# Slimline T Dash



## mrtjet (Dec 3, 2013)

O how I think it would be cool for a slimline T Dash. Imagine a bunch of old formula 1 style cars racing around on Watkins Glen old road course or some other old track. Yes scenery would really make it cool. But scenery or not that chassis would be way cool.:thumbsup:


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## Bubba 123 (Sep 10, 2010)

mrtjet said:


> O how I think it would be cool for a slimline T Dash. Imagine a bunch of old formula 1 style cars racing around on Watkins Glen old road course or some other old track. Yes scenery would really make it cool. But scenery or not that chassis would be way cool.:thumbsup:


"IF" I heard right.. a slimline T-Dash is on Dan's board.....
1 man, can only do so much @ 1 time :thumbsup:..
but he's still @ it !!! :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Bubba 123 :wave:


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## Rich Dumas (Sep 3, 2008)

It would be even better if someone made bodies as well.


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## clausheupel (Jan 27, 2005)

*Simliners...*



Rich Dumas said:


> It would be even better if someone made bodies as well.


If (err: when) Dan´s slimline chassis hits the market and performs better than the original Aurora ones, there sure will not only one resin caster enjoy doing bodies for it! Just think of Roger Corrie and his sweet vintage Indy and F1 bodies... :wave:

I myself have some ideas too! 

Claus


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## A/GS (Jul 10, 2014)

Rich Dumas said:


> It would be even better if someone made bodies as well.


Who better to do that than Dan himself ? It makes perfect sense; he's releasing the 36 Atlas coupe remake. Why not release some generic looking early F1 bodies any era 30's to 60's various basic colors aluminum/silver, green, red, blue. No licensing fee would be required as the cars wouldn't be identifiable. Numbers, details, etc. could be added to the cars by the owner. The best Formula one cars were from the early days. My favorite 2 cars are the 4 and 6 wheeled Auto Union Type C.  :thumbsup:


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## Rich Dumas (Sep 3, 2008)

For a start I have never seen a Slimline car in person, those came out while I was in the Army and I did not even know that they existed. It would be best if the chassis and at least a few bodies were released at the same time. I am not eager to buy a rolling chassis and then have to wait for some bodies to become available. Did Road Race Replicas ever make resin Slimline bodies?
I often wonder what happened to the tooling for the original Aurora bodies.


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## rodstrguy (Feb 14, 2002)

Rich, Yes Road Race Replicas made some of the slimline bodies... I know for sure the 32 pick up...


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## Serge (Jan 4, 2014)

*Slimline Resin*

Joe Furuli in Denver, makes some excellent slimline bodies.


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## SCJ (Jul 15, 1999)

3R used to make the '32 Ford as well as a couple of F1 cars......I believe all have been discontinued.

There are several resin casters making hot rod's for the slim line chassis though.

-------------------------
www.SlotCarJohnnies.com


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## Bubba 123 (Sep 10, 2010)

Serge said:


> Joe Furuli in Denver, makes some excellent slimline bodies.


bodies can be made 2 "True-HO" Scale (train-HO) better as well :thumbsup:
they had some set-backs w/ power &other issues...
that I'm SURE "Mr. Tantrum" is going 2B working the bugs out....
like he did on the T-Dash.....
and that new atlas body (in time 4 Xmas, Mr. Dan ???)...
I'm SO drooling on 4 us "Antique" Street/Stock Body (NOT disfigured Fairground's types) enthusiast's .. :thumbsup:

Bubba 123 :wave:


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## Jisp (Oct 19, 2008)

Serge, I like the 32! Can I ask you to please PM me with contact details for Joe Furuli if you have them. I see his name over at Monsters but there are no contact details. Thanks.

Cheers,
Michael. :thumbsup:


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

*Hiding in Plain Site*

Well, the 32 pick up is a highly desirable, coveted model. 

Sadly, the slimline is the only HO production chassis that really allowed designers to keep the all important length, width, and height ratios in check; which allowed them to keep more complex stylings in proportion. Although never explored beyond the 32 pick up, the success of that particular slimline + cool body combination indicates a mountain of untapped potential. IMHO, revisiting the slimline would blow the doors open on a myriad of UNTAPPED styling opportunities from the 20's -40's. 

