# frigin with the riggen



## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

i pulled out my riggen this eveening and ran it till the flappers gave up. seems i can,t really get this thing to go that good. i did see that there is a different style shoe/guide that can be baught and used in place of those stupid thin flappers. this chassis has the motor drop mod and i installed some rear bushings. i did get it to go pretty good but the rear of the chassis rubs in some parts of the trak. i run it at 12 volts for better driving experience.this chassis could be more fun if i spent more time with it but the t-jets call me back.seems to me if i put the braided pickups on the fronts will never touch. maybe 1 of you guys will post a pic of braided front so i can see what to do. the car is pure slotcar a frame and motor and it could go good in the hands of a good tuner.guess i,ll spend a lil time with this and see if i can make it better.i tried to go to the riggen site but there seems to be a prob there. so com,on riggen bros lets see what ya got!


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## twolff (May 11, 2007)

The front edge of the pick-ups look ok in the pic. Bent back on themselves, but not tightly against the front and bottom of the guide flag. The creases in the faces of the pickups gotta go. The perforated ones are junk. I've been able to reman bent up wipers by burnishing them flat with a popsicle stick on a cutting mat.

Anything I've had that rubbed the track always handled like crap. Ya gotta raise the ride height so the chassis doesn't rub. Easiest way I know of is with bigger diamater tires. The Riggens I've seen ran silifoam rears. I've crammed some Rocket Science LTD. rears on mine. I don't know what they were supposed to be for. They came with a bag of rejects (BOR). They run in nicely. Same tires work great on TycoPros.

Enjoy


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Yeah ....braids....you wont be sorry. All the difference in the world. Naturally adjustments must be made.


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

I hear ya Joe, I have one, its all in the guide / contact setup. Looking at how yours is worn I would say you have the car riding on the contacts rather than the front wheels. It is so critical on these cars how the contacts are bent & formed, to little tension & they run like crap, too much & they wear out in several laps on a big track. I made a plastic adjustment contact shoe adjustment guide that works pretty well to get an initial setup & correct bend on them, I got the information from a tyco article somewhere but cant find it now. It is very important from what I have read & experienced with these type cars that they sit on the wheels & not the contacts. 

Here is a pic of the guide I made, I will dig a bit for the article & post the link If I can find it. 

Good luck man, I run mine 5 or 6 laps & if I get 3 good laps I put it back up & just thank God I did not have to tear the guide assembly out of it to get some laps on it. 

Boosted


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

Bill you have any pics of a riggen with braids or how to do it?

Boosted


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

thanx for commin back with some tips and ideas fellas. i do have some taller sillyfoams from wizard but thats gonna take a drillblank axel of say.059 for the crown gear i think .that will take care of the rubbing some side lead will give more"down force" in the front and you might be experienceing the same prob with the riggen site as i am, but there is a pin/braide set up available form riggen that could make this a real gas to drive! terry flynn has done some great how to mods for this chassis . i did manage to turn some good laps but it don,t last long. damn things are smooth as silk sometime.


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

You mean this Guide setup

http://www.riggenho.com/index.php?o...:4000assemblyinstructions&catid=36&Itemid=279

Boosted


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## sidejobjon (Jun 3, 2010)

*Pat Dennis*

Boosted,
The artical is on Riggen site. Read on under Pat Dennis, inventer of TYCO pro.
Thanks John F


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

boosted yes that is the set-up that i,m thinkin of.maybe i can get to the riggen site today. it just has,nt worked for me the last few time i tried.tonite i,m gonna take mine apart clean and put some new flippers on it !and copy the adjustment tool.i can barely make a t-jet run let alone a riggen but i,m tryin


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Boosted-Z71 said:


> Bill you have any pics of a riggen with braids or how to do it?
> 
> Boosted


Very straightforward!

In this case a Tyco-Pro guide assembly was used. The braids are carefully tinned with solder on one end...a 1/4" er so. Use a good hot iron to allow the hot liquid solder to wick properly and keep the finished product as thin as possible. This is the end which is to be fed into the guide assembly slots. Prefit the tinned braids into the guide. You may have to shave a little here or there on the braid or the guide to get a good fit.

Once your satisfied with the fit, remove them and solder the leads on to the tinned area. Then slide them back into the guide. For added insurance you can add a small dot of hot glue from the bottom side opening which is easily removed should you have to change a braid.

