreadhead" -

















PS- I modded the body quite a bit as you can see from the OEM version.


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## Dslot

*Waste Not, Want Not*



> _Ralph sez:_ ... it was originally a HotWheels Crasher car called "Dreadhead" -
> ...


Whoa! 

I hope you saved the big silver head and the orange flame piece for the announcer's stand at the Emerald City Raceway. 
I can just hear the loudspeakers:

*SILENCE!!! *
The *Great and Powerful Oz* _*knows*_ why you have come! 

To see
_*thrill-a-minute*_, 
*rock*-'em _
*sock*_-'em, _
*nitro*_-fueled *aaaction* 
at the best dirt-track and dragstrip this side of Munchkin-laaaand.

*THE
EMERALD!
CITY!
RAAAACEWAY! 

BE THERRRRRRE!!!*
Take Exit 35 on the Yellow Brick Freeway, drive a mile and a quarter to the big tree with the ugly face, turn right and You've Found It.
*The Emerald - City - Racewaaaay!!!*​
:wave:

--D


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Good one*

*OMG- This is sooo funny*




Dslot said:


> *SILENCE!!! *
> The *Great and Powerful Oz* _*knows*_ why you have come!
> 
> To see
> _*thrill-a-minute*_,
> *rock*-'em _
> *sock*_-'em, _
> *nitro*_-fueled *aaaction*
> at the best dirt-track and dragstrip this side of Munchkin-laaaand.
> 
> *THE
> EMERALD!
> CITY!
> RAAAACEWAY!
> 
> BE THERRRRRRE!!!*
> Take Exit 35 on the Yellow Brick Freeway, drive a mile and a quarter to the big tree with the ugly face, turn right and You've Found It.
> *The Emerald - City - Racewaaaay!!!*​
> :wave:
> 
> --D


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## slotcarman12078

Just stay out of the poppy field!!! lolol


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## plymouth71

slotcarman12078 said:


> Just stay out of the poppy field!!! lolol


too late!:freak:


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## bobhch

hahahahahaha....follow the Yellow Brick Freeway...hahaha

Bob...HT is always a good place to get a smile from (  ) ...zilla


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## Ralphthe3rd

*My Fleet on Display....*

Now I don't have a HUGE fleet of HO Slots, but then again, I've only been collecting the cars for about 10 months. But before that, I had been collecting and racing my Jeremy McGrath Slotbikes for 10 YEARS, and a few years of my youth in the late 60's and early 70's was spent with HO Slots.
Anyway, a friend of mine today gave me a home made wall shelving unit to display my cars, the unit measures 36" wide by 38" tall, and I collected most of my slotcars and bodies (50/50 = Complete Running vs. just Bodies)and here they are....ps- I also have one whole shelf unused, and I guess I could also put cars of the very top shelf as well.


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## plymouth71

Cool! Love the display unit, nice collection too!


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## Joe65SkylarkGS

Yea man I see a sweet mix of stuff there. Good stuff :thumbsup: :thumbsup:


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## Hilltop Raceway

Good start there R3!!! I see a few I'd like to take a lap with myself!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup: RM


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Thanks Guys*

I'll admit tho, that some of those old A/FX and Tyco Bodies on the bottom shelves are gonna go, coz even if they weren't missing parts or damaged- they just aren't my style. But, I also have lots of bodies in need of chassis too, and I'm picky about what Chassis I wanna run now as well. eg- I have NO desire for any other Magnet chassis- unless they were FREE. Nope, I only desire Aurora T-Jet chassis and Tyco U-Turn chassis....although I do have a fondness for the Curvehugger and TycoPro Chassis as well....but I'd probably only take those out for a few laps on special occasions 
My motto is, if they ain't drifting out in the corners then that ain't Dirttrackin'


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## Ralphthe3rd

Just playin with my digi camera tonight, and here's my latest acquisition- my #53 Life-Like Sprint Car.... FYI- the other cars in the pix are just diecast models.


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## WesJY

:thumbsup:

Wes


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## slotto

nice action shot there. Is that Star Wars figures in the distance?


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Yup*



slotto said:


> nice action shot there. Is that Star Wars figures in the distance?


 LOL....ahhhh, yeah  two of them were, but I modded up the orange fellow pretty good, so he doesn't look like an X-wing pilot anymore


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## Hilltop Raceway

Cool action shots!!! See ya got those NTX tires working for ya...Even got some foreign visitors doing it in the dirt...RM


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## Ralphthe3rd

Update : here's a pic or two of my 2nd Tyco Super Modified, this #34 Body I got from Patrick Hogan a few weeks ago, but it needed work.
I just completed rebuilding/restoring and remodeling this 40 year old slotcar. The #34 was a rough body, with hogged out rear wheelwells, and missing parts, and an awful paint job, but now it's copper colored(maybe not the best color choice?).

















The #80 car is another old Tyco Super Modified I rebuilt a month or two ago ....it had front end damage and it's nose has been shortened. 
The #34 is riding on a U-Turn chassis while the #80 rides on an old HP2 Curvehugger chassis. Both cars can now swap chassis with each other, although the body were originally designed for the TycoPro chassis. But they cannot be fitted to an HP7 or 440 style chassis.


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## bobhch

Ralph,

Missed your post on the display case before but, am catching up on my HT viewing now...very nice display!

Oooooooooh I love your 34 & 80 Super Modified Racers! They have that neat vintage Tyco look to them. Old Tyco bodies bring back lots of good memories. I raced AFX & TYCOs on my track as a kid. If they were cool looking and fun to run then it was go time baby. :thumbsup:

Bob...Drift on...zilla


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## Bill Hall

Copper looks great to me Ralph!

That particular body was one of my childhood favorites. The open grill look on the blue example inspires me to attack one of my spares.


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## Hilltop Raceway

Both look good to me R3!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup: I noticed that grillwork on "blue" myself, really like it better than the factory version...Show me what ya thinking Bill...RM


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## XracerHO

Great looking Tyco Super Modifieds. ..RL


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Grill*



Bill Hall said:


> Copper looks great to me Ralph!
> 
> That particular body was one of my childhood favorites. The open grill look on the blue example inspires me to attack one of my spares.


 Yeah, I kinda like the open grill version better myself, but I opened it up by necessity. IE- The nose had already been cut off and shortened and reattached at the straight line, but because of the shorter nose- it wouldn't cover the black box/diode that the front of my U-Turn chassis have. So I opened it up for clearance, but it's now mounted on an Curvehugger chassis so the Grill opening is just empty, not filled with the front of the diode(which kinda looked like a radiator).


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## WesJY

OH MAN!!! I LOVE IT!! 

Note to self: build one like that!

:thumbsup:

Wes


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Dirttrack Modified Mustang II*

It's like the late 1970's all over again 
I put together a NEW Ground Pounder today. The #55 car is an old 1977 Ideal TCR Body of a Mustang II Dirttrack Modified, I adapted the body to fit an old tyco U-Turn SWB Chassis. I wish I had the Nerf Bars that were supposed to go with that Mustang II and Pinto Modified, but oh well....









With the Mustang II, I could have used either LWB or SWB U-Turn Chassis, but I chose the SWB(as shown) because I have more of them. But when I tried the LWB it did look better.









On the Mustang II, besides the missing nerfs(& Radiator) is also a missing faux motor that stuck out each side under the hood, and with headers coming out and going into dumps alongside


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## WesJY

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Wes


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## slotcarman12078

Looks good, even missing the doodads! Man, that track has to be a blast sliding around!! :thumbsup:


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## XracerHO

Great job on Mustang TCR Modified. :thumbsup: ..RL


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## partspig

Hey Ralph!! I cast some of those parts. PM sent!


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## NTxSlotCars

Great stuff!!! I can almost taste the dirt!!! :thumbsup:
Hold it, maybe I should wash my hands before the Cheetos.


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## Super Coupe

Great looking Dirt trackers.
>Tom<


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## clemedc

good job, i remember the first time i saw a dirt track race and i was amazed at how the tires squealed on the dirt, i can almost here it again looking at your cars.
Clem


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## Ralphthe3rd

Hey Clem, this is No BS, but on several of my Cars that are using the old Tyco U-Turn chassis and have Super Tire(Silicones) on the back, they actually DO squeal just a tiny bit when they are sliding hard in the turns. No other of my cars make this sound, and you have to be quiet to hear it, but they do Squeal !


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## clemedc

*squeal*

:thumbsup: gotta love it #3


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## Ralphthe3rd

Testing.... can everyone view this animated .Gif in action ?


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## Rolls

Roger that. I read your animated gif loud and clear.


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Nu-rora '37 Ford Roadster*

My latest "Toy" -a '37 Ford Roadster.








And yes, those are RRR Rallye SS Wheels, with old dried out and cracked tires, that needed to have the rears replaced before the car could even make a complete lap.








Nu-rora '37 Ford body mounted on a NOS Aurora chassis with RRR Rallye Wheels with Tyco 440 Front tires mounted on the rear wheels.









Damn old dried out RRR(RoadRaceReplica) tires were so dried out and hard they just slipped & spun on the track, and then cracked and broke off when I tried demounting them, hense the Tyco 440 Front tires mounted to take their place


Lets call this last pic- "Vintage Day" at my L.O.G. Speedway, and they were using this Vintage '37 Ford Pacecar for a Parade Lap


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## plymouth71

Cool... Oh, btw... A package went out for you Yesterday... Should be arriving in about 2-3 weeks...


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## WesJY

SO COOL!!! :thumbsup:

Wes


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## Ralphthe3rd

OH- I guess I forgot to post another car I got recently from Mittens at Park Lane Hobbies. Here is a sweet looking Orange '66 Ford Fairlane....which (for now) is my ONLY Skinny tire T-Jet


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## bobhch

skinney is good....have fun sliding that around the track! 

Some Weird Jack black wall tires might give you a little more traction without loosing any slidding in the corners. 

Bob...looks like there is plenty of room for a Hooters sponsor...zilla


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## Ralphthe3rd

Here's a New Grounder Pounder that I built today, using an old Ideal TCR Body, this one's the sweet '55 Chevy #17. Like my other drifting Dirttrackers, this body was mounted on an old Tyco U-Turn chassis, this LWB body and chassis fit together perfectly and with a very low stance.

















FYI- I got this body off of ebay as a complete running TCR car for $3.99, but never intended to use the TCR chassis, which was in kinda sad shape anyway. So I stripped the chassis of it's motor and wheelsets and tossed it, and then proceeded to adapt the body to my tyco chassis. And the Result(IMHO) is Awesome !


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## WesJY

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Wes


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## clemedc

A few more awesome cars there Ralph, awesome stance on the 55.


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## Bill Hall

A very convincing conversion.

Nice build Ralph.


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## 1976Cordoba

Cool - I have eye-balled that '57 with the exact same intent quite a few times. Nice work!


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## NTxSlotCars

Looks great Ralph!!! I'm gonna have to try that with my gold one!!! :thumbsup:


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## XracerHO

Great job on the 55 Chevy! :thumbsup: You convinced me, the U-turn LWB chassis is the way to go on my Nova dirt track project. ..RL


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Ideal TCR Bodies + Tyco U-turn chassis = Awesome*



XracerHO said:


> Great job on the 55 Chevy! :thumbsup: You convinced me, the U-turn LWB chassis is the way to go on my Nova dirt track project. ..RL


BTW- my other Ideal TCR Mustang II Sportsman body, sits on the SWB U-turn chassis, although it could have just as easily been mounted on the LWB.


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## kiwidave

Good looking, fun car to run. And cheap. Ya gotta love that!


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## slotcarman12078

Sweet job fitting the body to the chassis!! She sits nice and low... like a dirt track car should!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## plymouth71

MMMMMmmmm 57 Chebby!


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Shoebox Chebby*



plymouth71 said:


> MMMMMmmmm 57 Chebby!


Actually Dan, the TCR body is a '55


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## gonegonzo

Some very nice builds here . 

Can you give us some details on your track and maybe a picture of it ? It appears to be TYCO ?

Thx ,
Gonzo


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## Ralphthe3rd

*My Track...*



gonegonzo said:


> Some very nice builds here .
> 
> Can you give us some details on your track and maybe a picture of it ? It appears to be TYCO ?
> 
> Thx ,
> Gonzo


Hey Gonzo, my track in the photos- although a Dirttrack oval, was originally built in 1/24 scale from the year 2000 & 2001 Mattel(former Tyco) Jeremey McGrath Extreme motocross set, but converted into an Oval- because I was a former Flattrack Motorcycle Racer myself, and wanted to replicate a MC Shorttrack- which I did, and had been running it as a fully detailed/scale 1/24 layout for 10 years. But last summer I started getting Back into HO (Car) slots, and have been racing MORE Cars(and collecting/building them) ever since. Here are a few pix of the track. PS- eventually I'm going to build a duplicate HO Scale oval that will be dedicated for the Cars only.....but I NEED structures and people etc.









Early pix of 1/24 oval above and below....

























Note my "lead" weight mounted to the left side of the chassis box, to help keep the bike on track in the corners.


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## NTxSlotCars

Man, that just looks way cool Ralph. I've never seen anyone do the 24th scale thing.


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## Ralphthe3rd

Hey Rich, in case you didn't see my 1/24 scale MX bikes(converted to Flattrackers), here's a few pix.....btw- they are powered by a variation of the Tyco 440X2 Narrow chassis, with independent front wheels and a set back guide pin(and rear guide pin) from the factory....although I have converted some normal Tyco 440X2 to fit these bike bodies- but the conversions loose the Bikes ability to spin the front wheel.









Above and below is my Buddy Gene's Bike, which uses actual photos of his REAL 1:1 Harley XL attached to the sides.


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## bobhch

Ralph,

I've seen your slot bike pics before but, they are soooo cool that it is great to see them here again...Far Out!

Bob...your bikes are slot-rageous...zilla


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## 41-willys

that is a great looking track:thumbsup: It must look cool with the bikes racing around it.


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## clemedc

very cool track setup Ralph


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## Ralphthe3rd

*New Scenery and stuff...*

Not much, but thought I'd post it anyway.
I finally got an HO Scale Scenery item for my layout and dioramas. It's the repop of the Curved Bleachers that Aurora had waaay back, and then the later Model Motoring from the late 1990's brought back out as a kit. I got this one for under $10 off the 'bay, and it's pretty much a copy of the original, and it only took me 10 minutes to slap together....although I will probably add some paint details and flags and whatnot later on.
I've also set up four of my Fave U-Turn chassis cars with '50s era bodies for these pix


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## slotcarman12078

Nice grab on the bleachers!!:thumbsup::thumbsup: Hey, is that Darrell holding up the Park Lane sign?? :lol:


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## Ralphthe3rd

Oh yeah, although I haven't gotten it yet, I won the following lil Matchbox Pinto Modified, off of eBay this weekend, for a mere $8.50


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## NTxSlotCars

Excellent!!! :thumbsup:


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## WesJY

Man... Your pictures are awesome! It makes me wanting to play with my toys!!! LOL! :thumbsup:

Wes


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## Rolls

Way cool, Ralph! Always post - we love seeing what you're doing. Great stuff!!


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## XracerHO

Great photos of the bikes & U-turn Favorites. Think I know what chassis will be under the Matchbox Pinto. Great looking Stands. ..RL


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Matchbox Chassis*



XracerHO said:


> Great photos of the bikes & U-turn Favorites. Think I know what chassis will be under the Matchbox Pinto. Great looking Stands. ..RL


 Actually, I just may LEAVE the OEM Matchbox chassis in place. Only just swap out the 6 volt motor with a tyco Can motor. Then just mod the pick-up shoes, and I see if I like it that way. BTW- I love that on these Matchbox Modifieds, you can lift off the Hood to reveal the motor below- SWEET !


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## Hilltop Raceway

Cool stuff R3!!! And yes, those are some great pics!!! RM


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## clemedc

Yes keep it up Ralph cool cars


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Matchbox Pinto Update and etc....*

Well, this week has brought me plenty of sweet lil packages in the mail, and two of them have been awesome lil Cars. The other two packages brought some old aurora Super II Motor magnets and a pair of tyco U-Turn chassis.
For this post tho, I'll focus on the Matchbox Pinto I received a couple of days ago. And this is the First Matchbox Slot Car I've ever owned, or even Touched for that matter....but I'm now an expert of sorts- lol.
The car in it's glory and in action....




































Ok, now about the Chassis and motor. This is a cheap lil car from Matchbox, it originally came from a battery operated set called the Trenton 150 and I believe this car uses a 6 volt motor- although some Matchbox slots used 12 Volt motors. And FYI, if you didn't already know, Matchbox track uses pick-up rails that are closer together than all other brands of HO slots, soooo.... I first needed to modified the pick-up shoes to work on my tyco dirttrack. But the mod was simple enough, I just soldered on a portion of the fwd section of some EXTRA W-I-D-E 440X2 Shoes, and thats all it needed. The car now runs perfect on my track.
In the other photos, I show the chassis from underneath and on top, and also show a close-up of the cheap Can motor, which looks to be the same size/dimensions as some of the older tyco Cans. This Matchbox 6v can is so cheap, it doesn't even use carbon brushes as pick-ups for the commutator, but instead, merely used brass/or copper spring wires that rub under tension....not the HOT set up, and should melt off rather quickly under higher voltages. BUT, it's so far held up under a dozen laps of restrained Mattel WallWart power of about 15v.







w/pick-up conversion


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## WesJY

AWESOME!! :thumbsup:

Wes


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## alpink

it is quite easy to drill holes through the sides of the can/bell housing and install brush tubes from a TYCO 440X2 and swap the armature from a TYCO.


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## rbrunne1

R3 - I just found your thread...awesome track and cool car builds :thumbsup:


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## Super Coupe

Car looks right at home and already mixing it up with the rest of 'em.Cool track and pics,keep'em coming.
>Tom<


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## cameraboy5

As a dirt track fan myself... This is good stuff!
Thanks for sharing.
Scott


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## NTxSlotCars

Looks great Ralph!!! It may be even easier to swap the whole motor.


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## Hilltop Raceway

Ralphthe3rd said:


> not the HOT set up, and should melt off rather quickly under higher voltages. BUT, it's so far held up under a dozen laps of restrained Mattel WallWart power of about 15v.


Cool pics R3!!! Burn it down!!! I wouldn't worry about the voltage, we got one guy on HT that claims to run on 56 volts...  RM


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## Ralphthe3rd

Update pix on my CBP Modified Dirttrack Racer(#42). It's in about 75% finished condition now, the body is painted and headers and air cleaner installed, but I still needs lots of work, ie- nerf bars, sponsor decals, maybe a different grill, driver added, windshield screen etc.
....oh yeah, the #58 car body is one of Gabe's NEW Custom made Paper bodies that he's selling Here on HT and on eBay.... pretty neat and very light weight.


----------



## NTxSlotCars

Very nice! :thumbsup:
I like the paper bodies for crash purposes.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

I slapped together another "Pinto" Modified last night. This one is using an old Ideal TCR Pinto Body, and is now mounted to an old Tyco U-Turn chassis, and is driven through a Life-Like rear axle set....


----------



## NTxSlotCars

Ralphthe3rd said:


> I slapped together another "Pinto" Modified last night. This one is using an old Ideal TCR Pinto Body, and is now mounted to an old Tyco U-Turn chassis, and is driven through a Life-Like rear axle set....


Sounds like a real Modified!!!! Parts from all over. Looks great!!! :thumbsup:


----------



## WesJY

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Wes


----------



## clemedc

those lifelike rear wheels are a dead giveaway, and it sits real nice on the dirt...


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

Ralphthe3rd said:


> I slapped together another "Pinto" Modified last night.


Nice slap work!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup: RM


----------



## XracerHO

Great looking Pinto. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: ..RL


----------



## bobhch

pInTo On...........Yeah! 

Looks great and U-Turn fun all the way. Bz


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

My latest acquisition, is this Yellow Gremlin Modified, that was made by Matchbox in the late 1970's. I now have the pair of cars(Pinto and Gremlin) that came in their Trenton 150 set....awesome little buggers, and it's pretty easy to modify their pick-up shoes to work on regular H.O. track.....'cept I'm still leery of running these puppies at full bore, since they have 6 volt motors with really cheesy commutator "springs" instead of carbon/copper style brushes.



























PS- I got this Gremlin from a fellow HT'er, and tho the body was really nice, the chassis was broken up front and the rear wheels were wonky and the front had old tyco rims on it, but I fitted later model MB wheels that are alot straighter on the axle, and also added the MB fronts as well. And as I mentioned, I converted the P-U shoes, and also repaired the frame...and she runs and drifts really sweet


----------



## clemedc

they do make a nice modified


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Speedy Pit Shop....*

Finally !......my first shop Diorama 
It ain't much compared to you guys with Huge Shops, or old Service Stations. But hey, it was Free and headed for the dumpster. And I like the idea of the name and it's origin, as it kinda fits my threads' theme 

Ok, it's about time to change the oil in my '37 Rodster....








Up on the lift we Go.... HEY, you can't sit in the car while on the Lift !









Btw- the Pick-Up truck is a WIP, and is a Plastic bodied old Chevy S10, that originally was a Mega Tire'd kids pull back toy, but the wheelbase was just about perfect for the T-jet with axle in the Hot Rod/Dune Buggy/Indy car location.


----------



## WesJY

SWEET!! :thumbsup:

Wes


----------



## slotcarman12078

Maybe the ole Ford needed to brakes bled.. Cool shop R3! :thumbsup:


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

Free is good!!! That's a cool looking quik stop service center!!! That looks like an old Stomper's truck...RM


----------



## XracerHO

Always glad to see a New shop opening, cool looking Speedy Pit Stop. Your taking good care of the 37, one of my favorite cars. ..RL


----------



## Joe65SkylarkGS

Ralphie its awesome!! Different is always good. If we all had the same shop life would be boring. 
Btw, 
Any extra plastic pick ups?? I'm having zero luck at my toys r us. Walmart is giving me no help either. Other than the color chamgers i haven't been able to find any plastic hotwheels. 

Love the lift too!:dude:


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Joe, thanks for the compliments 
And yes, I do have one plastic Hot Wheels Chevy 1500 Pick-up left. It's the silver #70 Nastruck issued in 1996. It's in Mint cond. on card. If interested I'd sell it for $5 + $2 S&H.... It's higher priced because it's one of the rarer collectable models now.
Let me know if you want it, it's my last one.


----------



## Joe65SkylarkGS

Pm me the info Ralphie. Thanks.


----------



## NTxSlotCars

Nice score on the shop Ralph!!! :thumbsup:


----------



## Rolls

Diggin' your new shop, Ralph!!


----------



## roadrner

They all look great! :thumbsup::thumbsup: rr


----------



## slotto

Great stuff there. I'm not into dirt racers but likin' the Pinto and Gremlin


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

I finally finished my "BIG BOOTY" Jalopy...and yes, the Body is SUPPOSED to look Rough, like a rusty old junker with a coat of fresh paint slapped on it 







Before Paint


----------



## TBI

Nicely done King Ralph! :thumbsup:


----------



## 1scalevolvo

Ralphthe3rd said:


> My latest acquisition, is this Yellow Gremlin Modified, that was made by Matchbox in the late 1970's. I now have the pair of cars(Pinto and Gremlin) that came in their Trenton 150 set....awesome little buggers, and it's pretty easy to modify their pick-up shoes to work on regular H.O. track.....'cept I'm still leery of running these puppies at full bore, since they have 6 volt motors with really cheesy commutator "springs" instead of carbon/copper style brushes.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> PS- I got this Gremlin from a fellow HT'er, and tho the body was really nice, the chassis was broken up front and the rear wheels were wonky and the front had old tyco rims on it, but I fitted later model MB wheels that are alot straighter on the axle, and also added the MB fronts as well. And as I mentioned, I converted the P-U shoes, and also repaired the frame...and she runs and drifts really sweet


I converted Gremlin to run on a TOMY G+ Chassis . I also have the Pinto but I was a bit short of funds due to a mooching relative who will remain unnamed LOL !! So I just switched the stock Matchbox p/u shoes for the Tyco TCR p/u shoes so it can work on my TOMY track.

Neal :dude:


----------



## 1scalevolvo

Ralphthe3rd said:


> I finally finished my "BIG BOOTY" Jalopy...and yes, the Body is SUPPOSED to look Rough, like a rusty old junker with a coat of fresh paint slapped on it


Big Booty Gialoppi got da Junk in da' Trunk !! LOL !! :thumbsup: Great build with a new Idea I love it !!

Neal:dude:


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

Cool stuff R3!!! Could that rear end be concealing an old moon shine tank??? Also when you narrowed that grill, it gave it a 40 Ford look, at least to me anyways...:thumbsup::thumbsup: RM


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Thanks Randy  And yeah, that's it, the trunk was originally modded (by an earlier owner)to conceal a 100 gal moonshine tank


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Tyco TCR Pick-up shoes ?*



1scalevolvo said:


> I converted Gremlin to run on a TOMY G+ Chassis . I also have the Pinto but I was a bit short of funds due to a mooching relative who will remain unnamed LOL !! So *I just switched the stock Matchbox p/u shoes for the Tyco TCR p/u shoes* so it can work on my TOMY track.
> 
> Neal :dude:


Wow Neal, was it that easy ? Just throwing on some tyco TCR Shoes to convert ? Actually, I've never owned a Tyco TCR chassis, so I don't even know what their shoes look like. BUT, *the following pic shows how I converted my MB shoes by soldering on some extensions made from Tyco 440 Shoes*.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Speedy Pit SHOP*

We were working late in the Shop today....trying to get a couple customers Race Cars finished up, so we could try and take an extra long weekend and go to the Hershey(Pa,) Car show and Swap Meet.


























*********************************************************
Ok, the real Truth is, I was actually just working on my Speedy Pit Shop, and threw together this diorama, just to take a couple of pix of the new interior of my little shop


----------



## jph49

Looks good, Ralph!

Patrick (oh, yeah - I've done some work on the '56 Ford. Now to just find time and a setting to take a picture for you!)


----------



## NTxSlotCars

I like the Speedy Shop!!! :thumbsup:


----------



## clemedc

cool shop Ralph


----------



## WesJY

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Wes


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*'56 Ford*



jph49 said:


> Looks good, Ralph!
> 
> Patrick (oh, yeah - I've done some work on the '56 Ford. Now to just find time and a setting to take a picture for you!)


 That's GREAT NEWS Patrick :thumbsup:


----------



## XracerHO

Great looking shop & interior. ..RL


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

Good looking pics R3!!! I see you got em outside on the roll back, waiting to get in!!! ... RM


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Thanks guys....The Shop business has really been picking up, I guess because we do really good work and keep to a budget  And this winter we will have lots of new projects to show you guys when the race season is over and the Race Cars need rebuilt or the Vintage ones restored


----------



## bobhch

Ralph,

Diggin' your shop pics!

Great show and tell on the soldering of those pickups & love the blue big booty car also!

Bob...keep up the good work...zilla


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Couple of New(old) Cars....*

Okay, this is a break from our normal builds, and technically- the red '35 Chevy coach modified is just a Diecast, but I picked it up cheap coz I thought it looked really Cool 








~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now...the 'Vette is a Roadracer, and normally my guys don't work on roadracers, but hey, if it's american and a Race Car, we'll work on it  It uses an old JL Pullback body mounted over a NOS Aurora chassis. When the owner gets around to it, the wide meats will be added for some fun AutoCross Racing which won't Risk the car getting dinged up on a Real Race Track. BTW- the front glass and the fwd top edges of the Arm top plate were shaved down a bit to lower the front end of the car, and the new owner really likes the stance now


----------



## TBI

Ralphthe3rd said:


>


Nice work Ralph! :thumbsup:


Hey is that Benny Hill standing by the vette?


----------



## TGM2054

Benny Hill? Now thats funny! WHOA! Those pizza cutters under that Vette! That thing needs some meats! Nice job Ralph!


----------



## TBI

....just sayin


----------



## clemedc

hahaha it has to be Benny


----------



## NTxSlotCars

Benny and the .... Tjets?


----------



## TBI

NTxSlotCars said:


> Benny and the .... Tjets?


Is this another pancake joke?


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Thanks guys, you made me- LOL 
And yes, the 'Vette needs some Fat Meat, sorry I didn't get them installed before I snapped the pix. I have the wheels and tires, I just don't have any wide axles yet.


----------



## slotto

Benny Hill - that's funny. Good eye TBI


----------



## TBI




----------



## NTxSlotCars

TBI said:


> Is this another pancake joke?


I believe Benny was very fond of pancakes... and smoke.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Sprint Car Racin' ! Ok- 1/64 slotcar racin'....errr...ok- only the last car #53 is a slotcar, all ther rest are diecast models 


















*we miss you Nacey #26....god speed


----------



## clemedc

they all look good speeding into the corner Ralph.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Newsletter*

WooHoo, my/this thread made the October 2011 HobbyTalk Newsletter


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Old Barn Find !*

This vintage old-time "Modified" Race Car body, was found, when my friend Wayne, was cleaning out his old storage Barn, and he was about to junk it for scrap, but instead, gave it to ME - WooHoo !










The Body started out as an original old Aurora '41 Willys in blue which had seen better days, then it had it's fenders removed and other mods performed, and was painted Yellow, and they should have stopped there- because adding Red Flames didn't highlight the car, btw- I'm in the process of sanding off the flames when these pix were taken.









FYI- the current chassis is just a JL pullback roller, the final chassis will be a Race Prepped NOS Aurora T-Jet which will wear much larger Racing tires


----------



## gomanvongo

sweet - it's got a barn find look for sure! vintage homebuilt hot rod all the way!


----------



## TGM2054

I'm looking forward to seeing where this one goes. I've got two of Parts pig's resin Willy's comming to set up as dirt trackers for a portable oval that I'm putting together.


----------



## bobhch

NTxSlotCars said:


> Benny and the .... Tjets?


hahahahahaha I was just going back on this thread to see what I missed...hahahaha you guys crack me up. :lol:

Pizza Cutters...now that is funny stuff. 
:roll: Order up...I cutta the Cheese Louis :freak: Pepperoni with Anchovies...Mama Mia
I worked at a few Pizza places as a youth and have washed a million pizza cutters easy.

Great Sprinter taking up the rear!! Yet another new slot car creation added to Planet Earths collection of Cool Slot Cars!!

I also can't wait to see this Willys Dirted up. I did this cut up to an AW Willys and it is just sitting in a drawer.

Nuther Dave made a real cool Willys Dirt racer for the Heart of Hobbytalk Auction one time...I won it!! Will post up a picture of it here soon. 

According to your shop clock (nice shop) it is almost time to eat lunch....Pizza anyone?

Bob...keep posting those neat Die Cast Ralph (great for slot ideas)...zilla


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Been chemically stripping the paint off of the old Modified, and beneath the Yellow was a cool two tone- silver and metallic blue paint job that had all kinds of cool racing numbers and sponsor decals etc -all covered up under the yellow(which musta been from a different owner of this car).









I really would have liked to save the decals on the old paint job, and photograph them before I totally removed the first paint job. But alas- the only decal I could preserve was the U.S. Auto Club decal on the trunk. This car had lots of nicely placed decals on the silver/blue paint job. Btw- the Roof was metallic blue while the lower body was silver. This musta been a really Nice vintage Modified at one time


----------



## WesJY

Looking good so far..... :thumbsup:

Wes


----------



## TGM2054

Ralph I can tell ya where those decals came from. They're out of an original Model Motoring Hop Kit from the 60's. I've got one here and just looked at it. It's got that Auto Club decal on the sheet along with a bunch of neat other oldies!:thumbsup: I'll see if I can scan it if you want.


----------



## bobhch

Ralph,

Goodbye old paint...

Here is that picture of the Heart of Hobby Talk Auction car I won years ago built by Nuther Dave.




























You can see my cut up in the back drop. It is going to need some body work and then the fun Phsssssssssssssssssssht-ing of a fun color.

Bob...Go Ched Go...zilla


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Decals*



TGM2054 said:


> Ralph I can tell ya where those decals came from. They're out of an original Model Motoring Hop Kit from the 60's. I've got one here and just looked at it. It's got that Auto Club decal on the sheet along with a bunch of neat other oldies!:thumbsup: I'll see if I can scan it if you want.


 Sure, I'd love to see it  Funny thing, I had that same Hop-Up kit as a kid, and kinda remember they came with decals, but don't recall which ones they were. Some of the ones on this car were- STP, I think maybe Valvoline(it came off before I could read it), and numbers , and some writing on the roof, and also some tiny little stars on the right hand edge of the hood.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Cool !*



bobhch said:


> Ralph,
> 
> Goodbye old paint...
> 
> Here is that picture of the Heart of Hobby Talk Auction car I won years ago built by Nuther Dave.
> 
> /aasidneytwrz2.jpg[/IMG]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You can see my cut up in the back drop. It is going to need some body work and then the fun Phsssssssssssssssssssht-ing of a fun color.
> 
> Bob...Go Ched Go...zilla


 Bob the Ched car is SWEET as Honey, and your AW Body will be a fun project - but I hope you just do a normal vintage dirttracker build.....not something out of a horror flick


----------



## TGM2054

View attachment 143813
Here's a small version sorry it's sideways but you can see whats there. It's an original that I got in a Hop Up Kit. It's only missing the oil and the screwdriver. The cellophane bag hasn't been opened and still has all the gears,tires and wheels in it, even the instruction manual is there in perfect shape.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Yep, those are probably where all the decals (that adorned the car) came from- 







- thanks for posting this pic :thumbsup:


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

bobhch said:


>


Great looking win there Bob...and you didn't even race...zilla!!!

Looking good R3 with the WIP project...RM


----------



## TGM2054

There you go! Sorry, I didn't have time to do that this morning.


----------



## bobhch

Ralphthe3rd said:


> Bob the Ched car is SWEET as Honey, and your AW Body will be a fun project - but I hope you just do a normal vintage dirttracker build.....not something out of a horror flick


Buhahahahahaahahha...Fear This  

STOP your hurting him..... :beatdeadhorse: Buhahahahahaa :devil:

Bob...horror is my middle name...zilla


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*She's almost Done now !*

Well gang, the boys have been working hard, and got about 90% of the car finished, and here she is......



























I plan on adding nerf bar/bumpers and a grill/radiator, and then I'll call her done


----------



## Super Coupe

Looking good.Keep up the good work.Hope to see it ripping around the track soon.
>Tom<


----------



## bobhch

Ralph,

Digging the finished look in blue with the #3 decals!!

Bob...go hit the track...zilla


----------



## clemedc

sweet job Ralph and I caint wait to see the finished product


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Here is a shot of most* of my completed/running T-Jets. Now I have many other brands and types of HO slots, but lately my focus have been on T-Jets. And I'll have you know, that of all the T-Jets in this shot, only two of them are non Aurora chassis- although in contrast, only two of the bodies seen in this pic are actual Aurora T-Jet Bodies....


----------



## WesJY

SWEET CARS! :thumbsup:

Wes


----------



## jobobvideo

Just looking at this pic reminds me of the smells and sounds of local track that went to once as a kid ,but no longer exists...nice job!


----------



## XracerHO

Great line up & pace car! The #3 looks Great & fast cars start in the back row! ..RL


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

That's some cool looking dirt tracking R3...nice line up...RM


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Quiet day, nothing to do, so I decided to do an oil change and tune the Flathead in my lil Ford Rodster today....

















Been thinkin about dropping in that Racing Flathead on the work bench, that has the tri-power carbs on it, but I better save that for a Vintage RaceCar instead- eh ?


----------



## NTxSlotCars

Make sure you wipe the finger prints off!!! lol


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Projects Coming Soon- Teaser. Some bodies that I'll be modding and finishing to fit T-Jet Chassis. Btw- the 1/87 '40 Ford Coupe, is a Resin Cast(one-off)body from Hogan Racing, and have you ever seen this 1/87 scale Datsun 280-Z before


----------



## kiwidave

Both are very cool! Hope the Fords gonna keep it's fenders???


----------



## clemedc

nice teasers Ralph I`m looking forward to seeing what you do with them.


----------



## XracerHO

Nice teaser & can't wait to see it finished. Meant to ask, where did the shop get the nice Racing Flathead engine? ..RL


----------



## TBI

Cool stuff R3! :thumbsup:


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Thanks Guys 
@KiwiDave> yes, I think the Ford will be keeping it's Fenders 
@Clemedc> me too 
@XracerHO> The lil(plastic) motor came from a Racing Champions- Diecast '32 Ford Coupe, in the Hot Rod Magazine 50th anniversary Series. BTW- I also dropped another(dif) Flathead in my lil purple '37 Ford Rodster, which can be seen a few pics back. Tho since those pix were taken I removed the single round air cleaner and now have exposed dual carbs on the Rodster Flatty mill.


----------



## clemedc

*Flathead*

Ralph, I think I may have one of those flatheads somewhere if I remember it has a little chrome wear. Maybe I can put it to use someday.


----------



## noddaz

*Thread jack!*



Ralphthe3rd said:


> -


Liking that VW decal!!!

Now back to the cool thread about the Willys...


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Here's a pic of the Flathead w/dual carbs in my '37 Ford Rodster...


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Also, for those inquiring minds PM'ing about the Datsun. 
Specs : this lil sweetie was made by KiDCO in 1980. It has a molded color plastic(same material as T-Jets?) body with a diecast metal chassis, held on with one screw post in the front. But the kicker is, it has a hole in the back right where the license plate would be, and inside is a tube with a stiff coil spring. So I'm guessing this car came with a launcher of some kind ? The wheelbase lines up pretty good with the LWB T-Jets. I called this a 280Z, but it's an odd-ball, because it looks to have 300ZX style back side windows...