I'm referring to an almost completely unexplored period populated with a plethora of automotive design innovations. Primarily, narrow cowled sedan and coup stylings with swoopy fenders and running boards. Properly scaled Tudors and touring cars? How about wasp wasted speedsters or boat tails with motorcylce fenders and serpentine exhausts? The oozingly curvaceous design of the Cord stylings? Fenderless hot rods and Lakes racers? Simply stated, all of the gorgeous original designs and subsequent consumer mutations from the golden era of the automobile would become available on the slimline.

Lets face reality, the T-jet and it's familiars are bricks. Trying to wrap any curved coach work around it requires puffing up the scale and pushing the axles out. Compare all the original coupe or sedan H0 stylings from all manufacturers, from all eras. They all have slab sides and minimal surface differential on the vertical plane in common. The slimline would not only create many styling opportunities, it would also enable designers to deflate the "scale balloon", and start pushing back towards 1/72. Consider that the Slimline 32 pick up and the AFX Specialty Model A series are virtually identical in concept, both using separate body and fender modules; except that the AFX A's are "dorkulated" by designers forcing overscaled S coach work onto a Funny Car chassis. 

I find the use of the slimline chassis by homegrown H0 resin craftsmen to be reflective of hidden potential. Notably, we see a fair amount of pre 50's models styled on the slimline when the craft is viewed in cross section. This popularity combined with the undeniable cult status of the 32 pick up might be a good indicator of what consumers actually want.

A modernized slimline edition would be afforded the advantages of todays magnet technology, arguably their weakest link. Then add a consistent armature and modernized motor brush support system for a Mighty Mouse platform. The slimline already has a decent CG, as it sports dropped axles by design.

It's no secret that many have grown tired of current the Merrie-Go-Round of staus quo offerings. Packaged together, a good performing slimline shod with unique automotive models would likely appeal to a broader section of H0 hobbyists by including collectors, racers, runners, customizers and modelers.


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm .............

Bill, are you a pollytishion?

LOL


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## 65 Wagonaire (Nov 27, 2013)

I would be great to have repros of the two other slimline bodies besides the great '32 pickup. The Repco Brabham and the McLaren BRM. They're usually missing parts. 

I have a couple of resin bodies that I got from ajd350. I think they are of an altered bantam(hw's copy) but nothing would fit until I tried a slimline. I only have two chassis, one's nos and the other doesn't run very good so it would be great to get some new chassis to run under them. 
I see there's a couple of resin slimline bodies on ebay, one looks like a copy of the HW midnight otto, the other a '34.


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

alpink said:


> hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm .............
> 
> Bill, are you a pollytishion?
> 
> LOL


I can neither confirm nor deny this accusation.


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## old blue (May 4, 2007)

I would just like to get a Plymouth Prowler out of the deal. 

OB


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## Jisp (Oct 19, 2008)

Al, I reckon Bill's comment was a little too close to heart to have come from a pollytishion. Pollys don't have it in 'em.

On several occasions I have hovered my finger over the "buy" button for the AFX A offering with the intention of doing some mild customising. On every occasion I have walked away due to the dorkullation factor. The longer I looked at them the worse they appeared.

Can only hope that the slimmy goes ahead, which in turn may spark interest in creating some new bodies from a sweet era in motoring. Additionally, I have a few resins of a 1970s Australian Holden Torana that were made for slims. A few modern slim chassis to get 'em out of the box and onto the track where they belong would be most welcome.

Cheers,
Michael. :thumbsup:


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## mrtjet (Dec 3, 2013)

Through the years I have had quite a few slimlines. Non of which performed well. Binding seems to be a big problem with them. Arms and magnets are an issue also. Then one day a friend said he would sell one he had to me for $10. He said it ran better then most of them. I took a shot and bought it. This was back about 1995. I still have it and I NEVER took it apart for any reason to this day. This car runs even in its uncleaned up state nearly as well as a tjet. What I like best about this car is it can be driven a lot closer to the corners before backing off. Not to mention that it handles quite well. The only things that I did to it is adjust the pick up shoes, replaced the tires with the skinny slicks used on tjets. IMHO if a Dash Slimline is made it should be the same as the original of course the previous problems addressed. O yes, the weak motor brush wires need changing also. And please let's keep the magnetic down force as it is now. Let the aftermarket go nuts on arms, magnets, gears and things. I believe that this car has huge potential and as I have said before a bunch of these running with old style bodies would be fantastic! Or new style bodies. What the heck. Mrtjet.


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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

Bill Hall said:


> ... narrow cowled sedan and coup stylings with swoopy fenders and running boards. Properly scaled Tudors and touring cars? How about wasp wasted speedsters or boat tails with motorcylce fenders and serpentine exhausts? The oozingly curvaceous design of the Cord stylings? Fenderless hot rods and Lakes racers?