It should be noted that rail snaggles on HO sectional track can be murderous on braids by shredding them prematurely necessitating early replacement or limiting performance because their abillity to transfer current has been compromised by damage.


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

no work today so i had so time to fool round with the riggen.after reading what bill said i went ahead and started messin with it.i glued on some braids and tried some laps it went pretty good but the fronts still dont touch all the way down. not too bad and managed to get 200 laps or so.i,m still gonna mess with it later.


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

Looks good Joe, sent you a PM

Boosted


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## partspig (Mar 12, 2003)

Time for another old fart to chime in here. If you are going to use braided pickups on a plastic sectional track, the track WILL rip the snot out of them pretty quickly. However, I used to take some Elmers White Glue and run a bead across the back side of the braid in a couple of spots. It seemed to help the longevity of the braids. you could proby also use some hot glue. These Riggens, and a lot of the other brass wars cars run like a dream on a braided track. One thing to consider if you really like these cars. Taller rubber will fix the other problem you are having. Have a good day.


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

Yes I agree about the taller rubber, I put Super II front wheels on mine for a test , but it is just against all of my slot car morals & ethics to raise a car from the track. Good tip on the elmers on the back side of the braid.

Boosted


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

just spent this past week gettin the rig to run.as of this time sun mornin i have mounted this javilin to the rig n tirned maybe 50 os so laps with good speed and consistacy! i,m just really happy with this once upon a tims SHELF QUEEN.


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

Joe I like the Javelin, Love the Cam Am style, those cars were cool, now all we have that gets any press is Nascar. Cant wait to get the braids on mine & see if I can straighten it out as well.

Boosted


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

got some riggen parts that have been in a box for a year or so and decieded to go ahead n start a new build. after lookin at some of the mods that terry flyn(riggen racer)has done figured i,d do some too. i did this mod to my first riggen so why stop now.the first mod is bushings in the rear upright.the bushing is from a mabucci can motor its a brush tube that ya gotta get a small file/bit in therer to take the shoulder off of so the axel can pass through. next up take a small file rat tail type and enlarge the upright hole so the bush fits snug. solder them in place with the axel in place so you get a straight line. this mod is very cool for the rig.next you can fit a piece of brass tubing into the front uprights n solder that inplace too. i will add some more build stuf and pics as this comes along. if you go to riggenho.com in the how to or hop up section you can see this much better. also if you have a riggen please add to this thread cuz these cars need to be tweaked to mak,em run any kinda good.


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

I am watching Joe. I just got a riggen from Tom Stumpf a day ago and am very happy with the way she is running. Really smooth.

1 thing though, The only tire I could get to fit the double flanged rim is a tuff one's silly. I got supposed riggen slip on's but they won't go on with out trimming them. Is this common practice to get the slip on's to go on the stock rim?


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

joe the short answer is i dont know. i use what i got hangin round and what will get me past any rail hangs.experiment and post back with what u came up with. i wanted to make a lil more clear with the rear bushing mod you gotta trim the left side real close so there is no bindig and you can trim the right side as much as you feel comfortable with.turns out the crown gear i have were to big for the .059 axel so i used a .062 and had to hone out the bush that much more. also a green wire motor is used but it seems the tail shaft is longer than so i had to dremmel some off and drem some off of the crown gear shoulder. with a wire brush disc and a file i cleaned up my solder mess and it is passable now. also installed and cleaned the front tube. next i,m headed for pin tubes and install the piccard brad front shoe.


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

Joe where are you buying the brass axle bushings from?

Controller pics are posted also

Boosted


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

o man ya had to ask me that ? god it,s been just about 2 years since i bought this stuff but i,m pretty sure i got lots of stuff from nj hodbbies. almost positive. they are made from brush barrels for a mabucci motor.


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

SO last night I decided to really give my Riggen a work out. And it ran good. Super smooth it runs. It has the slower motor in it too. Red wire. I did notice the guide system getting stuck under the front of the body on right turns. I don't want to butcher up the body though .

I am going to look into a few different type of bodies. And I need to get the other Riggen working.


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

the other riggen???? c,mon skylark lets see some pics. remember this thread is for riggen and it needs posters. joe skylark i just put an order in for some h.o.s.t bodies should be here soon.