----------



## slotcarman12078

The ford looks like a winner, as does the datsun. 










What's the body parked outside? Looks like a resin of a matchbox ford cortina maybe?


----------



## gomanvongo

Ralphthe3rd said:


> So I'm guessing this car came with a launcher of some kind ?


It was a "burnin' key car" - I've got the same body in white, with red and blue striping.

Those Kidco Key Cars are an excellent source of bodies - I've also used the Superboss Kidco key car to build a superboss on a mattyco chassis.

Kidco also released the key car molds as diecast toys, with the parts list reversed (and no launching spring) - if it was plastic on the key car body, it was metal on the diecast, and vice-versa - look for a diecast Kidco Datsun, and you'll have the bottoms of your bumpers in plastic as well. :wave:

john


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*British Ford*



slotcarman12078 said:


> The ford looks like a winner, as does the datsun.
> What's the body parked outside? Looks like a resin of a matchbox ford cortina maybe?


 Good eye their slotcarman. But it's not really a resin-cast, but an all plastic toy car, that looked very familiar. I looked thru my Matchbox collector books and found the MB version in diecast, listed as #33 - 1963 Ford Zephyr 6 Mk III. My all plastic version has an interior molded on the the plastic chassis base and a rubber-like Driver w/steering wheel pegged to the right side of the bench front seat. The toy car didn't come with window glass unfortunately, but the body has potential, and the wheelbase is really close for T-Jet usage. And to me, the front grill/bumper looks alot like the last years of the american Ford Falcons ? So it'll someday be converted into a dirttrack bomber I guess


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Here's some pix of the English Ford...


----------



## slotcarman12078

Oh man, that does have some potential. Happy chopping!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## kiwidave

That's a Ford Mark 3 Zephyr. One of my fav cars. Had a few of those (1:1). My last one had a tunnel rammed 289, 4 speed. They originally came out only with 4 or 6 cylinder. I was the president of the Zephyr/Zodiac car club for a number of years! I gotta get me some of those castings!!!!!! 

http://www.v8.co.nz/articles/1963-ford-zephyr-mkiii-old-school-cool-51


----------



## XracerHO

Ralph,thanks for the motor info & will be checking the diecast shows. The 37 Roadster looks good with dual carbs. Some great shop photos. :thumbsup: The Datsun is a Burning Key car. It makes a nice small fast T-jet. The shop has some great projects which I can't wait to see finished. ..RL


----------



## pshoe64

Thanks for posting the info on the Datsun. I have one from umpteen years ago that is T-jet mounted and I love to race. Never knew who made them. Great detail and works perfectly.

-Paul


----------



## ParkRNDL

I have a bunch of the Kidco Key Cars that I snagged at yard sales and such with intentions of converting for slot car duty. A couple of those Datsuns, maybe three or four circa-1980 Corvettes, and a couple of late '70s Dodge Magnums. I think you have to stretch the wheelwells a little to work on LWB Tjet; they're just a little too long the way they are. I also have a couple of '80s Thunderbirds and an S-10 Blazer with a similar spring mechanism, but made by a different company (Tonka?).

--rick


----------



## NTxSlotCars

Now, with the Bill Hall Jig, you can easily stretch any wheelbase!


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*'40 Ford Coupe....just a Cruiser for now*

I got my 1/87 scale resin Cast '40 Ford Coupe completed- for now ? Maybe chopped up into a Dirttracker later 








Just a quick Spray-Bomb paint Pssst, with very little prep, not half bad, but could have been better. And no, I don't have window glass.
BTW- That's Speedy Pit Pig, our Shop Mascot and guard D.....err- Pig 








PS- the One Off Resin cast body was made by Hogan Racing(thanks Patrick), and is probably between 1/87 and 1/72 scale, it's VERY small. And I had to shave the insides very thin to mount this baby to an original Aurora Tuff Ones chassis.


----------



## NTxSlotCars

I thought I smelt bacon!!!

I'm glad to see a Ford instead of a Willys for a change. Don't get me wrong, it's just different.
Only other ones out there are.... TYCO!!!! Here's our 40 Ford race class.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Cool !*



NTxSlotCars said:


> I thought I smelt bacon!!!
> 
> I'm glad to see a Ford instead of a Willys for a change. Don't get me wrong, it's just different.
> Only other ones out there are.... TYCO!!!! Here's our 40 Ford race class.


Yep, I love the old 30's- '40 Ford Coupes, and I too have 2 of the tyco '40 Ford Coupe versions(& the Drag Truck), one is built for Drags the other as a Dirttracker. But man, the Tyco's in your pic are the tits, thanks for sharing :thumbsup:


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Looks like a Vintage Hot Rod Meet at the Speedy Pit Shop this weekend. FYI- the Three Dirttrackers are using modded Dash bodies and Aurora Chassis, and the Red Hot Rod is All Aurora except for the tires....note that the rears are white walls, and they are custom made Stepped-WIDE Silicones designed and made by Joe C. of this Forum.









My Hot Rods in comparison. No two look alike, no two tuned alike, no two with the same tires, and no two with the same ride height.









Hot Rod Comparo from Rear. Green Rod has A/FX spongees that I silicone coated myself, Red Rod has Joe C. custom wide Hot Rod size white walls that fit the standard Hot Rod rim, the turquoise Rod has custom made Joe C. Tall Tuffy tires, and the Blue Rod has standard narrow size Hot Rod Silicones.


----------



## WesJY

SWEET LOOKING CARS! :thumbsup:

Wes


----------



## clemedc

I love seeing the RODS


----------



## XracerHO

Great Line-up of Hot Rods!! :thumbsup: ..RL


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

The Gang took some new pix recently. Some from a Nostalgia Drag Race held at the local track. Also, some close up pix of the '55 Chebbie which is a sleeper/SCREAMER(but ONLY in a straight line !).


----------



## clemedc

Nice pics Ralph, lovin the 55.


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

Cool pics R3, I like a variety on the line and in the stage...Liking those slicks on the 55 too!!! That shop pig looks about fat enough to make some bacon.  ...RM


----------



## 1976Cordoba

I love sleepers! Keeping it low key is cool :thumbsup:


----------



## XracerHO

Great pix's & 55 Sleeper with the large trued rear slicks!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: Cool shop mascot. ..RL


----------



## jobobvideo

very nice line up of customs...great job:thumbsup:


----------



## bobhch

Great Dash dirt racers and Dragstrip line up pictures!

Dig the Gray Ford project you Jet-a-sized!

Looks like a slot car factory with all you are pumping out Ralph III:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Very nice Purple Zephyr you posted up Kiwi. I can see the reason for your Zephyr Pasion!! Sharp looker...

My Best Friend drove a tan USA version Mercury Zephyr back in the 80s (It was like an 80s Ford Farmont) that he inherited from his Grandfather. He put some low budget looking off brand center lines on it with cheater slicks. Ooooooh and he Blueprited the V8...it screeeamed! He was very proud of his Sleeper. He didn't try to hide the dual exhaust, by sticking them out the rear, very well though.   Vrooooooooooooooooooooom

Bob...I miss the old days of just hanging out and driving around with my buds...zilla


----------



## Rolls

Love those pics, RIII. 'Specially those ready-to-rumble hotrods lined up and the very cool close-ups of that very cool fiddy five. 

Sweet!!


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

I added a Johnny Lightning 1960 Corvette to my stable yesterday. I just got a pair of these cute little pull-back bodies, and took a bit of time to mod both the body and a original Aurora T-jet chassis to fit each other, without the car looking like a LIFTED 4x4 ! And since these pix were taken, I also lowered the rear just a tad bit more as well. BTW- it takes quite a bit of work to make one of these bodies fit a T-jet Chassis, as JL only ever sold them on Pull-back chassis, and the original Aurora Bodies were ONLY found on Vibrator Chassis. I hope you like my lil Pink Corvette...my GF does 



































I painted the front of the pick-up shoes flat black along with the fwd parts of the chassis to conceal them a bit. Also, since this pic was taken, I lowered the rear slightly as well.


----------



## clemedc

Pink never looked so good Ralph.


----------



## JordanZ870

I have a bit of a soft spot for the pink cars also. :thumbsup:
Good show getting that body all snuggled down on ya. (the vette, not the GF in blue dress)


----------



## XracerHO

Nice lowering job, it looks Pretty in Pink & great background! Where did you get the white walled Harley with side car? ..RL


----------



## slotcarman12078

Great lowering job. I got one of those bodies once, saw how high it sat and gave up on it. I guess I shoulda tried... She sits way better!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Harley w/Sidecar*



XracerHO said:


> Nice lowering job, it looks Pretty in Pink & great background! Where did you get the white walled Harley with side car? ..RL


 That particular Harley, is an HO Scale, Hallmark Mini Keepsake X-Mas Ornament. And Hallmark has been bringing out a New/different Harley each year for the past decade.... they are really nice- diecast lil buggers. And FYI- the other Harley with rider, is an old Galoob Micro Machine, they made about 8-10 little Bikes back about 25 years ago, and I collected them all


----------



## Bill Hall

Nice job Ralph!

You did her proud. 

That corvette was never modeled to fit a T-jet anyway. Didnt fit the vibe chassis it was inteneded for particularly well either. Some time back, I failed to get the look I was after, gave up, and punted. I got a new plan. :thumbsup: Thanx!


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Thanks Bill !*



Bill Hall said:


> Nice job Ralph!
> 
> You did her proud.
> 
> That corvette was never modeled to fit a T-jet anyway. Didnt fit the vibe chassis it was inteneded for particularly well either. Some time back, I failed to get the look I was after, gave up, and punted. I got a new plan. :thumbsup: Thanx!


She's(Pink one) still a work in Progress, as I only JUST got the body on Monday ! Last night I lowered the rear a tad more, and also filed out the side window openings at the front and top corner, to make them look more realistic. So it's getting there. And it looks a helluva lot better than when someone just plops the body right down on a chassis- and calls it done, like in the pic below (Yikes) !








(PS- this Black one is not mine, just an example of what it looks like to just plop a body on)


----------



## XracerHO

Nice work on the Blk Corvette convertible! :thumbsup: Now realize how much better these Corvettes looks when you " painted the front of the pick-up shoes flat black along with the fwd parts of the chassis to conceal them a bit". - Real improvement ..RL


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Blk Vette- Not Mine....*



XracerHO said:


> Nice work on the Blk Corvette convertible! :thumbsup: Now realize how much better these Corvettes looks when you " painted the front of the pick-up shoes flat black along with the fwd parts of the chassis to conceal them a bit". - Real improvement ..RL


FYI- I just pulled the pic of the Black Vette off of the Internet, it's not mine... mine is the lowered Pink Coupe.


----------



## XracerHO

Ralph, Sorry thought the black one was your new work in progress for lowering should have read further but still think your lowering of the Pink Corvette was great!! :thumbsup: The photo comparison of the black one emphasized to me, not only how low the pink one was but also how very effective was your idea to paint the fwd parts flat black on your Pink Corvette! ..RL


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Also....*



XracerHO said:


> Ralph, Sorry thought the black one was your new work in progress for lowering should have read further but still think your lowering of the Pink Corvette was great!! :thumbsup: The photo comparison of the black one emphasized to me, not only how low the pink one was but also how very effective was your idea to paint the fwd parts flat black on your Pink Corvette! ..RL


 RL, I'd also like to point out, that I modified both my chassis top plate AND the fwd frame Pick-up hangers too. I actually moved the toes of the pick-ups a few MM back, so the shoe tips would be behind the apron - not in front of it like on the Black Corvette. It really wasn't too hard, although I did carve up an original NOS Aurora chassis to do this, and also had to re-fold(Shorten) a pair of Slottech P-U Shoes to fit, but that wasn't very hard either.
All in all, I shaved alot of the underside of the Vette body, the Chassis Top Plate, AND the fwd portion of the frame to relocate the front of the pick-up shoes further back....


----------



## XracerHO

WOW, Great work & thanks for sharing your method & will give it a try. ..RL


----------



## kiwidave

Really nice work. Great pics!


----------



## jobobvideo

nice redo of a pregnant original:thumbsup:


----------



## bobhch

Keep a sharp eye on your Pink Vette or Joez will swipe it.

Great drop job on Pinky!

Bz


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

Great work on Pinkie R3, now ya gotta finish the black one, make it look as good!!! RM


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Black '60 Vette, etc*



Hilltop Raceway said:


> Great work on Pinkie R3, now ya gotta finish the black one, make it look as good!!! RM


 Sorry for the confusion, but the Black one isn't mine- just a pic I snagged off the net. FYI, my 2nd '60 Vette is a Chrome one.
PS- I lowered my Pinkie a tiny bit more in the rear, since those pix were taken.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Vintage Dirt !*

Here's a Group shot of some of my Vintage Modified Sportsman Cars. The Blue with white meatball #3 on it, is my latest creation, and was built all from spare chassis parts- and a basket case (Dash) body. And FYI- I didn't paint that car, it's brush painted by the previous owner, who also made a T-Top out of it, as he hacked off all but the rear of the HotRod Coupe Roof/Bulkhead, and attached the front half of a Super Modified Roll Cage minus the Wing. And btw- the #56 car was also a used (Dash)body that was salvaged, and has been modded to sit really low.
















#3 Vintage Sportsman Modified, featuring Aurora T-Jet Chassis with Wild One Arm, Dash Hot Rod Body w/hacked roof, rear portion is coupe/front portion is Super Modified, and center portion is covered with Painters TAPE ! Headers are diecast metal from a HotWheels Super Modified, front wheels are Tuff Ones, Rear wheels are Tyco CurveHugger Centerlines with axle holes opened to T-Jet specs, front nerfbar is homemade from bent paperclip. Paint by previous owner, applied w/Brush !


----------



## plymouth71

Looking Good Ralph!


----------



## JordanZ870

It looks like a track terror! :thumbsup:


----------



## WesJY

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Wes


----------



## NTxSlotCars

Is that an oil spot under it???


----------



## clemedc

Nice Ralph


----------



## slotcarman12078

I like it!! It has that whole backyard racer look to it!! Bummer about the roof being sliced and diced, but what it has works... :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## tjd241

*Great Grouping Ralph...*



Ralphthe3rd said:


> Here's a Group shot of some of my Vintage Modified Sportsman Cars.


Ever since you introduced him... I've been trying to "place the face" on your track figure. It just hit me.... Lou ! !


----------



## XracerHO

Great Grouping & nice low stance on #56, start your engines, let's go racing!! ..RL


----------



## 1976Cordoba

Looks like a canvas top on old #3.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

1976Cordoba said:


> Looks like a canvas top on old #3.


 'doba- EXACTLY ! That's the look I was sorta trying to achieve when I stuck on the Blue painters tape 
Someday tho, I may totally re-do this car, strip the paint, add a "GOOD" Roof, re-paint and make her purdy


----------



## bobhch

XracerHO said:


> Great Grouping & nice low stance on #56, start your engines, let's go racing!! ..RL


What RL said....Would love to pull the trigger and bang any of these around the track!!

Bz


----------



## clemedc

I like what your doing there Ralph


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Someday came mighty Quick !*

~Update~
As previously seen....








It didn't last long before it became my Little Deuce Coupe !


























I went with a 5 window Coupe Roof, added a Blower, and I also used a trimmed 1/64 scale Grill, to closer match the width of the hood. And I lowered the body both front and rear just a tad more.
BTW- I was NOT trying to replicate the American Graffiti Milner Coupe, just merely create my own Lil Deuce Coupe using the Dash Hot Rod as the starting point.


----------



## clemedc

Sweet lil coupe Ralph


----------



## XracerHO

Great little Deuce Coupe :thumbsup: :thumbsup: & like the background too! ..RL


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Thanks guys  My Lil deuce Coupe came out OK, but not exactly as I hoped. I'm not thrilled with the look of the Radiator in the front, nor the actual mating of the 5 window roof to the lower roadster body, and the color match of top to bottom isn't perfect(my bad, should have used a white primer on on lower) but it's an improvement over the crusty rusty #(3) Sportsman dirttracker, that I cobbled together from a basket case DASH Hot Rod to start.

PS- the macro photog work does make it look alot worse in these pix then it does in 3D tho, so I shouldn't complain- lol


----------



## slotcarman12078

I think it came out great Ralph. The stock hot rod grill never got me excited, so anything besides what they came with is a vast improvement!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## WesJY

Keep them coming! I enjoyed watching you building them! :thumbsup:

Wes


----------



## Bill Hall

Ralphthe3rd said:


> Thanks guys  My Lil deuce Coupe came out OK, but not exactly as I hoped. I'm not thrilled with the look of the Radiator in the front, nor the actual mating of the 5 window roof to the lower roadster body, and the color match of top to bottom isn't perfect(my bad, should have used a white primer on on lower) but it's an improvement over the crusty rusty #(3) Sportsman dirttracker, that I cobbled together from a basket case DASH Hot Rod to start.
> 
> PS- the macro photog work does make it look alot worse in these pix then it does in 3D tho, so I shouldn't complain- lol


C'mon Ralph, 

Who among us hasnt revisited a build from time to time.....me< sometimes many times....LMAO! Give yerself a break.

I always though that roof was the best fit for the Aurora hot rod. Sadly the stock roof wasnt very representational. It always seemed more like a "soft top" with it's taught angular design and sharp edges. I've considered trying to model it as a Carson on more than one ocassion.


----------



## bobhch

Drop her down in low and give her all yah got........Vroooooooooom!!

Bob...then drop the clutch hard and shift on up...zilla


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Recent update..... Although I have posted pix of other builds(Like my Green Tow Truck), in other threads, I really haven't posted here in a while. Well, here's a New build for me. It's nothing really special, just an old '37 Dirt track Coupe body from RRR, and it's mounted on a NOS Tuff Ones chassis. Here are a few pix....


----------



## WesJY

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Wes


----------



## bobhch

Looks like a Fun throwdown and do some laps car! :thumbsup:

It's got the air filter sticking through the hood so, it's gotta be fast...right?

Bob...it's race decaled & ready to roll...zilla


----------



## slotto

Dig that yellow coupe :thumbsup:


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

I have one (long)comment to make on the #41 Coupe body made by RoadRaceReplicas seen previously in the pix. Because of the shortened nose section/hood, RRR relocated the front post, to use the rearward hole where the guide pin itself is normally pointed down from. Well, this actually does have an effect on handling perse, as the car will not drift as far as it would have, had the guide pin not been flipped around. Now if your car doesn't drift at all in the corners, then you really won't notice any difference, but if you set up your car to drift(like I do), you'll note that power cuts off at less of an angle- more akin to what an A/FX pancake chassis does. Also related to this, when the car drifts out momentarily past the shoe contact point, the power cuts out... BUT, sometimes the forward inertia of the front end (still in the slot) will pull the car somewhat back in line, to a point the shoes make contact again. And when/if that happens, and you still have your finger on the throttle, you'll get a sudden burst of power and some wheelspin- depending on how much throttle you had before it broke power in the slide. LOL- just thought you'd like to note this observation


----------



## JordanZ870

Yep, ain't nuffiin wrong with this build!
It looks like a real zinger!:thumbsup:

Please tell me about the front wheels on ol' number 41 and
do they come in a bigger size for the rear?


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Hey Joez, those Front wheels, are actually Delrin double flanged Rear Tuffy Wheels, that I bought from Bearsox at BallsOutRacing. I did trim the inner axle spacer extensions off, as they made it too wide- like as used in Fray type racing. The wheels were molded in Black Delrin, but I painted them silver, BUT- you can also get the wheels white and I think colors as well ? Check out Dennis' BallsOutRacing site and see his various Delrin wheels in various widths.


----------



## XracerHO

Great looking dirt track Coupe. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: ..RL


----------



## kiwidave

Really nice build Ralph. Liking all the add on bits!


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

kiwidave said:


> Really nice build Ralph. Liking all the add on bits!


 Thanks Dave, but all those add on bits came with the RRR '37 Dirt Modified body. All I basically did was add a little paint and decals 
Btw- the chassis under that body is a Rocketship, and I'm almost afraid to unleash it, because of all those little add on bits - LOL


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

TEST ! ...can anyone SEE the following pic ??? 








...the reason I ask is, I host my photos on Facebook, and today, I don't seem to be able to view my pix hosted there in this thread ? I sure hope that FB hasn't put a block on linking photos hosted by them !?

Edit/PS- Never mind, I can see this pic, so I guess you will too ?!


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

Is it suppose to be a good looking No.18 orange dirt tracker with Goodyear tires??? RM


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*20/20 vision you have Randy*



Hilltop Raceway said:


> Is it suppose to be a good looking No.18 orange dirt tracker with Goodyear tires??? RM


LOL....Yes, Randy, it is. But it's only a 1/64th Diecast 
PS- it's an Ertl Collectibles model, of "Dutch" Hoag's old Modified, and it is Purdy- ain't it :thumbsup:


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Ruh Roh ! Although this latest pic (hosted by Facebook) can be viewed? I don't think any of my older pix in this thread(except for the 1st ones hosted by HobbyTalk) can be viewed ? Can anyone else scroll thru my pages and see any pix ???


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

DAMN ! None of my older pix show up here 
Well I found the problem, Facebook upgraded their photos feature, and that changed the url's of all my pix posted before about 10 days ago. But I'm working on restoring them, one by one, working my way backwards toward the beginning. And whats hard is, matching up the correct photo to the text/caption in all my posts in this thread.....


----------



## slotcarman12078

I think I see the problem with the direct links Ralph. Somehow, all the brackets are all [img] small letters instead of CAPS... It should be easy enough to go through your posts and change the img's to IMG's. I don't know if HT changed something and won't allow the small letters, or if your image hosting service did something... At least it's fixable, and there's only 14 pages of posts to go through. :rolleyes:

The links don't show in the post, but if I quote you, the link is visable, and if you edit your posts where there should be pix they should be there to fix.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*I found the problem....*



slotcarman12078 said:


> I think I see the problem with the direct links Ralph. Somehow, all the brackets are all [img] small letters instead of CAPS... It should be easy enough to go through your posts and change the img's to IMG's. I don't know if HT changed something and won't allow the small letters, or if your image hosting service did something... At least it's fixable, and there's only 14 pages of posts to go through. :rolleyes:
> 
> The links don't show in the post, but if I quote you, the link is visable, and if you edit your posts where there should be pix they should be there to fix.[/quote]
> Well SCM, I found the problem, and it's gonna be a pain for me to fix with dial-Up connection. Ya see, it has nothing to do with me using the [ img ] in lower type, as I have always done that. No, the problem is Facebook ! Ya see, just recently, they revamped their whole photos system to include bigger and better pix(I can actually post one of three dif sizes of pix). But the problem lies in the fact, that after their upgrade change over, they created ALL NEW URL's for the old PIX ! Hence, the old img links are now obsolete ! Grrrr.... my only recourse, is to go and find the pic on FB again, and recopy it's NEW URL img link....and That my friend, is gonna take ALOT of time, sighs....:(


----------



## plymouth71

Cough(photobucket)Cough


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

I'm slowly working back to the beginning, fixing the pix. It takes time locating the pix, in any of my 6-8 albums scattered all over Facebook, especially since I'm on Dial-Up (stop laughing) and there are 1000's of pix to look thru. And since the pix are already loaded there- I'm NOT going to start a Photobucket Account !


----------



## dge467

Hi Ralph! Long time no see! I can at least follow your progress here!


----------



## alpink

*backup plan*

ralphie boy, ....
do you still have the pics on your computer?
it might serve you well to open a Photobucket account (*FREE*) and upload all your pics there as well as fixing your faceplant account.
there is a bulk uploading option (*FREE*) and there is an easy click on feature for the URL to link or show them anywhere.
*minus* is free too.
:tongue:


----------



## roadrner

Ralphthe3rd said:


> LOL....Yes, Randy, it is. But it's only a 1/64th Diecast
> PS- it's an Ertl Collectibles model, of "Dutch" Hoag's old Modified, and it is Purdy- ain't it :thumbsup:


She is Purdy, put it on a slotcar chassis and she'll be kick A** ! :thumbsup::thumbsup: rr


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Al, No, I didn't save most of the pix onto my PC's hard drive  . But I do already have a FlickeR account(similar to PB), and I did actually open a PB account yesterday by accident, so I could comment on a PB pic. But, I do NOT intend to move the pix from FB to either of those accounts.
But it's ok, I've already filled in the pix as far back as page 9 now, it just takes a while matching the pix to the post, and slow downloads of the pix on FB (with my dial-up) doesn't help. But I'm only going to fix this thread, so I'm sorry for all the other posts that I contributed to, that will be still missing their pix


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Finished !*

*WHEW- I finally got all the missing pix back into their proper places in this thread ! .....Enjoy* 
ps- here's a little Extra Pic for your Viewing Pleasure....:wave:


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Just wanted to post a few pix that weren't ever included in this thread.
The following Camaro Modified, was a Body built and given to me(last year) by Dan/aka Plymouth71. In these pix the old A/FX body resides on a Tomy SRT chassis. But that was short lived, and the car now resides on one of my sweetest original Aurora A/FX (non MT) chassis.


----------



## Super Coupe

Nice Camaro!! Congrats also on the rehabilitation of your pictures in the thread. :thumbsup:
>Tom<


----------



## plymouth71

Man I haven't built a dirt car in a while... I better get on that!


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Here's one of my latest W.I.P. , a Resin Cast '56 Ford Fairlane(RED), which I got from BallsOutRacing. It's only been trimmed a little, and Nerfs added, and fitted to an NOS T-Jet Chassis, which now sports the old AJ's "Indy" wheels, and low profile tires.

















Another Teaser View of my '56 Ford(RED), this time of the Rear quarter, showing off the Nerfs.

PS- the other car in Primer, started out as a Stepped-On Tyco '57 Chevy....it's now a "Generic" 1950's Bomber, which I usually use as a Loaner car when friends, who are novice Slot Racers, come to visit. I keep it set up on a Tyco U-Turn Chassis, which is easier and more fun for my "Guests" to get used to.


----------



## Super Coupe

Looking good!!! A couple of numbers and they will be ready to mix it up with the rest of the boys. :thumbsup:
>Tom<


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

Cool looking dirt trackers R3!!! Nice nerf work...RM


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Thanks Guys 
I've since swapped out chassis, coz I didn't like the look of those wheels for this car(but wanted to leave them on that chassis). So my latest chassis sports some BallsOut Tuffy Size, Delrin Double flange wheels in the rear, and common Tuffy Fronts with skinnies.
I'm still trying to think up a paint scheme that accents those old Fairlanes- with the "Check" mark side body molding, which also to be a two tone paint dividing line....like seen in this 1/24 diecast Curtis Turner model I have....


----------



## tjd241

Diggin the 'Maro Ralph. That's a great looking car and the black wheels suit it to a T. I agree on the 2-tone idea for the Ford btw... I'd love to see that. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## WesJY

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Wes


----------



## 1976Cordoba

Lookin good Ralph.

Saw this today, reminded me of the Chevelle street stock the cavemen built up some time back. Thought you might like the inspiration also:


----------



## XracerHO

Camaro looks great & so does the Ford, vote for the two tone paint job. Nice diecast. ..RL


----------



## clemedc

Another nice job Ralph
Clem


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Ok now....THIS post is NOT about Slot Cars per se, but pertains to actual 1:1 Racers of my youth in N.J. in the mid 1960's.
I was at a Post Card show in York Pa yesterday with my GF(she's the Real PCard collector). Anyway, I always look for Old Dirttrack speedway PCards, but rarely find any. But, after looking for a few hours thru 1000's of PC's from several dozen dealers, I kept coming up dry. Mainly, you would find Nascar cars and/or Indy stuff, and occasionally some Bonneville Salt Flat Racer cards. 
THEN, right before we were about to leave, I hit one dealer who was too crowded to access earlier, and so I finally hit him, and BAZINGA ! I lucked out , not only with a Dirttrack Card, but one that was from the early 1960's when I first started attending races with my Dad. It's from the Flemington Fairgrounds Raceway in N.J.- not far from where I grew up ! This is like a Blast from my Past and part of my personal History.... Check out the card below :


















And Don't forget, this was also from right in the Heyday of T-Jet Racing, and what inspired me to get into SlotCars, and later in life, real 1:1 Racing on Dirt !


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

My NEW(to me) Big John Mazmanian '41 Willys Gasser body, that I just got from Jim Hoar {along with another (dif.) '41 Willys body}. I fitted this body to a NOS Aurora bare T-jet chassis, but fitted Dash magnets, JB brushes, a NOS Tuff Ones top plate w/6ohm Mean Green Arm, and of course fitted the necessary crown gear. It's using Tuffy front axle and wheels, but out back(can't be seen in this pic) it's using the NEW SuperTire- Pro Series White Delrin Tuffy Rims, but I have Balls Out Racing .405" Silicones mounted. The car is fast and so full of torque, I now need to fabricate a set of Wheelie bars to keep the pin in the Slot 









PS- the White Hot Rod is another project I'm working on, the body was a basket case and was covered with layers of paint(which i stripped). It needs some TLC and *Goop repairs, and I'm also fabricating a new roof(as you can see) using the rear portion of a Dash roof(came from another Hot Rod project-remember the Blue #3) and the front part was a Glass insert from a Diecast, the windshield btw -is merely taped up for protection.


----------



## tjd241

Always liked that Big John Willys..... Good job finishing off a hot looking body with a (very fitting) hot chassis. :thumbsup:


----------



## XracerHO

A fan of the Big John Willys & glad you gave it the power to match! Great work on putting all the parts together to form a real Hot Rod jalopy. :thumbsup: ..RL


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

OK now, got some other new projects underway, although I really SHOULD complete the ones already started 
Anyway, here's old #22 which was recently acquired. It's not a chassis I really like running, but this narrow Tyco 440x2 has had it's traction magnets removed, and may later get some steel(or lead) weights to replace them with. FYI- I just really liked the body, who someone took the time to hand paint and letter...


























Jeffy suggests some front end chassis tuning will help with lap times, and the Boss Man(aka Benny Hill)gives the OK to start wrenchin'


----------



## plymouth71

Jeffy huh? How are his siblings Billy and Dot? Oh and is Barfy still alive?


----------



## win43

nice modified :thumbsup:


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Jeffy*



plymouth71 said:


> Jeffy huh? How are his siblings Billy and Dot? Oh and is Barfy still alive?


 Btw Danny, I named my little fellow- "Jeffy" after an old mechanic friend that I had, who passed away recently.... I just wanted too immortalize him in miniature. Maybe I'll do the same for you someday, or maybe not


----------



## alpink

Jeffy, Barfy, Billy, Dot .....
Family Circle?
I love the adventure ones with the trail marked out.


----------



## plymouth71

alpink said:


> Jeffy, Barfy, Billy, Dot .....
> Family Circle?
> I love the adventure ones with the trail marked out.



The Family Circus 

I can't believe you didn't catch on Ralphie Boy ! No Offense intended to you our the memory of your friend, Really, How could I know ?


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

That's some cool dirt tracking R3...!!! RM


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*D'oh !*

Ok, you're excused Danny Boy, as I stopped reading comic strips back around 1965, so no, I didn't catch that reference.


----------



## XracerHO

Great looking dirt modifieds plus great garage & track moments!! ..RL


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Okie dokie, here's a Newly Re-built Modified Coupe body, and some Corvette WIP's ...









My NEWEST Modified ! Although I had this #12 Yellow Willys for quite some time in stock/un-modified form, I recently got a duplicate Body from Jim Hoar, so my old #12 went under the knife....err, Dremel.








Here's the duplicate Cherry bod I got from Jim.

















And here's a pic with #12 next to an Original Aurora Willys Bodied- Modified, and NO, I WASN'T The one who chopped that vintage body up, it was done DECADES ago. I just added the air cleaner, pipes, and decals...and also stripped several different paint jobs off of it.









Ok, here's another project, that I just wanted to share. Let's call this Corvette Fever ! FYI, I recently acquired all three plastic slot bodies(below), and the two Tyco '60 Vettes were missing their roofs. Then I got the '67 JL T-Jet Stingray(Convertible top up)body from Jim Hoar. And if you've seen these bodies, you'll note the tops look waay too tall for the scale of the rest of the body. But
HEY- the top looks Great on the 1/64 scale tyco '60 Vettes ! (yeah- i know the windshield is all wrong for a '60 'vette). Anyway, the other '60 vette got a windshield from a HotWheels Diecast '58 Corvette(above), and my '67 T-Jet Stingray is gonna get the windshield(and maybe part of interior?) from the HotWheels '65 Stingray diecast !


----------



## WesJY

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Wes


----------



## bobhch

Ralph your Dirt Racers are fun to check out....Keep up the Great work Man!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Bob...gotta love paint and numbers...zilla


----------



## XracerHO

Willys looks good in Yellow #12 & Blu #3 and appreciate Corvette part donor info. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: ..RL


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Update, since I took the pix earlier, I trimmed back the rear fenders on #12, but not as severe at my Blue #3 car. I also lowered the body another millimeter or so(front & rear), and had to grind into the underside of the trunk lid for clearance for the top cluster gear. I also removed the window glass as well. She handles quite a bit better now


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

Oh to cut up a Willys!!! But if it must be done, that's a good looking way to do it!!! May have to cut one myself one of these days... Thanks for the Corvette info...RM


----------



## Bill Hall

God loves all the little Willys...

Admittedly, my favorite Aurora offering by a mile.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Corvette Roof Swap, The Red AW '67 Stingray T-Jet sent it's white top-up Rag top, over to the 1/64 scale Tyco '60 vette.








The Red '67 Sting Ray looks pretty cool with the top down. FYI- it's not 100% finished in this photo, and the driver will be swapped later to a NU-Man.








Top Swap = Good Idea, IMHO 
BTW- the '67 Stingray was also lowered....


----------



## TGM2054

That '67 looks way better!! Thats the way it should have been done in the first place. Nice job Ralph!


----------



## Bill Hall

Oh, dang thats purdy!

Simple and sweet.


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

Cool work R3!!! Lik'n little red, the top looks right at home on the Tyco Vette...RM


----------



## XracerHO

Great execution of Corvette parts swap. ..RL


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Thanks Guys, the roof converts were pretty easy, but the change is Dramatic. FYI- I've been doing all these 'Vettes for my GF, who really digs Vettes, and she used to own one in 1:1- once upon a time.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

It's been a little while since I posted in this thread. But, the "Speedy Pit Shop" has NOT been sitting idle or shut down. Nosiree, here are some pix of Cars that have spent some time in our shop.....and are now completed.









Some are restorations, others are built up from spare chassis and new bodies.









The Big Red '65 Chrysler Imperial Crown,(seen at angle), was originally a DASH Repop of the Green Hornet's Black Beauty, but I reverse engineered it to look more like a Normal Mopar of the mid '60s









Rear quarter view of the BIG Chrysler...Don't mess with this Mopar, she's got a Hemi and a Dana rear end


----------



## sethndaddy

nice picture Ralph, I love what you did with the red Beauty. rear wheel wells look perfect.


----------



## XracerHO

Nice work on all the cars, especially Big Red & favorite of mine, Vanishing Point! Babe Ruth background truck looks good too.
Somethings always happens when they get Three wide! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: ..RL


----------



## WesJY

Yeah HEMI RULES!!!! :thumbsup:

Wes


----------



## Super Coupe

Great collection of builds there. :thumbsup: It looks like opening day at the dirt track and their in line waiting for tickets. Save me one. 
>Tom<


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Here's a couple pix I never posted last year, when our Shop got this sweet old '40 Ford Coupe in, to tune for the 'Strip.









This old Pic shows the Car when it first arrived, and Emma was just too pretty, so I asked her to pose when I snapped this pic. 









Another Posin' pic of the old coupe and Pretty Emma, who is quite the Amazon girl- who is just over 6 foot Tall !


----------



## dge467

Cool builds Ralph!


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Ya know, it's FUNNY, we were just talking about those OLD AML T-Jet bodies in another thread. AND... I just get another one in the mail today- as a Freebie Bonus Gift from Slickrick, after buying some vintage AJ's Red Devils tires from him.... 
It's the Rolls Royce body, albeit THIS one has been, how should I say- "Modified" ! :thumbsup:









A Freebie I got in the mail today with another purchase. It's a vintage AML Repop of a Rolls Royce, that the previous(?) owner carved up into a Modified Dirttracker(?). Anyway, it's gonna be my newest project....it HAS Potential !

















SEE the Potential


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

Ralphthe3rd said:


>


Cool 40 with the small wells up front, but actually liking that HW's Hauler. That pic makes it look even better...
And an RR dirt tracker, what will they think up next... RM


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*My Latest Dirttracker...*

My latest A/FX car, #18 a '69 Chevelle(Plastic Hot-Wheels Body) on a Super Fast Original AFX Non MT Chassis. Thank you Jim Hoar. 








Here's what you can DO with the HotWheels Plastic Diecast '69 Chevelle Body....








I know some of you may think this car(body) looks Ratty, but it's an awesome build, albeit -it's seen some heavy duty Race action in it's life time. But although this body has tattered paint, the details of a Full Roll Cage and safety nets, front and rear nerfs, and it even has a Radiator and little motor in it(though you can only see the air cleaner in these pix).








This puppy sits really low and handles GREAT ! Also note the Rear Nerf bars and the roll cage supports.








Tattered paint denotes this body has seen some heavy duty rubbin' and nerfin' - HEY It's a Dirt Track Race Car !








Front Nerf's, and Air Cleaner details
The body was mounted onto an A/FX chassis after slots were added to the body inside, it attaches even better than a regular A/FX body.


----------



## slotcarman12078

That looks bad in a good way!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## TGM2054

That look really good Ralph! Too bad that was the fate of a lot of the real thing.
Did you use the roll cage thats inside the diecast it's self? It's actually a pretty nice one!


