# AFX Axles and T-Jet Magnet Colors



## Grandcheapskate

Hi Guys,

I purchased some used Aurora T-Jets (5) and AFX(7) recently. All of the AFX bodies have broken/missing parts but do mount (and look kinda) okay. The T-Jet bodies show wear (and a few missing parts) but are in fair condition. However, the chassis were messed up. I have been trying to get the cars back in shape and I have them all running. I found two T-Jets with mismatched drive pinion and crown gears (regular pinion and hop-up crown), so there was almost no gear mesh at all. I have replaced all the hop-up crown gears with regular crown gears, so at least that is covered. One car had holes drilled in the side of the chassis, but it still works. I found one dark blue magnet with a dimple, which I assume to be a Super II after-market magnet. There wasn't another dimple magnet in this lot (although one yellow or orange magnet seems very strong), but I did have a yellow one from another lot which is the opposite polarity, so now I guess have a "matched" pair. 

However, I have a few questions.

One of the cars was a Tuff Ones, but parts look to have been distributed amonst the other cars. After I put the chassis back together with all (most?) of the correct parts, I notice the gear plate is bowed slightly - enough so the armature is lifted up to sometimes lose contact with the brushes. If I hold the gear plate down in front, the armature turns at a good speed.

Question 1: Can I straighted out the gear plate without having to remove the gears and armature? If not, I have other gear plates, but I don't like removing and pressing gears.

Question 2: What color magnets are used in Tuff Ones? My original Tuff Ones uses white/red (rear/front). Yet according to the Slotcar Monsters website, the colors should be white/green (and I did find a pair of these). Is either combination correct?

The Slotcar Monster website never mentions a red magnet for any Aurora car, yet I found three of them. Assuming there are no JL/AW parts here (which should be true), which chassis had red magnets?

For AFX, which cars came with the independant front wheels and which came with a solid axle? These cars came with both.

Are the front axle holes smaller on an AFX than on a Magna-Traction? None of the AFX front axles I have will fit into a standard AFX chassis.

Thanks...Joe


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## tabcomary

I'll take a swipe at the last question. The front axles on A/FX cars with the axles mounted in the body are smaller in diameter than the axles on a standard A/FX car. Perhaps someone knows why. The regular Magna-Traction cars should have the same front axle. I'm sure there are some exceptions...

Most of my A/FX cars have red rear magnets.

Good Luck! It sounds like you got a nice bag of stuff!


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## 88T-BIRD

Question 1: Can I straighted out the gear plate without having to remove the gears and armature? If not, I have other gear plates, but I don't like removing and pressing gears.
*Check to see if the front magnet is keeping the gear plate raised up. If not check the gear plate with a straight edge. If it is bent that bad I would replace it, but you should be able to straighten it without removing the gears.*


Question 2: What color magnets are used in Tuff Ones? My original Tuff Ones uses white/red (rear/front). Yet according to the Slotcar Monsters website, the colors should be white/green (and I did find a pair of these). Is either combination correct? *Most Tuff-ones used rough cut red and black magnets.
*
The Slotcar Monster website never mentions a red magnet for any Aurora car, yet I found three of them. Assuming there are no JL/AW parts here (which should be true), which chassis had red magnets? *Tuff-ones and some standard AFX came with red magnets. 
*
For AFX, which cars came with the independant front wheels and which came with a solid axle? These cars came with both. *Most of them came with independant!
*
Are the front axle holes smaller on an AFX than on a Magna-Traction? None of the AFX front axles I have will fit into a standard AFX chassis.
*Yes, standard AFX cars have a small front axle. *

*There are some exceptions, I found T-jet armatures and magnets in brand new standard AFX cars, ect.*


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## Grandcheapskate

Thanks guys, that gives me some idea of what I've got here.

I have another question. It seems I have found three different sizes for the drive pinion gear - all already mounted on gear plates. I thought there were only two - the standard size and the size found in hop-up kits and Tuff-Ones. This would indicate that there must have been three different crown gears and not two.

I'll see if I can count the teeth on each one.

Any info?

Thanks...Joe


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## alpink

9 tooth, standard T-jet.
12 tooth, hop up kit.
14 tooth, tuff ones and AFX.
those are all pinion gears that were available.

subsequently there would be 3 different crown gears with varying length "shoulders" to match.

this isn't even considering the SUPER II 19 tooth crown.

.