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

joegri said:


> the other riggen???? c,mon skylark lets see some pics. remember this thread is for riggen and it needs posters. joe skylark i just put an order in for some h.o.s.t bodies should be here soon.


h.o.s.t.??? I will get some pics :thumbsup:


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## K.L. VanAtta (Mar 23, 2009)

Gentlemen,

H.O.S.T. HO Racing Bodies by Bob Dame, multiple HOPRA Concours National Champion. Has some very nice bodies; Porsche 917K, Ferrari 712M ( the 1971 Can-Am car based on a Ferrari 512S/M ), and a neat Lola T-70 Mk.III Coupe. First class HO'er and good person.

My wife says that I work about 100 hours a week at my "day" job; not really, but the largest amount of my time is spent at "work" such that all of my other interests ( reading, photography, music, computers, and SLOT CARS ) get very little attention. I still manage to stop by these forums and find some bits and pieces on the internet for future projects.

As, if looking for small gauge ( 24g ), multi-strand copper lead wire for HO scratchbuilding projects try the Brawa and Marklin brands of HO model train hook-up wire. I just received some that I purchased and it is nearly a perfect match for the wire that was sold with the TCP Brass Pan Kits for AFX chassis in the 70's. Also very usable for Riggen, TycoPro, Landshark, and ????

Be good,

Keith VanAtta


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

wow kl vanatta i,m a big fan of yer scratch builds. feel free to post up some pics of yer stuff!!! especially is you have a landshark. been savin my pennies for 1.


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

after spending more than a couple of hours installing the piccard front and a whole bunch of adjusting and tweeking the new riggen i,ve managed to turn a whole lota laps. and to my disappointment the chassis still needs more work. there seems to be some sputtering in the turns but very good inthe straights ? well what can it be? nearest i can come up with first off the fronts dont touch i have the braids really flattened out as low as possible and the guide pin is,nt bottoming out. with a quick measurement the fronts mic out at .396. that just seems just a lil too short. so when it comes into a corner and starts leaning it loose some contact (i think) so later tonite i,m gonna try some taller fronts and see what that does. anybody got some thoughts on this. i,d like to hear,em


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## bearsox (Apr 22, 2006)

*Frigin with the Riggen*

Hey Joe ,
i was just sitting back and watching what yer up to here and thought i would toss out another potential source for you guys . On ebay.... seller ID kid-coz is Kevin Crowe. Kevin is the guy who builds the angle winders for Riggen and has done many a project for Riggen from tires to bodies to brass frame work etc. Point is he is a great source of info and possible parts and don't forget he is one of the 1st guys ever to make all kinds of tools . Way before RTHO or JW's or pretty much most of the guys today Kevin was making the most innovative tools out there ! 

Bear :wave:


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

*suka 4 punishment!*

i gotta be a suka for punishment cuz i keep going back to this slotcar n try to make it run like i read about. to correct all the wheel spinning down the straights i added some side weights and that worked pretty good. and there was some gear slippage so i added some spacers to the axels that took out most of the problem. but it makes a terrable scream(gears) as you roll it through your fingers you can feel it kinda hang up and skip. so i,m thinkin i need to get the very best gears available to make it run real good. where and what kind of gears/makers would you guys reccomend? also i,ts in need of some new rear tires?rims...again. i,m finding out quickly that mine goes through gears and rim/tire combos easily and quickly. i think i,ll look for a container to put it in and forget about it for a bit and just work on tjets. seems these cars can really give you a few laps of unbelievable running then you cant wait to bring it into the pits to see "now whats it doin" but when they do go they go great.


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Silicone Bronze crown gear,and steel pinion,check with Lucky Bob's or WizzardHO,probably other ones available,but Wizzards combo lives pretty good on our Neo cars


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

Have you tried to lap them with some light compound?

Where did you get the guide asm?

Boosted


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## slotking (May 27, 2008)

the big key is lash!

you can run neo inline with plastic gears if the gears mesh well and have min lash. not that I would, but I have seen top racers with plastic gears on their neo mods. 