----------



## jobobvideo

that looks cool! like it should after a Saturday night


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

TGM2054 said:


> That look really good Ralph! Too bad that was the fate of a lot of the real thing.
> Did you use the roll cage thats inside the diecast it's self? It's actually a pretty nice one!


My Friend Jim Hoar just GAVE ME that Body, I didn't build it, and dunno where the cage came from ? I recognize the air cleaner tho, as one that came as a pair w/carbs, atop the Blower on a HW '68 Mustang Fastback that was sorta pudgy- hard to describe, but not to scale lets say.
PS- Jim Hoar is a serious Racer, Builder of HO Slots from Maine. And he told me that that body had about 900 Race laps on it, before he retired the body.


----------



## tjd241

*I don't think anyone thinks this Ralph...*



Ralphthe3rd said:


> I know some of you may think this car(body) looks Ratty,
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .


It looks like it's broken-in juuust right. :thumbsup:


----------



## joegri

yea r3 I,m all in with that circle trak chevelle. you mentioned it sports a quick afx chassis, that's what I,d like to see. is there a site to buy plastic dye cast bodies? I,ve never even looked. the detail is neat on her!thanx for posting those nice pics.now just keep it out of the wall during qualifying.


----------



## 1976Cordoba

Looks like most of the dirt tracking Chevelles I have ever seen in my lifetime. Sweet car!


----------



## bobhch

*Found some time to look around your thread...COOL STUFF Ralph!!*

Ralph,

Man I dig stuff that looks like it's been used and abused!:thumbsup:

Looks like you are getting into the "A" feature...Zoom! 

Bob...like to build them "RUFF, RUFF" myself sometimes...zilla


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Thanks Guys :thumbsup:
I didn't build the Chevelle, just acquired it. But not only does it run Great, I think it *looks really cool- and authentic too


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Update: Project Rolls Royce Dirttracker....
A recent view of the Rolls which just had a Roof welded on, ie- the front part of the donor roof came from a Black Tyco Mazda RX7.... it was GOOP Welded with Black goop that I also used to blend the joint over the older yellow roof section. There will be filler added later, and then primed, and then the whole car will get painted. Stay tuned...


----------



## SlickRick

Sweet!!! I knew you would do something cool with it. Definitely a different dirt tracker for sure lol


----------



## TomH

Wow, that is looking a lot better


----------



## WesJY

Looks COOL! 

Wes


----------



## sethndaddy

Ralph, whos the maker of that little pig in the shop, looks like my dog bowser, lol. I gotta get one and paint it tan.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Oinker...*



sethndaddy said:


> Ralph, whos the maker of that little pig in the shop, looks like my dog bowser, lol. I gotta get one and paint it tan.


 I don't know who made the pig, it came with a bunch of other farm animals and farmers and other farm related H.O. scale stuff, that I bought in a box at a Flea Market. I love Pigs (used to work at a Hog Farm), and so he became the Shop Mascot


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Inspired by Randy Matlock, I just slapped this hauler together. It's not as well finished as Randy's, but it works great on any width and length H.O. car....








Roll-Back/Race Hauler Truck conversion. ie- this Green Truck started life as an old Tyco US1 Trucking- Dump Truck ! Now, it's powered by a 440x2 chassis and has an adjustable length hauler deck that accommodates any length car and is also wide enough for 1/64 scale cars as seen in these pix.


----------



## vansmack2

Where did you get the adjustable ramp, or did you make it?


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Swappin' Ramps*



vansmack2 said:


> Where did you get the adjustable ramp, or did you make it?


 That adjustable ramp, actually came from the Orange Diecast Matchbox Ramp Truck, seen to the right in the pic below...








I actually did some swapping around of ramps recently. As the US1 Dump first got the White Ramp-back from a HotWheels Ramp truck. Then I swapped for the one that's on there now, and attached the white ramp back to the diecast Orange Matchbox (compare the pix) that donated it's adjustable ramp to the US1, in a Horizontal position.


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

Some good stuff and pics R3... There's another diecast that the bed itself slides back and tilts if I remember correctly. Also like that Matchbox No.3 hauler in your pics...RM


----------



## Bill Hall

Dude!

Ya really should spend a little more time slathering plastic. That nifty little ricer bash you did on the rolls roof is what it's all about.

Nifty work!


----------



## bobhch

It looks everyone is showing up at L.O.G. Raceway with their cars on the trailers. 

Vroooooooooooooooooom, Vroooooooooooooom, Vrooooooooooooom...Yeah!!

Cool project Rolls Dirt Tracker and flatbed hauler truck builds!!

Bob...look at all this dirt racing fun going on here...zilla


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Yeah, I thought the idea of a Race Hauler Slotcar would be cool... But, I'm just NOT diggin the look of the Wide Deck on this w/the lumpy thing at the rear. Sooo.... I'm thinking I'm gonna rip it apart again, and probably hunt up a tanker truck diecast to lend it's tank, to make this Tyco into a Water Truck for my Dirttrack instead of a hauler. I figure it would make a nicer rail cleaner running around the track before the cars race, then a Hauler does anyway


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

More pix/Updates....
BTW- I recently said I wouldn't own a McLaren Elva, and every time I saw one, it almost made me Blow Chunks ! Well.... I own one now, and it kinda Grew on me- LOL 








The McLaren Elva rebuild is complete, but still working on the Rolls, actually haven't worked on it much at all.


















Ok, this Truck has gone thru more Re-Builds ! And now, it's a Water truck for my Dirtrack.....








And it Really Sprays Water too 
BTW, I'll probably add lettering (of some kind) to the tank itself, just dunno what it'll say yet, maybe it'll just say - "Water" !?


----------



## WesJY

AWESOME!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Wes


----------



## XracerHO

Agree: Awesome job on the Tanker & your haulers plus really like the #18 Chevelle, Elva & Rolls racers. :thumbsup::thumbsup: Cool shop pics! ..RL


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

Good looking shop pics!!! I think the wheel wells was always the Elva's problem, have ya got a set of of AFX wheels you could stick on her to fill em up? Liking that Tyco Hydro putting out a spray. Have you contacted Aquafina or Dasani about a sponsorship? Good stuff R3...RM


----------



## slotcarman12078

Cool idea Ralph! Like that real water effect!!:thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Thanks Guys


----------



## 1976Cordoba

Cool truck - had to look twice at the water runnin' out the back :thumbsup:

The water truck at our local track was a rusted out old 1940s heap, rust from bottom to roof held together with mud and oil lol. The dang thing didn't even have a door on the driver's side it rusted off. :freak:


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*1:1 Water Trucks...*

'Doba, my New Water Truck, is just about like a Clean version of many of the trucks used around here. I'm trying to find an online pic of the newest of the three water trucks used at Selinsgrove Speedway near me. But here is just an average Example...


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Oh btw -'Doba, back when I ran slot bikes on my Dirttrack, I built a 1/24 scale(static model) Water truck, that sounds a little like what YOU described


----------



## joegri

man r3 you really did a nice job on the last pic of the water truck. i,m likin the dust effect on the top.and as far as a sponsor i,d go for the sparkeling water! i think it would lend itself better to the fans lol.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

joegri said:


> man r3 you really did a nice job on the last pic of the water truck. i,m likin the dust effect on the top.and as far as a sponsor i,d go for the sparkeling water! i think it would lend itself better to the fans lol.


 Ummmm.... that "dust effect" was supposed to represent RUST 
As far as the Tyco Water Truck, I've never seen a 1:1 with a sponsor, just the Speedways name, or the previous owners name on the tank....so that's what it'll have...or nothing at all.


----------



## Super Coupe

Nice job on the water truck and liking the shop pix also. :thumbsup:
Maybe just a good ol "GOT WATER" on the sides.
>Tom<


----------



## JordanZ870

I am loving this, Ralph! :thumbsup:
Your new water truck is great!
(and yes, the Elva will grow on ya more and more.
I hated the Elva Tjet and now I have 4? of the lil buggers!) :lol:


----------



## Bill Hall

LMAO!

Did ya hear my neck bones snap....when I did the double take on that water truck?!
Nifty special effect Ralph.

Nice Elva resto! I have many Elmos. I hate them, but love to work on them ... giggle.


----------



## Gerome

The Elva turned out pretty good. Nice work.


----------



## tjd241

*I like the Elva...*

Good job Ralph. Glad you took it under your wing. hey... never say never.


----------



## bobhch

Ralph,

Your water truck looks VERY COOL!! 

picture of your truck below....yeah!!










I dig your rear water drippage idea and those door TEAMZILLA tags!

Funny you build up a McLaren Elva. I just had 2 of them pop into my hands in body lots. Both in black. Hmmmmmmmmmmm maybe a Phsssssssssshting I will go like you did here. 
Looks like a Super fun to race slot car!!

That is a neat 1/24th water truck!!

Bob...I dig dirt...zilla


----------



## bobhch

Ralph,

Hope you don't mind me dropping in a few pictures here of what I have in the works with this truck set up.




























The blue peice, under the Matchbox pipes, is from the GIJoe set truck. 
My plan is to make resin copies of this piece in the not very soon future.
It slides down about 1/4" to cover up some of the flatware by ther rear rims and tires.
This piece also widens the rear a litte bit also.

I used a cut down green Dump Box for a WM Garbage truck that gave a good visual affect too with about a 1/8" dropdown.

With some paint this cobo will all match up and look just right with the right decal placements.

Bob...Keep on Truckin'...zilla


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Hey Bob-Zilla, I'm Glad you noticed those TeamZilla Door stickers, they came as part of an mini RC Car sticker sheet, and I cut them separate, and also have another pair with a Bluish background. And I don't mind you posting related pix here too :thumbsup: And I think your Truck conversion is Super ! Really love the drop sides effect to cover up the "flatware" area, that looks like a sore thumb detail wise, but you really drew it all together nicely. Great use of different parts. Btw- that could also easily be used as a log truck as well -with no other mods, just swap the pipes for little logs, and I've seen plenty of 1:1 jobs that looked just like that


----------



## bobhch

Ralph,

Dig the Log idea....going to do up one like that now also. 
I'm always looking for those 25 cent machines with the cheap chain necklaces to use for tie downs. 
Amazing what silver and brown paint can do to a fake gold plated chain.
Just drill some holes in your slot car and pull the chain through and super glue the "H" "E" "double Toothpicks" (or Hockey Sticks) out of the ends to hold it all in place.

Looking at this blue base again, I can see how a Styrene one could be built very easily if someone wanted to.

Also it would be easy to styrene below a cut off Dump Truck Dumper...Styrene seems to be the key here.

What next? A Slot Cars Are Us truck...Two Men and A Truck moving (there is a real company named this)...http://www.twomenandatruck.com/default.aspx?p=9C6A7088FFF00C57&a=omaha and we used them 10 years ago to get from Omaha to Gretna. Look at the links lower right bottom for a picture of there black and white trucks. Kinda cool...simple but, neat in a simple way.

Two men and a truck was a great company and they moved us Fast and Friendly. 

A funny story about our move with them was that they were all done loading up and we were ready to have them follow us to our new home. Fonz, one of the 2 guys, was running our weedwacker. I asked what he was doing and he said, we can't haul anything with gas in it so, he was going to run it out of gas first. After all the fast and hard work he was going to do this now....hahahahahaha they get paid by the hour so...hahahahaha

I said here let me have it and I threw it in our Mini Van. hahahahahaha
That was funny...LET'S GO...

Oh and the other guys name was Fonz also....I tipped them with a case of Bush Light Beer and some money. 

Bob...TeamZilla...zilla


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

UPDATE - She's Finally Completed ! She doesn't really look like a Rolls Royce- does she ? Lets just call her my AmL Modified Dirttracker 



























PS- and here is a "BEFORE" Shot.....


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

That's some high dollar racing!!! Liking the color blend...:thumbsup::thumbsup: RM


----------



## SlickRick

Absolutely awesome! I knew you would do something cool with it, and its wicked cool for a Rolls dirttracker!


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

SlickRick said:


> Absolutely awesome! I knew you would do something cool with it, and its wicked cool for a Rolls dirttracker!


Well thank- YOU for the body  And once I fixed the roof, it really started to look like a Racer. Actually, I'd love to find another one of those AmL bodies intact, and just detail it up as a standard Rolls Royce, as it's a pretty cool body from the pix I've seen :thumbsup:


----------



## Rocket45

Looking good man!


----------



## XracerHO

Great looking RR Modified! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: ..RL


----------



## 1976Cordoba

Like that one! They call stock cars banger cars or something in the UK, don't they?


----------



## bobhch

Ralph,

Hey this fun RR race car really is Out of Sight!

Thanks for taking the time to show the before shot as well. 
The story of the before is always fun to hear in the end.

Bob...Race on...zilla


----------



## 41-willys

the water truck looks very good but with the water spraying out the back makes it great looking:thumbsup::thumbsup: Maybe you can have an septic service logo on the tank. and something fun on the back of the tank saying "Nobody Sticks Their Nose In Our Business":wave:


----------



## WesJY

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Wes


----------



## win43

Love the water truck. And that's the way to roll out a Rolls !!!!


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

THIS will be my 2000th Post on Hobby Talk ! And to celebrate, I thought I'd share a couple of NEW Pix of a few my my more recent acquisitions and builds.

T-Jet Acquistions...most of the bodies were pretty cherry, 'cept the '63 Split window 'Vette has the rear wheelwells hogged out a bit to fit the oversize AJ's Aluminum rims.









Below...Another Jim Hoar Special ! Old Race car bodies never die, they just just traded around. In this case, this body started life as a Hot Wheels '57 Chevy Plastic diecast, then it was Modded quite a bit and RACED by Jim Hoar, and it has the battle scars to Prove it ! It now resides on an old JL X-traction Chassis.


----------



## WesJY

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Wes


----------



## Black Oxxpurple

Congrats on post 2000 !

Rob


----------



## GETGET

nice.


----------



## XracerHO

Great new acquisitions & racer on your 2000 post ! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: ..RL


----------



## alpink

congrats on 2000.
you got a real nice stable goin on there.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Thanks guys  I know my stuff ain't gorgeous or rare, but it makes me happy, and keeps me busy tinkering. Speaking of which, I have several T-Jets on the bench getting restored- albeit slowly, so stay tuned....more will be coming to this thread- sooner or later


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

Cool stuff and like those pics R3...!!! Doesn't have to be gorgeous or rare, as long as you like it, jus my thoughts...RM


----------



## slotcarman12078

I've have those AML Rolls Royces on perma-search on the bay. They don't pop up too often, and usually go for more than I can spare.. 

Nice new batch of cars there Ralph! That Lincoln looks sweet in red! Bummer about the Vette's rear wells... but, those aluminums look cool in there! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## 60chevyjim

I have the aml rolls body $12 shipped


----------



## JordanZ870

It's a nice bunch of lil cars, Ralph!
Every one of them looks to be much fun!
I really like the old school diversity! :thumbsup:


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Here's another T-Jet project I finished...








I rescued this Dune Buggy(body) from a Junkyard up in Winnipeg- Canada... Thanks Dan ! (Plymouth71)








It's not so much restored , as it is rebuilt to running condition, ie- a few alterations have been made.








Spare tire(wheel actually) matches the others, but didn't come with the Buggy originally. ie- a previous owner Drilled out the center of the Spare Wheel - Sheesh !


----------



## sethndaddy

Ralphthe3rd said:


> Thanks guys  I know my stuff ain't gorgeous or rare, but it makes me happy, and keeps me busy tinkering. Speaking of which, I have several T-Jets on the bench getting restored- albeit slowly, so stay tuned....more will be coming to this thread- sooner or later


You shop and cars are gorgeous, and that little fat pig makes me piss my pants everytime I see him..........now its off to ebay to search for one AGAIN, lol.


----------



## slotcarman12078

Nice rebuild on the dune buggy!! Looks cool in orange!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Now you got me thinking.. Them new lil LEDs I'm getting just might fit in there.. hmmm


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*RED Buggy*



slotcarman12078 said:


> Nice rebuild on the dune buggy!! Looks cool in orange!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:
> 
> Now you got me thinking.. Them new lil LEDs I'm getting just might fit in there.. hmmm


 Joe, the Buggy isn't orange, my cheap camera just made it look that way :freak: . It's standard T-Jet Red really


----------



## slotcarman12078

LOL I'm all too familiar with that camera issue. My Kodak wasn't exactly cheap and does the same thing! The worst is the blue/green family though. It's always screwing them up.


----------



## TGM2054

Nice job on the dune buggy Ralph! I've got one here that I got with a bunch of other bodies that I've been wondering what to do with. Now I have an idea, a nice simple resto-mod! Thanks for the ideas!


----------



## plymouth71

Wow, I am very impressed with your work, especially after I wrote it off as goop material. Nice Save !


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

plymouth71 said:


> Wow, I am very impressed with your work, especially after I wrote it off as goop material. Nice Save !


Thanks Dan, and I'm even working to save the Pus Yellow Firebird as well, doing lots of work to the rear wheelwells, and even if not perfect, that Pontiac WILL See the Road again


----------



## Bill Hall

Ya didnt tell me ya needed rear fenders Ralph...I fergot what I sent?


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Bill*



Bill Hall said:


> Ya didnt tell me ya needed rear fenders Ralph...I fergot what I sent?


Bill, you sent PLENTY, (altho no intact firebird/camaro rear wheelwells) I thank you very much for all that you did send :thumbsup:


----------



## JordanZ870

Doonin' the digbuggy...:freak:...errmmmm.....DIGGIN' the DUNEBUGGY!:thumbsup:

Niffy putin' it back together action, Ralph. I like it!
You are having way too much fun with your lil cars.


----------



## Bill Hall

*Specifically*



Ralphthe3rd said:


> Bill, you sent PLENTY, (altho no intact firebird/camaro rear wheelwells) I thank you very much for all that you did send :thumbsup:


Dont forget that I may have exactly what you want in the way of graft stock...or something closer than completely free sculpting a section.


----------



## Hittman101

I really like that Dune Buggy keep up the good work..


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Bill Hall said:


> Dont forget that I may have exactly what you want in the way of graft stock...or something closer than completely free sculpting a section.


Well Bill....I have been Free Sculping the wells, layer by layer for a few weeks now, and it's 90% there, soooo.....thanks for the offer, it's just a bit late


----------



## Dslot

slotcarman12078 said:


> LOL I'm all too familiar with that camera issue. My Kodak wasn't exactly cheap and does the same thing! The worst is the blue/green family though. It's always screwing them up.


Poke around in all your camera's menu settings. 

Most better digital cameras or phone-cameras will have a "White Balance" menu - but it might be called Color Temperature, or something else. It should have settings for different lighting conditions - Daylight, Incandescent (regular old-school lightbulbs), Cool Fluorescent, Warm Fluorescent, whatever. 

If the camera thinks it's taking pictures in incandescent light (which has lots of the yellow and orange wavelengths), the camera will "blue up" the image to compensate. So, if it's set for incandescent, but you're taking pictures of your family in, say, cool fluorescent (which is heavy in the blues and greens) it will blue up an image which is already on the blue side, so you get blue-green skin tones. If it's set for daylight or a compromise setting, but you're taking pics in incandescent, the yellows in the light can make a red car look orange to the camera.

The menu may have an Automatic setting that lets it guess what the main light source is, but don't just blindly trust that it knows what it's doing under your conditions. Take the same pic on different settings. Then choose the best setting for what you're doing. Change it if you're doing something under different lighting, unless your Auto setting works well for your most-used situations.

If your camera has no white balance settings, it's just permanently on a single compromise setting or on constant automatic sensing (guessing), and you're kinda scrooched if it's not guessing well for your conditions. Then, to get a flesh-colored family or red red cars, you have to do the compensation by hand, after the fact, if you have image-processing software (and skill).

I hope this helps. :wave:

-- D


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## slotcarman12078

I checked my setting and they were on auto (guessing) and changed it to incandescent. It doesn't save it so I'll have to switch it every time. I'll know sometime this weekend if it helps, as I have a aqua colored Chevelle in the works. I know it's going to try to fudge it up. It has a horrible sense of blue/greens, and this one is even trickier than most since I flip flopped the paint and it's more blue or green depending on the viewing angle. 

I have adjusted with my kodak software, it's just a PITA doing 8 pix of the same car...


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## bobhch

Ralphthe3rd said:


> Here's another T-Jet project I finished...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I rescued this Dune Buggy(body) from a Junkyard up in Winnipeg- Canada... Thanks Dan ! (Plymouth71)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's not so much restored , as it is rebuilt to running condition, ie- a few alterations have been made.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spare tire(wheel actually) matches the others, but didn't come with the Buggy originally. ie- a previous owner Drilled out the center of the Spare Wheel - Sheesh !


Ralph,

I'm a HUGE fan of Cool Lil' Dune Buggies!! Loving this guy you have here.

Someone on Hobby Talk, a long time ago, showed us this neat motor trick.

Just take the motor off of an AW Sand Van C-Cab.

Then using a round file on the center of the back, file a grove for this motor to be glued onto the rear screw post.




















Need to make a mold of these someday...

Bob...Got Sand...zilla


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## 60chevyjim

cool idea !!


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## Ralphthe3rd

Thanks Bob for the idea :thumbsup: and I was already toying with the idea of doin sumthin similar with a Diecast Baja Bug with exposed VW Motor, but I just didn't have the heart to hack up my diecast. And I also thought about the Sand Van motor, BUT, I don't own a Sand Van body


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## Hilltop Raceway

Ralphthe3rd said:


> but I just didn't have the heart to hack up my diecast.


That's funny right there!!!  
Cool buggies!!! RM


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## 60chevyjim

hackin up diecast cars for partz to build and customize slotcar is why they make diecast cars anyway is it not ?? .... that's what I thought they were made for.. :tongue: these slot cars are all thanks to hot wheels.. just don't tell the diecast guys ..LOL


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## Ralphthe3rd

Hey Guys, don't get me wrong, I've hacked up dozens of diecast HotWheels and Matchbox for parts. BUT, the Baja Bug I have in my collection is 30 years old and rather rare(and is NOT a HW or MB), so it's escaped unscathed.


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## TeamMadMarsupial

*Starting to worry?*

Ralph, laughed at your comment about not wanting to hack an older original vs your willingnees to do so to diecasts.
As noted elswhere, I've developed a hesitancy to cut up my old Aurora and AFX stuff.

My motto has always been, "I won't buy it unless I'm willing to hit it with the Dremel or the x-acto's as soon as I get it on the bench". 
Never had any desire to collect originals, just not my thing?
Lately though, I'm unwilling to chop my pile of old Mag and Non Mag chassis and old Aurora bodies.
I use the Aurora Daytona bodies for one of our classes, but I lower and lighten them before painting. With the difficulty finding these bodies at a reasonable price I have started to look at them a bit differently.


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## Ralphthe3rd

TeamMadMarsupial said:


> Ralph, laughed at your comment about not wanting to hack an older original vs your willingnees to do so to diecasts.
> As noted elswhere, I've developed a hesitancy to cut up my old Aurora and AFX stuff.
> 
> My motto has always been, "I won't buy it unless I'm willing to hit it with the Dremel or the x-acto's as soon as I get it on the bench".
> Never had any desire to collect originals, just not my thing?
> Lately though, I'm unwilling to chop my pile of old Mag and Non Mag chassis and old Aurora bodies.
> I use the Aurora Daytona bodies for one of our classes, but I lower and lighten them before painting. With the difficulty finding these bodies at a reasonable price I have started to look at them a bit differently.


 Hey Man, glad to see you here on Hobby Talk, now THIS is the H.O Slotcar Forum to be in :thumbsup:
BTW- as I said on that other forum as well, I just plain hate cutting up OLD(30+ years) stuff... as I do collect, as well as race and model little cars  .


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## TeamMadMarsupial

There seems to be a lot more activity over here. Nice to see there is still a well visited site to interact with my fellow slotters! Need to post a few more times before I am permitted to add pics though. 

BTW, still have your address and I promise I will be sending you a package with of few of my bodies enclosed. Lost my dad a few months back and was not building much until recently. Need to finish going through all the tackle boxes they are stored in and find a couple extras of suitable quality.


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## Ralphthe3rd

TeamMadMarsupial said:


> There seems to be a lot more activity over here. Nice to see there is still a well visited site to interact with my fellow slotters! Need to post a few more times before I am permitted to add pics though.
> 
> BTW, still have your address and I promise I will be sending you a package with of few of my bodies enclosed. Lost my dad a few months back and was not building much until recently. Need to finish going through all the tackle boxes they are stored in and find a couple extras of suitable quality.


 Yes Jeff, it takes a few text posts here, before they allow you post pix. But you're almost there !  :thumbsup: Can't wait to see your Build Thread start filling up with wonderful pix of your Modifieds 
Sorry to hear about your Dad  I lost mine in 2008, and my mom in 1998.


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Meanwhile, back at the shop......*

Restoration work continues, on this original Aurora '68 Firebird. The major hard stuff is Free Sculpting/Goop rebuilding of the hacked out rear wheel wells. Each layer of goop takes days to harden and shrink before the next layer is applied. Eventually enough goop plastic will exist to shape with a file and sandpaper, then final buff.








PS- I know this ain't a rare color for this car, but I takes what I can get. and this particular body came all the way down from Winnipeg-Manitoba, Canada !


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## alpink

making progress


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## 60chevyjim

nice work so far , I kinda like the flare to cover fat tires are you gona make the wheel wells stock looking when finished ? i haven't tried working with goop yet.
i paint almost all the cars i customize so i use other stuff to do the body work .
and most of the bodys i work with are resin.


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## XracerHO

Good restoration progress on the Firebird & nice Dunne buggy! :thumbsup: ..RL


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## slotcarman12078

Getting there!! I like that flare job myself!! My feeble attempt is too embarrassing to even dream of showing here!! That piggy cracks me up!! :lol:


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## Ralphthe3rd

Sorry guys, the flairs are just temporary, and were just a by-product of locating the wheel wells in the proper position, although the top arch of the well will retain a slight trace of a flare as Aurora had it. When finished, the wells will(hopefully) appear stock.


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## bobhch

Lookin' good Ralph!!

All Firebirds deserve to live on forever...Yeah!

Bz


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## Hilltop Raceway

Cool work with the goop...I agree with Jim on the flares but smooth em down a bit, must be the hot rod in me... I think while I was sanding, I'd knock those fender mold lines down too...but that's just me...RM


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## Ralphthe3rd

Hilltop Raceway said:


> Cool work with the goop...I agree with Jim on the flares but smooth em down a bit, must be the hot rod in me... I think while I was sanding, I'd knock those fender mold lines down too...but that's just me...RM


LOL- sorry Randy, No Flares, and the mold line will be retained.... trying to restore, not customize..... that's what AW & Dash bodies are for


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## Bill Hall

Whether it's a rare car or not, the pastel colors can be very challenging to work with. Kudos Ralph. Inclusion free work is always the goal, but I like to keep in mind that they are just toys and the lighter shades frequently had lil turds and boogers in them if you look closely. It's not uncommon at all. 

Note: Since we've begun using a buck chassis with tires to expedite the well formation things have improved greatly. My bad for not waking up a few years sooner. That pre-formed area allows your filler layer(s) to settle in nice and even. Be sure to avoid ghost lines by furrowing the graft seam out and making it part of the filler from the get-go. A uniform consistency across the whole form will provide a great base to block down onto. 

Remember to re-install the buck EVERYTIME after you re-skim. When re-activating the immediate work area, there's always the potential for some movement when it cures. Naturally any drift is correctable, but it's really nice to avoid/minimize it.

My first effort was a Fire Chicken too. It was less than respectable. Your already miles ahead. :thumbsup:

When you get to the vent detail, I have a coupla trix that should help.


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## Ralphthe3rd

Ok, change of scenery here... ie- my Main LARGE Bleachers, were originally sorta kitbashed by me from things unrelated, and used for a larger scale layout first. But I made a few changes this week, and I've converted it into a Covered Grandstand, and tried to make it fit better with HO- 1/64 scale. What do you think ?


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## tjd241

Looks great... I would never have know it was from the larger regions if you didn't tell us... and even now it's lookin fine. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## slotcarman12078

Looks good to me too Ralph!! I like the way you blended the back drop onto the table too!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Hilltop Raceway

Looks good to me, I'd use it... maybe separate the concession stand and Matchbox stand a little more. I think the closeness may be throwing you off. Like the backdrop myself, makes the pic come alive...
just my thoughts since ya asked...RM


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## XracerHO

Looks good, Ralph!! ..RL


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Inspiration.....*

BTW- this photo was an inspiration for me, to cover my Grandstand. I even noticed the small concession(?) stand to the left of the Grandstand as viewed in the photo, which is similar to my little Concession stand as you can see


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## alpink

Ralphie-Boi! really liking that, wondering? could you slide the main stand to the right to be next to the pit road opening, move the concession stand with it and put the MatchBox stand on the far left?
I agree with the background fitting nicely and like the B&W pic too. good thread here.


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## Ralphthe3rd

A buddy of mine (Jim Hoar) from Maine, just sent me an early Birthday present.... how do you like my NEW (custom Lettered)Starting Tower- over hanging the track


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## slotcarman12078

Looks good to me!! Jim's a nice guy! Happy birthday (in advance in case I forget!)!!


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## bobhch

Ralph what a cool starting gate.
I looks right at home with your bleachers and Concession stand....Sweet!!

What did Spock find in Kirks toilet. 

Bob...Captains Log ...zilla


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Taz.... Circa 1965-'66*

Sorry, not a slot car pic perse(yet), just a Blast from the Past with a few 1:1 pix of my first Childhood Hero- Al(Taz) Tasnady.....








I Love this car, wide fives, re-treaded M&H Racemaster slicks, Hilborn Injectors, headers into side-pipe collectors, mesh for a debris shield, etc....That was my Fave era, early-mid 1960's - I was just a kid, but it's burned into my Brain 4ever ! :thumbsup:








That was Taz....a hero to all the Kids and their Dads, but hated by his fellow racers, because he almost never LOST !


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## 60chevyjim

great pics , I rember seeing cars like that at dorney park raceway when I was a kid


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## Ralphthe3rd

My Latest Slot Car- Build ! It's my Street/Strip Hot Rod. 
I started with a Dash (Clear) HotRod Body, and painted it and lowered the mounting posts and shaved the underside. I added the driver and Blower and headers- all non DASH Items. BUT, the Real Joy of this build is the Chassis, and it's a True Hot Rod ! I Started with a NOS Bare chassis case, I added Dash Magnets and Wizzard brushes, I then built up a top Plate using a NOS (American Line) Gold Wire Mean Green 6 ohm arm, I also installed a 12t drive pinion and used a nylon idler gear. The front axle is a drill blank and is carrying Brass HR/Indy size wheels to keep the front end down, out back I'm running a stock axle with AW 4Gear rear wheels with Silicone tires, But the axle is carrying an AW Ultra-G 18t Crown gear which was slightly shimmed to perfectly mate with the 12T pinion gear above. Let me tell you- this Puppy Hauls the ASS !


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## Greg W

Hey Ralph, I love the headers, where did you get them. 
GW


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## Hittman101

Looks good very nice build!!!


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## Hilltop Raceway

Cool build R3!!! I'm liking those chrome 4G's on the back and yea, nice work with the headers...do tell...:thumbsup::thumbsup: RM


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## Ralphthe3rd

The headers were originally from an Ideal TCR car, they came off a Mustang II Modified Dirttracker, they originally also had cylinder heads w/valve covers above the headers. Ideal also made a Pinto Modified Dirtracker that had similar but different header/valve cover combo. And FYI, PartsPig has cast these and sold them before....and if you look up my old Green #42 HotRod Coupe build, you'll see the Resin cast versions(sans Valve covers) I got from PP a few years ago.


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## 60chevyjim

it turned out good , it looks cool . :thumbsup:


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## XracerHO

Cool Hot Rod body & great chassis work! :thumbsup: ..RL


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## WesJY

Looks SWEET!! :thumbsup:

Wes


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Rare Cars keep showing up every now and then....*

Another Day at the "Speedy Pit Shop". The Restoration Projects keep rolling in...









Rare Lionel '64 Corvette Stingray body with Bumper mounted Spare Tire..... rolls upto our shop.








Stingray w/Continental Spare Tire option ?


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## Hittman101

Very nice looking! Are you going to leave the Vette stock or do some detailing to it??


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Good Question*



Hittman101 said:


> Very nice looking! Are you going to leave the Vette stock or do some detailing to it??


 Well.... I'm still deciding that. My I'm leaning towards slightly custom, as the body is not minty. ie- the hood area has some damage, from where someone at one time GLUED something to the hood ! The ornament was gone when i got the body, but alot of the glue remained. I've since removed all the glue, but it kinda marred some of the detail and attacked the plastic a little 
Sooo.... I may do a custom paint job and detail this lil lady out


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## Ralphthe3rd

*My LOST Tow Truck Build...*

Somehow, I failed to include this Tow Truck build in this thread last year, but it had been posted in another Tow Truck thread. So without further ado...

The Body body started out as an old Plastic HotWheels Happy Meal Toy Tow Truck, and I modified it a bit to fit a T-Jet Chassis, and added the boom 








(Note- the Blue/Yellow Version on the left, is the OEM HotWheels Happy Meals Toy)


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## slotcarman12078

And I still haven't gotten around to getting one of those happy meal bodies!! :lol: Your boom looks better!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Hilltop Raceway

I've built a lot of ugly cars myself, but a continental kit on a Vette you ask???... fire up the Dremel, jus my thoughts... RM
P.S. Like'n that green version wrecker...


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## Ralphthe3rd

Re :the Continental Spare tire on the Corvette. I was told the following on another forum > ...."The 'Tire' is also on some Mercedes I think it was. It was part of Lionel's diode isolated 4 car team Racing Sets. The "Tire" made it so you could survive getting rear ended by your team mate."


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## Ralphthe3rd

*New Rides....*

A Couple of NEW cars for my Stable. FYI- The PT Cruiser body started life as a plastic Key chain Fob/Flash light ! It was already mounted to a T-Jet Chassis when I got it in a Trade from my HT friend Rick(ParkRNDL), but since then I filled in the holes in the headlights, and lowered the rear a tad and raised the front a tad so it sits more level. BTW- the front post was already there, and the wheelbase is just about perfect....tho it doesn't quite line the wheels in the wells if using the OEM Front post.








The Green and Black '37 Ford, is a body I just got for $2 from BudsHOcars. I've actually done alot of work to the body to lighten it(Dremel) and lower it as low as it could get without punching holes thru the body. BUT, the BIG mod was taking off the top Up convertible roof and sanding off the sharp point and trying to make it look more like a Coupe roof, I even added the two extra port-hole windows. In these pix the roof is just sitting on the body and not fully seated, as the paint was still drying fully. I know this will shock some, but I'm about 90% sure I'm turning this body into a Fairgrounds Dirttrack Jalopy Racer.....








Oh btw- there maybe some PT Cruiser HATERS out there, but let me say that I own a Blue 1:1 Real one, and I'm very happy with it, and this little replica as well


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## slotcarman12078

Nice trick with the 37 roof!! Moving the chassis on the PT will only make it look better. A little chopping and fabricating and it'll look sweet!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Hilltop Raceway

Cool work with the smooth top, not much of a convertible fan myself...
Not a PT hater either...I've seen some 1:1's 2 toned and dressed up that were looking real good, kinda has that old Anglia look to it. Might could use a blower, lol... There's a 1:1 around here that's painted up UT orange and white - GO VOLS...RM


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## bobhch

Ralph III,

Hey Dude I'm not surprised you are going to Dirt Track that 37 Ford.
$2.00 worth of fun...Yeah!!

Neat little PT cruiser slot car you made to look like your 1/1 car!!
Now you can drive it like you stole it.

Oh and if your significant other gets in a little fender bender...
You can say...is this what you did...pull the trigger and re-enact the accident. hahahahhahahahhaa :lol:

You probably already know this but, some may not?
TOMY makes a PT Cruiser body. I did one up for Jerry as he is a 1/1 PT Cruiser owner too.

Bob...just making a Speedy Pit Shop stop...zilla


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## Ralphthe3rd

Yep Bob, I knew about the Tomy PT Cruiser, and that was one of the first HO Slots I bought after I got back into HO. I own two of those, one Blue with Flames- that I left stock-Tomy style, the other was Nose chopped up to look like a Dirt modified, I think there may be some pix of it when I first started chopping it, very early in this thread ?


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## Ralphthe3rd

Here's some old pix from 3+ years ago, after I got back into HO. And it's shows the early Stages of my Tomy PT Cruiser Nose Chop....it's the Brownish Red PT.









The first chops to remove the fenders, and the body is mounted on an Original Aurora A/FX chassis here....which actually raised the front end too high. 


















Further progress seen in the two pix below, you'll note the fuel injected motor protruding thru the hood, and the further reduction of front fenders. The Car is seen behind the Resin Cast Orange #3 PT Cruiser.


















Side Note, much later, I even cut out all the windows from the body(which weakened the nose  ) and repainted it, but I haven't taken completed pix of the body yet .