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## Grandcheapskate

alpink said:


> 9 tooth, standard T-jet.
> 12 tooth, hop up kit.
> 14 tooth, tuff ones and AFX.
> those are all pinion gears that were available.
> 
> subsequently there would be 3 different crown gears with varying length "shoulders" to match.


Thanks Alpink. That answers my question. I always thought the gear/pinion which came in the hop-up kit was the same as the Tuff One. I never did much modifying of the T-Jets I've had since I was a kid, I would just tune them up. Now that I am looking through old parts I've picked up along the way and some of these used cars, I am seeing some things I never realized before.

Thanks...Joe


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## Dyno Dom

Al, 
Do the "3 different crown gears with varying length "shoulders" to match"
have the same # of teeth?? Helpful info on the pinions! :thumbsup:


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## alpink

Dom, yes they are all 15 tooth crown gears.


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## Grandcheapskate

I still have carded Aurora parts I bought from when Great eastern went out of business. I looked and I have a card of AFX magnets which are red/blue.

Just for laughs, the price on the card ---- 19 cents a pair. When I bought them, they were half off - 19 cents for two pair!!!

On the flip side, the carded armatures are marked 99 cents. That was a lot back then considering a whole T-Jet was selling for $2.19.

Ahhhh....memories.

Joe


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## 88T-BIRD

That must of been nice getting a discount on Aurora items. I had to pay retail in 1964, cars were $2.98 + tax = $3.13. I can remember that well, saving every nickel, dime and penny until I hit that magic amount for a new car. 
I can also remember the first Hop-Up-Kit $1.00, showing how to cut the wheel wells out for the big Hot-Rod wheels and tires. My first job ended up with two body parts, a kitchen knife just didn't do a very good job.
That new Jag. body cost me $.99, and the guy at the hobby shop also sold me a wonderful hobby knife, that started a lot of modified T-jet bodies.


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## slotcarman12078

Could you just imagine the lawsuits if those hop up hints were published these days? OMG!! :freak:


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## A/FX Nut

Every Tuff Ones I've ran across has red and white magnets in them.

Sounds like you've got some good times there fixing those chassis's.

Randy.


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## Grandcheapskate

alpink said:


> 9 tooth, standard T-jet.
> 12 tooth, hop up kit.
> 14 tooth, tuff ones and AFX.
> those are all pinion gears that were available.
> 
> subsequently there would be 3 different crown gears with varying length "shoulders" to match.


 In taking a very close look at some NOS authentic Aurora parts, I see only two different size "shoulders" for the crown gear.

The shoulders I refer to are on the opposite side of the gear teeth. 

The standard crown gear which mates to the 9 tooth pinion has the long shoulder.

The crown gears for the 12 and 14 tooth pinion look to have the same length short shoulder. The difference between these two, that I see, is on the teeth side of the crown gear. The Tuff Ones crown gear (for the 14 tooth) has a little shoulder on the tooth side of the gear, whereas the hop-up crown gear does not. If looking at the tooth side of a crown gear, the gear for the 9 and 12 tooth pinion look identical.

Joe


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## Grandcheapskate

A/FX Nut said:


> Every Tuff Ones I've ran across has red and white magnets in them.
> 
> Sounds like you've got some good times there fixing those chassis's.
> 
> Randy.


Hi Randy,

Yes it is fun to fix up old chassis, but you have to balance that off against what you pay for them. The less you pay, the more you feel you got your money's worth when you add in all the work and parts.

These cars I am working on now cost about $10 a piece and are in rough shape, both chassis and body wise. Personally I will never again pay anywhere near that much for cars which have been heavily used and modified. You are left with a collection of mismatched chassis, bad gears, dried tires and broken bodies.

Granted I guess some of you think $10 for an Aurora car may be cheap, but in my opinion these used up cars are only worth $3 at most. Before I'm done I'll end up replacing chassis, gears, tires, wheels (there is a love fest with putting large wheels on all the T-Jet rears) and putting some bodies in the junk bin. Plus all the time just to get the thing running again.

Thanks...Joe


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## 88T-BIRD

The crown gears for the 12 and 14 tooth pinion look to have the same length short shoulder. The difference between these two, that I see, is on the teeth side of the crown gear. The Tuff Ones crown gear (for the 14 tooth) has a little shoulder on the tooth side of the gear, whereas the hop-up crown gear does not. If looking at the tooth side of a crown gear, the gear for the 9 and 12 tooth pinion look identical.