I like the bsrt pinion with the slottech Ultramesh gears.
maybe set to a 1k lash


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Mike:the Wizzard combo of steel pinion and silicone bronze crown gear,will outlast Slottech's or BSRT's plastic gears hands down.
I speak from experience,and they are almost comparable in price to the plastic gears from either outfit.
Also getting gears from Tony at Slottech is a hit and miss at the best of times,ask Lucky Bob
If you're gonna push a manufacture'r,pick one who isn't getting ready to retire,and is virtually impossible to get a decent supply of parts from

http://www.wizzardho.com/Main.htm


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Hi Joe,

That looks like a stock G-plus set or such. A single thou isnt enough clearance for dump truck quality gears.

Based on the pic, I wouldnt be all worked up about the East to West, (lash). It appears that the crown is buried into the pinion flange. Adjust the North to South spacing. 

As your trying to "make do", carefully run the gear set over a warm flame (lighter). Then lap them, and see what happens with the crown riding in the middle of the pinion teeth.

Additionally, be patient when lapping stock fat toothed gears. Those big ole clunkers can take a bit extra before they clean up.


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

bill if i remember yes they are g plus gears. my task tonite is to disassemble that set up and try some new gears with some shims. maybe even check some containers for some taller rear rims/tires. and boosted i got that guide flag set-up from riggen. i can tellya that set up with the guide pin is the only way to fly with the riggen. i,m not sure if riggen is still open for biz but, i,m sure terry(riggenracer) has riggen stuff. try that you,ll like it. and thanx for listening to me bitch bout a slotcar.


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## theking43 (May 1, 2012)

Joegri,

Some thoughts on the wheel spinning/traction issues. I have a couple of TycoPro cars that are very similar to the Riggens and I experienced the same problems. To gain traction, I went to a larger diameter rear tire to get a little more ground clearance as the low profile stock tires caused the chassis to scrape the power rails. For rear tire material, try silicone or urethane as both have much better grip than stock rubber. If you are not opposed to traction magnets and want a little "stick" on the curves, you could use a pair of B3301 neo magnets glued to the bottom of the chassis in the space between the motor and rear axle. The B3301 dimensions are 3/16 x 3/16 x 1/32 thick. This of course requires enough ground clearance. Here's the link to the magnets:

http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=B3301

PS, I'm not a firm believer in adding weights to gain traction. While "dead" weight does provide more down-force, it's also causing unwanted inertia that diminishes handling in the turns. That is why I prefer magnets.

Hope this info is helpful.


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## slotking (May 27, 2008)

rick

rick, the soft slottech crowns & BSRT pinion setup is the best I have used for plastic. very smooth. since the car does not have neo mags holding it down and weight distribution may be an issue, I suggest plastic

I just call it as I see it. never had a issue getting gears from slottech.

On the metal gears, I have not purchase any in years! I run the old zone 2 metal gears, never found anything better!!

if using wizzard metal gears, find someone to turn them down! they help with handling a lot if u do that!


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Try to get a Slottech gear these days Mike.
BTW,you're one of the few who can get parts from Tony.
I used to qualify at one time,but probably don't anymore,lol

Tony's soft plastic gears are probably the best as far as plastic gears goes,but you have to be somebody,to be able to get them usually.
I ran them for years in my poly cars and loved them,but Wizz's steel and silicone combo outlasts them by quite a bit,and is generally cheaper in the long run.

LOL,i was waiting for you to trot out Millers Zone2's,they're non-existent now as far as i know.
Lightening and turning down any gear works.
I drilled more holes in crown gears and shaved more plastic/brass off them,then i care to remember,but it does work to free up horsepower,wore out a couple gear drilling jigs over the years
Rick


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## slotking (May 27, 2008)

LOL

yeah, got them(zone 2 gears) on my 6 mag unlimited, ran them for years with no issues! the sweet mesh is still there! LOL unlike other metal gears I have tried.:thumbsup:

no problem getting slottech gears! I just ordered bunch from BSRT or was that wizzard?? :tongue::woohoo::woohoo::roll:


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## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

*running good for now*

i spent some time swaping out the pinion gear and added a thin smimm to the crown gear. that really made the whole thing stay close and not slip. the best thing i did find out is you drive this riggen kinda easy thats when it turns its best laps and consistant. the fishtail is predicable and fun.now i,m done with it...got a container to hide it away. thanx for the tips guys this thing is fun to run now!


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## slotking (May 27, 2008)

> got a container to hide it away.


no it will make a good push car for 3 year old till u need to race it again:hat::tongue:


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