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## slotcarman12078

The Tomy PT body is on the fragile side as I recall. Looks cool as a dirt tracker.. Really does have that old sedan look to it! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## alpink

and you have noticed that Tomy made their body mounts at a slight angle, so original Aurora AFX bodies placed on Tomy chassis will have a slight nose down configuration and a Tomy body on an original Aurora AFX chassis would exhibit a slight nose up attitude. 
like the pink car too! LOL
nice collection


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## Ralphthe3rd

alpink said:


> and you have noticed that Tomy made their body mounts at a slight angle, so original Aurora AFX bodies placed on Tomy chassis will have a slight nose down configuration and a Tomy body on an original Aurora AFX chassis would exhibit a slight nose up attitude.
> like the pink car too! LOL
> nice collection


 Yep Al, I noticed that  
And it really bugs me that I cannot run Tomy Bodies (unaltered) with original Aurora A/FX chassis without the Nose up attitude, although some Gasser style bodies might look better that way


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Where it all began.... ie- here is one of my First HO Slotcars(Since I got back into HO about 3-1/2 yrs ago) and my first custom job I did about 3 years ago.
This is the first time I've taken recent pix of this car, and I'm only doing so because I want to show off it's NEW Snoz! If you remember this car/body, it started out as the plastic body from a Hot Wheels "Crasher" car called Dread head. After my conversion to slotcar, I called this my Hot Rod Lincoln, and say it was modeled after a 1930 Lincoln Coupe. I'll even attach a pic of a '30 Lincoln Coupe for reference.
Anyway here's my Hot Rod Lincoln with a New Diecast nose- ie: Radiator/Grill.


















New Radiator/Grill comes from a Diecast, and is metal and heavy, but the weight is in a good spot....she handles even better now.









Below, is a pic of a Real 1:1 1930 Lincoln coupe. I know, they're not really the same, but it's a better back story than saying it's a Dread Head Body 










Okay, now for a True story, which some of you may know a little about.....
"Son, you're going to drive me to drinkin' if you don't stop drivin' that Hot Rod Lincoln." Charlie Ryan created both the Hot Rod Lincoln and the song. Charlie was a musician, songwriter and car guy. In the late 1940s he purchased a 1941 Lincoln Zephyr 4 door sedan and decided to make a Hot Rod out of it. He removed the Zephyr body, cut two feet out of the frame to shorten the wheel base and dropped a 1930 Ford Model A body on it. Charlie installed a '48 Lincoln V12 engine in it with a '48 Lincoln 3-speed transmission with overdrive. He maintained as many Lincoln touches as he could which included cut-down Zephyr bumpers, Lincoln emblem on the radiator, Lincoln grey hound hood ornament and Lincoln hubcaps. The interior features a cut down '41 Lincoln dash and steering wheel. This was a huge build in the day. Now while working on the car Charlie is writing the lyrics for the song "Hot Rod Lincoln" in 1955 and the song gets released in 1957. The song became a National Hot Rod Anthem. For decades Charlie, Ruth and his band crisscrossed the country performing his songs an often taking the Hot Rod Lincoln with him. The Lincoln has been recently restored and was the star Hot Rod of the 60th Detroit Autorama in 2012. *Recently* Was SOLD AT a Barrett-Jackson auction ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013 for $106,700.00 !


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## slotcarman12078

Cool back and front story!! Nd now the song makes complete sense!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup: Oh, and the rhinoplasty was a complete success!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Bill Hall

That model "A" body makes it look like a pup!


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## Ralphthe3rd

Here's an Update on the Nu-rora '37 Ford Conversion....









'37 Ford Conversion mods, add Race Driver, enlarge rear wheelwells, gut the interior(ie- remove back seat and front floor), add modded Coupe style roof in place of rag top.








*Note-Driver had to be Sunk Down into the thick seat for head clearance.








Note that I've added Tuff Ones wheels all around, and hogged out the back well's(and front slightly), and I'm running .400" tires out back now 

PS- still thinking about turning this into a Jalopy Dirttracker...but if I do, it'll still retain it's fenders as a Jalopy, Not a Modified.


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## Bill Hall

Chop chop whizzzzz whizzzzzz.... oh what a relief it is!

Hahahahaha...yer a very naughty boy Ralph


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*"Boneshaker" Team Hot Wheels TCR*

Well..... I bit the bullet today. As I visited my local K-Mart, they reduced the separate Car w/controller to $13 - so I said what the hell 
Btw- this K-Mart still had the sets too, but they weren't reduced, and oddly- they were $10 Higher than the other K-Mart I visited last week ! Also of note, we have a chain Discount store here in Pennsy, called "Ollies" (Good Stuff Cheap), and they also have the set for just $24.99 !


Anyway, the "Boneshaker" arrives at LOG Speedway and Dragstrip....








Team Hot Wheels TCR- "Boneshaker". Rechargeable electric motor driven, w/infra-red controller/charger.

It didn't take me long and I added a guide pin, I turned down the one flange of an old (I think Tomy) pin and jammed it into the hole that's recessed for the chassis mounting screw.









Okay now, want the scoop and nothing but the poop !? 
It DOES work on my HO Tracks, sorta.... the controller is really like and on off switch, but the car does have some coast to it, but it is VERY Torquey, thanks to a gear reduction set up I believe(tho I haven't disassembled it yet). It didn't really like my 12" radius curves too well , but I believe it would do much better with 15" or 18" turns. LOL- it would also do better with a traction magnet, although I think some of my deslotting problems arose from my guide pin being a tad too short.
But the good news is, it runs GREAT on my Drag Strip ! And it has an added bonus, it'll even(sometimes) drive back to you ! How is that -you ask ? Well, these little buggers also have reverse on the controller trigger (push trigger forward). So in my shutdown area after I stopped, I simply touched reverse for a split second and whipped a 180 ! And zoomed her right back to the starting line- and that was kinda cool 
Now what about Speed ?! Well........ if you like the top speed of an average, normal running /stock 50 year old T-Jet, then you won't be disappointed. If you want more speed, there is a Turbo button, but it really didn't seem to do much, maybe it suffered from wheel spin tho ?
So that's my Story and I'm sticking to it. I got my Boneshaker, and it looks cool...I've even already started customizing , as you'll note I drilled out the header (Zoomey) pipes !
If and/or when the motor fries, and/or the rechargeable Lithium Polymer(LiPo)battery in the car dies, I'll still be happy to convert this body to be used on a Slot Chassis (probably T-Jet with a Divorced front axle). Hey, it was Only $13 and I think that K-Mart is gonna reduce these puppies even lower, as nobody seems to be buying them.
PS- the Boneshaker is the only body I really liked, all the others are more contemporary Import looking stuff.....just not my Cup of Joe


----------



## sethndaddy

Nice review Ralph, If they drop the price more, I'll grab a few to chop up (the bodies are plastic, arent they?)


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## Ralphthe3rd

Yes, they are High Impact Plastic Bodies and Chassis, but very light weight :thumbsup: And mine has already HAD some High Impacts too ! - LOL 
Update, I've changed my guide pin to a homemade one that's longer, and it really helps in the corners, but these things accelerate (in scale speed) from 0-500 mph in 1 second !
But like I said, they're GREAT on a Dragstrip, and the turn around feature is really Cool 
Another funny thing I'd like to mention is, unlike Real Slot cars, is if these puppies De-Slot, they still can keep moving- albeit skidding along on the New Guide pin


----------



## bobhch

*Have heard the song many times but, now have seen the car...*

Always Loved the Boneshaker as a die cast and it is just as Cool as a slot car via remote now!! 
Thanks for posting up the lowdown on this project car.

Great PT Cruiser pics and dig the driver and hogged out wheel wells on you 37.

Lincoln wins by a nose. Ooooooooh that Red Hot Rod Lincoln picture is Awesome!! 

He removed the Zephyr body, cut two feet out of the frame to shorten the wheel base and dropped a 1930 Ford Model A body on it. Charlie installed a '48 Lincoln V12 engine in it with a '48 Lincoln 3-speed transmission with overdrive. He maintained as many Lincoln touches as he could which included cut-down Zephyr bumpers, Lincoln emblem on the radiator, Lincoln grey hound hood ornament and Lincoln hubcaps. The interior features a cut down '41 Lincoln dash and steering wheel. This was a huge build in the day.

Bob... :roll:Great song and Great car :roll: ...zilla


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Update - Boneshaker 2.0*

Just a few simple custom mods, to make this ride my own.... 









Boneshaker 2.0 > Just a few cosmetic mods, like the New/Re-Styled Rad/Grill /Headlights








Removal of Door Tampos/Graffix...later (if I can fine some)I'd like to add some 8-Ball decals to the door/sides








Highlighted rear suspension and wheels


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

That is a cool ride!!! Likin' that grill much better...just wasn't fond of the skull out front... RM


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## alpink

very nice, clean & mean


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## Ralphthe3rd

Hilltop Raceway said:


> That is a cool ride!!! Likin' that grill much better..*.just wasn't fond of the skull out front*... RM


Ditto, I just DON'T DO Skulls and Flames.... which is really kinda funny, since I'm an X-biker 
But I do love the Rat Rod look, and the Early 60's Hot Rods...


----------



## XracerHO

Great mods to Boneshaker, 37 conversion & hot rod build! Thanks for the Hot Rod Lincoln info! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: ..RL


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## bobhch

Looks Cooooooooooool!

RRR ( Road Racing Replicas ) has some very nice 8 Ball decals along with many, many others.

Bz


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## Bill Hall

Thanx a LOT Ralph. :freak:

I'm dying to try a build on that wider boneshaker platform. :thumbsup:


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## Ralphthe3rd

*An Oldie but Goodie- Revisited....*

Here's my Old PT Cruiser Modified, again...It's been 3 years since I built her, and have rebuilt it many times since. She serves as my Test Mule for tuning new parts as well. It's also one of my Favorite Modifieds and one of my Fastest T-Jets. The Body is a special Resin Cast by Patrick Hogan(HoganRacing) and his Buddy. The Chassis started as NOS Aurora T-Jet, I added a WildOnes toplate w/6ohm arm, and I'm running stock 9T pinion fyi. I use Wizzard Brushes, and the rest of the chassis is blueprinted by ME. Anyway, I run this car in what I call my Hot Rod Class, which requires HR size Wheels and some "Spec" Penn Valley Tires for the rear. Up front, I'm using double flanged all Brass HR/Indy size wheels on a Tungsten Axle, and running Ultra Low Profile- BallsOutRacing(Bearsox) Indy/HR Tires. I want to mention the Numbers on the car, as they have changed a few times during the life of this car. Currently, #21 is running some super sweet *Dry Transfer decals that were sold for use on Pinewood Derby cars, the are distributed by Woodland Scenics under the name Pine Car..... These are really nice numbers and come with three sizes per sheet and I'm using the two larger sizes. I bought these Decals at a Ben Franklin store- FYI.


----------



## TeamMadMarsupial

Really like that PT Cruiser look. Kinda wish they would make that the spec body for today's Modifieds. If they all gotta look alike, I'd rather have them look like this!


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## Greg W

Nice job R3, looks good with headers.


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Spec Body*



TeamMadMarsupial said:


> Really like that PT Cruiser look. Kinda wish they would make that the spec body for today's Modifieds. If they all gotta look alike, I'd rather have them look like this!


 How 'bout it ! ....that's a Good Idea :thumbsup:


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## slotcarman12078

A PT Bruiser!! I like it!! It sure has that old sedan look! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## WesJY

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Wes


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Photo Lighting Experimenting w/backdrops*

First off, let me just say, that I'm not(at all) into Can-Am/Trans-Am/Road Racing style competition in the slightest....altho I have collected a couple cars for those venues.
Anyway, the following pix were just me playing around with my cheap Digi camera and using different Lighting techniques for uses with dif backdrops...


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## XracerHO

The PT crusier looks Great & so does the # 8 in the background. A great track setup for lighting experiments, IMHO prefer the lighting in the middle pic! ..RL


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## slotcarman12078

Agreed on the middle picture. It's got that "sun's getting close to setting and the track lighting will be coming on soon" look to it. Most of the races I've been to were run in the evening, ending around 10 PM if I recall correctly. I can almost taste the watered down Coke and smell the CAM2 looks at #2.


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Corvette Day....*

Now I'm not really Into Corvette's (tho my TM is), but it was Corvette Day at the Speedway this past weekend, ie- show us your Corvette, and get admission FREE ! So here they are....








Birds Eye View...









And....almost forgot one 








My Girlfriend even showed up, albeit a little Late, whoops !


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Here's something you don't SEE everyday*

You may have noticed the Purple #9 Corvette Late Model Dirttracker, in the previous Corvette Day pix.Well here's the story behind that car.... I built it for the TM. And it's running in my Special class, that uses the old Tyco U-Turn Chassis for some serious Sliding action(like No other HO Slotcar). Anyway, the body was given to me in a trade, and it originally came from a Narrow 440 Chassis, but I modded it to fit the widepan. The body had already been sanded and smoothed on the outside, and dremelled to death on the inside to make it paper thin, but it's held up good so far. And the only bodywork I've done is, touch up the purple, add the #9 and the windshield screen. And btw- the Circle Track Decal on the Hood- was already there when I got this body  .
Oh, and one last thing, don't think that a Corvette Dirttracker is un- precedented ! Just look at the last photo below.....


----------



## bobhch

I see a little Corvette off frame restoration going on.

Guess if you get in free it's worth it. lol

Bob...I love U-Turn chassis too...zilla


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## Hilltop Raceway

I don't know about ya R3... By the looks of your stable, I'd say you were a little Can Amish... Now I can see a woman turning your fancy with the Vetts also, they have a way of doing that...
Keep on with the picture making!!! I like the second pic myself...RM


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Saturday at the Races....*

Well, today we planned on taking the old #9 'Vette to the Track and letting the GF put some more miles on her ride, especially since we did some work on her, and added a couple logos and shined her up a bit. And we did get a few practice laps in - then, the skies turned dark, and the RAIN Came. We tried to wait it out, but the track here in Bunkertown PA got pretty soaked, and well, they called the races, so we loaded her back up on the hauler and made it a short nite, oh well....









The GF was putting in some nice practice laps on the newly re-furbished #9 Vette, since we pulled her out of mothballs








There goes the GF, hammering out of turn 4 and heading down the front straight ! 








And THEN The Rains Came down fast and hard, the GF had to finish her lap on a slick wet track !








The rain may have dampened the track, but it didn't dampen our Spirits. But here we are, heading on home....and at least we got some good laps in and the 'Vette was running well


----------



## chappy2

Hey Ralph, I always enjoy your track pics. The dirt track is sweet, I was wondering if you painted the track?

Thanks
Rob


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Hey Rob, Noo...not painted, thats Tyco/Mattel Track from the yr 2000 & 2001 (HotWheels) Jeremy McGrath X-Treme MotoCross sets. Although the inner lanes use some 9"R Curves from the Mattel (Disney/Pixar)Cars Battery Operated sets.


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## XracerHO

Great Corvette collection, muddy #9 Vet & your story line with photos! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: ..RL


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## Ralphthe3rd

Ok Guys, todays featured ride, is my old #60 '32 Ford Vicky Modified. This is a beautiful Resin Cast Body from the late Bruce Gavins of BadDawg Resins. The Vicky is a direct copy of the old TycoPro Vicky Drag Body, but in this build, I didn't include the window glass, the 'chute, grill insert, or the zoomie headers. I have painted this body white, although Bruce did cast these in colored resin, and could have been used as-is and they looked beautiful. I'm running this body on an Tyco U-Turn chassis for that class I run, although this is a staged pic with other cars just for the photos.


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## Ralphthe3rd

*X-Tra*

Here's an extra *Teaser* shot for Greg W., showing my other three BadDawg Vicky bodies, which btw- are not painted, just in their raw Resin form. And fyi- the Red #70 is running in my 440 minus 2 class, which runs WithOUT Traction Magnets


----------



## chappy2

Thanks for the info on the track. That is a sweet looking Vicky!


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Lakester Roadster...*

#294, one of my Favorite Old Tyco's. Powered by a Hot Rodded Curvehugger Chassis, this Straight line Racer will beat alot of stock 440 Tyco 's !








When I got this body, it was minus the Driver and roll Bar, so I added my own... the OEM Driver was much lower and merely JUST a Helmet Head !








Old Tycos Never Die, they just Go Straight ! :thumbsup:








"Staged" and this is a Rare Glimpse of my 28" foot (total length) L.O.G. Dragway.









PS- Funny thing I'd like to comment on. And that is, the Pair of Old Tyco Roadster that were often sold as a combo, ie- this Lakester Roadster and the Full Fendered Roadster w/the Top Up.
Anyway, I always thought those cars were just Cuverhuggers, and when I got the pair of bodies back three years ago, thats what I assumed. But I didn't have any extra Curvehugger or HP2 chassis to spare for these bodies, so they sat chassis-less until recently. Well, to make a long story -even longer, I got a bunch of Curvehugger and HP2 Chassis parts from my buddy Patrick Hogan(HoganRacing), so I thought I'd see if I could put together some working chassis for this pair of bodies. Ahem, well I got one nice chassis together first, and that's what you see here. BUT, when I tried to fit it under the Full fendered Roadster, it wouldn't FIT ! ie- the front end of the CH/HP2 chassis was too long/tall, and would hit the inside/underside of the grill area, and it wasn't even close to fitting ! I just cannot see where it could ever be made to fit without hacking involved. But there was good news, as I also pieced together a later model TypoPro (Long WB) chassis, and she fit perfectly ! So what gives ???


----------



## Bill Hall

A classic...arguably one of the best Ford roadsters ever produced.


----------



## XracerHO

Great looking Vicky, #294 & background garage photos! :thumbsup: Pinto modified in the background looks interesting too! ..RL


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

One of Tyco's finest moments!!! RM


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Another Deuce Let Loose !*

Here's my Old Tyco Ragtop Roadster, and sister car to the #294 Lakester. Odd thing about this body, is it should have fit a Curvehugger chassis, but it won't fit any of the different CH variants- any vintage or wheelbase. So this body is now residing on a TycoPro LWB chassis featuring the Button style pick-ups, ie- non Foil wipers.








Note my Custom Front wheels(I forget what they came off of). FYI-the OEM fronts were damaged, and I found these, and they fit with a little help, and feature "O" Rings as tires now.








The OEM TycoPro Rear axle w/wheels looks a bit too narrow under this body, but -Hey, this is the Low Budget Race Team here 








This car gets very little track time -since it's pretty hairy to drive. ie- it's a T-Pro Chassis without any traction mags(duh), and since the body is so tall, it has a pretty high center of gravity, plus the fact this chassis has a pretty dang* Fast motor in it !
Blinded by the light, Revved up like a Deuce, ya know a runner in the night....


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## Bill Hall

That stock brother to the roadster was no slouch either Ralph. 

I never could understand why they didnt design some interior into that cabrio model instead of freezing the driver in the pond. It's not like there not enough room....?


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## Ralphthe3rd

BTW Bill, the Cabrio never came with a Driver, and I'm the one who added the Driver- frozen in the pond- LOL


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## bobhch

Ralphthe3rd said:


> BTW Bill, the Cabrio never came with a Driver, and I'm the one who added the Driver- frozen in the pond- LOL


hahahahahahahahaahaha...frozen in the pond. Now this is just plain silly slot car talk. Love it!!

Bob... BIG roadster fan myself ...zilla


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Question....*

Old Tyco Cabrio Roadster

Questions for you collectors out there.
DO any of you, have one of these Cabrio Roadster bodies, that is mounted to an un-modded Curvehugger or HP2 Chassis. OR, do any of you have one of these bodies, that came WITH a TycoPro Chassis from the Factory ?


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## WesJY

there are some different colors that tyco made them. one with black top that fits hp7 and other one on CH and hp2 chassis. and white top like yours i always see them on tycopro chassis.


http://i.ebayimg.com/t/TYCO-HOTWHEELS-MAGNUM-440X2-440-X2-SLOTCARS-CLASSICS-HP7-32-FORD-ROADSTER-RED-/00/s/MTA2NlgxNjAw/z/lw4AAOxy9tpR-w~v/$%28KGrHqVHJCUFH6s!BBMnBR-w+vKoHg~~60_57.JPG

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/1974-93-TYCO-SLOT-CAR-32-Ford-ROADSTER-Stock-WINDSHIELD-/00/s/NTAwWDQ4MQ==/$%28KGrHqN,!lkE8HPTf!mIBPIWQlPBw!~~60_1.JPG

hope it helps.

Wes


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## Ralphthe3rd

Thanks WES, and that's even more pieces to a Bigger Puzzle, as I had thought I was crazy, thinking I'd seen those bodies on "other" Tyco chassis besides the TycoPro.
And btw, SlotcarDan also answered this question in another thread, He wrote :

"tycopro or tycopro 2 chassis was bundled with that body there was also 2 body packaged versions that came with the roadster body those were called 2 in 1. they came in the bubble packaging.

for a while the tycopro racing empire and american racing sets came with that body and the sister the ford vicky. usually they came with the drag racing set pieces and the extra roadster bodies."










"The tyco pro chassis is actaully a little narrower then the usually curvehugger some bodies stretch the extra 3-4mm some didn't. they slightly changed some of the later bodies to give more clearance. the body mount centering is different on the tyco pro also. usually when you stick a tyco pro on a curve hugger the rear wheels bind about 1mm due to this offset. its noticeable on the long wheelbase bodies. the short wheelbase bodies seemed to remain the same over time the offset was less, there was a time where the long wheelbase bodies were all but MIA during the late 1970s then they started to come back but the molds were a little different to fit the newer wide chassis. Tyco didn't bring back the long wheelbase bodys from 1970-1973 maybe they couldn't get licenses or they just decided they were not big sellers."


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Jungle Jim*

Back in the 1960's and early 1970's- i Was a REALLY BIG Drag Race Fan ! And Jungle Jim was my Favorite Funny Car Driver, so when Auto World brought out their four "Legends" FC's this year, I had to have the JJ Car 









This Jungle Jim Funny Car only cost me $14 total ! I bought it online from BudsHO ON-SALE, and bought just the body for $6 and the older 4 Gear Chassis for $8 ! I really didn't care that the car didn't have the Chrome Wheels, as JJ's car Didn't HAVE Chrome wheels, and I wanted to swap out the incorrect slotted fronts for the correct Ansen Style wheels, which I took off an old A/FX Car I had.








Anyway, now I have my Jungle Jim '71 Camaro Funny Car. Although AutoWorld really screwed up(don't they ALWAYS) the body, as the Real JJ Funny Car had a MUCH Longer Nose !

















Note the much longer nose on the Real 1:1 Funny Car.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Dodge Fever*

"Dodge Fever" Circa 1973 Aurora AFX Specialty Car. Was it a Dragster, or Funny Car ? This car of mine is an early first year version, ie- it's non MagnaTraction and Non Rear Screw ! It features the Blue Drag arm, and when running on 20volts and my 6amp power supply- She Really Flies. But this is mainly a Shelf Queen, as it's quite a hairy car to drive at speed, and quite delicate. Besides the fact this early version is prone to Crown gear failures, although I have safety wired the chassis rear end to prevent this(like the later screws did).


















Wanna Drag ?!


----------



## FOSTBITTEN

You had better not do too many burnouts with that Dodge Fever car those tires can't be cheap!


----------



## alpink

it is a dragster. funny cars have enclosed front wheels, dragsters have exposed front wheels


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

alpink said:


> it is a dragster. funny cars have enclosed front wheels, dragsters have exposed front wheels


 Hey Al, the question I posed wasn't serious, it was merely rhetorical. Although in truth, somehow I don't think that "Dragster" would qualify for AA/FD !? So it's pure fantasy. On the other hand, Aurora's "Fueler" and "Dyno" look like a pretty good replica of a Rear engine Dragster that I saw back in the day, that predated Don Garlists first rear engined Diggers. The Digger I remember, was painted all RED and Called the STP Wedge- yes...with a paint scheme like the Granatelli Indy cars of that era. Anyway, for a long time I had the two page centerfold, that I yanked out of a Hot Rod or Car Craft mag, tacked to my wall...and it looked JUST like the Aurora Fueler/Dyno cars.
PS- I've been a Drag Race fan since about 1967....


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Follow-Up...BTW- I just Net Searched for the STP Drag Wedge, and found a few pix- but they were Not with the Famous Wedge Body I remember, But I'm still searching for pix of that car/body, to compare to the Aurora "Fueler/Dyno".


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Although this isn't the STP Drag Wedge I was referring to, the Snake's Wedge looks about the same...









Compare to the Aurora Cars...


----------



## FOSTBITTEN

I would say that car is a hybrid in the coolest way ever.


----------



## FOSTBITTEN

Oh wow I remember seeing that Snake car in the Don Garlits' museum. When we went to Florida when I was kid. I had not thought about that trip in a long time that is too cool.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Btw Fostbitten, if you squint your eyes really good, when looking at the Dodge Fever Dragster, you'll see it resembles a '73 Dodge Charger Body- sorta


----------



## alpink

the front grill (if yours still has one) is a distorted shrunken replica and the rear bumper and tail lights are similar.
I can find no evidence that a full scale model was ever raced, but there may have been.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Dodge Fever*



alpink said:


> *the front grill (if yours still has one) is a distorted shrunken replica and the rear bumper and tail lights are similar.*
> I can find no evidence that a full scale model was ever raced, but there may have been.


 Yep, I notice that too :thumbsup:
And my DF is 100% Intact, and runs like a Raped Ape ! ....which scares the Poop out of me- at speed !


----------



## eastside johnny

*Wedge...*

The Snake's wedge was still there in Fla. last year in March.


----------



## FOSTBITTEN

*Snake Wedge*

I believe it was in the spot in the museum in like 1982 or 83. I would have only been like 8 or so. We also went in 89 but I do not think we stopped that time.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Double Deuce- Double your Fun !*

I got my 2nd old Tyco '32 Ford Cabrio Roadster today in the mail from eBay ! It's newer than the older TycoPro one with the White Roof. And this black roof version is on a HP7 chassis, and hoped that it would fit other tyco chassis too, as the original ONLY fit the TP chassis. But unfortunately, I've found out that this one only fits the HP7 & Curvehugger chassis, and won't fit the 440 series or the U-Turn chassis. Oh well, Two Deuce are better than one :thumbsup:









The Black Roof Deuce is in really good condition, and runs on a low mileage & FAST HP7 Chassis.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Project- Mr. Irish Tribute*

FYI, "Project Mr. Irish Tribute Car" has begun 
I decided to use the entire Tyco '40 Ford(with small front wheelwells), for this conversion into the Mr. Irish '40 Chevy custom Gasser. After looking at the grills and noses of both the Tyco '40 Ford and the Blue '39 Chevy Sedan, I figured it would be alot easier just to modify the Ford nose, than to transplant the '39 Chevy nose and THEN fudge it into a '40 nose anyway. So this way, I know the wheelwells will line up and all I really need to do is make Bullet headlights for atop the fenders, and continue with the detail mods that I've already started-as seen below.









I've worked on the nose and sanded off the ford headlights, rounded the tip of the hood, and whittled the grill into the shape of the Chevy Grill- somewhat... what do you think so far. And the green paint is just to show up flaws to be filled in later. The actual Green of Mr. Irish, is probably close to the car body color in the left side of photo.








In the Rear I opened up the split Ford window into the Chevy Rectangle shape, I also Gooped in the OEM Tyco 1/4 windows, and later will fill them the rest of the way with Nitro-Stan(1:1 body putty). I may later slant the door windows a little on the trailing edge to match the '40 Chevy style.









These are the only photos I have of Mr. Irish, I need More pix to show the rear end better.








Mr. Irish sure was a Pretty car...as seen in these final evolution pix, before it was sold and became a Purple Street Rod 









PS- To alpink, YES, I still have "Other" plans for the Blue '39 Chevy Sedan


----------



## alpink

looks good man. will mail the other stuff tomorrow


----------



## slotcarman12078

Wow!! Heck of a start Ralph!! I think you picked a better body to start with. Those 39 Chevys don't have the correct trunk, so the whole back half would have made a major project (unless you were planning on a nose transplant on the Ford body.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Yes Joe, originally it was gonna be the '39 Chevy nose transplanted to the '40 Ford- Tyco. But the '39 Chevy nose doesn't look any more LIKE a '40 Chevy- then does a '40 Ford nose. Sooo.... I'm keeping it all the same body, with just mods.


----------



## john01bohan

Ralphthe3rd said:


> FYI, "Project Mr. Irish Tribute Car" has begun
> I decided to use the entire Tyco '40 Ford(with small front wheelwells), for this conversion into the Mr. Irish '40 Chevy custom Gasser. After looking at the grills and noses of both the Tyco '40 Ford and the Blue '39 Chevy Sedan, I figured it would be alot easier just to modify the Ford nose, than to transplant the '39 Chevy nose and THEN fudge it into a '40 nose anyway. So this way, I know the wheelwells will line up and all I really need to do is make Bullet headlights for atop the fenders, and continue with the detail mods that I've already started-as seen below.
> 
> 
> 
> Nice! :hat:
> 
> 
> John Bohan


----------



## Bill Hall

Here ya go Ralph...

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showpost.php?p=3831515&postcount=1960

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showpost.php?p=3840995&postcount=1983

Nuthen' to it!


----------



## slotcarman12078

I love those headlight buckets!! Quick and easy!! Me being kinda lazy, prefer the "mix a batch of clear epoxy and fill the holes" kinda guiy! :lol: It's way easier than making the lenses, and if you tinker with it you can get the "scribe lines" in the lenses. It's just a matter of catching the epoxy when it's almost cured, and using an oiled screwdriver tip to press in the lines. I generally skip that process, because I do both lenses at the same time and can't do both.


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

You might check the ends of some cheap plastic ink pens. Sometimes the barrel has the right shape that might work for you. Just cut the end off, insert a light bulb or fill and round off, your choice...RM


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Thanks RM, they might have the right bullet shape :thumbsup:
But, I am NOT lighting this Gasser - so NO Need for light bulbs - lol


----------



## alpink

BIC pen caps come to mind


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Update: Mr. Irish Build- Progress Report.*

A little more work on Mr. Irish today. I completed the chassis(Mattel HPX2 Wide pan) and features a 3 ohm arm and BSRT 24 tooth crown gear. I dug up some old Tyco HP7 Centerline wheels, which are kind of a match for the last look of the 1:1 Mr. Irish. Rear tire choice is A/FX Size Super Tires, Tall, but not too wide. BTW- This Chassis is FAST !
The bodywork progresses, still lots to do, but getting there.









PS- to all you Custom Decal makers out there, I have a question. Is it possible for you(not me) with only the three 1:1 Mr. Irish pix I posted, for YOU to make the side Decals for this car ? I'd pay you if it's possible


----------



## slotcarman12078

Someone who's good with photoshop should be able to import those pictures and tweak them to a straight on perspective. They should also be able to resize them without making them all blurry provided the original scan and upload pixel count is high. The problem is going to be finding someone with an Alps printer to print them. Light colored images on a darker colored car won't work with clear decal paper, and white paper will be white where it's not printed. 

The only way I can see this working with white paper is if the guy printing it has a really good example of the color you're going to paint the car, and prints the decals and the green paint too. Then you can lay down the decals and paint the car, getting as close to the image as possible without splattering paint on it. I don't think you could print on white paper and get near close enough cutting the wanted parts out from the white background.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Joe, well......the Green will be a fairly light metallic color, not dark. But I see your point, but if anyone can print it on a Clear decal- I'd be interested, even if it didn't look perfect when applied.


----------



## slotcarman12078

Last night I downloaded the clearest image of the bunch and went on Windows Paint to see how it looked. It's not a high resolution image, so I couldn't do much with it. Paint being as simplistic as it is, I enlarged the view to 600%, and trimmed the background out of it, and bordered it with a sample of the green from a painted part of the car. Honestly, it looks like doodoo. The "Mister" isn't legible when I bring it back to 100% size, and because of the low resolution, it's really choppy. 

I think I've read that Photoshop has the capability of making something higher resolution, which would allow the user to trim by means of color and have the image sharper. This would work much better than my old shaky hands trimming with an "eraser". Don't lose hope Ralph.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Ok Joe, I won't lose hope....yet. But Honestly, I didn't even think the "Mister" part in the Shamrock would be legible, I just kinda wanted the overall effect to look ok without Macro viewing, kinda like Jeff(Madmarsupial) does when he hand letters his Modifieds.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*'55 Still Alive*

The Speedy Pit Shop just got this Classic '55 Chebby running today. Not sure exactly what will become of her next, maybe street cruiser, maybe Drag, maybe Dirttrack ? The Body is a Rare Plum color, that wasn't supposed to be released by Model Motoring II, but Bud's HO had a truck load of these bodies and he had a Super Sale last week, sooo.. Also of note, are the wheels and tires, they are the 4 Gear/Specialty wheels- rears are NOS Aurora, fronts are AW. I had to enlarge the axle holes to fit the 1/16" dia T-Jet axles. The tires are AW and have the outer lips ground off. I awaiting better Jel Claws tires to replace the rears- which are a tad too slippery.


----------



## 60chevyjim

I bought some of those rare/reject color bodys too. im gona paint all of mine I bought.
that was a great sale bud had last week.
it will make a good looking gasser when your finished .:thumbsup:.
I sold my real 55 chevy gasser body like that a couple weeks ago..
I needed some $$$ so it had to go..
it was on the bottom of the list to build , of my real cars that I have..


----------



## XracerHO

The Mr. Irish build is progressing well & 55 Plum Chevy looks good! :thumbsup: Like the detail of the model stock car on the tool box. ..RL


----------



## TeamMadMarsupial

Hey Ralph,

Your Mr Shamrock issue is one I face often. As you mentioned, sometimes you need to make the decision as to if you will try for the accuracy, or the effect????

Either way will get you a neat finished car! Sometimes the graphics need to be larger than true scale to car, sometimes smaller to get what makes you happy. Remember, you are making this for your viewing pleasure.


At this scale we cannot ever hope to be 100%. Press on, either way, A Mr. we can read, or not, I think its gonna look cool when complete!


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Thanks Jeff  And you're exactly right. But besides myself, I do want to show this build, and(slightly) impress Carl- son of the original owner(now deceased), and his uncle- who was the driver of this Gasser. When I originally asked them for pix, the one (early) pic was the only one that even THEY had left. And when I dug up online the two additional pix and showed them, they were very happy to see more pix of Mr. Irish, and were very happy to hear I was gonna build a little model slot car as a Tribute.


----------



## TeamMadMarsupial

Thats cool. I'm sure they will be stoked to see your finished car!

A few years back I got the decals (hate using that word) to do the Butch Hartman Super Bird in HO scale. Also did the short track car. Later saw pictures of a team car Toby Tobias ran with Butch at Pocono one year in the USAC Stock Car race. Basically a twin car, renumbered to #54.

I got another set of decals (theres that word again) and built the Tobias version.

I also built both cars in 1/24th scale and got the individual display cases.

I took the cars with me to a late model race in Ohio and showed them to Butch's son Bart, a standout Late Model driver and past World of Outlaw champion. I got him to sign the top of one of the display cases.

Later took the cars to Hagerstown for a Modified show and got Toby's son, Richie to sign the other case.

Both drivers were taken back by the cars and called others over to see them. Neither cars are museum quality, but they loved them.

In the end, I'm sure they will love your finished car!


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Jeff, ya know, years ago when I lived in NJ (left in 1980 at age 22), I used to build alot of 1/25-24 cars as well, but mainly Drag Cars. And I used to take the completed Funny Car models to the Track during the Summer Nationals(Englishtown Raceway Park)and get the Drivers and/or owners to autograph them. Alot of those guys really liked seeing them. Alas, none of those old F/C models have survived to this day, I either sold them or gave them away in the early 1980's  And I swear, I'm never gonna do THAT with my HO Models now !


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Out Back in the Carral....*

Out back of the shop, in the Carral, future projects for this fall and winter are being stored.









Business is GOOD, when you have more work than you can handle at the moment, even tho we ARE the Speed Pit Shop  . But customers are content to wait, no hurry on these builds, as we'll take our time and do 'em up right !


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

FYI- I got some major good news about my Mr. Irish- Tribute Build/Project Car, when I got a PM here on the forum from a major Slot Supporter and Forum Contributor who most of you know. ie- He volunteered to take on the task of creating some Decals for my Mini Mr. Irish. AWESOME !
I'll keep you updated on that build when it progresses again, but right now my Fire is burning strong again after getting Stoked Big Time ! :thumbsup:


----------



## slotcarman12078

Awesome!! Thank you mystery decal maker dude!!! I tried, but my photo manipulation skills are lacking. Some things I can do... Happy for ya R3!! :thumbsup:


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Mr. Irish Decals*

First draft of Door Decals, not to scale. I think they'll look GREAT for my 1/64 scale build ! :thumbsup:









FYI- C-Pillar decals are being made next.... This is gonna be sooo Awesome !


----------



## alpink

perfect


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

Cool deal!!! Who is this masked marvel decal bandit???  RM


----------



## slotcarman12078

Excellent!!!! Can't wait to see this one finished!!


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Mr. Irish "Tribute" Build- Update....*

Mr. Irish "Tribute" Build- almost ready for the paint booth. All I need to do to the body now, is re-cut some door lines(further back) and fab up a hood scoop or Bug Catcher, depending which era I finally choose to model. But will probably go with the Blower & Bug Catcher.








I may decide to shorten the headlights too, before it's hits the paint booth....


----------



## Hittman101

Looking good!!! Can't wait to see it done!!


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Mr. Irish Paint Color choices...*

Well, I've narrowed down my paint choices to TWO. They are Testors "One Coat" Lacquer -Spray paint. Here are the two colors...







Lime Ice







Mystic Emerald

Yes, these are two slightly different colors, but look at the photos of the 1:1 car below...they show as two different colors in THOSE Pix, and these are the only known photos left of the car. Granted, the photos don't even show the true color either. But I'm remembering the color looked more like whats seen in the "For Sale" shots. What color would you choose ?


----------



## Jisp

Hi Ralph. Mate, Mr Irish is coming along beautifully. Congratulations. The paint choice is a tough one given that the first photo looks close to Mystic Emerald while the latter two look more like Lime Ice......