I have three different length crown gears. The larger the pinion gear the shorted the crown gear shoulder. Three different size pinions = three different length crown gears. Jim


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## 88T-BIRD

Granted I guess some of you think $10 for an Aurora car may be cheap, but in my opinion these used up cars are only worth $3 at most. Before I'm done I'll end up replacing chassis, gears, tires, wheels (there is a love fest with putting large wheels on all the T-Jet rears) and putting some bodies in the junk bin. Plus all the time just to get the thing running again.

I see people on ebay paying, IMO ridicules prices for old junk chassis and parts. I could see it if these were not available but you can still purchase NOS chassis for $10.50. I guess what I see is junk other see them as treasures!


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## Grandcheapskate

88T-BIRD said:


> I have three different length crown gears. The larger the pinion gear the shorted the crown gear shoulder. Three different size pinions = three different length crown gears. Jim



Jim,
I agree it should be that way. I have NOS carded Aurora hop-up gear assemblies (pinion and crown) and a Tuff One that has never been touched. I cannot see a difference in the length of the axle shaft even under a magnifying glass. If there is a difference (and I don't doubt you), it's got to be mighty small.

As I pointed out, it does appear one difference is the extension of the axle shaft on the tooth side of the Tuff One crown gear.

Joe


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## 88T-BIRD

Grandcheapskate said:


> Jim,
> I agree it should be that way. I have NOS carded Aurora hop-up gear assemblies (pinion and crown) and a Tuff One that has never been touched. I cannot see a difference in the length of the axle shaft even under a magnifying glass. If there is a difference (and I don't doubt you), it's got to be mighty small.
> 
> As I pointed out, it does appear one difference is the extension of the axle shaft on the tooth side of the Tuff One crown gear.
> 
> Joe


 With the gears I checked, there is about a .030ths difference between a stock crown gear and a Hop-Up crown gear, and about a .020ths difference between a Hop-Up crown gear and a Tuff-Ones crown gear.
I checked two Hop-Up crown gears and they would not go in a chassis with a 14 tooth pinion, without some force. 
Remember these gears were molded so one could see a difference between two of the same type of gears. Jim


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## thunderjetgene

The thin axles were on the earlier cars, maybe 1971-72. Hard to find now NOS. My guess is the thicker axle came in around 1972-73? I remember as a kid trying to swap parts and being annoyed the axles had changed. They weren't just on the funny cars. I have to check, but M/T had even thicker independent axles, then they came out with the specialty axles and the more authentic wheels and the axles were pointed at both ends.



tabcomary said:


> I'll take a swipe at the last question. The front axles on A/FX cars with the axles mounted in the body are smaller in diameter than the axles on a standard A/FX car. Perhaps someone knows why. The regular Magna-Traction cars should have the same front axle. I'm sure there are some exceptions...
> 
> Most of my A/FX cars have red rear magnets.
> 
> Good Luck! It sounds like you got a nice bag of stuff!


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## thunderjetgene

Hey Joe - nice to hear from someone who remembers Great Eastern Mills. We had one on RT 22 in N. Plainfield, NJ, and when it closed it became a Valley Fair. I was around for the VF closing. It was 5th grade - 1971-72 - and my dad was taking me to get a new pair of drumsticks. I guess I was ten. We hit up the Sporting Goods Dept. for some Thunderjet bodies. I got a Lemon Charger(no glass), and a lemon and an orange AMX. Still have them - the org AMX is still in the blister, and the lemon cars were run sparingly(I was getting into A/FX soon after) and they are also in my collection today. They were $.69 ea. and 65% off! Got 'em for 24 cents each. I used to think what I would have bought if I could go back to that day. What cards of bodies and parts I would buy, not to mention TJets and A/FX cars at what, maybe 50 cents for a TJet and a buck-twenty for A/FXs at 65% off their discount prices? What do you remember about slot cars at Great Eastern and Valley Fair, if you had one? How about Two Guys and EJ Korvette's? Spent many evenings there with my dad too when the sales circulars came in the paper.
-Gene


Grandcheapskate said:


> I still have carded Aurora parts I bought from when Great eastern went out of business. I looked and I have a card of AFX magnets which are red/blue.
> 
> Just for laughs, the price on the card ---- 19 cents a pair. When I bought them, they were half off - 19 cents for two pair!!!
> 
> On the flip side, the carded armatures are marked 99 cents. That was a lot back then considering a whole T-Jet was selling for $2.19.
> 
> Ahhhh....memories.
> 
> Joe


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## Dyno Dom

The Great Eastern we had is a Home Depot today.
I remember Korvette's but S.Klein in West Hempstead was less 
than 1/2 mile from the Aurora factory, closer to the Aurora Raceway
and had a Great Hobby area.