Lemme Have It! LEMME HAVE IT!


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## smalltime (Jun 3, 2006)

I've said many times that you could almost fund a slimline repop, by simply making the magnets first, and selling them to folks who have slimmies now.

I'd pay $6.00 a pair for good slimline magnets. And I would have a couple dozen pairs to buy.


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

I have original slimmies that run just fine.
some that didn't had the brush holes drilled out (advancing timing too) to t-jet size and the rear gearing changed.
they run very well.
Hank replaces the magnets with cut down inline poly's and gets Sgrig to wind hot arms and those run really, really well.
looking forward to DASH slimline and the name for them if the financing comes through.


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## lenny (Feb 29, 2000)

smalltime said:


> I've said many times that you could almost fund a slimline repop, by simply making the magnets first, and selling them to folks who have slimmies now.
> 
> I'd pay $6.00 a pair for good slimline magnets. And I would have a couple dozen pairs to buy.


define 'good'. T-Dash strength and quality?


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## SouthLyonBen (Mar 14, 2012)

I don't see why with the motor tech in the last 50 years we have to be married to the pancake design.


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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

SouthLyonBen said:


> I don't see why with the motor tech in the last 50 years we have to be married to the pancake design.


We don't. We just  _like_ it.


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## rholmesr (Oct 8, 2010)

lenny said:


> define 'good'. T-Dash strength and quality?


I think that would be great. The stock slimline magnets are so weak they barely stick together.


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## 60chevyjim (Feb 21, 2008)

SouthLyonBen said:


> I don't see why with the motor tech in the last 50 years we have to be married to the pancake design.


 some people just don't get it ..
pancakes are cool , I had some for breakfast today ..

there are lots of fast inline chassis available already .
but I myself don't care much for any of them .
you cant even screw a decent looking body to them ?

I prefer old school slots that the bodys screw on
so I can put cool resin street car bodys on them .

everyone has there own idea what they like ..


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## rodstrguy (Feb 14, 2002)

Chevy Jim... that leaves more pancakes for us. I am not a fan of inlines either.


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## rholmesr (Oct 8, 2010)

Pancakes -- I'll take a stack of them!


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## Bubba 123 (Sep 10, 2010)

rholmesr said:


> Pancakes -- I'll take a stack of them!


I enjoy inlines, 4 hyper-speed :freak:
but, due to my arthritis & nerve fine-motor-skills disorder..
I can't work on total overhauls of inlines like I can pancakes....

so... "VIVA La Pancake!!!"....:thumbsup:

Bubba 123 :wave:


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## smalltime (Jun 3, 2006)

lenny said:


> define 'good'. T-Dash strength and quality?


T-Dash strength and quality would be awesome.


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## LDThomas (Nov 30, 1999)

smalltime said:


> T-Dash strength and quality would be awesome.


This...


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

LDThomas said:


> This...


that..


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## mrtjet (Dec 3, 2013)

alpink said:


> that..


And the other thing.


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## brownie374 (Nov 21, 2007)

I like inlines,to clean my track so I can race pancakes!:wave:


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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

> I don't see why with the motor tech in the last 50 years we have to be married to the pancake design.


If we're trying to fit a motor in a slim-bodied car, the pancake seems wrong. An inline seems the obvious choice, BUT a conventional inline open-frame motor needs to put the magnets somewhere. You can't put them top and bottom, so they have to go side to side, requiring enough width for the armature _plus_ two magnets. 










Up to now that has required as much width as a pancake, or more. The advantage of the pancake is that it puts the magnets fore and aft, where there is much more free space.










Now, the new breed of slim-can and coreless motors may eventually change the picture, but it is only in the last month or so that a mainline HO company has been able to get an *affordable slim-can motor* with enough durability to handle the needs of racing. And truth to tell, I'm not sure that one's slim enough to match a slimline pancake for width.










Now if you could come up with a very (_very_) *short* can motor, you might be able to rig a sidewinder










or anglewinder configuration










in an HO car, before too long.

That would allow the motor a bit of chubbiness - but to get a motor that short, you can't afford the extra length for a ring commutator with side brushes. You'd have to put the brushes on the _*end,*_ contacting a flat commutator, like the short Rivarossi model train motors.

















And, that would make it an "axial-rotor motor" more commonly known (nyuk nyuk) as a pancake.

-- D


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Always enjoy your doodles. I'd like to add Heli-cans to the mix.