I may be wrong but I'd lean toward the Mystic Emerald for the simple reason that I think it's closer to the type of colour I'd expect to find used in the era. I think brighter, more vivid shades would have been scarce.

Are you able to email the colour samples to Carl or his uncle to see what they think is a better match?

Do you have an air brush? If so you could always play it safe by getting the lighter colour and decanting it. If it doesn't look right, tint it darker until it does.

Whichever way you go I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Cheers,
Michael. :thumbsup:


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## TeamMadMarsupial

The Mystic Emerald gets my vote Ralph.


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

I'd shorten those headlights and go with Mystic Emerald...
this is painted with Mystic Emerald... For a darker green you might try a Forrest green or tone the Emerald down a bit...Not sure what type decal paper your using, If white, I 'd tint the paint to match the paper background color...If you got an Alps printer, it want matter...RM


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Thanks Guys :thumbsup: And Michael, I did just send off an email to both Carl Jr.(owners' son) and the other guy I got the two pix from, and showed them the paint samples, and asked their opinions too.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Randy, that (Mystic Emerald)Green Looks Awesome, and if my foggy memory has any brain cells intact, I think that was the Color I recall Mr. Irish being :thumbsup:
And No guys, I don't own an air brush, and I don't even own a "printer" of ANY Kind. But my(gracious) Decal Artist is covering the bases, and printing on both white and clear, and with clear - recommends layering the decals for opaqueness. He also has been sent paint samples.


----------



## FOSTBITTEN

Rt3 I would go with the Mystic Emerald too. I was not real sure until I saw it sprayed on Hilltop's car. That would seal it for me. That looks very period correct too. From what I remember too. That is gonna look great!! Mystic Emerald all the way!!


----------



## WesJY

Go with Mystic Emerald!!!! 

Wes


----------



## Bill Hall

I'm agree with Micheal (Jisp); it appears that we're looking at two different colors of green between the original and the redeaux version. 

The former (darker) looks like Duplicolor Metal Flakes "Shimmering Green". 
The latter (lighter) looks like it has more yellow in it like the "Mystic Emerald".

Naturally the camera, the lighting, and the angle are completely different in the pix. As green is my favorite color it makes any choice pert near impossible for me. Trying to choose colors will surely drive me into the nut house one day. 

I think the Emerald consensus is probably correct.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

I decided Mystic Emerald was the Best choice also, and so I picked up a spray can last night. Just a few more touches, before it's ready for the paint booth this weekend


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

Now that you've decided, gonna throw a curve at ya R3... Those photos look to be have taken around the late 60's, early 70's... The last 2 have faded pretty much... All the big 3 Mfg.s had a dark green shade, but being that's a Chevy, I'd say it's closer to a Forrest Green. All the drag racers back then used GM paint, it seems the cars went faster, at least looked faster...I took this early morning shot out in the sun... This was an old build I had done, almost forgot about it. Just trying to help... RM
P.S. I'd still go with the Emerald...


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

Ralphthe3rd said:


>


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Mr. Irish Paint*

Randy, don't forget, Mr. Irish was built by an Auto Body shop, and Mr. Irish was also meant to showcase their talents(hence the 1/4 window fill and drip rail removal and seam fills). The older pic was taken about 1971 just after being completed, and the For Sale shot was about 1980. I kinda doubt that the Paint used was a stock GM color, as it was that Huge Metalflake type that kinda looked like Glitter- although the early shot doesn't show it, and the car was never repainted until they tried to sell it. But shortly after the later pic was taken, they painted it PURPLE !
Today the Car is said to Cruise the streets around Philly as a Street Rod, and is painted yet another shade of Purple. I wish someone would post a pic of it in it's recent incarnation, it shouldn't be too hard to distinguish, as it still has the quarter windows filled in.....


----------



## Jisp

Excellent posts and pics gents. See, this is what draws me to the forum. The vast knowledge and history that you all bring to the table helps get Ralph confidently over the line with his choice. You can't walk into a store and buy that kind of thing. Besides, the blister packaging would look weird. :freak:

Ralph, best of luck for the weekend spray play. I just know it's going to look sweeeet!

Cheers,
Michael. :thumbsup:


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Mr. Irish Decal Artwork*

More Decal Work completed and/or adjusted...









:thumbsup:


----------



## FOSTBITTEN

This is gonna look so bitchin' 

Mr. Bill Hall we are forever linked by the color green. That is my favorite color too. I have learned over time there is not a lot of us around,


----------



## bobhch

Green gone faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaast!

Bob...this is gonna be one Sweet slot car!!...zilla


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Irish eyes are smilin'*

It's Painted !
Just out of the paint booth, below photo taken with just room Light.


















...this photo taken with Camera Flash -ON ! Probably what it would look like in direct Sunlight outside ?

IMHO, it didn't come out too bad, at certain angles under macro- it shows some flaws in my bodywork underneath the paint, but, I'm hoping the decals will cover that.









Note the Rectangular Rear Window -which indeed Was found on 1:1 '40 Chevy Coupes...unlike the Split window on the Fords.


----------



## FOSTBITTEN

Is a bad joke for me to say I am green with envy? Looks saweet RT3


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

FOSTBITTEN said:


> Is a bad joke for me to say I am green with envy? Looks saweet RT3


Thanks Matt


----------



## slotcarman12078

Looks great!! Man, I love that color!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## TeamMadMarsupial

Count down to completion going well.

Looking great!! 

Thanks for taking us along for the ride.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Thanks Guys for the positive comments, they ARE Appreciated


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*1:1 Car Talk...re> Searching for Mr. Irish*

A NEW Friend I made online from N.J., who also has been searching for info on Mr. Irish, thought he'd found him on Craigs List yesterday up in Connecticut. But, I don't think it's the same car in StreetRod Trim. The filled in rear quarter windows are what Flagged this car for him, but I just think (Finally) someone else did the same custom mod. Anyway, it's For Sale for just $12k....and is negotiable !









There are still (partial)drip rails above the doors on this car, BUT- Mr. Irish had ALL Drips rails Removed !


----------



## Bill Hall

Pretty Mc-Shiney is Irish...isnt it?

Nice vision Ralph!


----------



## slotcarman12078

Close but no ceeeegar!! Mr. Irish had a tilt nose, hood and fenders were one piece, and this one's hood opens stock-like.


----------



## WesJY

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Wes


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

slotcarman12078 said:


> Close but no ceeeegar!! Mr. Irish had a tilt nose, hood and fenders were one piece, and this one's hood opens stock-like.


 Yeah Joe, it turned out NOT to be Mr. Irish, but the front end coulda been returned to stock. But my friend did contact the seller, and although he bought the car from Jersey, and it was never a Race car previously, and was just customized recently.
But Man, I wish I had $12K to blow, heck -maybe even $10k in cash waved under his nose could make it mine, but that's just a pipe Dream


----------



## Bill Hall

Drip rails


----------



## FOSTBITTEN

There was a green gasser on an episode of 'My Classic Car' the other day. He was at a farm car show in NJ. But that car was in the background like 3 times during the show. But all I could see was just a small part of the car. Never the whole side of the car. I was hoping against hope that he was gonna look at that car.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Decals PRINTED !*

The Mr. Irish decals have been printed, and then clear coated. Waiting to dry a couple of days before the maker ships them to me. There will be several sheets. And the left side is scaled for 1/64th(my current build). While right side is T-Jet scaled for a future build using a T-Jet Willys body.





































My Maker Writes >
"...Quick update, The decals are scaled, 1 Tyco '40 Ford size and 1 Tjet Willys size.
I have printed you 9 of each on clear background decal sheets and 5 each with a green background 
on white decal film. The green close to your paint, but without the metal flake. I also printed 4 each with the green background on clear decal film.
That version may be transparent enough for the metal flake to show through.

I'm going to let these dry over night and clear coat them in the morning. I'll let that cure for a couple of days before shipping them.
That way if they hit any heat/humidity between my house and yours they should be okay. They will be sealed in a plastic sleeve so no moisture gets to them.
So if I added my days right, these will ship Friday......"


----------



## chappy2

Those are some sweet looking decals Ralph! It has been fun following the build.

Rob


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*More Progress today...*

The boys added some Trim(not all) today, and took some Pix.... :wave:









The boys are pretty pleased so far, and this was a Team Effort ! :thumbsup:










Just waitin' on the Decal Graphics now, should be here by Monday...


----------



## Omega

Looking good. Love the green and the blower peeking out the hood really sets it off.

Dave


----------



## WesJY

LOOKING GOOD!!!

Wes


----------



## bobhch

COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!! 

Bb...not Irish but, wish I was now...zilla


----------



## slotcarman12078

I'll be setting myself up with a pint of Guiness for the big reveal!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## XracerHO

Car looking good & can't wait to see it with the decals! Like the Shop's motorcyle too. ..RL


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Great 1:1 Mr. Irish Pix -In Action !*

I just found, and ordered these pix from the Original Track Photog...









Mr. Irish in action- mid 1970's Ooops, the color is darker than I remembered, and after it went to a supercharger, they changed classes to AA/GS ...oops- gotta change the decals.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Coincidently, MY Decals arrived today*

Decal Test shots on cap. All decals one layer, the top two decals are printed on CLEAR Decal paper, the bottom decal is printed on White Decal paper. Note that the can cap color doesn't really match the actual paint color on my model. Also note- this first pic taken with overhead room lightning ONLY, the 2nd pic is taken with a projected light source.


----------



## FOSTBITTEN

When you get that car done you should send a pic of your car to the photographer. With RT3 in the middle of it.


----------



## slotcarman12078

I feared the outcome with clear decal paper. Excellent job on the color match though! I would use the white paper, clear coat 6them first, and then brush paint the edges with a drip of that green paint and a brush, or a green sharpie. That will help hide the edge. Trimming them as close to the lettering, etc as possible will help too.


----------



## bobhch

FOSTBITTEN said:


> When you get that car done you should send a pic of your car to the photographer. With RT3 in the middle of it.


:lol: lol FOSTBITTEN

oH Don't ForgeT To put 867-5309 under that for the Phone # 

Bz


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Decals*



slotcarman12078 said:


> I feared the outcome with clear decal paper. Excellent job on the color match though! I would use the white paper, clear coat 6them first, and then brush paint the edges with a drip of that green paint and a brush, or a green sharpie. That will help hide the edge. Trimming them as close to the lettering, etc as possible will help too.


Joe, my decal man(and fellow HobbyTalker), saw my Decal Test shot pix, and merely suggested using a 2nd Clear decal over the first. So I think I'll give that a try, by practicing on the cap with the C/G 8000 decals, as I won't be using them. But he will be making up New AA/GS +Number decals, as soon as I get my New Action Photos, and can send him a Hi-Res copy of that portion to see the details.


----------



## slotcarman12078

Major kudos to your decal maker, by the way!! They look completely professional! If they came out of an ALPs printer, they'd be 100% spot on perfect. I tried to teach myself how to use Gimp, which is a freeware manipulation program similar to Photoshop, but I'd get lost more times than not. There are tutorials on Youtube to help ya get started, but my old brain just can't absorb info like it used to, and I had to go back to the video 10-20 times just on a simple test project. It eats up a ton of memory too, so I might just delete it (for the 3rd time) and stick with the caveman version of "Paint".


----------



## videojimmy

LOOKS AWESOME! If you have any extra decals, I'd love to buy a set!


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Some Decals Applied today on Mr. Irish....*

Ok, I tried both choices/methods of decals today....








Top row on cap- of C/G 8000 decal, was double layered to see if it would look better... It made it darker and more well defined, but didn't look right so dark, so I've gone with the bottom row decals trimmed, with green background on white decal paper. It's not perfect- but I had no other choice. If I had the decals made again, I'd specify the letters would be bright yellow instead of dull gold color. Oh well....








Applied some decals today, didn't do the class numbers since latest pix show it ran AA/GS instead of C/G like the earlier pic I had- before the Supercharger was added. So new(Class) Decals will be made up for the C-Pillar area.


----------



## WesJY

LOOKS AWESOME!! :thumbsup:

Wes


----------



## chappy2

That's one sharp looking model, Ralph!


----------



## slotcarman12078

I'd say you got it Ralph!! You did a good job trimming them! I don't see a line, and can't tell where the decal ends and paint begins!! Excellent transformation!! :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Thanks for the Kudos Guys  But I have a surprise twist for you, I'm getting NEW Decals made again, and will redo them ! This time I've requested Yellow (ink) Lettering -instead of the Gold, and it will again be done on White Decal Paper using the same Green background. And hopefully the letters will show up better, as I can hardly even see the R & C Body Shop, and Rogers Speed Shop logos. Also included in this new batch will be AA/GS and the New # -as seen in the Race Photo.


----------



## FOSTBITTEN

Are you planning on doing the wheels like in the picture too?


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Wheels...*



FOSTBITTEN said:


> Are you planning on doing the wheels like in the picture too?


Well Matt.... the wheels ARE the same, they are Centerline replicas I believe, but the one on Mr. Irish appear to be Gold anodized. I might try a light wash of Testors brand- Gold Acryl, which I can thin down with water and see how it looks, and is more easy to remove if I don't like the results. 
But, if you mean the M&H tires, I'm not repro'ing those, as I like the front tires on my car, and the backs hook up well, and cannot go wider on those Narrowish Curevhugger rims. FYI-my rim/tire sizes are the same as the original A/FX.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*NEW Decals- again !*

My Decal Maker(and Awesome Slot Guru) is right on top of it, and is ready to fire up the NEW & Improved Decals....


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

You might try laying the clear gold on top of the yellow in a test session just to see how that works...RM


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Ideas*



Hilltop Raceway said:


> You might try laying the clear gold on top of the yellow in a test session just to see how that works...RM


Randy, that's a thought too ! ...but then again, I could have had WHITE Letters done, and tried over-laying the Gold on top to see the results ?
But my thinking is, even with White Decal paper, the Green paint somewhat bleeds thru, and the Yellow Letters will darken as well. Heck- even White letters will darken I presume ?


----------



## tjd241

*It's not easy being green...*

Nice Ralph... Car looks great and *that* green is the one. Can't wait to see the new decals... If they're better than the current ones??... they'll be over the top. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## alpink

looks pretty darn good from here


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Extra Decals put to use....*

Re > White 'Cuda.... since I had Alot of Gold Lettering sponsor decals left over from my Mr. Irish build. And won't be using them(waiting for the New/revised Yellow Versions) on Mr. Irish. And they only show up well on a white background. I applied the R&C Auto Body and Roger's Speed Shop Logo's to my "Proud American" 'Cuda, and even double layered them to show up better. HEY- Every Funny Car Needs Sponsors 










PS- I've also used more of the same sponsor logos on a white #11 A/FX Dodge Charger I have too.


----------



## XracerHO

Mr. Irish build & Cuda Funny car looking Good! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: ..RL


----------



## bobhch

Irish I would win the Lottery...Very Nice and will check back for your new decal application. Bz :wave:


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Mr. Irish- The Conclusion !...well...just about*

Today, I received my New Set of Yellow Letter decals, from my Awesome Decal Maker(he can take a bow now if he likes),and I eagerly applied them. I THINK THEY LOOK FREAKIN' AWESOME ! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Let me know what you think.....













































BTW- Mr. Irish is 98% Complete, and the last 2% will be stuff like, more contingency stickers> after I see which ones it had when the 1:1 Drag Race pix arrive. I also want to add a push bar and maybe relocate the 'chute when I get more info on how the tail end looked.


----------



## bobhch

*I gotta go get me parrot a cracker...*

Since this is Talk Like A Pirate day I will say Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr that is a fine vessel matey!!

Bob...this is 98% kick ass...zilla


----------



## WesJY

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Wes


----------



## slotcarman12078

Most excellent job Ralph!! You should take a bow too!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## tjd241

Looks great. You should send that former owner of the 1:1 version a picture to show him what you did, but make sure to keep a coin in the picture. I once showed a pic of a pretty detailed custom I was working on to a co-worker. He didn't seem too impressed, so I didn't push it and finished the project without showing him anything again. I was packing it for shipment about a month later and he happened into the shipping area. He spotted the car and said *that*  ... is what you were working on??? He had no idea of the scale I was working in. You done good Ralph. :thumbsup:


----------



## FOSTBITTEN

You say this is the "Low Budget Racing Team"? Then how do you explain a 7 foot quarter?


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Yep*



tjd241 said:


> Looks great. You should send that former owner of the 1:1 version a picture to show him what you did, but make sure to keep a coin in the picture. I once showed a pic of a pretty detailed custom I was working on to a co-worker. He didn't seem too impressed, so I didn't push it and finished the project without showing him anything again. I was packing it for shipment about a month later and he happened into the shipping area. He spotted the car and said *that*  ... is what you were working on??? He had no idea of the scale I was working in. You done good Ralph. :thumbsup:


 Dave, thats EXACTLY What I did, and WHY I had the Quarter in the first two shots 
The Surviving Brother(Richard of R & C), and Carl Jr., Were Blown away by my model.... and that's why I'm building a 2nd one soon, to give to them ! This time using a T-Jet Willys as the Starting Body, and I already have a 2nd set of T-Jet Willys scaled Decals (in Yellow) to use. I may just use a Pull Back chassis under this one - tho.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

FOSTBITTEN said:


> You say this is the "Low Budget Racing Team"? Then how do you explain a 7 foot quarter?


ahhhhhh.... Inflation !? 
Some things in the "Land Of Giants" just can't be Explained


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

PS to Matt....and the Quarter is ONLY 5ft tall


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*For all you "Legends" Funny Car Fans....*

Drag Racing in the 1970's...God I miss watching Jungle Jim Stage  . FYI- I was a teenager back then, and seeing Jungle Pam half Naked -staging JJ, made me a BIG Fan !
BTW- the A/FX Cars ARE from 1972 !


----------



## slotcarman12078

Hot dang!! You found a mini Pam!!! :devil: :lol:


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Decals WANTED !*

I'm looking for a pair of HO- 1/64 (Drag Racing) Sponsor/Contingency Decals(stickers). I'm wanting a "Hayes"(clutches) decal and a "Donovan"(racing Block) decal. And please, I'm not sending tons of money all the way to Australia to Pattos just for two pair of decals. - Thanks...

WANTED >


----------



## 1976Cordoba

Ralphthe3rd said:


> I'm looking for a pair of HO- 1/64 (Drag Racing) Sponsor/Contingency Decals(stickers). I'm wanting a "Hayes"(clutches) decal and a "Donovan"(racing Block) decal. And please, I'm not sending tons of money all the way to Australia to Pattos just for two pair of decals. - Thanks...
> 
> WANTED >


Pattos usually includes more than just 2 decals on his decal sheets...


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

1976Cordoba said:


> Pattos usually includes more than just 2 decals on his decal sheets...


 I knew that 'Doba...but all I NEED is Two Decals, and Pattos doesn't have both of those decals on one sheet, and I only saw the Hayes Decal on his sheets, none of the Donovan were to be found.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Re: Decals > Ask and Ye shall Receive !*

Well, my Mystery Decal Maker saw my request, and got right on it  - Dang he's Good ! And here's the latest decal sheet he's making up for me....








As always, I'm forever in your Debt sir....please take a Bow. :thumbsup:


----------



## Jisp

Ralphthe3rd said:


> .... and that's why I'm building a 2nd one soon, to give to them ! .....


Ralph, don't know how I got so far behind on the Irish job but your result is totally sweet. Mate, how happy will R&C Jr be to receive such a tribute! Love ya work, thanks for sharing.

Cheers,
Michael. :thumbsup:


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*What Aurora Chassis is this ?*

Hey Guys, I just bought this Aurora A/FX Body and Chassis. Ummm...What fer chassis is this / Is THIS a Super Magnatraction(never owned one) Chassis ? And are those TYCO 440X2 Pick-ups on it !?


----------



## TeamMadMarsupial

I think it is a Super Magna Traction. Never had one before last year, bought one on PayBay to try in our open class. Had a couple guys running them and wanted to try one myself?
Mine is pretty fast, but I could never get comfortable with it, too torquey (is that a word?) for me and I am no fan of inline armature cars! Its collecting dust now, maybe time to see if one of them wants to buy or trade for it?!
I tried it a few weeks and then built up a AFX Non-Mag with Neo Magnets and a rewind that I can get much better lap times with.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Something Wicked -this way Came....Brass Chass !*

Let me first say, this wasn't a surprise, and wasn't a Freebie, I was in talks to acquire this from Chappy2(Rob), and paid for a Ready to Run chassis.
Ok, it arrived today and sure looks purdy. And took these pix...


















After these pix were taken, I scrutinized the chassis and oiled it, and put it on the track to test. BTW- I should have cleaned the tires FIRST, as they were rather slippery with copper streaks on them, and not the highest quality Silicone tire by any means, and I ID'd them as Buds AFX size tires. Anyway, the chassis runs and slides, actually slides a bit too easily, and doesn't really drift predictably, more like a snap lose style, but alot may have to do with the tire choice. Maybe some Good Super Tires would improve the Drifting action ? I also noted this chassis/motor combo didn't appear very fast, and I also tested it on my Dragstrip, again, not very fast, not as fast as all my Tuffy(new and old). I also noted the chassis didn't coast very much(and I wasn't using brakes hooked up). Sooo... I took the chassis to check for friction and lap the gears. Oddly, I found I really had trouble getting power to turn over the motor in reverse direction to lap the gears for coasting, and I'm not sure why, maybe a connection difficulty ? Also, I added some Comm drops to the comm, of an Arm I didn't ID, except to note it wasn't a Tyco Arm ? Anyway, I also cleaned the tires with my orange Goop and got them squeaky clean. Back to Track Testing. BAM, NOW I Got Power ! Nearly Doubled the Horsepower, but..... that wasn't necessarily a good thing, and made the car rather uncontrollable -even on my Dragstrip. Again, the Tires musta also been a weak link. With all this power, the chassis Now reacts Just like a Tyco 440X2 with the traction magnets completely Removed ! And normally, I use sili-sponge tires on my chassis set up like that.
Oh, one other thing that bummed me out, I had some T-Jet bodies all lined up to fit to this chassis for testing, and none would fit  The Brass Chass is a bit wider than a normal T-Jet chassis, so my Hot Rod Body, my Willys and even my JL '70 Camaro Body were all too narrow.... 
I haven't accomplished full testing yet, but some points have already come to light, and need to be recognized.
So far, I say the chassis is cool, and would run fast in a straight line very well....albeit with better tires. As far as handling, well, good news is- it doesn't want to highside or deslot in the twisties. Bad news is, it spins out very easily, but again- tire choice would help improve that.
When I originally posted on chappy2's thread about this brass chass, I worried about all that heavy brass up high. Well, I don't really think it's up High now. BUT, I believe the mass of the brass is waay too rearward, and doesn't help traction, as it more likely promotes fishtail spinouts 

That's my review so far, and I hope it doesn't upset Chappy2/Rob ?


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Upon Further Testing....*

Since my previous post, I made some adjustments... ie- I tried dropping my power supply down from 20v to 15v and changed Controllers to a BRP Nitro 80ohm. BUT, more Importantly, swapped out the rear tires to a set of fresh Super Tires !
Results> although the change in Voltage didn't affect performance any, the tires and controller swap did. With those two changes -this chassis became much more controllable, albeit still Very FAST- which is inherently in an inline trait.
More testing to follow....


----------



## alpink

*sounds like trouble right here in River City*



Ralphthe3rd said:


> Let me first say, this wasn't a surprise, and wasn't a Freebie, I was in talks to acquire this from Chappy2(Rob), and paid for a Ready to Run chassis.
> Ok, it arrived today and sure looks purdy. And took these pix...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After these pix were taken, I scrutinized the chassis and oiled it, and put it on the track to test. BTW- I should have cleaned the tires FIRST, as they were rather slippery with copper streaks on them, and not the highest quality Silicone tire by any means, and I ID'd them as Buds AFX size tires. Anyway, the chassis runs and slides, actually slides a bit too easily, and doesn't really drift predictably, more like a snap lose style, but alot may have to do with the tire choice. Maybe some Good Super Tires would improve the Drifting action ? I also noted this chassis/motor combo didn't appear very fast, and I also tested it on my Dragstrip, again, not very fast, not as fast as all my Tuffy(new and old). I also noted the chassis didn't coast very much(and I wasn't using brakes hooked up). Sooo... I took the chassis to check for friction and lap the gears. Oddly, I found I really had trouble getting power to turn over the motor in reverse direction to lap the gears for coasting, and I'm not sure why, maybe a connection difficulty ? Also, I added some Comm drops to the comm, of an Arm I didn't ID, except to note it wasn't a Tyco Arm ? Anyway, I also cleaned the tires with my orange Goop and got them squeaky clean. Back to Track Testing. BAM, NOW I Got Power ! Nearly Doubled the Horsepower, but..... that wasn't necessarily a good thing, and made the car rather uncontrollable -even on my Dragstrip. Again, the Tires musta also been a weak link. With all this power, the chassis Now reacts Just like a Tyco 440X2 with the traction magnets completely Removed ! And normally, I use sili-sponge tires on my chassis set up like that.
> Oh, one other thing that bummed me out, I had some T-Jet bodies all lined up to fit to this chassis for testing, and none would fit  The Brass Chass is a bit wider than a normal T-Jet chassis, so my Hot Rod Body, my Willys and even my JL '70 Camaro Body were all too narrow....
> I haven't accomplished full testing yet, but some points have already come to light, and need to be recognized.
> So far, I say the chassis is cool, and would run fast in a straight line very well....albeit with better tires. As far as handling, well, good news is- it doesn't want to highside or deslot in the twisties. Bad news is, it spins out very easily, but again- tire choice would help improve that.
> When I originally posted on chappy2's thread about this brass chass, I worried about all that heavy brass up high. Well, I don't really think it's up High now. BUT, I believe the mass of the brass is waay too rearward, and doesn't help traction, as it more likely promotes fishtail spinouts
> 
> That's my review so far, and I hope it doesn't upset Chappy2/Rob ?


sounds like an awful lot of trouble.
I'll take it off your hands! :wave:


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Latest Update, and Better NEWS !*

First off, I added a Low Down and Dirty Dodge Body....








When I said Low Down and Dirty- I meant it ! Ya couldn't get this low with a T-Jet Chassis, unless you cut out the hood and trunk lid !








Ok now, I worked on JUST the tires, and found the sweet spot so to speak. First off, the "Buds Brand" AFX Size Crappy silicones that came on my car, are, well CRAP. So I tried some AFX size Jel Claws, which I normally hate on gravity cars(ie- no traction mags), but the Jels really improved the handling and started controlling the drifting, that is up until the Jels got dirty, then they got slippery. Next I Tried a couple of pairs of Tyco 440 Size silicone tires, that I think were made by Penn Valley Tires. And Man, what an improvement- Even on My Dragstrip, as all previous tires appeared to be spinning all the way down the track until the Traps. After those tires, I went with another set of PVT's for the Tyco 440 Size rim, but these tires were the lower Profile type. And that's what you now see on the car in the latest pix with the body on. These tires finally tuned the car....and now I'm Very pleased with the results... it hooks up and drifts predictably, but this car will Keep You On Your Toes !


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## chappy2

Ralph, Thank You for the kind words in the I trader notification. It is much appreciated. It also appreciated that you stuck with it, making progress in your tuning, and got it running to your liking. Looking forward to further progress. It makes me happy to see it on your track, and I hope it continues to find a place in your track theme.

Best Regards,

Rob


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## XracerHO

Glad you got the chassis tuned to your liking & like the Dirty Dodge body which you really Lowered! :thumbsup: Always like the shop photos & have to find a Jungle Pam, too! ..RL


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## Hilltop Raceway

Send that chassis my way R3, I'll take it...RM


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## Ralphthe3rd

Hilltop Raceway said:


> Send that chassis my way R3, I'll take it...RM


 Randy, with all due respect.... BITE ME 
 FYI, my Chappy2 Brass Chass is a Keeper ! ....just because our wedding nite was a little rough, doesn't mean we weren't compatible


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## Ralphthe3rd

PS- I forgot to mention in my Review, that the Chappy2 Brass Chass runs alot like a 1/24 scale Racer on a Commercial Wood Track... I just needed to find the right tires and controller to tame this little beast on my Sectional Plastic track, but that's what Chappy2/ Rob runs them on as well.
I'm very pleased now- with my Brass Chass, and I've been runnin the carp out of her, and she's warmed up to me- Real Nice :thumbsup:


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## Hilltop Raceway

Ralphthe3rd said:


> I'm very pleased now- with my Brass Chass, and I've been runnin the carp out of her, and she's warmed up to me- Real Nice :thumbsup:


I'm glad to hear that, cause the wedding night sure sounded cold  ...RM


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## Ralphthe3rd

Randy, I was just giving an honest review, right out of the box, as it was ready to run, and had been run by Chappy for a while.
And FYI- I'll be doing the same kind of Out of the box Test Review, of the T-Dash chassis as well. It's only fair to the readers, to get these kind of Out of the box RTR Reviews. And of course, tuning changes everything, but not everyone who buys slotcars- tunes them.


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Weight Comparo.... FYI*

> Brass Chass vs. T-Jet Chass...what you see here is the Brass Chass(w/can motor) mounting a very stripped Aurora Dodge Charger body, weighing in at 30 Grams. vs. an Aurora T-Jet chassis, sporting a repainted JL Dodge Charger body, weighing in at 22 grams.


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Sample Pack Goodies*

Ok gang, today my package from Slots~N~Stuff arrived...with all sorts of goodies, but here are the tires...(Note- the order was incomplete, so only the smaller Front tires are shown/tested here, a 2nd shipment was just sent out- to correct the missing Larger Tires.) Thank You Andrew
These tires are front tires, probably meant for G-plus Cars.
I have examined and tested these tires and they are NOT Silicone either. They are a nice soft supple rubber, but are NOT Silicone. And they shouldn't be called "TUBE" Tires either, as they were Not molded and sliced off from a long rubber tube, because they have individual Spure/Knot mark Divots, on the tread of all four of my sample tires. 
These tires are the same size as Tyco 440X2 small front tires - samples seen mounted here >








Sorry, I don't own a G-Plus car, but I assume they fit the fronts of those....as well as maybe Life-Like and Tomy front ends ?

I also tested out these tires as rear tires on this car using old Indy wheels and they fit well with a little overlap >








When testing as rear tires on the above '37 Ford, this is when I realized they were NOT Silicone tires, as they spun pretty bad on the straights, and also tended to spinout on the curves, and this car doesn't do that with the same size Silicones mounted in the rear.


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## Bill Hall

So "inadequate traction" is your actual finding? 

Quite frankly, I'm shocked!...not :tongue: 

We are certainly looking forward to the dragster tire results @ RITL :thumbsup:

(Ralph's independent testing laboratory)


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## Ralphthe3rd

*RITL- Report....*

FYI, when I arrived home tonight from the ECHORR Team Challenge in Allentown PA, I found in my mail box, the correct shipment of Sample Tires from Slots~N~Stuff.
The sample pack contained the correct 6 pair of tires, 3 pair fronts(tested prior), and 3 pair of the larger AFX Size slicks. I quickly examined the New Tires and noted that they felt firm and slippery, and very shiney black, with a knot from molding in a part of the tread in each of the Six larger tires(as well as the 6 smaller tires too). I have a very simple and quick test to determine if these tires were truly silicone. and all I have to do, is merely install these tires on the rear axle wheels of one of my two dozen Tyco U-Turn Chassis/cars. If they tires are indeed silicone, the car can be drive on my track and fairly quick speeds, without spinning out and/or doing a 180º "U-Turn". So onto my White '32 Vicky the tires went...
Well....the Jury is IN....these are NOT Silicone Tires ! Nope !!!! They are very hard and slippery Rubber tires...my U-Turn car could barely get moving with the rear tires spinning wildly without hardly any traction at ALL !
BTW- after the following pix were taken and the camera put away. I also installed these tires on an Aurora A/FX non MT Chassis, and had very similar results, merely tires spinning with barely any traction and a quick spin out on the first curve.
BTW- the Front tires are actually Softer, and although slippery, did actually provide more traction on the rear of my '37 Ford T-Jet than did these AFX Sizes slicks.



















In conclusion, although I don't know who actually made these Crappy tires, I'd stake my Life on the fact, they are NOT Silicone Tires ! And are best suited for life on a Shelf Queen, as they don't really *look bad at all when mounted.


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## sethndaddy

Before I read the last line of your post I thought "shelf queen tires".


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## Ralphthe3rd

sethndaddy said:


> Before I read the last line of your post I thought "shelf queen tires".


 YES, the REAR Tires are no better than the tires found on a Diecast car ! The Fronts tho, ARE Usable for Front of the right size wheels...


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## Bill Hall

*Good on ya Ralph*

Rubber duck "shelf queen tires" with belly buttons. LOL, I cant imagine where it went all wrong.  

Thank you for going the extra mile and proving the point. :thumbsup: 

The odds are, had those tires been worth a plug nickel they'd wouldnt have been languishing in the back of a hobbyshop collecting dust for decades. Secondly, if you can actually "SEE" the flaws in a tire, yer already bound for trouble.


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Riff Raff Racing - Rides again !*

Here's a Nice lil Resin 3 winder Coupe body I got(used) from my buddy Jim Hoar this past weekend. It now uses Original Aurora Tuff Ones Power, but has a divorced front axle to be extra long. The rear axle and wheels came from the Original Aurora A/FX Hop-Up kit, and FYI- they are wider and more deep dish than the AJ's wheels.









The decal on back says Riff Raff Racing and was on the body when I got it....


















BTW- I don't plan on painting this body, I'm just gonna leave it as-is in shiny Orange. BUT, I will add some Decal decorations when I find suitable ones


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Yo- TycoPro !*

Also this past weekend, while in Allentown for the ECHORR Races, and Also from my buddy Jim Hoar, I acquired a pair of decent shape TycoPro Cobras. 
Anyway, they were both missing rear axles and wheels. Now axles and wheels are not really a problem, but finding the correct Crown gear was !
FYI- the Stock TycoPro Crown Gear is 19t. And looking around for something to retrofit, I had several AW Ultra-G Thunderjet 18t Crown gears, that I picked up new, to retrofit my old JL/AW T-Jets. And well, the gear looked close, so I slid her on the Axle, and although the Gear needed Shimmed for proper mesh, it appeared to be a Perfect Replacement. And after shimming, she tested out perfectly, and was even as silent running as the OEM Gear. Also of note, if you have the early Tyco Curvehugger Cars, they use the same small crown gear as the TycoPro, and you can retrofit them as well.


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Wanna Drag !?*

Just felt like having some fun at the Non-Sanctioned Drags....









Who Needs a stinkin Christmas Tree, when ya got an Old School- Flagman !








*Sidenote- Notice Mr. Irish is now sporting some wider rear tires on deep dish Aluminum Wheels. Although the Tyco Centerlines looked cool, the rears just weren't wide enough to replicate the look of the Real 1:1 Mr. Irish in the 1970's- which didn't have no stinkin' Narrowed Rear End !









Hookin' Up :thumbsup:









Can you hear 'em hittin Redline and bangin' those gears !


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## WesJY

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Wes


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## 1/4Warrior

they are nice cars you have there are they ho, and what brand of track are you running on it doesn't look like ho ?


Ralphthe3rd said:


> Just felt like having some fun at the Non-Sanctioned Drags....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Who Needs a stinkin Christmas Tree, when ya got an Old School- Flagman !
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Sidenote- Notice Mr. Irish is now sporting some wider rear tires on deep dish Aluminum Wheels. Although the Tyco Centerlines looked cool, the rears just weren't wide enough to replicate the look of the Real 1:1 Mr. Irish in the 1970's- which didn't have no stinkin' Narrowed Rear End !
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hookin' Up :thumbsup:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Can you hear 'em hittin Redline and bangin' those gears !


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## 1/4Warrior

you need a christmas tree it would look better if you had a working one like auto world has


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## Ralphthe3rd

*replies*



1/4Warrior said:


> you need a christmas tree it would look better if you had a working one like auto world has


Re: the Drag pix, yes the Cars are HO(1/64), but they were just "Staged" for the photo like a Diorama pic. And the track they lead cars are sitting on, is non-functioning 1/43 Scale Artin, just because "I" too think it looks better to have HO Drag Cars on Wider Track....
As for a X-Mas tree, I'm working on it ! But I'm on a Budget...


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## Jisp

Beautiful mix of cars at the non-sanctioned meet Ralph. Photos 1 & 2 show the benefit of the wider track selection. Very nice indeed, thank you.

Cheers,
Michael. :thumbsup:


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## Ralphthe3rd

*FORD = First On Race Day !*

Here's a little project , that was pushed aside for a year or more, and I just pulled it back out and completed it.
I received this Matchbox Pinto Modified in sad shape, as a gift from fellow HT member- "dge467" way back over a year ago.
Anyway, the Body was a bit broken, with missing windshield A pillars, a missing hood, and a bad motor and bad rear axle assembly. I crafted my own Hood, and it's removable. I added faux motor details too. I replaced the toasted 6 volt MB motor, with a Tyco Pro Motor. I used a 7 tooth pinion gear(in place of the OEM 8t) on the motor from an old Tyco Command Control chassis, which also supplied the heavy metal rear wheels, which are now fitted to a Tyco 440X2 axle, but still carrying the original MB crown gear.
The end result is a super great running car, that also looks a little different than the original M-Box Pinto Modified.
So what do you think ....?




