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## Grandcheapskate

88T-BIRD said:


> With the gears I checked, there is about a .030ths difference between a stock crown gear and a Hop-Up crown gear, and about a .020ths difference between a Hop-Up crown gear and a Tuff-Ones crown gear.
> I checked two Hop-Up crown gears and they would not go in a chassis with a 14 tooth pinion, without some force.
> Remember these gears were molded so one could see a difference between two of the same type of gears. Jim


Hi Jim,
I just haven't been able to see, with the naked eye, the difference between the hop-up and Tuff One crown gear. But logic dictates there has to be a shaft length difference. Without a tool to measure the shaft length, I'm thinking the only way to tell the difference is by the method I described earlier - the Tuff One crown gear seems to have an extended shaft on the tooth side of the gear whereas the standard and hop-up crown gears do not.

I did a test fit of a 12 tooth pinion with a Tuff One crown gear and there is unquestionably too much play.

Thanks...Joe


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## Grandcheapskate

thunderjetgene said:


> Hey Joe - nice to hear from someone who remembers Great Eastern Mills. We had one on RT 22 in N. Plainfield, NJ, and when it closed it became a Valley Fair. -Gene


Hi Gene,
Our store was located on Rt. 46 in West Patterson (now Woodland Park). It also closed and was replaced by a Vally Fair. What a sad time when we lost both Great Eastern and Two Guys. Like you, I wish I could go back with a couple years' salary and buy up all those wonderful Aurora cars.

Of the two, I think the Two Guys display was superior, although both had displays that put anything around today to shame. I still want to cry when I think about all the lost opportunities, especially for those few years when I was old enough to have a steady job and those stores were still there.

Our local Shop-Rite has retro NJ T-Shirts and one of them has the Two Guys logo across the front.

Did you have the old Blue Laws that did not allow clothes to be sold on Sunday? I can remember going into those Passaic County stores and the entire clothes section would be roped off.

Joe


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## Ralphthe3rd

*Oh man, the memories...*

Hey Gene, I grew up in South Plainfield N.J. and that was my closest Great Eastern as well... and the Two guys just down the road on Rt. 22 was my Favorite place to get my Hobby stuff, and yes- EJ Korvettes in the Blue Star shopping center as well, ahhh... the memories 
PS- I'm turning 54 yrs old this year, but my memories of those Great Toy/Hobby Depts. is still very much intact 


thunderjetgene said:


> Hey Joe - nice to hear from someone who remembers Great Eastern Mills. We had one on RT 22 in N. Plainfield, NJ, and when it closed it became a Valley Fair. I was around for the VF closing. It was 5th grade - 1971-72 - and my dad was taking me to get a new pair of drumsticks. I guess I was ten. We hit up the Sporting Goods Dept. for some Thunderjet bodies. I got a Lemon Charger(no glass), and a lemon and an orange AMX. Still have them - the org AMX is still in the blister, and the lemon cars were run sparingly(I was getting into A/FX soon after) and they are also in my collection today. They were $.69 ea. and 65% off! Got 'em for 24 cents each. I used to think what I would have bought if I could go back to that day. What cards of bodies and parts I would buy, not to mention TJets and A/FX cars at what, maybe 50 cents for a TJet and a buck-twenty for A/FXs at 65% off their discount prices? What do you remember about slot cars at Great Eastern and Valley Fair, if you had one? How about Two Guys and EJ Korvette's? Spent many evenings there with my dad too when the sales circulars came in the paper.
> -Gene


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## Joe65SkylarkGS

Ahh Joe, Great Eastern was one of my spots growing up in Brooklyn. Right down the street from Kings Plaza on Flatbush av. I think I remember paying 1.99 for new tjets. Then they went out of business some years later. The lot now houses a Toys R Us. Not the same building tho, Never undwerstood that. They knocked down the huge Great Easterna dn put another building 50 foot to the left?!?!?!

Thanks for the memories Joe.


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