Chappar -Al and Formula K cant be wrong. Picture a plastic Popsicle stick chassis with upturned axle carriers like a Riggen, and snap in mounts for the heli motor. 

Like an upgraded version of a Jin Jin scaled to HO. Simple mechanical shunts and braids like an Artin.

A "snap fit slimline", if you will. I havent envisioned the cheap but reliable adjustable wheel base yet.


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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

Bill,

That's what I meant when I said that the new can motors may change the whole picture. 

*Could you provide (or link to) a short overview of the RC-coptor can motors as they apply to slot cars?*

I see motors advertised that are as small as an inch long by 1/3-inch wide, at prices from $5 to $65, 








and I think, "Hey, that would make a properly proportioned model of just about any car feasible in HO, *if* they can develop the power, and take the punishment." But I don't know how much work's been done to find out if there's an affordable motor that has all the requirements. 

Also I know that a lot of the small motors are essentially a surplus phenomenon. That is, Canon specs out and buys ten gazillion of a particular motor for a particular design of printer. The motor factory makes 10.5 gazillion, ships Canon its ten, and offers the remaining half-gazillion on the surplus market. Hobbyists find a use for them, and then they are gone, and won't be available again until Canon or somebody decides to market another product that requires the same motor. So, maybe never. Anyone asking the motor company to make a short run gets back a quote of ten times the former price, because the huge quantity was the key to the original low cost per motor. Tough to develop a hobby product around a key component that may disappear in a year or two.

-- D
p.s. - what's a Jin Jin?


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## lenny (Feb 29, 2000)

Dslot said:


> Bill,
> 
> That's what I meant when I said that the new can motors may change the whole picture.
> 
> ...


having these being able to operate on 12 or more volts is a challenge


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

All that's really needed is an in line 1/4 watt resistor Dan. There is a caveat though. The 1/4 watt resistor is sufficient provided the motor is being run through a regular slot car controller also. The higher wattage resistor in the controller allows a smaller resistor in line on the chassis. On a bench power supply, you would need to cut the volts down to 6 or so for testing and tuning, and check the resistor to make sure it doesn't get too hot. Something in the 75 - 120 Ohm will work, and you can fine tune the resistance for different driving characteristics and power supplies. 

I think I had a 90-ish Ohm resistor in line on one of those type motors, with a 22 volt AFX power pack, and a Parma 90 Ohm controller, using a Lifelike chassis base with the correct pinion and crown cruised around the track about T Jet speed. Lower the resistor's Ohms, the faster it'll go. 

I never got past a few test laps to see how well it would hold up, so I can't say anything about durability. A chassis plus a body probably weigh more than a mini helicopter... Remember, those motors can't be rebuilt, and you can't replace brushes. You would have to go disposable and replace the motor with this set up.


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## lenny (Feb 29, 2000)

slotcarman12078 said:


> All that's really needed is an in line 1/4 watt resistor Dan.


how much heat will that resistor produce?


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## lenny (Feb 29, 2000)

*something on the drawing board...*

something I've been playing around in my spare time...
there's also a faller inline I've been experimenting with...


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Hot to the touch within a minute. I never went farther than that.. Nothing scientific. Just going by feel.


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## mrtjet (Dec 3, 2013)

brownie374 said:


> I like inlines,to clean my track so I can race pancakes!:wave:


Thank you. Now I know what they are for. I always wondered.


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## Rich Dumas (Sep 3, 2008)

Back in the '60s there were 1/32nd motors that had the magnets ahead of the armature. The motors had to have a fairly heavy metal frame but you could easily replicate the narrow Formula 1 cars of the time.


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## DonSchenck (Nov 14, 2012)

Forgive my ignorance: What's the AFX A ??


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## DonSchenck (Nov 14, 2012)

I have three NOS Slimlines. I plan to use plastic sheet and make sprint cars out of them.

Making a run of Slimlines chassis with good quality? I'd buy 20 at, say, $15 a piece.


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Sorry Don, Just my sloppy and Lazy way of saying:

Aurora Specialty, Four Gear AFX, Model "A" series. Specifically the Coupe, the Panel, and the Woody. Very nifty models.

Hold one up. Close one eye. Then picture them in scale with all the extra air let out on a slimline chassis derivative .... 

... now add all their brothers and sisters from the golden age of the automobile. 

Thats a mile of cars!


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## DonSchenck (Nov 14, 2012)

Got it.

Uh ... can I open my other eye now??


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