And the saying goes > To the Victor, goes the Spoils ! :thumbsup:








Everyone's leaving, but, she's STILL Kissing him


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## chappy2

That is real beauty Ralph, Diggin the real low profile of the body.
Rob


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## Ralphthe3rd

And they were loaded up and ready to Roll, but they were STILL Kissin' ! With another waiting in the wings.... 









A view from the pits, sorry, the Blonde on the back of the Bike caught my eye as she passed by.... I'm easily distracted


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## WesJY

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Wes


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## pshoe64

Awesome builds Ralph! Where in the world do you find the figures for the track scenery? Those really make the scene complete. Makes you feel like you're at the local track!

-Paul


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## 60chevyjim

ralpf the pinto looks cool , nice custom work on it :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Ralphthe3rd

Thanks Guys 
And Paul, the wee lil people come from everywhere ! I mainly find them at Flea Markets or Yard Sales with the kids toys. And they maybe disguised as Star Wars figures, or Army Figures, or come in Hot Wheels action packs etc. BTW- the Tall girl (and another previously seen Jungle Pam) were actually mini Spice Girls, that came with the larger 10" tall dolls. Some figures I have to heavily modify, some are just repainted, or left as-is.
Thanks for viewing  And thanks for the positive comments, as I haven't been getting alot of THOSE lately....


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## XracerHO

Great looking Pinto & story board photos! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: ..RL


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## Hilltop Raceway

Some good looking stuff R3, likin' the pics... That trophy gal maybe trying to lock onto a trophy guy, jus sayn'...RM


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Was a Nice Day for Cruisin' with the Top down*

Nice sunny day for a ride with the top down in the Lightning Rod  


















Picked up some fellow Roddin' Buddies along the way...on the road to the Car Show.









At the Car show, they even had a Vintage Jeff Gordon Rookie Car, from back when he Drove a FORD !


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Match Race MADNESS !*

Although these pix are staged for Artistic purposes, I did Match race these two on my Regular Dragstrip ! (read on...)
We had a little Grudge Race today...








Rudy in the Rude Stude vs. Big John Mazmanian in his Willys !

Match Race Madness !








FYI- no BS, the Willys was my fastest T-Jet, it runs my hottest(6 ohm) Original Tuff Ones Chassis with a JL body atop it, while the Stude is another old JL body, but on top of a brand new AW Ultra G chassis, with the only mods being the custom rear slicks, and the wheelie bar. PS- The Willys has a wheelie bar too !

Rudy pulls a Holeshot on Big John !








I couldn't believe my eyes, run after run, the Stude kept beating the Willys. And don't think it won because of the Neo Traction magnet, coz it didn't help at all- with those tall rear slicks, which raised the rear high enough to negate all magnetic assistance from the traction magnet.

Conclusion... I'm Agast ! I have raced this Willys against many- many cars, and many were Ultra G AW T-Jets, but the Willys Always beat 'em ! But it's now lost it's Throne, The Rude Stude is now King !
BTW- I just received this AW Ultra G chassis today from Bud's HO, and I never even took the Top Plate OFF ! I just ran it a few laps on my oval, and noted the Traction magnet wasn't doing a good job keep it on track in the corners, and it wiped out alot ! I also noted it was FAST ! Soooo.... On with the Custom Made Sili Slicks, and on with a Wheelie bar, and the REST is now History !


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## XracerHO

All the cars & background look great! :thumbsup: You, sure are having funny cruising & racing. ..RL


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## bobhch

Ralph,

Your #30 PINTO looks like a super cool race car man!!

Love it....and all your other pics too.

Bob...dRAg On...zilla


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## Hilltop Raceway

Likin' the drag/line up staging pics!!! RM


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Preparing for our Festivus Feast*

Or.... the alternate title : Speedy Pit Pig goes to a Better Place....
(The Following Pix were taken on Sunday- Dec. 22)









Photo #1> Oh shoot, I stepped in Speedy Pit Pigs CRAP again ! This Shop mascot has now out lived his usefulness as a Guard Dog- err Pig !









Photo #2> Here lil Piggie-Piggie, Daddies got a nice .45 Cal slug for you !









Photo #3> YEP- He's DEAD ! Maybe didn't NEED to use a .45- but he went down before he knew what hit him !









Photo #4> We spared ya the Gory stuff, figured the ladies wouldn't want to see that. Anyway, we invited the friends over for the Roast, and since the weather was so nice, some even came by bike !









Photo #5> Mmmmm....Speedy smells alot better NOW, than he did in LIFE ! Even "Noser" our NEW Guard DOG thinks speedy smells good :thumbsup:


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## vickers83

ROFLMAO! Ralph. :wave:


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## slotcarman12078

I thought I smelled bacon!!! Poor Speedy! I bet he was delicious!! :lol:


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## Jisp

I'm on my way Ralph.... just picking up the salads and apple sauce. See ya soon!


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Pork & Applesauce*



Jisp said:


> I'm on my way Ralph.... just picking up the salads and apple sauce. See ya soon!


 Oh Michael, you just made me smile  and brought back fond memories, ie- as Only a British descendant would know the relationship of Pork and Apple Sauce. And I'm only a 3rd Gen American, having my Forefathers come from Great Britain. And yes, my family always served Apple Sauce with their Pork Dinners. And when I moved to Pennsylvania, and had Lady friends over, and served them Roast Pork or Pork Chops with Apple Sauce- they looked at me really strangely and I had to explain....FYI- most Rural Pennsylvanian's are of German descent.

PS: Yes I can Cook- I've been a Bachelor for 55 years !


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## bobhch

Ralph,

Speedy Pit Pig goes to a Better Place....
hahahahaahha I love a good Slot Car BBQ. 

Moments like this it is almost like reading a book here on HT.

Bob...Pass me some Corn on the Cob please...zilla


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## TeamMadMarsupial

Hey RIII, thanks for keeping the REAL MEANING of our little hobby front and center.

I think once and awhile, we need to be reminded that this should be about having fun, lest we forget that in the end, we are all still kids (most of us taking up a lot more space than we used to), and these are still toys ( that don't cost $4.00 or less anymore)!


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## Ralphthe3rd

TeamMadMarsupial said:


> Hey RIII, thanks for keeping the REAL MEANING of our little hobby front and center.
> 
> I think once and awhile, we need to be reminded that this should be about having fun, lest we forget that in the end, we are all still kids (most of us taking up a lot more space than we used to), and these are still toys ( that don't cost $4.00 or less anymore)!


I detect Sarcasm in your post, am I wrong ? The real meaning of of our little Hobby, to me, is Modeling Real life activities. Which my last series of photos was all about. It actually took me a little time to create that diorama series of photos, and careful photography to try and blend Two different scales to look like one. I also did a bit of hand crafting when I modeled one figure and two of the pigs seen in the photos.
BTW- I'm a Former(no so hard core) Biker, and I've been to many a Pig Roast, where celebration with friends and consumption of Food and Beverages was the Theme of the Party. And that's how my little vignette portrayed my Festivus Feast.


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## TeamMadMarsupial

Sorry if it came across that way RIII, but no sarcassim intended. My first point was simply that our hobby should be about something that brings us joy, meaning we have fun.

Point two was that I think some on HT and other sites forget that. 

Your work, enthusiam and attention to detail helps to get the rest of us to focus on what probably brought us into slots in the first place.


I enjoy opening your posts to see what you have created and the narrative that goes along with them.

So once again, no hidden meaning in my post, just admiration for your creativity and thanks for reminding me that once in awhile I should stop obsessing about the thousands of Modifieds I have not yet built and enjoy the fruits of my labor while I still can.


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Jeff*

Whew ! Thanks for the explanation Jeff, you had me worried in your previous post, that you were perturbed with me also.
Yes, I enjoy the Hobby and Modeling creativity very much. And I love looking through various bits and pieces in everyday life and in stores, and seeing what might be used as Fodder for some scene I'd like to create on my Layout or Diorama.
Funny thing, for a while now, I had the idea for Speedy's demise, but couldn't find 1/64 scale piggies to work with, sooo... I actually went with 1/24 scale and tried to blend the same type Vehicle and characters in the different shots. Although it came out ok, I didn't like how my lighting repositioning changed the color of the various photos even using the same scenery as background. Oh well, I shouldn't be so Fussy 
Anyway, thank you for clarification, and conveying that you liked my work, as that's the kinda thing I like to hear....especially lately.
BTW- I have built about 5 cars in the past couple of months that I haven't photographed specifically, as I thought they looked too mundane to share. But I've been busy building and tuning....some T-Jets, some A/FX.


TeamMadMarsupial said:


> Sorry if it came across that way RIII, but no sarcassim intended. My first point was simply that our hobby should be about something that brings us joy, meaning we have fun.
> 
> Point two was that I think some on HT and other sites forget that.
> 
> Your work, enthusiam and attention to detail helps to get the rest of us to focus on what probably brought us into slots in the first place.
> 
> 
> I enjoy opening your posts to see what you have created and the narrative that goes along with them.
> 
> So once again, no hidden meaning in my post, just admiration for your creativity and thanks for reminding me that once in awhile I should stop obsessing about the thousands of Modifieds I have not yet built and enjoy the fruits of my labor while I still can.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Basic Black*

Here's pair of Black Bombers I've been Tinkering with in the past month or so. The Bodies are left stock, the El Camino is not Aurora, but is NOT Resin, it's Black plastic molded exactly to the Same specs as the Aurora. The '66 Ford Fairlane was a Johnny Lightning Pull-Back body I got a few years ago. I have to tell ya, I HATE Black CARS, so that's why the Ford sat so long. Only mods to the Ford body are it's been slightly lowered and few decals added. But the Real work on these cars is in the Chassis, both are Pretty Hopped up, but are using Skinny wheels, and I don't have many Skinny Tire T-Jets that are Hopped up. But with the Right Silicone tires, these babies Hook up just about as good as Tuffies with Wider Rubber. PS- the Studebaker Station Wagon is 50 year old diecast Matchbox and so is the Trailer, which started life as a Caravan Camper Trailer.


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## slotcarman12078

That El Camino is black molded plastic??? Could it be a Nurora? Phil at RRR is the only one that I know of that has had black El Camino bodies in that color. All the pre-RRR Nurora stuff is painted that I know of. Anyone know differently?


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Joe, the El Camino is a mystery to me too ! I got the Body from Greg W., it looks like it never had Glass or Bumpers ever installed. Greg lowered it by cutting the posts a bit and and shaving the inside of the wheelwells. I did a little Black Goop filling in the divit where the Surfboard hole should be. Who knows, maybe this is an Ultra-Rare Aurora Test Shot Body !?


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*The Tale of TWO Ferrari....*

Ok, nothing really Special to look at and drool over, but there IS a story behind these two A/FX Ferrari. Ya see, I recently pieced them together from the Spare Parts bin, ie- I had the bodies(which needed parts), I had Bare A/FX non MT Chassis, and I sorta had all the various parts needed to build these two into running order, if not to OEM Specs. To Start, I needed to add Glass and a Faux rear motor to the bodies(done), then I had some parts that didn't quite belong on an A/FX chassis- but would fit. I installed a Blue(6.5ohm) Drag armature, from an Early Specialty(4 gear) chassis, to a MagnaTraction top plate, and used a pair of standard (but strong) A/FX magnets, and buttoned the #6 Ferrari up. The other Ferrari #2 had a nice (6ohm)Mean Green Arm on a standard A/FX Top plate, BUT, I added Super II Magnets, AND, a Super II 19t Crown Gear.
The results worked well, but gave each of the Ferrari Different personalities. EG- on my Dragstrip the #2 Ferrari Jumps ahead with a Hole-Shot, but kinda tops out at about 3/4 Track. Where as the #6 Ferrari Steadily builds up speed right behind the #2 and over takes her on the Top end and is still Pulling hard thru the traps. Now on a Road course, the #2 is king, as I don't have a really long straight section to top out on, and the #6 actually appears slower on the road course, as it feels like it's geared Too tall, and I don't have long enough straightaways to allow her to stretch her legs.
Anyway, without further ado , here they are, not much to look at- unless I lift the hoods


----------



## slotcarman12078

Cool builds Ralph! I've never been much on GT stuff, but #2 looks funky cool with the tie dye back tires. Are those Bearsox creations?


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

slotcarman12078 said:


> Cool builds Ralph! I've never been much on GT stuff, but #2 looks funky cool with the tie dye back tires. Are those Bearsox creations?


 Yeah Joe, I've never been fond of GT racers either, tho when I was a kid I thought they were cool. But they, and the Indy and GP/F1 cars are waay beyond my 1:1 understanding, and I've never seen them race, so I just can't relate to them much.
As for those Purple/white tires, they maybe Bearsox/Ballsout tires, I dunno, coz they came on a used car I bought in an auction. They were new then, and stick really good.... but I personally don't like the colors, and kept swapping them from car to car until they looked the least offensive on THIS Car- lol :lol:
BTW- I may swap out the chassis with the Blue Drag arm, into a Car Body more Suited to Drag Racing, as that's where that motor sings.


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Dirt Scraper....*

The Yellow '67/'68 Camaro "01" is slammed as LOW as the Dirt will allow. She's presently mounted on an X-Traction chassis WITH The Basket Handles, but will soon be swapped over to an original Aurora A/FX non MT Chassis. The resin body came from my buddy Greg W., and was originally a RoadRaceReplica's T-Jet Fairgrounds Body I believe, that was radically Altered ! I really haven't done much to the body, except repair some cracks and a windshield A pillar. I parked the 01 next to a Model Motoring(II) Camaro, to show the differences in height. PS- the lettering also came with the body, and I will probably add some contingency sponsor decals as well.


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## XracerHO

R3, you have been busy & All the builds look Great! Always enjoy your storylines. ..RL


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## Hilltop Raceway

Like them Camaro's, dirt and street!!! RM


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Special Notice > I've just been looking threw some of my earlier pages again, and noted that alot of the pix are no longer showing-AGAIN !  It appears that my photo image host(Facebook) has AGAIN Started changing the image URL's -and hense the lack of pix showing up here. Sorry guys, but I'm not going to go back and FIX PIX AGAIN ! Enjoy whats still here, and if you remember the old stuff- that's it....unless you befriend me on FaceBook or are a member of one of my Groups there.


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## TeamMadMarsupial

Not by any means a Camaro fan, but that low slung Yellow piece is lookin mighty fine!


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## Ralphthe3rd

Thanks Jeff, and it handles mighty fine too :thumbsup:
PS- and it's No stranger to Racing, it had been raced up and down the east coast for several years, but was eventually retired, and then given to me in a battered and broken state, I then restored it to the condition you see


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## joegri

r3 i,m likin the rrr camaro. i have 2 of the rrr type (older brother) style but they have a tall rear spoiler on the rear deck. after seeing yours i,m gonna have to cut it down or off altogether and add some fender flares too. thanx for the idea for a body that has been sitting in a box for a long while. ya can,t go wrong with the yellow n blue paint combo! nice looker man:thumbsup:


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## Jisp

Ralph, plenty going on around the track and garage which is always nice to see. Thank you.

Oh, hey how is Noser the dog settling in? I trust you are keeping up with regular flea and worming treatment?

Cheers,
Michael. :thumbsup:


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## Ralphthe3rd

Joegri, thanks man, I'm glad the Camaro has inspired you- to get back after yours 

Michael, I'm glad you enjoyed my pix and builds. And "Noser" is settling in just fine, and has had all his shots and treatments. Only complaint is, he barks alot, but isn't that what a Guard Dog is for !?


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## Ralphthe3rd

*No lack of Customers....*

Back at the Shop, we were just finishing up on a couple of Motor rebuilds on a '66 Fairlane and a '57 Chevy....

















....and a guy dropped by with his '76 Grand Torino, who was interested in getting some work done as well.


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## joegri

hey r3 hope ya don,t mind but i wanted to show you the circle trak camaro that i hope will come out close to yours. it,s that wing that does,nt look right? and some flares (that i done before). i,ve got a quick magnatrak that will fit nice under. gettin ready for a saturday nite rumble!


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## Ralphthe3rd

Joegri, yeah, that looks like the same Camaro before the cutting on mine. And if you don't like the spoiler, just Chop it down 







:thumbsup:


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## Ralphthe3rd

*'41 Willys and '59 'Vette*

Just a couple of Neet Streeters we've been working on at the Shop.... FYI, the JL Willys Body came from my buddy Jim Hoar last year, and it's original Aurora Tuff Ones chassis came in Kit Form(LOL) from my other buddy Greg W.
The '59 'Vette Was a Chrome plated JL Pullback, that I got over a year ago from a friend(Dan Walsh) who has since passed away 
The 'Vette was also a Coupe, that I removed the roof, and also Stripped the chrome from, it will be Repainted.








BTW- these old JL Vettes were copies of Vibrator bodies, and just WON'T bolt onto a T-Jet Chassis, they sit really high, and also have Mega clearance issues at the front of the Pick-ups. But this can be over come...look back in this thread to see my PINK '59 'Vette Conversion.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Project Cars....*

Project Cars. The '59 JL Pullback Corvette is an on-going project to convert to T-Jet powered and not look like a 4x4 (it's 3/4 finished). The '63 Galaxie is a recent Barn Find that arrived today !...looks like it was a Race Car  at one time. It will be restored to almost factory condition...I hope :thumbsup:









The Galaxie Just Arrived, didn't even knock the Cobwebs off yet !








The 'Vette just came out of the Paint booth yesterday, but still haven't decided what color to paint the coves(I was thinking Gold?), and haven't decided what interior color yet (any suggestions?).








The 'Vette NEEDS the Chrome Trim Re-applied as well.








The '63 Ford will get restored(hopefully) to stock condition, and lose it's racing heritage. Will be used for Parade Laps only after it's done.


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## chappy2

The Galaxie is one of my favorite T-jet models. Looking forward to watching its progress!


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## vickers83

The vette looks good R3! I hope your white goop jar is full! Lookin forward to seein the Galaxy when its done! :thumbsup:


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## Ralphthe3rd

Thanks Guys  And my White Goop jar is full :thumbsup: , and I've already begun the slow tedious task, of building up the rear wheel wells on the Galaxie, Free Form Style...It's harder this way, but I have no choice, and have done it several times before on other cars with very good results.
Speaking of the Galaxie, The seller said it didn't run, but it does NOW, it was just really dirty under the hood. And nothing needed replaced, except for the rear tires. But there was one BIG Surprise, and that was...a Very different Armature, that I never saw before. I dunno if the top plate actually went with the Solid Rivet Chassis, and probably didn't. The Top plate was marked with a Pat. # so it may have been later than the rest of the car. BUT, getting back to the Arm, it was almost an X-Mas tree style, but had two Red Windings and one Green, and Get This, the Lam Tips were light GREEN  ! And I think the tips are the same color as on Mean Green arms ? Here's another surprise , when I Ohm'd the poles, all Three came up as a straight 8 Ohm ! And btw, the brushes were the Factory Silver type, like the Wild Ones etc used. Performance wise, it runs just a little better than an average 16 ohm T-Jet, but after a few laps, it runs kinda HOT  I tried swapping in stronger magnets (it had very weak- Black/Black) and also swapped in Wizzard Brushes, but there was No dif in performance or running temps after the swap. ***Does anyone have any ideas why it runs Hot ? FYI- everything in the drive train spins freely, and the car coasts very well.


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## Ralphthe3rd

*....back at the Shop*

Work Progressing slowly on the Galaxie (Body off frame) Resto. The rear quarters are still being filled in with (Goop)welding, before the grinding begins. The Corvette is almost finished, with Chrome trim added and interior done. And the Old Cheetah is having some work done as well, keeping the boys busy this winter


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## Greg W

Hey Ralph, keep going with the goop all the way down, than it will look like skirts.


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## vickers83

Lookin good R3! That Galaxie is comin along nicely! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Ralphthe3rd

*HO Scale Motorcycles....*

From the FWIW dept., a Friend on Facebook, wanted to see my collection of HO Motorcycles, especially the Micro Machine bikes from Galoob. Well.....








The Eight bikes in the Foreground are the original Micro Machines, that I bought when they first came out around 25 years ago. The Red Harley Dresser is missing the Black Leather-clad sitting rider, seen elsewhere in this thread sitting on the XR750. All the other bikes seen in these pix are Hallmark Mini Harley X-mas Ornaments....And Bert also wanted to see my layout, well, here's a portion of it....









PS- The Micro Machines came in sets of Four, and only Two sets were ever made(to the best of my knowledge). Note- that one set of Four came with riders and look to be about 1/72 scale. While the other set of four(closer to camera) were rider-less, and appear to be around 1/64 scale.


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## slotcarman12078

Those with riders are cool! Perfect fit for T Jet scenery! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Hilltop Raceway

Bikefest 2014!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup: RM


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## vickers83

Are y`all heading down to Daytona for bike week?


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## XracerHO

Corvette looks good & Galaxie is coming along well. Great collection of bikes! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: ..RL


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## bobhch

Great shot of you grandstands and all those motorcycles!!

The detail of the rocks supporting the grandstands and the white 
retaining wall with your track down lower looks just a real 1/1 dirt
track. Looks like lots of fun in Ralphthe3rd Land!! :hat:

Bob...These pictures are very inspiring...zilla


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## Ralphthe3rd

*new cars...*

Ok, it's been awhile since I posted anything of my own, so here's a few additions to my stable. First off, the Red '71 Corvette(AW Body) is sitting atop my New T-Dash chassis, this chassis is still being sorted out. The old Tyco '40 coupe just came to me from my friend Brad, who is getting out of HO Slotcars, and sent me 4 of his. FYI-the(Glow in the Dark)body already had the fenders removed, I just modded the grill & nose, and added a Faux motor(to fill in the empty space somewhat) and some numbers. This car runs on a Tyco 440minus2 (No-Mag)wide pan chassis, yes, I removed the traction magnets for my Tyco 440 Class. The Pinto is a Resin body copied from an old Ideal TCR Modified body, it rides atop a Tyco 440minus2 (No-Mag)Narrow chassis, and yes, I painted this one. The two Tycos ain't pretty, but they are fun to drive without Traction magnets


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## 65 COMET

love the dirt track look . The pinto is cool .


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Oldies but Goodies...*

Although I'm just turning 56 years old, I was raised by older parents who were both born in 1919. Anyway, they saw just about all the cars from the very beginning of the auto industry, and this is my tribute collection to them... which I'm sure they had fond memories of- back in the day.
And I like Antique cars too, besides Customs and Race Cars, and these are some of my faves in 1/64 scale. The two Red (top up)Roadsters and Vicky are old Tycos, and the Black 5 window in AFX Specialty. And believe it or not , they're all pretty good runners too.


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## 60chevyjim

nice bunch of old fords. I was born in 56 , and I have a 56 belair coupe im rebuilding . this is the before picture.


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## bobhch

Nice tribute to your parents Ralphthe3rd. Old is Cool. Old = 

Oh and nice Chevy jim. 56 belair =  too

Bob......zilla


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## Ralphthe3rd

*'70 Olds 442*

Finished up a fairly Simple Street/Strip Build for a customer today. What was different about it was, the chassis was built around the body, which was slightly different. The Body itself was a very nice Resin Cast '70 Olds 442 that was a little on the small side, more like the Scale that MEV uses, and was *marked as HO Detroit on the underside of the hood. Anyway, although the body "looked" nice, it had several issues when trying to fit it to a T-Jet Chassis. First off, the front screw post was molded a millimeter or two too far rearward and wouldn't allow the body to even sit on the chassis. Secondly, the front wheelwells did NOT line up with either the SWB or LWB positions of the standard T-Jet Chassis, but instead, the Truck axle location lined up perfectly. Soooo... some body work on the underside was in order.And thirdly, if I was going to use the Truck hole for the axle, it would sit really low in the front, BUT need Tall front tires, and when using tall fronts, the tire would contact the underside of the hood area and that would need ground out and clearanced for the tires. Anyway, all that work was performed and the body finally fit the chassis. As for the chassis, it was NOS and we used a 6 ohm mean green arm with Wizzard brushes, and a standard 9t cluster gear, we used a lightened Brass Idler gear, and DASH Pick-up shoes with AFX PU springs. We used a shorter guide pin that had the hole countersunk/beveled and a tapered flathead screw was used to give clearance for the low front end. And here is the results. I might also add this Build runs really good, and handles the curves alot better than I expected -given the narrow front axle used.


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## vickers83

Nice job R3! Liken the rake on that olds! Only problem I see is that the driver will get a lot of bugs in his teeth with no winders!


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## Hilltop Raceway

That's another one of those cool cars GM was adding the rear slant to, during that time period...You could put a lot of meat under those rear wells...RM


----------



## Jisp

vickers83 said:


> ... Liken the rake on that olds!...


How do you do it Ralph! Every time I swing past LBR you have something sweet going on. Importantly, you always catch the main photo subject perfectly while the background world goes about it's business. Keep it coming mate.....

Cheers,
Michael. :thumbsup:


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## slotcarman12078

Sweet looking 442 Ralph! I would suggest contacting MEV for the glass. His may not be a perfect fit, but a little sectioning of his might fill the front and rear fairly well. 

Good job working with the wheelbase as it is. I do the same with some of my customs. The Dash VW bus and Falcon I find line up best with the truck hole axle location. Ski shoes and AFX springs keep the wheels on the track and the wheels centered in the wheel wells.


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## Ralphthe3rd

Thanks Guys 
And Joe D., I'll pass on that window info to the Car owner.... who was complaining about Bugs in his teeth- Vickers


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## slotcarman12078

MEV is pretty decent about selling just glass. The price ain't too bad either. Not more than a few bucks last time I bought one. It might need to be sectioned to fit. A Dash 442 glass insert might work too with some trimming if you (or vickers) can find one. TomHOcars might have a loose one at the bottom of a tote.


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## Hittman101

Wow I like that keep them coming.


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## bobhch

Gotta love the low in the front and jacked up in the rear 70s stance!!


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## Ralphthe3rd

*'63 Galaxie....conclusion.*

Not my best work, then again, it wasn't for a paying customer, it was for myself. And I'd also like to preface this by saying, that White is the hardest of ALL the T-Jet colors to Blend-In "goop" repaired bodywork. Also, the '63 Galaxie Rear wheelwells are one of the toughest to Free Sculpt repair, as they should be "Donor" panel grafted instead, just like a a 1:1 car. Btw- you'll also note I left off the lip that is supposed to on the top edge of the well. Anyway, I'm sad to say, that after repairing wells on 3 of my own white cars for practice, I will now refuse repair work on any customers White t-Jet.




























But....not bad for a $10 T-Jet


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## 60chevyjim

that turned out really good. there are so many different shades of white, even on full size cars.
ralph what I did on a turquoise cougar that I put a close color turquoise window post in made from a scrap of plastic from another tjet body .

after I had the post repair done . I used some testors on the inside of the roof to make a
puddle of finish color coat to put over the repaired area to make the color match , it turned out pretty good for color match . ps your olds 442 window is on the way.


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## slotcarman12078

Don't be so hard on yourself!! That's a drastic improvement!! I think ^0 Chevyjim is right about the puddling on the inside to get a better color match. You're 99% of the way there. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## bobhch

I like it as it looks fine to me and will run just fine around the track in full FUN form!!

Bob...don't give me no lip son...zilla


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## XracerHO

Turned out well, good save & you fixed the chrome piece! Good work on the Olds & previous cars too. ..RL


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## Hilltop Raceway

Ralphthe3rd said:


> But....not bad for a $10 T-Jet


Not bad at all...!!! RM


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## slotcarman12078

Better than I could ever do! Nice job Ralph!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Ralphthe3rd

*We....Are....the Champions, Of the World !*

Here is a Sneak Peak of an upcoming Drag Car build of a local 1:1 Drag Racer. This resin Body comes from an *unknown Maker, but it roughly replicates the Studebaker Champion Drag Car (Full Metal Jacket) seen in the 4th & 5th photos...














































PS- thank you Jim for the Stude :thumbsup: (*who WAS the Resin Caster)
....and the Glass ALMOST fit right in


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## 60chevyjim

glad you like the stude ralpf . 
I made a deal with dave rock to use the original to make a mold of it.
I made some for him so I could make some for me and to sell some too.
I have been making that body for over 6 or 7 years now.
if you see some one from pa selling them
he copied them from the one he bought from me .

that black starlite coupe drag car is awesome .
I allways wanted a real bullet nose starlite coupe like that , to drive on the street.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Yes Jim, I love the lil Stude.... which I should have ID'd as a Starlite Coupe instead of just calling it a Champion. BTW, I noted the Resin was STILL VERY SOFT in the body, and I distorted the body more than once while trimming it, but I bent it back into shape. I sure hope the resin eventually hardens though ?
Coz I don't want the Car all Twisted up like this ....









PS- doesn't Randy Campbell's FMJ '50 Stude look like it's smiling in this pic >


----------



## 60chevyjim

that one was a blem , I don't think it will ever get hard it is over a year old .
I seen it when I was looking for the 442. the black stude dose look happy.
the wrap around rear window reminds me of a old airplane and the upper does grill too.
I cant wait to see the resin one black , hopefully whoever made the decals for your green 40 chevy can make the stude decals.


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## Illinislotfan

Ralph,
Regarding repairing the white cars, have you ever tried soaking in peroxide? It might help with the color differences you are seeing. 
Joe


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Ummmm... SOLD....But I'd never want it!*

Oh Geez, now THIS 1:1 Studebaker Starlight Coups is just WRONG ! I just HATE what they do in Drag Racing today -with the old Cars.... 




























Up for sale is this beautiful highly modified 1950 Studebaker Starlight Coupe. There has been no corners cut in this build. If you want something different to put in your collection, win on a show car circuit or if you wanted to dial it in and take it to the track and lay down some numbers this is the car.
The chassis was built by Master Street Engineering in Warren, Ohio. The chassis was certified in 2009 for 7.50, 4 link rear, coil over shocks & Strange brakes all the way around. Rear tires are DOT Hoosier 35x22.5x16 on Weld 2.0 rims.
The Rearend is the Strange Ultra Pro, 41 spline axles, spool pro gear.. Everything you would expect in a 2000 HP vehicle. As is the transmission & converter, built by Abruzzi www.abruzziracing.com/ and is pretty much built to a Pro Mod style Turbo 400 specs.
Now the fun part! The motor is a 540 inch BBC that made 1790 HP on the dyno with no intercooler (there is one on the car). The foundation is a Dart block with billet splayed main caps, 18 head studs, Dart 355 heads, BRC crank, Oliver Rods, 904 lifter bores, CFM Performance carb http://cfmperfcarbs.com/Products.html , and topping it all off is a Procharger F3R making 32 pounds of boost at 7000 RPM. The motor can be seen here on the dyno: 



If you are serious please feel free to call Anton (330) 741- 0262

More pics can be seen at:
http://dustmanart.smugmug.com/Featu...udebaker/10943925_7dLMPm#!i=764590124&k=phetD
Thank you!
SOLD

$95000


----------



## TeamMadMarsupial

OK, I know I've built up a few, shall we say unique, builds but I gotta cry foul on this one! Now don't get me wrong, I'm a Studebaker fan, but.... This car is beautiful, right to the back of the doors. At that point I believe it needs a little work with a sawz-all! JMO, but from the doors back, well I guess I'm just not getting it???

All the same RIII, it's an interesting piece. I'd like to show it to my buddy. He is a Studebaker collector, has a half dozen or so, but I don't want to upset him!


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Rockin-it Old S'cool*

The boys finished up an old Tuff Ones Chappy today. Did a stem to stern overhaul, replaced a worn out arm with a NOS 6ohm Mean Green, swapped magnets over to NOS Super II's, changed the gearing from a 14T cluster gear to the standard 9T & swapped in a new Crown, added Wizzard brushes, popped some PVT silicones on front and rear, and added a Vintage AJ's Brass pan for better handling with the same look/ride height as the OEM Tuffy had. She handles really well, and scoots faster than a Fray car which is limited to a 16ohm arm.


----------



## slotcarman12078

Nice job! That Chappy cleaned up nice!! I bet she's a dream to drive! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


P.S. The dude with the blue shirt looks like my neighbor... The one who's wife won't let him drink in the house, so he has to keep his beer hidden in an empty garbage can behind the house! :lol:


----------



## Jisp

Beer hidden in a garbage can! LMAO..... how tragic is that! He needs to cut free of his "ball & chain".

Ralph, lovin' the brass addition to the Chappy.

Cheers,
Michael.


----------



## chappy2

Awesome Ralph, Anything Brass makes for a cool ride, especially those AJ pans! Nice body choice too!

Chappy


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Thanks for the comments guys  And Chappy, I got a few MORE Brass pans too, and one is a homemade copy of the AJ's that I finished, it's actually seen laying Flat on the floor in the 2nd pic ! :thumbsup:


----------



## chappy2

Cool Ralph, you will have to shoot a pic of your homemade pan! I would like to see it, for sure.

Chappy


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Okay Rob/Chappy, here is a better pic of the brass pan. FYI- the homemade brass pan I just finished, is one that someone else started and gave up on. If you see boo-boos...it wasn't my mistakes. Also, the Resin Late model is a car I've just started working on, the body fits either T-Jet or Magna Traction/X-Traction chassis.








BTW- I did at least 50% of the final finish work to this brass pan, using justa drill and hand files. The originator first butchered the brass with a Dremel, and some of the really bad mistakes I filled in with Solder. I know now, that I can totally make a better copy from scratch myself with just those simple hand tools.


----------



## bobhch

Ralph,

Have fun racing your Brass off...Yeah!

Your Studebaker body might harden up with a paint job.
The paint could /might actualy firm things up...well maybe?
A few dips in Future Clear Coat might help as well?

I've built a couple of these Late model cars. They were
both a blast to build.

Bob...LMAO about the beer in the garbage can...zilla


----------



## chappy2

Thank you for the pic Ralph, looks good and fun to drive too. It is amazing what can be done with a file. I try to start with the least aggressive tool and work my way toward somthing with horsepower. You can remove a lot of brass in a short time especially if you have a defined scribe line to work toward. The late mod is cool as well.

Rob


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Homemade Brass pan (AJ's Copy)*



chappy2 said:


> Thank you for the pic Ralph, looks good and fun to drive too. It is amazing what can be done with a file. I try to start with the least aggressive tool and work my way toward somthing with horsepower. You can remove a lot of brass in a short time especially if you have a defined scribe line to work toward. The late mod is cool as well.
> 
> Rob


 Rob, the homemade brass pan(previously seen with the Late Model) is in the middle of the pic, was the one I acquired that was started and not finished >


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## SlickRick

Dang Ralph! That pan was rough before you got to it LOL. Looks damn good now though!
I got one of those bass Aj's pans the other day, I'm running a mean green, super 2 mags and 9t in mine too. I got some Aj's aluminum rims on the rear with AFX steelies in the front, and I gotta agree with you, it handles alot better than I thought it was gonna lol. Anyways, here's a pic of mine, Hope you dont mind that I post this....


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## Ralphthe3rd

Hey Rick, it's Cool.... I love seeing the old School Speed Parts being used again, and that "Bug" looks ready for some action too :thumbsup:
Thanks for sharing


----------



## hartracerman

*Brass pan*

What guage or thickness is it?


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Brass thickness*



hartracerman said:


> What guage or thickness is it?


FYI, I just Mic'd a few of my Brass Pans, and they range from .025" - .027"


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## Ralphthe3rd

*A "Pair" the Drag Fans will Never forget*

A Couple for the Archives.... some lost/rare pix from the early '70s  of Jungle Jim and Jungle Pam doin' their thing at L.O.G. Speedway Park. :thumbsup:









JJ & Pam( the back-up girl) returning to the staging line, after his burnout. (BTW- it say "1971 Champion" on that black Hauler  )


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## XracerHO

Think JJ was not easily forgotten due to Pam! Great drag setup & like the Cuda racer, Ralph. Wish AW had stretched the Camaro body to match the real Jungle Jim car! ..RL


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Memories....*

(Off and ON Topic)....My Uncle Arthur Died yesterday(he was 84).
I'd like to relate a story to you, about an old fond memory of my Cousins(Uncle Arts kids). Uncle Art & Aunt Carolyn(his first wife) had four kids: Ray, Cliff, Cathy and Allison. Ali was a year younger than me, Cathy a year older, Cliff a year older than her, and Ray was a year older than Cliff. The Rosson clan was mainly in Connecticut, as that's where they settled after they immigrated from England in the 1870's. We always visited my Grand parents, and other relatives, every major Holiday, and especially Christmas. Of course as a kid, X-Mas was my Favorite Holiday, because of the gifts, and getting to see my Cousins, which I only saw a few times a year(FYI- I grew up in N.J.). Anyway, one X-mas in the early 1960's- probably around '64 ? We stopped over my Uncle's house in Bethany Ct, and I went looking for my older Boy cousins- Ray and Cliff. I was told they were in their bedroom playing. When I entered their room, I found them sitting on the floor racing these tiny little cars, on this black track, with a slot down each lane, and it was all set-up as a very large road course. THIS, was my first sight of Aurora Model Motoring H.O. Slot Cars ! Suffice to say, I spent the next hour or so, racing Slot Cars for the very first time....and from that moment, the first seed was planted. So here I am, 50 years later, playing with Aurora H.O. slotcars, many of which are 50 years old. And for those who don't know my current hobby, I collect, restore and RACE these old slot Cars, as well as Newer ones. It all started back there, at Uncle Art's house....50 years ago.


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## slotcarman12078

Hmmm.. I grew up one town south of Bethany, went to the regional jr high in Bethany.... Your cousins went to school with my older brother and sister..., probably from 7th grade on. I think Bethany had it's own elementary school, but the jr and sr high schools were lumped together. Small world, yeah? lol

Pam is lookin' good!! Perky even!!


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Hmm..*

Joe, small world indeed ! BTW- my Uncle was Captain of the Bethany Fire Co for many years, and ran his own business called "Bethany Tree Service". But my uncle and Dad and Grand parents, were all from Hamden Ct. And my Dad went to High School with Ernest Borgnine !
As for me, I grew up in New Jersey...coz thats where my dad settled after graduating from Radio School- and got his first(and only) Job at Westinghouse in Newark NJ.....he met my mother in Westinghouse as well, but she was from Patterson NJ. FYI- I grew up in South Plainfield NJ.



slotcarman12078 said:


> Hmmm.. I grew up one town south of Bethany, went to the regional jr high in Bethany.... Your cousins went to school with my older brother and sister..., probably from 7th grade on. I think Bethany had it's own elementary school, but the jr and sr high schools were lumped together. Small world, yeah? lol
> 
> Pam is lookin' good!! Perky even!!


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## Ralphthe3rd

PS- yeah, Pam looks pretty good, especially considering she recently had BRAIN Surgery !


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Repair Job at the Speedy Pit Shop*

Finished up this Wild Ones Cougar over the weekend. It was in for windshield post repairs from being stepped on in it's life time. Otherwise, this body and original chassis were in pristine condition, right down to the OEM Skinny Spongee rear tires ! Luckily, the posts were just cracked, and not missing. But had to do very delicate work to restore the vent window posts which were fubar'd too !









Another easy job that was recently finished and sent out. It came in as an empty body shell, and the body needed split screw posts repaired, as well as fitting a new chassis with the proper wheels for this original Sand Van. Well, the "girls" sure look happy about the end result  









Finished up this A/FX Specialty last week, it had a missing front bumper/grill....which took me awhile to locate a nice replacement(oem- not repro). And the chassis also has a damaged crown gear, and was missing the screw that holds the tail end of the chassis together tightly. When I replaced the crown gear, I also added a shim to tighten up the mesh, so this 4 Gear would run smoothly for a long time.









And lastly, this Nomad was finished-almost, but is getting ready to be shipped out as- is. It came in missing front and rear bumpers, but I was only able to locate a suitable Front Bumper, and after a month waiting for a Rear to turn up, we decided the customer should get the car back to enjoy, while the search continues for a suitable OEM Rear bumper. Oh, and it's Magna-traction chassis was completely overhauled while it was in the shop as well, it's a real fast and smooth runner now :thumbsup:


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## slotcarman12078

Cool batch Ralph. :thumbsup::thumbsup: Pity Dash couldn't make a repop chrome plated rear bumper for the Nomad.. They always seem to be missing or worn...

P.S. I think blondie has a bladder issue! :lol:


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## XracerHO

Good looking group of cars & glad to see the Ladies helping out in the shop! Great work on the Cougar. :thumbsup: ..RL


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## win43

Ralphthe3rd said:


> Joe, small world indeed ! BTW- my Uncle was Captain of the Bethany Fire Co for many years, and ran his own business called "Bethany Tree Service". But my uncle and Dad and Grand parents, were all from Hamden Ct. And my Dad went to High School with Ernest Borgnine !
> As for me, I grew up in New Jersey...coz thats where my dad settled after graduating from Radio School- and got his first(and only) Job at Westinghouse in Newark NJ.....he met my mother in Westinghouse as well, but she was from Patterson NJ. FYI- I grew up in South Plainfield NJ.


small world and getting smaller, BUT first ... GREAT looking rides there. ..... 

I was born and raised in Elizabeth, NJ.


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Grand Am FC*

Despite my lack of posting/updates, the Shop is Still Busy. It's just sometimes the Body Repairs/Restorations requiring "Goop" take alot longer before finished. Anyway, although not a T-Jet, this latest Job being sent back to it's owner, was in for Repairing kaNoodled windshield posts, from being stepped on back in it's heyday in the 1970's. This is an original aurora Grand Am Funny car, on the 4 gear "Specialty" chassis. This car also received new tires and a simple tune-up.


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Drivers Wanted !?*

Drivers Wanted !? (Here's a Cheap Tip for making Non-authentic T-Jet Drivers) I'm starting here with some old Bachmann/Plasticville HO People, in particular- the little Fellow throwing the Football. You just need to do some 3D Cut and Paste to his arms, lose the football(in this case), and toss the lower part of his body away. See the end result driving the Green Corvette. It's not OEM, but if you have Driver-less convertibles, and just want a figure to fill the seat, Mod some Lil Plastic dudes.  PS- this little dude even looks like he's shifting gears!


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Mystery Modified ?!*

Ahhhh...I dunno about this one. ie- I received this Green modified body a few years ago in a Trade with other bodies, and this body has sat behind the shop ever since. Is it worthy of further building ? Also, a question for you all > this body has AFX standard mounts inside from the Factory, but after reviewing all the old Aurora AFX body, I note it was not one of those, and it's NOT a JL/AW body, so that leaves Tomy-AFX. With whats little left of the original body, can someone tell me what Tomy Body this originally was ? I'm assuming it was a Big Nascar, or....? Can you see enough of the roofline and rear deck spoiler to make an ID ? (I'm not a TOMY Guy, but it kinda looks like an 80's Thunderbird ?)


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## slotcarman12078

It does have a NASCAR 80's T bird look to it. I'm not a Tomy car expert, so my guess is you're close. It does look funky though!!


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## jph49

Ralph,

I'm no expert on Tomy cars either, but I have or had several Tomy Nascar bodies. As I recall, they basically made two Thunderbird bodies - an '80s model and an early 90s model. (we had to take the earlier Tbird and whittle on it and then use putty to come up with Chevy's and Pontiacs!). That green modified looks like it could have started life as a Tomy Tbird. 

No promises, but I will try to get a picture of both versions so you can see what you think.

Patrick


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Patrick, Yes, I have found out 100% thats it's the later Thunderbird that Tomy Released. The previous one, Ironically, I have a pair of in my collection, but didn't have this later body style...








I see that the prior owner/customizer had to cut out the windows on this body, as Tomy Bodies are one piece with just painted windows....


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*It's a GAS-ser !*

Oh Henry "J" ..... just finished up this "Gasser" Drag Car build for a customer. It uses the Dash Henry J body, a vintage Aurora Tuff Ones chassis, But, it uses a very Hot 3 ohm Galinko rewound Armature, Nacho Polymer magnets, slot tech brushes, and a few secret tweaks  The car is expected to run Sub-1 second runs on the scale 1/4 mile on 24volts/high amp power supply. It runs pretty dang fast on MY Dragstrip....ok, it's the fastest T-Jet that EVER has run on my Dragstrip !


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Ok, here's ONE for My Collection of Camaro's !*

FYI- I've just added the purple Model Motoring Inc '69 Z28 Ragtop, AND- I dropped the body on an actual Model Motoring Inc Thunderplus Chassis ! This chassis is original except for a pair of original Aurora Tuff Ones Magnets, as the MM Inc ones are waay too weak. BTW- the MM Armature is just over 15 ohm on all poles, and with these magnets, this double lam motor is just as fast as the New T-Dash Chassis !
PS- I have a thing for 1st gen ('67-'69 Camaro's) :thumbsup:


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## bobhch

Ralphthe3rd said:


> Drivers Wanted !?SNIP PS- this little dude even looks like he's shifting gears!


Hey Ralph III,

That Dude does look like he is shifting gears...Cool Beans!! 
Always have liked alternative drivers myself and yours looks Great.

Digging your Vrooooooooom Fast Henry J as my Bother-in-law has a Tubbed out Henry J in Yellow that moves also. Lots of fun but, I only get to sit in the passenger seat...still lots of fun.

Just checking up on Hobby Talk and noticed you are still Kicking it...Oh Yeah!

Plan on stopping by and posting up myself again soon.

Bob...Always enjoy a stop at "The Speedy Pit Shop"...zilla


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Good seeing you're still kickin' too :thumbsup: And yeah, I'll be at HT for the duration, as I have No Need to have little toy cars Lodged up my Slot ! 
Btw- thats really cool your Brother-in-law has a Henry J (Street Gasser?) ! SuWEET :thumbsup:


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Speedy Pit Shop updates...*

Ok, first off, I want to tell ya, I spent the last month or so "Goop" repairing the bodies on Two Very Rare Color/Model T-Jets. But the bad news is, I cannot show pix of them, or even describe them, as they belong to a Collector who does NOT want anyone to know these bodies were restored. I know that sounds a little unethical, but he paid me alot of money for the restorations, and promised me he would not be selling them in HIS Lifetime....
ANYWAY, now that I'm all caught up my my body work for customers, I'm gonna do a little something FOR ME ! Seen below is my '63 Thunderbird Sports Roadster in Turquoise(wish it were Gray  ) But as you can see, the rear fenderwells were neatly trimmed for larger tires, and this is were my "Goop" bodywork/restoring will focus.



















Some of my online Slot buddies, have been postin' pix of their '56 Ford Dirt Track bodies they just got. Well, I got this one a few years ago from BallsOutRacing, and mounted it, and raced it both on my Oval and on my Dragstrip. But I never finished the body/paint work. So those guys are pushing me to finish this body.... :thumbsup:


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## XracerHO

R3, Always enjoy a stop at "The Speedy Pit Shop" to view the cars! ..RL


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## vickers83

Good to see you`re keeping busy R3! Your builds are lookin just fine, as always! :thumbsup:


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## Ralphthe3rd

Thanks guys, and I always love seeing the cars being featured in you guys' Garage threads as well :thumbsup:
PS to Vickers, did you paint a Vinyl roof on that Grumpy's Toy Nova yet.... I never Knew da Grump Raced a Super Stock Nova of that vintage, until I did the web search. BTW- I'm not pickin on ya about the Nova, just wanted to inspire you to finish it up authentic like :thumbsup:


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## vickers83

Sorry R3, The Grump`s Nova got sold before it even hit the bay! (missing the vinyl roof)


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## Ralphthe3rd

*'56 Ford Fairlane...*

FYI, first off, the HO Car below is NOT mine.... But I am a HUGE Fan of the ''55-'56 Fairlanes 
And I just wanted to post pix of this wonderful Build-up of a Butch's Resin cast '56 Fairlane body....





























Oh, and btw- here is a pic of ME, @ 3 months of age, with my Mom, and OUR '56 Ford Fairlane 









Today, I'd be Happy if I owned somwthing like this...


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Hot Rod !*

An old Street & 'Strip Hot Rod is back in our shop for some work. Back Ground on this Rod is, it's a DASH HR Body painted and detailed by our shop, it's mounted on a NOS Aurora Chassis that features DASH Magnets, Wizzard E81 Brushes, and a 6ohm Mean Green Arm pushing a 14tooth drive pinion, that is meshing with an Auto World 18 tooth Crown Gear properly shimmed for a perfect mesh....that unusual combo turned out to work best with the TALL AW 4 gear wheels(which have been modded and originally came off the AW Gene Snow Dodge Charger F/C). Rear tires are Super Tires, and Fronts wheels are heavy Solid Brass- Hot Rod/ Indy size, with Lo-Pro Silicones from BallsOutRacing. The Car is in for some Custom Lettering, as this Car is headed back out to hit the Nostalgia Drag Racing circuit


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## bobhch

*Great Hot Rod...*

Ralph III,

Dude the Rear Gold Rims with the brass up front...FAR OUT!!

You had me at Red Hot Rod and then just took me further from there.

:roll:Screeeeeeeatch....Vroooooooooom, Vrooooooooooom!!

Bob...Sweet 56 fOed too...zilla


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## XracerHO

One Sweet Red Hot Rod! :thumbsup: ..RL


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## Greg W

Nice color combo, love the pipes, great job R3


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## slotcarman12078

Cool hot rod Ralph! (is that an oxymoron??? :lol: ) Nice choice for motor and pipes!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Thanks Guys  ....but I haven't even Lettered it yet


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## vickers83

The hot rod even looks fast R3! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Rant !*

Today, I have a bit of a RANT and a Warning ! And it's about Auto World Slot Cars, which IMHO, are mechanically, a pile of CRAP !
Let me explain, recently I received a customers brand NEW Chassis that was a 4 Gear from the latest Legends -Funny Car series. The customer wanted me to make this chassis as fast as possible while still using the stock armature and basic chassis, but change as many other parts, to make this chassis able to compete in a Drag Class for 4 gear Auto World cars, that his local slot car Club has. Okay, this should have been a simple Blue Print job, and tightening up the specs, and swapping out a few crappy pieces(like Axle, gears, wheels, com brushes, pick-up shoes etc) to make this chassis as smooth and friction free as possible, and with better electrical flow and less drag. First off, I tested out this stock chassis (after a break in period)on my 1/4 scale Dragstrip. And this chassis didn't run too bad at all, and was probably faster than all my stock(old) Aurora Specialty Chassis(which don't have Neo Traction magnets). Anyway, I proceeded to tear it down and start blueprinting, ie- tightening up axle and lower arm shaft holes, swapping axle and gears for aftermarket, Changing and/or modding wheels and tires, losing one of the Neo traction magnets, swapping to better comm brushes, polishing the commutator, lapping the gear train, etc. Okay, done that, and proceeded to break-in the new parts, and everything was looking good and sounding alot smoother, more like a new old stock Aurora Specialty does. Now time for some Drag strip testing, and wow, quite an improvement, and was running perfect and FAST.
Then, BAM ! Power dropped right off and that's not good, I checked the shoes and they were still clean, so I made another run, which was half the speed of the earlier runs. Something was definitely Wrong! So even before I opened her up, I could see the problem clearly thru the top and side vent ports in the top plate and chassis. What had happened was, at High Rpm, it THREW the Windings off of Two of the Three poles and broke a wire doing so on one of the poles. IE- The Arm is Now Toast ! So I have to tell my customer, the work went fine, but the motor Blew ! And who has to pay for a NEW Arm ? ...I DO !
So that's my Rant ! And my WARNING IS > When you Buy Auto World Slot Cars > CAVEAT EMPTOR !
I will replace this arm on my own dime, and not charge the customer for a new arm, and I PRAY that the NEW Auto World armature doesn't throw it's Winding too ! And btw- Don't think that it was my fault, because I created too much horsepower for the arm to handle, coz that's bullcrap, as these Four Gears are Not as Fast as AW's stock X-Traction chassis or any stock Aurora AFX MagnaTraction I own. This is just Poor quality control, as the windings weren't wound tight enough to start, and this was bound to happen sooner or later. I think on the replacement arm, I'll paint on a touch of Super Glue over the windings, just to be SAFE !


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*4 Gear F/C Update...*

ANYWAY, here's the update on the customers F/C Build. Although you really cannot see much externally, this Bounty Hunter Auto World Mustang Funny Car, is the one I was Hopping up, when the motor threw a couple of windings on the armature. It got a replacement arm, which is now lower Ohm than the original, the new one is around 16 ohms, while the one that came with the chassis was about 24 ohms on all three poles. I wrote about some of the mods before, so I won't go into them again- unless someone asks ? But without further ado, here is THE Fastest 4 Gear Chassis I've yet to build....it down right SCREAMS Now


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## slotcarman12078

24 ohms out of the box? That in itself doesn't sound right... She looks good though!


----------



## TeamMadMarsupial

Nice Mustang Ralph! Man, I gotta tell ya though
, you're starting to worry me with all this "straight-liner" stuff? Well. as long as your having fun, guess it's OK.


----------



## sidecar53

TeamMadMarsupial said:


> Nice Mustang Ralph! Man, I gotta tell ya though
> , you're starting to worry me with all this "straight-liner" stuff? Well. as long as your having fun, guess it's OK.


Sorry, guys. Not trying to hijack this thread but Jeff, please check your private messages. Sent you 1 a few days ago. Thanks


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## Ralphthe3rd

Slorcarman-Joe, yeah, when I ohm'd it I thought the same thing, but it ran alright to start. But I did note the lam tip color was different than the previous light green on most AW arms, it was sort of a ruddy brown color. I saved the Fubar'd arm, as it still runs, the bad pole shot upto 47ohm now though, and I pushed the thrown wires back down and CA'd them in place as for the broken wire(47 ohm pole), I pushed the ends as close together as possible and CA'd them in place.

I'd like to ask others with the latest AW 4 Gear chassis to check their Armatures for both the OHM readings and tip color, and please post your results. This may have been a bad batch of arms ? FYI- It came from the latest Legends Funny Car Series.


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## Ralphthe3rd

Jeff, yeah.... I've been messing alot lately with Drag stuff, both in HO and 1:1.... as my Local > Beaver Springs Dragway, has been running alot of Nostalgia Drag Cars lately, and I've been Loving it, and meeting alot of people there, who I've been getting into HO Scale Drag Racing. I still love Dirttrack, but as you know, the 1:1 stuff really isn't my style, as I'm stuck (in my mind) to the time period of the '60s and '70s.....and they don't run Nostalgia Dirt Cars like they Do Drag Cars


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Pull-Back Toy Car Conversions...*

This week, I've been working on TWO Custom Body Conversions. ie- I'm taking two Plastic Toy Car Bodies that were Pullbacks, one is a really sweet model of a '39 Chevy (Four Door) Master Deluxe sedan, and the other model was everyone's favorite Star of the Disney/Pixar CARS movies- Tow Mater  The '39 Chevy is a long body and is 1/64 scale, and luckily it's wheelbase measures out exactly for the Longest Wheelbase position on the Original Aurora Specialty(4 Gear) Chassis, and that's what I'm using. FYI- the Auto World 4 Gear chassis has basket handle body mounts, and will not for this Chevy Body unless you cut OFF the protruding tabs on the sides of their chassis.
The Tow Mater body was originally gonna have a T-Dash Chassis mounted up, but a T-Jet chassis is too short, and would have needed to use a Divorced Front Axle, so instead, I chose to mount up an old JL X-Traction Chassis, which has the correct wheelbase, and all I had to do was cut slots on the inside of the Mater body, to have it snap-on, like it came that way from the factory. Due note, that in these photos, taken at the start of the project, I have a T-Dash chassis next to Mater, but it's now riding atop of an X-Traction. BTW- both cars are now 98% complete, and I'll try and take some newer pix later tonight.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Tow Mater- 98% Finished....*

I could start to add more detailing on Mater(like I did on an unpowered model), but I'm just gonna touch up a few areas(like maybe paint the side windows?), and call him -DONE !


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## slotcarman12078

Funny, the kids got the first "Cars" movie and I thought it was going to be stupid, and ended up loving it!! And I agree, 'Mater was my favorite star of the show. Neat conversion job!!!

By the way, for those that don't know, Trader Bob Malta aka tubtrack on Ebay sells NOS Specialty chassis bases. All the AW 4 gear parts will easily transfer to the Aurora base, top plate and all, leaving you with a pretty decent running nearly NOS chassis.


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## Bubba 123

Ralphthe3rd said:


> I could start to add more detailing on Mater(like I did on an unpowered model), but I'm just gonna touch up a few areas(like maybe paint the side windows?), and call him -DONE !
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> NICE R-3!!!
> I'd go all-the-way on detailing "Mater"....
> I think it w/ be worth the time/trouble... the chassis fits so nice & wheels/tires
> make it worth the effort (IMO)...
> 
> yeah, I did a Master Deluxe Sedan 2.. & finished the little detailing it lacked...
> also used the original wheels/tires... seems 2 work good so far anyways..
> NICE JOB there 2 R-3!!! :thumbsup:
> 
> Bubba 123 :wave:


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*'39 Chevy Master Deluxe- 99% Finished....*

Ok, and here is the '39 Chevy about 99% Finished. And btw- I really like this HUGE BEHEMOTH of a Sedan  Oh, and the green Mr. Irish next to it, is a Custom '40 Chevy Coupe Gasser, that I modeled after a Real Drag Car I grew up with in my neighborhood....and it's powered by Tyco.


----------



## Bubba 123

Ralphthe3rd said:


> Ok, and here is the '39 Chevy about 99% Finished. And btw- I really like this HUGE BEHEMOTH of a Sedan  Oh, and the green Mr. Irish next to it, is a Custom '40 Chevy Coupe Gasser, that I modeled after a Real Drag Car I grew up with in my neighborhood....and it's powered by Tyco.


great job R-3!!! :thumbsup:
I left mine as stock/era.. (Gangster era) trying 2 make a set or 2 for "Gangster-War Chase Racing" of several same era MFG's...
but hey that's just "Me", LOL "inventor" of the "Pizza-Delivery-Wars" series..
ROFLMBO!!!!


Bubba 123 :thumbsup::wave:


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## Hilltop Raceway

That 39 is a cool body, the boys did a little customizing on one a while back... RM


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## slotcarman12078

Same here, but it was a Joez pick up special. You got that 39 squattin' low and mean!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Hittman101

Ralph they turned out nice.. I had fun doing mine.. I did use a 440 chassis under Mater.. I also seen some use slimline under them.. If your like me you use what you have..


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## Ralphthe3rd

*FUN with Mater !*

Conclusion: Tow Mater 2.0 >aka Fini !
(yes, there were a few changes) ie- I changed the wheels and tires, and added a bit of paint detailing, and then coated it all with clear matte finish. I may have used a bit too much Blue on the sides? But it could be sanded off. And FYI- for those who didn't know, when Mater was newer, he WAS Blue ! ...(remember when he found his hood, and in the third movie)


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## slotcarman12078

That smile cracks me up every time!! LOL I'd say you got him weathered up decent enough. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## Greg W

Tow mater came out really cool, he looks at home on the dirt track. I did not know they made a third movie.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Blue Mater and the Tokyo Drift !*

Thanks Greg  And yes, I think there was a third Movie? And Mattel/Tyco even made THREE Different CARS Movies Slot Sets. And in the Third Movie, which I haven't seen, it was set in Tokyo I believe, and Mater was rebuilt into a "Drifting" Truck with a Huge Wing on the Back, and repainted light Blue.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Here's a couple pix of the Tokyo Drift Mater, and the Mattel Slot Set from a couple years ago...


----------



## bobhch

Ralphthe3rd said:


> Conclusion: Tow Mater 2.0 >aka Fini !
> (yes, there were a few changes) ie- I changed the wheels and tires, and added a bit of paint detailing, and then coated it all with clear matte finish. I may have used a bit too much Blue on the sides? But it could be sanded off. And FYI- for those who didn't know, when Mater was newer, he WAS Blue ! ...(remember when he found his hood, and in the third movie)



Ralph-III,

Hey now this is a fun to run slot car!!:thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

That is a cool Tow Mater, cool work with the worn/used look...
I could also see someone doing some grill/frontend work for a custom non-cartoon truck...the bed reminds me of Greg's custom wrecker...RM


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## Ralphthe3rd

*TWO Mater....*

Hilltop, you mean like seen in this 2nd (static) Mater....albeit the grill is obscured by the tire bumper a bit.








....the 2nd one is just a (rubber) static model, that I was working on to make look less CARStoonish


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## Hilltop Raceway

Yea, I like it better actually. I just like more realistic looking stuff. Now I do love all the old "Cartoons" drawings...RM


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Projects underway....*

Just a small Update and Teaser, on some Project Builds the shop is working on... The Yellow Vicky is a Tyco(Blasphemy) Resin Repop Body that just came out of the paint booth with the first part of is paint job completed, it's going to be a Copy of the Old TycoPro Altered, and I have the repro decals as well. The '37 Ford is a Nu-Rora Kit body, that's mounted onto a DASH Chassis, and will be headed to the paint booth soon. The last car is a '50 Studebaker Starlight Coupe which was a resin Blem body, it's mounted onto a Souped up "Skinny Tire" Aurora T-Jet Chassis, which will also be headed to the paint booth soon as well  



















:woohoo:


----------



## slotcarman12078

I love those 37 ford kits!! Buds has a few left (minus headlight rings and mirrors) so grab 'em while there's a few left! I like painting the roof on those... I have one to do for Jerry. Masking off the back window is a pain though. That Vicky's lookin' good already!!:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Nu-Rora '37 Ford*



slotcarman12078 said:


> I love those 37 ford kits!! Buds has a few left (minus headlight rings and mirrors) so grab 'em while there's a few left! I like painting the roof on those... I have one to do for Jerry. Masking off the back window is a pain though. That Vicky's lookin' good already!!:thumbsup::thumbsup:


 Yeah Joe, I already had picked up a few of his kits when they were only $1.00 ea. NOW THEY'RE UP TO $1.99 And it looks like he's also dumping them ALL, in Large lots, all mixed up !
(BTW- Pardon these OLD Pix...Speedy Ain't back from the DEAD!  )
Joe, not only did I paint the roof on this Green '37, but also re-contoured it a bit to make it look more like a 5 window coupe Roof !


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*My FIRST Nu-Rora '37 Ford....still my Favorite*

I've noticed that a few of my early photos in this Garage thread have disappeared, due to hosting changes etc.
So here are a few old pix of my First Nu-Rora '37 Ford, from a few years ago....


----------



## XracerHO

I love those 37 Ford kits too!! Great work too, R3, like the opera windows in the top & motor change in your first! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: ..RL


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## slotcarman12078

How did I miss the 5 window coupe-ification?? Nice job!!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## pshoe64

It's been awhile since I scoped the R3 thread. Man those dirt trackers are wicked. Can't wait to see what you do with the Starlight Stude.

-Paul


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## Hilltop Raceway

Like them 37's!!! Always a crowd pleaser... Like the direction you went with the top, not much of a rag top person myself, but that's just me...RM


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Strip blazer !*

One Down, two to go !  
The guys buttoned up the '50 Studebaker Starlight Coupe, and sent her on it's way. It turned out a little better(bodywise) than I thought it would. The Body was pretty rough, and we could have done a better job, but with all the Bondo that went into that rusty old hulk of a Field find, we didn't see alot of the flaws until the color coats were applied. And the owner wasn't too picky about getting the body perfect, as it's what's under the hood that counts to him, after all- it IS a RACE CAR 
Anyway, here's some shots of the RTR Strip Blazer, which is gonna run in the D/G class :thumbsup:


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## 60chevyjim

hey ralph the police is looking for the blue Studebaker for illegal street racing , you know anything about that ? :wave:


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Street Racin ?......ahhhhhh*

Jim, Ruh Roh ! 
ahhhhh...Nope, haven't seen any Street Racin' 'round here


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## Ralphthe3rd

BTW- originally, I was gonna build THIS '50 Studebaker Gasser, which is a local car just down the road from me, but I decided I just don't like Black HO Cars....


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## XracerHO

R3, very nice Strip Blazer Studebaker Starlight Coupe! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: 










The Tijuana Taxi Corvette might be a good next project. ..RL


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## TeamMadMarsupial

Looking good Ralph...keep em coming!


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## slotcarman12078

No black ones, huh? I understand why, but I figured with the decals on the door it wouldn't be too hard to keep an eye on.  She looks good in blue just the same!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## win43

Cool Stude


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Barn FIRE !*

Waaaay OFF TOPIC, but here's pix I took last night at 10pm, of the Farm across the road from me, I live 150 yards away. No one hurt, but Dairy Barn is Gone ! No cows were in barn, just Stored Hay and Pigs... There were more Fire crews than I ever saw in my life battling it, they finally left at 3am !










































































As I send this, the Fire Crews just came rushing back, as the fire started up again in the rubble.


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## LDThomas

Ouch!


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## slotcarman12078

Glad no one (human) was hurt... I haven't seen a big fire in a while. We had an empty old warehouse burn down here a couple months ago, but I missed it. Didn't find out til the next day. Once you smell a burning building, you never forget it... I smelled it at age 4, and am instantly transported back to that evening our garage burned to the ground every time.


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## Ralphthe3rd

Well...it looks like the Boys have a bit of Work lined up for them....the severely damaged Tan '62 Galaxie body, is from an Aurora Vibrator-ie: Pre T-Jet. The body wasn't quite This bad, until, an Asteroid from the sky came down and hit it, can you imagine the chances of THAT happening !?








F.O.R.D. >Found On Roads Dead ! Not quite, but that '62 Galaxie couldn't get much worse- LOL  Lots of work for the boys this month...and ALL are Fords !









Ruh Roh ! Better Get Maaco 
Since this pic was taken a few hours ago, the two halves are already rejoined, ie- it was a clean break. I've also repaired the front screw post, and replaced the rear one, which I also lowered both, and also thinned out the underside of the interior tray, so this Vibe Body will sit lower on a T-Jet Chassis :thumbsup:


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## slotcarman12078

Make it as one again!! :lol: Nice torinos by the way!!


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## 60chevyjim

that's not a odd thing fords needing repairs LOL ...
I like the #10 ford cyclone body ...


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

I'd come nearer believing Big Foot or Bertha Butt, over the Asteroid claim...
Some cool other background stuff!!! RM


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Asteroid Impact !*



Hilltop Raceway said:


> I'd come nearer believing Big Foot or Bertha Butt, over the Asteroid claim...
> Some cool other background stuff!!! RM


 SERIOUSLY Randy ! The body was a barn find, that was hauled out and sold to me, and before it could be loaded up on a Trailer for delivery, a very round 
Asteroid came shooting thru the air and made a direct hit on the body, at least that's what the small boy said who was playing with Ball at the time


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## Greg W

Its Aurora tan plastic, if you look at it funny it will crack.


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## Ralphthe3rd

Update, the '62 Galaxie is drivable now, but has a long way to go... But the Great NEWS is, the '64 Dodge 330 Super Stocker had a very successful tail drop. ie- I lowered the ass end of the Dodge so the car sits level, not all Jacked up for Tuffy Tire Clearance as is came from the JL/AW factory. I wish I had a before pic to show you the severe rake on that body. But anyone that has owned one, knows what I'm talking about. The Car now rests on a NOS Aurora Chassis with the stock skinny wheels and DASH Silicone Skinny tires. BTW- if the owner wants the rear end to stick better with almost zero tire spin, I could have fitted this body to and AW Ultra G chassis, and just used short axles and skinny wheels/tires, and the car would have Stuck like Glue with the Neo Traction Magnet.


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## slotcarman12078

It's amazing just how much can be shaved... I find out every time I lop posts off of a light up project. Some cars can be dropped quite a bit, provided you use skinny wheels and tires. 330 looks great!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Ralphthe3rd

*'62 Country Squire*

Here's a score that I haven't actually received yet, and I bought it off a Facebook "Friend". I know it's not minty and is mounted to a T-Jet Chassis, but I LOVE IT in Every Aspect ! And I've been searching for years for an Aurora Vibe '62 Country Squire Wagon that I could "Afford", and now I have one !
BTW- I had one as a kid that I converted to a T-Jet chassis just like this, and it TOO had Cut wheelwells and Hot Rod Wheels ! I'm sooo tickled by this Wagon- you can't imagine ! :woohoo:





























....maybe, back in the day, a little boy that rode in the back of this family Wagon, had owned a Model Motoring Slot Car just like it too


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Dragon Wagon*

Off Topic, and I know this is a '60 Country Squire, but isn't this old Hubley model kit Cool !?


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## XracerHO

Nice tail drop on the Dodge & Galaxie is coming along well. The Vibe wagon reminds me of my same childhood speed modifications. ..RL


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## 60chevyjim

ralph that wagon looks cool ... I would leave all the decals asis .
over the years I have collected several of those wagons ,
most are cut , some not cut and some are resin ones too..
I allways thought it was a great looking wagon ..
same with the vibe 62 ford pickup ..
im happy with cut ones because you can race them ..


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Here's a little Teaser for ya...*

Later this month(or next month), when the NEW Dash '36 Coupe body(see 1st pic) comes out, I plan on getting a few for projects. And one of those projects will be, to roughly recreate the Custom '40 Chevy Gasser- Mr. Irish(seen in 2nd & 3rd pix) that I grew up around in my hometown neighborhood. PS- Previously I had recreated Mr. Irish in 1/64 Scale using a Tyco '40 Ford as the donor body(see 4th pic). But now, I want to do it in T-Jet> 1/76 scale.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*3D Printed Dirttrack Bodies*

 I got a bunch of Slot Stuff in the mail today :woohoo: And among other things, I got a couple of 3D Printed Dirttrack Bodies made by my friend- Craig Schmidt﻿  This is the first time I've handled a 3D Printed body, and for the life of me, I still don't understand how they are made. They are very light weight and flexible, so I don't think they will Crack easily, although because of the thinness of the shells and some of the delicate pieces like the nerf bars, I'm guessing a hard hit WILL DO Damage ?! Also of note, as many have seen, 3D Printed bodies are rough in texture, somewhat like fine grade sand paper, and will take some sanding and primering before you can lay down a finish coat of gloss. Anyway, here are some pix of the two Bodies. 
PS- Note, if you remove the front nerf bar on the Gremlin, the front screw post of the body, will screw onto an Original Aurora Specialty(4Gear) chassis very nicely, as the rear wheelwells line up, and the front axle extends out front just like the real 1:1 cars did. :thumbsup:


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## Ralphthe3rd

*My Dragin' Wagon Arrived Today Too !*

:thumbsup: AWESOME- is Best I can describe this old Warhorse, I'm totally Pleased with this Purchase 
This old Vibe Body and T-Jet Chassis have so much History from the previous Owner(s), and I uncovered alot of that history when I dismantled the chassis for cleaning and tuning. First off, I don't know alot about the old Vibe Chassis, but I hear they ran HOT !? How hot ? Well....could they have melted the inside rear interior tray(see photo) ? Anyway, that damage can only really be seen from the inside of the body, and does no harm otherwise. Now for the chassis....MY Guess is, this car hadn't be run in at LEAST 40 Years ! All the Copper/brass electricals were tarnished very dark, but otherwise in pretty good shape. I noted this is a #4 Chassis, BUT- it was NOT warped when sitting on my set-up block, and all four tires sat squarely on the ground. This chassis is a hollow rivet #4, but the top plate was a older "Pat. Pending" plate with a very nice X-Mas tree arm, that cleaned up really nice, and(jumping ahead) turned out to be the fastest running X-Tree arm I've ever run across, and the three poles measured 19ohm/19ohm/18.9ohm. The brushes were totally Toast, the worst I'd ever seen- aside from ones that melted the comm pit ! I noted the Comm & Brushes suffered from over oiling, but no damage to the comm. The magnets were very weak- Black/Black jobs, and I replaced them with a set of Aurora White/Green jobs- which are still fairly weak, but I've learned that X-Mas Arms don't really respond to very Strong Magnets. Anyway, I just cleaned and polished and tweaked a few things, and swapped to some fresh NOS*carbon brushes, buttoned her up and set her on the Track with NEW Jel Claws Hot Rod Slicks(it came delivered with old Hot Rod Spongees). I run 20v with 6amps power per lane on my layouts, and when I squeezed the trigger, this old Warhorse shot off like a Rocket ! Like I said, it's THE Fastest X-Mas Tree Arm powered T-Jet I've come across to date ! Suffice to Say, I'm totally Pleased :thumbsup:


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## Ralphthe3rd

*3D Printed Gremlin Modified*

BTW- I suggested to the 3D Printer buddy of mine, about mounting the Gremlin body on an original Aurora Specialty(4Gear) chassis, by just removing the front nerf bar, and here's a pic....looks better on the stretched Chassis- don't it 









He's now gonna redo his printing pattern slightly, to make a copy especially for the 4Gear also, and incorporate a set of headers on the sides as well :thumbsup:


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## 60chevyjim

ralph the burn on the wagon looks like someone used something like a soldering iron to make more clearance for the tjet chassis to fit .
I guess they didn't have a dremel so they used what they had. 
but they did a pretty good job cutting the wheel wells , 
compared to some hacked wheel wells I have seen on old slot cars I bought on ebay .


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## Ralphthe3rd

Jim, yeah, I think you maybe right about the owner inflicted burning for clearance back there. As it's right behind that Cargo/Box raised area, and that part would have been lower- where it might have hit the back of the top plate.


















Although the burn area IS right above the Paddle Wheel Gear on the Vibe chassis, and I dunno how Hot that gets ?


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## Ralphthe3rd

*And Early '60s Vibe*

You guys remember the basket case '62 Galaxie Vibe Body, that was missing the roof and cracked in half ?! Well...I finally got a Roof for it, the donor roof came from a Red DASH '63 Fairlane, and I kinda like the blend of Tan and Red  Anyway, I shot a few pix of it, along with my other Vibe bodies, and my NEW(to me) Esso Gas Station. And btw- the station is an OLD Plasticville "O" Gauge train set accessory, that actually is more HO Scale -except for the Gas Pumps and front *door- which I altererd with stickers from a Canadian HotWheels ESSO Station that I never had- but had the stickers for. And I also detailed inside the garage bays with the stickers as well...which can all be easily removed, if I ever decide to sell the Plasticville Gas Station in stock condition.PS- the '62 Galaxie isn't fully done yet, as I think I'll be applying some decals to it, to make it into a Race Car- either Drag or Dirttrack ?




























PS- I also note that I forgot to paint the side Chrome Trim on the '62 Galaxie Body- D'oh ! So I'll do that later when I do the decals


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## Greg W

That's a cool garage, and that Galaxie came out nice.
Old school !!!


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## slotcarman12078

Nice grab on the Esso station!! Yes, the pumps are way out of scale, but the building itself looks pretty close. Plasticville buildings were almost always under scale, since most model RR'ers had limited space for scenery. A new door sticker with a larger window above it would help bring things back into proportion (that's if you wanted to mess with it's originality). While you're doing the side trim on the Galaxie, might want to do the tail lights too!  :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Ralphthe3rd

*the devil is in details...*



slotcarman12078 said:


> Nice grab on the Esso station!! Yes, the pumps are way out of scale, but the building itself looks pretty close. Plasticville buildings were almost always under scale, since most model RR'ers had limited space for scenery. *A new door sticker with a larger window above it would help bring things back into proportion* (that's if you wanted to mess with it's originality). While you're doing the side trim on the Galaxie, might want to do the tail lights too!  :thumbsup::thumbsup:


ummm...Joe, I DID mess with the DOOR, and said so in the text of my post. The original Door was pretty much 1/43 scale, so I used the HotWheels Stickers(for an Esso Service Station) I had from Canada, that included a 1/64 scale glass door, and used that, AND added the older Esso logo above the Door to fill in the height...
And yes, I'll do the tail light too, but the original Vibe Galaixe(like my two) only had silver painted taillights, only on a few very early '62 Galaxies were they painted red.


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## Hilltop Raceway

Love them old gas stations and art graphics...Just whittle you out some smaller pumps. You could always shave/sand the letters off, but you kill the originality factor...RM


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## slotcarman12078

Gotcha.. This is what happens when my coffee consumption gets cut by 75%... :freak:


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## XracerHO

Love the old gas station & graphics plus background cars! Galaxie looks good with top & red rear tires! ..RL


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Scale Service Stations*

I was looking thru completed auctions on eBay for Atlas slot car stuff, and came across this completed listing for an old(Plasticville) HO Service Station. I thought it looked pretty cool, and in ways similar(but different) to my "O/S" Gauge Service Station. But I also noticed how small the Garage Doors were, and noted that probably a 1/64 car or maybe even a T-Jet(1/72) car Wouldn't be able to squeeze thru the bays. Anyway, I just thought I'd share the pix 
PS- I Do note However, that the People Doors, seem overly tall for HO Scale though ?


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## slotcarman12078

I doubt a wider T Jet would clear those overhead doors. A MEV might squeeze in, but that's about it. I recall honda putting T Jet chassis under some Bachmann HO scale plastic car bodies. The wheel base was pretty close, but the width was really narrow.


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## Bubba 123

slotcarman12078 said:


> I doubt a wider T Jet would clear those overhead doors. A MEV might squeeze in, but that's about it. I recall honda putting T Jet chassis under some Bachmann HO scale plastic car bodies. The wheel base was pretty close, but the width was really narrow.


check out "Black Forest Hobbies" on Epay or site...
they have pewter detailed pumps that are proportioned properly..
used a set 4 my plasticville Texaco station :thumbsup:

Bubba 123 :wave:
4 "Glass" in the windows, I used the thin clear tops of "Cherry-Tomatoes" mini-baskets @ Wally-World...


----------



## RjAFX

You .... Gentlemen have some damn nice stuff. I am so damn JEALOUS. I got a divorce 18 years ago. Two of the three 16X16X16 U-HAUL box's, one large 125qt Rubbermaid tub went missing along with two hand built oak display cases. All of my buildings are gone. All of my pin and clip track is gone with the transformers, and controllers. I want my buildings ....... Love those damn buildings.....I have asked my X about this stuff many many ti,es over the past 18 years, "I don't have anything" has been her reply. Well she is out of town, my Son is taking care of her dogs, and guess what he found when he went snooping. He found the large 125qt Rubbermaid tote. He snatched it up, put everything in a large box and brought it to me, after he put a bunch of stuff in the tote and placed it back where he found it. We now believe the rest of the stuff is in the plastic storage building in the back yard. He can't find the keys, but he will sooner than later.....lol.

I got away with 9 Plano Tackle box's of cars, and parts.
One 16X16X16 U-HAUL cardboard box 
17 TOMY racesets
3 Aurora racesets
3 Tyco racesets

Along with the now found Tote with Tomy controls, Parma controls, E2 Lap counters, Tomy power, with a bit of Arurora, AFX, TOMY track, Aurora HopUp Kits, and other odds and ends.
Some of the totes goodies.


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## alpink

Rj, congrats


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## rodstrguy

RJ, you would almost think after 5 years she might have relented...18 years and she still hates you that much or cares so little for you that she wouldn't even look. If that is what your divorce is like, I can't even imagine what your marrige must have been like.


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## RjAFX

alpink said:


> Rj, congrats


It's a major score to me .... Now imagine my Son. 35 year old a Sgt 1stClass Army National Guard, Retired Marine combat rifle team member, with two tours in Iraq, two tours in Afghanistan ribbons from his chin to his knee's hunting down slot cars in a cluttered garage in the darkness of the night. He said it was like a hunt and capture mission. Silent and deadly for anyone that came within range. The hunted must be found ...... lol. He said it it was the most fun he has had in months. Next is to gain entry to the storage sheds without detection.


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## slotcarman12078

Your ex must be related to my ex, but mine kept 1:1 stuff, like 3 Pontiac tri-power intake manifolds (1 with the correct carbs), transmissions, heads, pistons, rods, ring and bearing sets, etc. They thought they would barter with me for the good stuff, and it backfired on them! :lol:


----------



## RjAFX

I think what happen to my X is she lied about it to long. Now there is no way in hell she can admit to having the stuff. As long as Patrick found it, took it, not a word will be said about it. That way she is still not admitting anything. Well at least that's how she will feel about it. I just hope she didn't give or throw away any of it.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

...Sheesh- I'm GLAD I've never been Married ! LOL


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*X-L-R-8-R Conversion*

Here's what I've been up to this week. I received a Project to Convert an Old Aurora Slot-Less XLerators Willys(with the Pancake QuadraLam Chassis) into a Regular Slot Car. A little background first. Some people do the easy-way conversion, and just swap over the Spider Top-Frame onto a regular T-Jet Chassis tub, and it's almost a direct swap, except you need to use a set of AFX Magna-Traction Magnets to make up the Correct Spider-Frame height.
Well, I took the hard approach, and simply(?) modded the original XLerators Chassis. Which entailed snipping off the Diode & soldering a connection in place of, Replacing the XLerator Rear axle (which came with Clutch type Free Wheeling Crown gear) with a standard T-Jet Axle and Crown gear. And finally, modding the Front "Steered to left" split axle setup, which pivots but is pinned in one location, and you also need to cut off the right side stub axle boss, and create your own new one, that's in parallel with the left side axle. And btw- just an FYI, the wheelbase of the chassis(when wheels are correctly aligned) will now reside at the Truck/Buggy/Indy position equivalent, when you do this mod. But, the good news is, the XLerator Willys body has an altered body wheelbase anyway, along with other mold changes, that makes it a bit different than the Standard T-Jet Willys Body(note the rear fenders and the missing push bar etc.). So what did this XL Chassis conversion Gain, over the other type Swap over T-Jet conversion ? Well, you gained a snap in/out rear axle, and you also gained the AFX MT Style Comm Brushes with Coil springs, that can be easily replaced and tuned.
Oh yeah, one last thing I swapped, I changed over to DASH T-Jet Magnets, and MAN does this Quadralam Scream Now !
PS- sorry, no before(or during Conversion) pix, all these pix were taken after the conversion was complete.


----------



## Greg W

I always wanted to do this but never enough time.
Looks like a fun build, great job!!!


----------



## slotcarman12078

Cool mod Ralph!! Those cockeyed front wheels drive me nuts! Glad to see you found a way to straighten them out, and quite nicely too!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## beast1624

So 'the bullet point from this presentation is' 'another one bites the dust!'


BTW: it looks great!


----------



## Bill Hall

I wouldnt get my hopes up. It was just a flesh wound. Al will be back in a week.


----------



## XracerHO

Two Great Slotless Conversions & thanks for sharing! ..RL


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

While I was away doing Time for six months, I worked on about 30 cars. If enough people are interested in wanting to see them, please say so, and IF I get enough replies, I may start posting them again in this thread...


----------



## Tuxedo

Ralphthe3rd said:


> While I was away doing Time for six months, I worked on about 30 cars. If enough people are interested in wanting to see them, please say so, and IF I get enough replies, I may start posting them again in this thread...


Please do it Ralph ! :thumbsup:


----------



## 60chevyjim

post some pix Ralph !!


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## LDThomas

Don't tell me. Let me guess. All the cars have jailhouse stripes paint jobs.


----------



## Bubba 123

60chevyjim said:


> post some pix Ralph !!


Ditto R-3 (Hey Ralphy-Boy !!...) ..* Norton on "Honeymooners"*

Bubba 123 :thumbsup:


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Posting Pix again....*



LDThomas said:


> Don't tell me. Let me guess. All the cars have jailhouse stripes paint jobs.


LOL- Noooo.... there are No Jailhouse Stripes Paint jobs on any of my builds  But, there maybe a reoccurring theme in some of my pix


----------



## vaBcHRog

Very Nice


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*It's MY Garage thread, so.....*

WANTED ! ...looking for the Window Glass for the old Marx HO '61 Corvette body...seen below in light blue... PS- I'm also in search of other Marx '61 Vette Bodies(or complete cars) as well


----------



## vaBcHRog

I like thise wheels it a shame Aurora didn't make any different


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Wheels...*



vaBcHRog said:


> I like thise wheels it a shame Aurora didn't make any different


Yes Roger, those later Swirly Plastic Marx wheels, WERE pretty cool, compared to the standard T-Jets rims. And to top it off, the Marx rims were double flanged and used the same size Tires as a T-Jet....although the earlier Marx rims were metal with double flanges, but take a very oddball size tire, the same as the Lionel did.









Original Marx Swirly- double flange plastic rims, on a T-Bird, that looks like it had a rollover- LOL :freak:


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Dash '36 Coupe*

Our Speedy Pit Shop has already done several of Dash's '36 Coupe bodies. But, this Turquoise one was the only one that received a Spare Tirectomy using Plastic "Goop" to fill in the holes and keep the body un-painted like an Aurora T-Jet. This body also received, shortened screw posts, and had the head lights and tail lights slightly modded, to remove the raised ridge down their centers.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Btw- here are some before and under construction pix of the above turquoise Dash Coupe....Note the body in the 1st & 2nd shots, mounted on a T-Jet chassis as it comes from the box stock from DASH.


























Tumor Removal Surgery Successful 

















This pic shows the Body slammed as low as can go without punching holes thru it !  Also, larger diameter rear tires help fill in the huge rear wheelwells...


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Mr. Irish...Gasser*

In case you never followed this thread over the past year or two, you might not know my connection to the Real 1:1 Mr. Irish Custom '40 Chevy Gasser(Drag Car), that I grew up around in my neighborhood in the 1960's-'70s back in my Hometown in New Jersey.
Anyway, although the earlier pix in this thread are all but gone now(don't ask), I had previously build a Tyco '40 Ford Body into a 1/64 Scale rendition of Mr. Irish when it was in it's last years running in the AA/GS class. But I always wanted to build a smaller T-Jet Size version, earlier in it's Race Career when it raced in the slower C/G(non Supercharged) class. Soooo... early this year I bought a Resin Body Copy of the old atlas '36 Ford Coupe Body from Randy/Hilltop Customs, and what you see here is the final result, and one early pic of the 1:1 Mr. Irish when it was running in C/G.













































I was thinking of adding this resin hood scoop similar to the Early C/G Mr. Irish. But, decided not to.








Vintage Sunlight faded photo of Mr. Irish, that still hangs on the wall of the office at R&C Autobody in South Plainfield N.J. -as a kid I used to sit the bare Hulk of this car, before it was ever finished(as seen here).


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Memories, and another Tribute Build....*

Below(1st pic) is a real life pic of me and my Dad, posing in front of our '56 Ford Mainline in the year 1960. Let's just say* it was taken at the July 4th Weekend- Dirttrack Races, at Flemington Speedway in Central New Jersey, which wasn't too far from where we lived. The pix that follow the 1st, are my HO Tribute build, of my Dad(RIP) and his '56 Ford Mainline.... which was a car I loved Very much, along with my Dad... (& Mom*RIP, who is seen in the last pic).


----------



## slotcarman12078

Where's the like button???? Love it R3!!!


----------



## slotking

wow
great pic's
great cars and scenery
it also brings back memories for me as well

thanks


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## Super Coupe

Great tribute to your father. Nice cars also.
>Tom<


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## Tuxedo

"July 4th Weekend- Dirttrack Races, at Flemington Speedway in Central New Jersey"

Ralph 3 are you kidding me? LOL I used to go down to Flemington all the time when I was a kid with my grandparents.I don't remember what all we did there, I just remember it being a big deal for my grandmother, I was just happy to be with them. They always took me places to see when I stayed there over the summer.
I was never at that dirt track unfortunately, but my uncles and father did take me to Raceway Park in Englishtown many times to watch the drags. 
Thanks for joggin' my noggin'!!
Cool way to remember your dad and nice job on the cars


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## vaBcHRog

The 56 has nice proportions.


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## TeamMadMarsupial

Love that Ford Ralph! Neat back story. A little bit more "torch" work on mine, but the colors are close. Maybe before and after car???


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Oh Yes, mine is the before shot !*



TeamMadMarsupial said:


> Love that Ford Ralph! Neat back story. A little bit more "torch" work on mine, but the colors are close. Maybe before and after car???










Jeff's '56 Ford Racer








Oh yes Jeff, I LOVE Yours too :thumbsup: and I know that you love it because it's modeled after a real Racer


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## XracerHO

Ralph, Great work on the the 56 Ford tribute! ..RL


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## oneredz

Great job Ralph! 

What rims did you use on the Chevy?


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Chey ?*



oneredz said:


> Great job Ralph!
> 
> What rims did you use on the Chey?


 What ? Are you trying to say Chevy ?... Ummmm...the Turquoise DASH '36 FORD is wearing Vincent rims, if that's the car you are asking about ? Every other Car on this page is wearing Tuff Ones wheels, except some pics on the Front of Mr. Irish, it's wearing Brass weighted FRAY style wheels.


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## oneredz

Ralphthe3rd said:


> What ? Are you trying to say Chevy ?... Ummmm...the Turquoise DASH '36 FORD is wearing Vincent rims, if that's the car you are asking about ? Every other Car on this page is wearing Tuff Ones wheels, except some pics on the Front of Mr. Irish, it's wearing Brass weighted FRAY style wheels.


DOH (I feel like Homer Simpson). Thanks for the catch. I plead exhaustion and laptop keyboard in my defense.

Vincents, huh? I have the BBK 5 lugs on my Tyco Martini Porsche and I really like them. I dig the wide/wide look on the Chevy. You captured the essence of the original very well!


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## oneredz

How about the Ken Tremont special? Are those Vincent also?


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Dunno...not my build*



oneredz said:


> How about the Ken Tremont special? Are those Vincent also?


 Sorry, that car was built by Jeff Hartman- aka > TeamMadMarsupial....you'll need to ask him.


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## TeamMadMarsupial

The wheels on the Kenny Tremont Sr. 56 FORD are indeed Vincent Wheels. They are the "Steel Wheels" in silver, not the chrome. Front wheels are size "D" with size 4.0 tires. Back wheels are size "E" with size 5.0 tires.


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## oneredz

TeamMadMarsupial said:


> The wheels on the Kenny Tremont Sr. 56 FORD are indeed Vincent Wheels. They are the "Steel Wheels" in silver, not the chrome. Front wheels are size "D" with size 4.0 tires. Back wheels are size "E" with size 5.0 tires.


 Cool, thanks!


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## Ralphthe3rd

*It looks like I'm becoming a Marx'ist*

Here's some Cars I wanted to share with you, that I just acquired collecting, in the past 3-4 weeks. FYI- ALL the Cars in these pix, except for the Chrome Jaguar(Speedline) and Topless '62 Corvette and bare Chassis(both Atlas), are actually -MARX ! And all those Marx ran flawlessly after simple a cleaning and Lubing, while the Atlas stuff took some work. Also of Note, about the Two Marx '61 Corvettes(top-up convertibles), the one on the left is 100% Marx, while the one on the right is mounted atop a T-Jet Chassis...which fits perfectly aside from sitting a little taller, and the need for some custom pick-up shoes. You see, the pick-ups on the Ma'rora Vette are my Prototype Lo-Pro/Open Fork Shoes, that allow bodies like this Marx '61 Corvette and the old Aurora '60 Corvette Vibrator, to mount on standard T-Jet Chassis without Shoe Clearance issues. The shoes have the tops cut off and folded down and use the inside of the chassis as the stop hanger, and they work perfectly in this application, as well as on any standard T-Jet Application that requires Lo-Pro Shoes. PS- I'm in need of Window Glass for my one Marx '61 Vette, and also the Atlas '62 Vette.


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## Tuxedo

Ralph, those Vettes look great sitting on those t-jet chassis


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Only One*



Tuxedo said:


> Ralph, those Vettes look great sitting on those t-jet chassis


FYI, Only One of the Vette's is sitting on a T-Jet Chassis, ie- the Ragtop with Glass is on a Marx Chassis, and the Topless one is on an Atlas Slimline chassis.


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## Ralphthe3rd

Here's some Marx Indy Cars(that are from a set on eBay) -just like the ones I got, but I passed these up, even though they had my missing Exhaust systems and at least one Drivers Head, but you can see why I let them go....


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Can you see the pic ?*

Photo hosting test post....can you all view the pic ?


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## LDThomas

Yep...


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## Hilltop Raceway

Yea, looks to be about 11:46 your time...RM


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## Ralphthe3rd

*My Tribute Build of my Dad's '56 Mainline*

Sorry for the Ditto post, but I'm trying out a new photo host, that hopefully won't have the pix disappear like all my previous ones did after a year, which were hosted on Facebook, which changes the URL's on all uploaded pix to their site, after an undetermined period of time 
Anyway, here's my Tribute Build> depicting my Dad's '56 Ford Mainline, and little *me and Dad back when the 1:1 Car was New'ish....


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Some of my Older model 'Vettes....*

Classic Vette, various makers and scales. I have about three times as many Vettes in my collection, but these were just some older ones I was playing with one day


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## Tuxedo

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH, that yellow Gran Sport with the yellow stripe.........................much likey ! LOL
Nice collection Ralph :thumbsup:


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## vaBcHRog

I believe that came that way from Johnny Lightning wasn't it a push car?


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## Ralphthe3rd

Yes, the Yellow #2 and Black #53 were Johnny Lightning Pull Back car/bodies, brought out before JL had their T-Jet500 chassis ready.... although I did lower both of those bodies to the max, and they are great handlers now.


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## Ralphthe3rd

Oh, the Red '64 (top left) is a Lionel body, the Blue '63 beneath it is a Marx body. The Red '67 Top down(center) is an AW body with the top removed, and the top that came off of it was modded and re-installed on the Black w/white,blue,orange- "Wipeout" '60 Tyco Vette. The Green '60 Vette was another JL pull-back body, that was a re-pop of the Aurora '60 Vette Vibe body, and I lowered it as much as possible, and even modded the pick-up shoes to fit inside the body....I have another coupe version in Pink that I did the same thing to.


----------



## oneredz

Ralphthe3rd said:


> Yes, the Yellow #2 and Black #53 were Johnny Lightning Pull Back car/bodies, brought out before JL had their T-Jet500 chassis ready.... although I did lower both of those bodies to the max, and they are great handlers now.


Niiice collection of vettes! My GSs are really low sitting bodies. I got them as bodies only off of fleabay and I had to cut down the rails on the top front of my tdash chassis to get the bodies to sit correctly. I have a blue one and a white / orange stripes. I really like the cream one you have. livery really shows up well.


----------



## Bubba 123

TeamMadMarsupial said:


> The wheels on the Kenny Tremont Sr. 56 FORD are indeed Vincent Wheels. They are the "Steel Wheels" in silver, not the chrome. Front wheels are size "D" with size 4.0 tires. Back wheels are size "E" with size 5.0 tires.


I have a couple Vincent Wheel/Tires & LOVE 'Em...
BUT, I have no clue as which fit; T-jets OR AFX (type chassis)...
& some 4 Tomy SRT chassis...

anyone got a list/chart, on these for someone who is a Tech.-Impaired-Tard ??? (& a bit Senile..) 

Bubba 123 :wave:


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## Ralphthe3rd

Bubba, just look at the wheels, and note which look better in the wheelwells of a T-Jet or larger 1/64 scale A/FX....the axles are same diameter on all three chassis, so just use whatever looks good on what 
PS- you can also mix and match other brands of tires on those rims too, to get em to fit or look best in different wheelwells. Vincent tires tho, tend to suck, so use some other brand of tires.


----------



## alpink

bubbah,
go here ...

http://shop.vincent-wheels.de/index.php?currency=USD&cPath=23&language=en

and click on the style of wheels you have then look to see which chassis they are designed for.
as r3 says, most will fit many chassis applications.


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## oneredz

If you see some wheels you like but it doesn't show that they have them for your chassis, send them an email and let them know what you are looking for. That's how I got the BBS 5 lug Golds for my Tyco Porsches, and the Dotz ones for my AFX Vettes.


----------



## oneredz

As far as axle diameters, I show 0.063 for AFX and tjet, and 0.059 for Tyco 440x2. Tjet and AFX have different axle lengths though.


Are these #s correct?


I have this monster spreadsheet (all HO stuff) with axles, wheels, chassis wheelbases, tires from most brands (also O-rings for the fronts), drill and tap sizes, and some other stuff. I wish there was a good place to keep it and I would love to convert it over to a database sometime soon to make it more easily searchable.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

I was saying that T-Jet, A/FX and Tomy all have the same axle diameters. Tyco are smaller as you noted, and Atlas, Marx and Lionel are even smaller YET !
Some T-jets have the same axle width as A/FX, eg > Hot Rod, Dune Buggy, Truck and Indy cars, as well as Tuff Ones all have the same wide width as the A/FX.


----------



## oneredz

Ralphthe3rd said:


> I was saying that T-Jet, A/FX and Tomy all have the same axle diameters. Tyco are smaller as you noted, and Atlas, Marx and Lionel are even smaller YET !
> Some T-jets have the same axle width as A/FX, eg > Hot Rod, Dune Buggy, Truck and Indy cars, as well as Tuff Ones all have the same wide width as the A/FX.



Good to know about widths. Thanks. I will start using the wider ones for my tjets.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*A Couple of Projects....*

The Shop has been kinda slow this summer, but we've recently got a couple of Projects in I'd like to share. The Car on the left in white, is wearing the Resin Cast Body made by Roger Corrie, of the Dale Earnhardt K-2 '56 Ford dirttracker, that was Dale's very first race car. The T-Jet Chassis under it, has just been completed, and features the usual go fast goodies, but also features a set of Specially machined Aluminum wheels that I had got from a machinist friend, and they feature double flanges, BUT, are only narrow width(standard skinny), although the rear hubs are deep dish and offset, and stick out further, giving the *appearance of wider wheels in the back. The Body will soon be headed to the paint booth to receive a replica K-2 Paint scheme, which was a shade of Pink on the lower body, with a metallic Purple Roof ! See the vintage pix for Dale's 1:1 K-2.
The (Green) car to the right, is a Marx Rolls Royce, in to get a simple restoration and touch up job, and is almost finished, and will be leaving the shop soon.


----------



## Bubba 123

alpink said:


> bubbah,
> go here ...
> 
> http://shop.vincent-wheels.de/index.php?currency=USD&cPath=23&language=en
> 
> and click on the style of wheels you have then look to see which chassis they are designed for.
> as r3 says, most will fit many chassis applications.


BIG TY .. Al/Guys :thumbsup:
added it to favorites index :thumbsup:

Bubba 123 :wave:


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*My Marx Collection...*

FYI, I've been collecting OFF Brands this year, and restoring AND Running them !  
And although I like Atlas, they are hard to get at affordable prices, and hard to get parts for and keep running. Sooo...I've started collecting Marx HO ! :lol: Hey- Stop Laughing !....they actually are good running chassis, and IMHO, the newer plastic wheeled models-actually run better & faster than Lionel and Atlas HO. 

I've collected what I think is at least one of each of the Marx HO *car models, some are pristine, some are, well... Hacked up a Bit (note the T-Bird front row on left ) Dang, I just realized I left my '63 Corvette out of the pic -cuz it was in one of my display cases. Oh heck, I'll include it in the second photo.....

BTW- Marx made Three Different Year T-Birds(seen in my front row) and Three Different Year Corvettes !

Okie dokie, here is my collection, all I need Now- are the Three Truck$ ! Also, do note on the far right, the '61 Vette is a Marx body mounted over a VERY FAST Aurora T-Jet Chassis, and the Black AW '41 Willys body is mounted over a spare Marx Indy Car chassis I had laying around.

My Marx Collection(minus my '63 Corvette)









Couldn't find a pic of my '63 Vette, but here is what it looks like.


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Marora & Lionel*

Our Shop just finished up this past weekend, and shipped out today, another of our Marora '61 Corvettes ! For those of you New to our Conversions, these are Vintage Marx '61 Corvette Bodies, adapted to use the T-Jet Chassis. In this case, the Body already had some hogged out rear wheelwells that we left as-is, which also helped with our oversize rear tires. We did some other body repairs though, and built the Aurora Chassis up to Drag Specs, and added a few unique touches. And there she is, heading back out to it's owner :thumbsup:


















Our Shop Owner(Benny) Drives up in his Newly Restored '64 Ford Galaxie(Lionel)


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## vaBcHRog

Did you put the driver in, it looks interesting if its molded in, I've never seen that body before.


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## Ralphthe3rd

Roger, I just got the body last week, I didn't put the driver in, it looks molded in. There was also a Convertible version of this body as well.


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## 60chevyjim

Ralph I like all the non aurora cars you are collecting now .
I have collected many odd brands of older ho slots for years , 
after a while I got bored with the limited selection of old aurora cars n trucks .
so I needed to find more different old time cars .


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## Ralphthe3rd

Jim, yep, that's why I started collecting them too(plus the aurora cars are still too pricey), and most of the can motor oldies run pretty good


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## Bubba 123

60chevyjim said:


> Ralph I like all the non aurora cars you are collecting now .
> I have collected many odd brands of older ho slots for years ,
> after a while I got bored with the limited selection of old aurora cars n trucks .
> so I needed to find more different old time cars .


 Hi , :wave:
can you put up some pics of your collection, so @ least some of us can "Drool"??

trying to learn "Slot-Car History" from other than the big (??) "4"..
( Aurora, Tyco/Mattel, Life-Like, Tomy & ((???))

TY,

Bubba 123 :wave:


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

Cool pics R3!!! Glad to see a few shops still open and doing business, must be the summer months. Hope other shops will open back up soon. I don't have much of the other brand stuff, do like those spun/disc wheels... Thanks for the pics, keep up the good work... :thumbsup::thumbsup: RM


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## Ralphthe3rd

RM, about those Spun Disc Wheels, the ones on Lionel Cars are aluminum, and often times, the ones found in barns today, are Corroded to Hell ! On the Other hand, the similar ones found on the Marx cars are Chromed Steel ?....or stainless? -as I've never seen a rusty one. Bad thing about those wheels is, they Don't want to come off the Axles - which are a smaller diameter than Tyco even !


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## Ralphthe3rd

Here's a old Aurora Vibe T-Bird body, mounted over top of an Early Marx Chassis...note the Chromed(?) Steel Wheels


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Here's a pic of an average "Barn Find" Lionel, and note the Aluminum wheels, and these are actually in better shape than Some !


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

Ya might could chuck em up in a drill, hold some 600 paper, then finer sand paper, then polish em out with some rubbing compound??? RM


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## Ralphthe3rd

Hilltop Raceway said:


> Ya might could chuck em up in a drill, hold some 600 paper, then finer sand paper, then polish em out with some rubbing compound??? RM


Actually RM, I can polish them up on the chassis, cuz you really have to, like I said, you cannot pull these wheels off the axles without damage to the soft aluminum. But the Steel wheels on the Marx are another story, and come off with a puller, fairly well- and without damage. But these Lionel aluminum wheels crumble with corrosion, and are on really tight !


----------



## vaBcHRog

Can you get a close up of the Drivers head?


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Roger, I'll Try, and btw- his head is Red, the body is yellow I think ? Stay tuned, I'll go try to take a pic


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Roger's HEAD- lol*

LOL- please excuse these "Request" pix, but my friend Roger Corrie asked me to take some close-up pix of the Lionel Drivers Head etc, so.....




























BTW- all the pix that "I" take(and post), all I'm using is a Cheap $50 Pocket digital Camera I bought 10 years ago, I use the lowest (1megapixel) setting, and the simple secret to taking these pix, is just use a Tripod, and a proper lighting techniques, and mainly, I'm just using a floor lamp with an exposed 75w incandescent bulb.




vaBcHRog said:


> Can you get a close up of the Drivers head?


----------



## vaBcHRog

Looks like the Atlas Head


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Barn Finds....*

Resto- Works in Progress, although Technically, the Cars seen in these pix are not Pancake powered, well...they could be someday  The Blue Willys and Yellow Hot Rod just came to the shop, after having been dug out of Barn storage for the past 45+(?) years. The Willys has a Hot Rodded MARX chassis under it with Aurora T-Jet Front wheels and axle, an Vintage AJ's(threaded) Aluminum rims/axle on the rear. The Body is an original Aurora Speedline Chrome body, that was repainted back in the day. The Car wasn't running when it came to the shop, but it just needed tuned, cleaned and oiled, and the Spongees replaced on the Rear with Vintage AJ's Silicone, the Body will be left untouched. The Yellow Aurora Vibrator came to the shop in pieces, and still NEEDS a Few to get it in running order. The Body you see, was covered with FOUR Layers of paint that needed stripped off ! The bottom layer was red primer, followed by a layer of medium metallic blue, but was then covered with Dark Navy Blue, and finally the outer most layer was RED ! Whew, it took a lot of soaking and scrubbing to get ALL that paint off, but the body is pretty nice underneath. Originally this car was a Coupe, but it maybe restored into a Roadster instead, as a Lemon yellow HOT ROD roof may be impossible to locate  
Lastly, in case you wondered about the Red '64 Vette body, that's actually an old Mini-Lindy model kit body, that someone converted into a Slot Car body -just by extending the screw posts. The Body is almost an exact copy of the Aurora '63 Vette body. It just needs a little detailing to be ready for road use-AND a T-Jet Chassis 



























This is what the original Barn Find looked like- Re:ebay 
So far, I have the Marx(in the Willys) and two Atlas chassis running, and the motor even runs in the third Atlas worm drive chassis, although the rest of the chassis is toast. So is the Backmann chassis and the Tyco S motor


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Another Ebay Score....seriously !*

Ok I'm Nuts, I know that, and some of you knew that too  Anyway, I won another ebay auction on monday, and here is my Diamond in the Rough- LOL ! .....It took me awhile to figure out the Body *was an old Atlas '62 Chevy Impala Convertible, that's *ahem*....been thru a WAR !? The Chassis underneath is a VERY Vintage Lionel, the oldest I've yet see, and you can tell this because it has the flat sheet metal leaf type springs for the pick-up shoes, something like the earliest Altas chassis also used. Anyway, I didn't pay much for it, and nobody bid against me- LOL :woohoo: 
Now WHAT am I gonna do with this Car ?.....Stay tuned.....:wave:









Wow- what kinda History did this car have !?









Other side, Fire Damage !? From the sides, it kinda looks like a '64 Ford Falcon ?









Front view- Yuck !...kinda looks like a '65 mustang from this view









The Lionel chassis, it's an older one- Note the leaf spring style pick-up springs....Atlas used similar springs on it's early chassis.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Ebay Impala Update !*

(FYI- the previous pix were the ones from ebay) I received the Impala in the Mail today, and.....
the Impala is Running :thumbsup:
I cleaned and tuned the chassis, and it runs like a Jack Rabbit. Then I attacked the Body, and cleaned and stripped off the decals and stripes, and removed the melted remains of the Driver and the melted windshield as well. Also during cleaning, I removed the convertible boot, but may re-install that later, until I find one in better shape. Here is the pix....








Right side after cleaning....









Left side of Body....









The back....and yes- I need a Bumper w/rear trunk fascia !









And the body front, and Chassis bottom...and YES, I NEED the front Bumper w/Grill. Ya know, Hotwheels made '62 Impala, maybe I could transplant one from the Diecast ?


----------



## 60chevyjim

Ralph JL or AW made a 62 impala slot car too .


----------



## oneredz

Looks like some good base material to work with. Nice project.


----------



## XracerHO

Always enjoy viewing your shop photos & stories! Your recent Barn find restorations are very interesting to follow. Keep saving old slot cars! ..RL


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

Will make a good Car Sharks episode... RM


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Keepin' the Boys- Busy !*

Just working hard to make customers Happy  The Mustang was in with what was thought a blown motor, but turned out to be(overheated) burnt and seized Comm Brushes, in a slightly scorched comm pit, But the arm was fine. The comm pit was saved and reconditioned, and she is running great again with modern brushes :thumbsup:
The Indy car did have a Blown motor though, and the X-Mas Tree armature was toast. We simply replaced the Arm, with a nice reconditioned X-mas Tree arm. BTW- both of those chassis featured the early closed rivet chassis.
(Far right)The K2 Earnhardt '56 Ford Body, is out of the paint booth, and now awaits lettering- as seen on the 1/24th scale Diecast in 3rd photo


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Sally the Porsche, from the CARS Movies....*

Well, the Shop was open again this week, as we needed to finish up a Project Build for a customer, so it could be given as an X-Mas gift to his lovely lady. Do you remember the Disney/Pixar> Cars Movies? do you remember Sally the Porsche ? Well, Sally has been brought to life in 1/64 scale, and is now powered by an AW Ultra-G Thunderjet chassis ! The body originally started out as one of those Cereal Box(Kelloggs)promotional give-a-ways (Pull-Back toys) to promote the Cars movie. And well, as you can see, the wheelbase was just about perfect for a LWB T-Jet Chassis like :thumbsup: So here's a little story board, showing the toy car(Sally), and it's progression into Slot Car Sally


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Updates....*

Some Atlas HO stuff  Just wanting to share with you, some Atlas updates. The Atlas conversion of the basket case '62 Impala, morphing into a '64 Ford Falcon is coming along nicely, and is being happily driven around town lately  But my latest Barn find, came to me by Pure Luck- ie being at the right place at the right time, and having the $$ to buy it because of recent income from sales. Anyway, the original Atlas Black 1930 Ford Touring Roadster is a very hard to find item in any condition, and this one was pretty nice, although it was missing the windshield(common to be broken off), but I've since made a replacement windscreen(seen in pix, but may get cut down a tad?) from a piece of an old stereo cassette case, it ain't a match for OEM- But it keeps the wind out of the Drivers face


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*I LOVE '56 Fords !*

Dale LIVES ! ...My K2 Tribute build is 98% Complete, But I'd like a photo of the Real 1:1 from the front, to see how to paint the grill area?









Dale Earnhardt's First Race Car, the K2 '56 Ford !








Pretty in Pink 








Vintage 1:1 pic from back in the day


----------



## XracerHO

Your shop has been very busy restoring Impala, chassis for Sally Porshe with Tow Mater, K2 build & awesome Ford Touring find. Keep up the good work & posting it! ..RL


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

Good stuff R3!!! Keep em busy!!! RM


----------



## Bubba 123

Hilltop Raceway said:


> Good stuff R3!!! Keep em busy!!! RM


Ditto from me too.
GOOD to see/hear you back in the groove again :thumbsup:

Bubba 123 :wave:


----------



## Hittman101

Looking good!!! I have a Sally waiting to be converted...


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*I'm still alive, for now...*









I's been so long since I posted here, and things have changed, I'm not even sure if this will work or not ?


----------



## Hilltop Raceway

Good to see ya back R3... There's a few still hanging around...RM


----------



## Dslot

I really like that photo, Ralph. 
The backdrop integrates so well with the model scene, and the stands have enough spectators in them to look reasonable.

-- D


----------



## Dslot

I recognize the Marx grandstand (wish I had it), but who makes the grey grandstand?

-- D


----------



## XracerHO

Good to see ya back R3... Always enjoy your shop builds so you keep on posting! ..RL


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Small Bleachers...*



Dslot said:


> I recognize the Marx grandstand (wish I had it), but who makes the grey grandstand?
> 
> -- D


FYI- the small Bleachers were made for the Matchbox HO Slotcar sets, which were battery powered, and the stands were actually for housing the battery pack. Originally the stands were White with Red seats, but I painted it grey.


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Matchbox Bleachers*



Dslot said:


> I recognize the Marx grandstand (wish I had it), but who makes the grey grandstand?
> 
> -- D


FYI- in this older photo, you can see what the Battery Power supply/Matchbox Stands looked like from the factory >


----------



## Dslot

Thanks for the info. 

Except for the (Arnold/) Matchbox Motorway, Matchbox slots are something I know nothing about.

-- D


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

*Matchbos HO slost*



Dslot said:


> Thanks for the info.
> 
> Except for the (Arnold/) Matchbox Motorway, Matchbox slots are something I know nothing about.
> 
> -- D


 I bought the MB Trenton 150 set, and then bought a lot of the same two Pinto and GremlinModifieds cars that came with the set, they run on 6 volt, and use power rails that are closer together in the track and the track is slightly wider...


----------



## Milton Fox Racing

Would you be okay with me copying your post about the MBX Slot set here?

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/1105-...565546-matchbox-release-history-list-wip.html

You can do it yourself if you want to and add any any other mbx slot stuff you have there as well. I will figure out where it goes later on by date.

TIA-MFR


----------



## Ralphthe3rd

Milton Fox Racing said:


> Would you be okay with me copying your post about the MBX Slot set here?
> 
> http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/1105-...565546-matchbox-release-history-list-wip.html
> 
> You can do it yourself if you want to and add any any other mbx slot stuff you have there as well. I will figure out where it goes later on by date.
> 
> TIA-MFR


Well, you could copy my post- I don't mind, BUT, the photos will eventually disappear, as they are hosted on Facebook, and after a while, FB changes the url/addy of the pix, and gives them new ones, so they go poof on others sites with the old links.


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