# when scratch builds go bad



## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

hey fellas this is a scratch that i tried a few years back and decieded to finish it... well it,s finished alright! i thought i,d be a smart guy and solder the motor to the side rail and in turn i think i fried the motor some what. it does go around the trak but it is sloww as heck. there is no binding and i have a good gear mesh. its just a rat! now i want to replcae the motor but as i look around i dont have a mabucci motor with a long shaft. i guss i can find 1 somewhere. but this 1 will prolly go into the crusher! something as ugly as this should not be seen cept once. i,m also looking for the scratchmite motor bracket too. i do have 1 (pictured) on a card but i want to save it till i get a lil better at building! in short what i have learned is if your trak has rails yer better of with the flapper type for contacts/ shoe. also i made the bracket it works ok but i,d like to use what was the normal bracket. so if any of you guys have a long shaft mabucci motor i,m interested and most of all if you have a shop in yer basement that could reproduce the scratchmite motor bracket... lets talk. i thought i,d drop this in here in the customizing section thinking that you guys could point me in the right direction. thanx...... a struggling wanna be scratch builder.


----------



## jobobvideo (Jan 8, 2010)

It looks very cool...did you fry the motor doing the shunts or soldering the can to the chassis...did you think of soldering a couple of L or U tabs on the chassis to fit the can if you can't get moter bracket...is the motor like the ones in a Tyco HP7...just thinking out loud...others hopefully will put you on the right track...good luck in your endeavor.


----------



## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

Joe, you might have hurt the magnets with heat while soldering. 
do you know anyone with a magnet zapper?
it can be zapped just as it is. 
and if you like, I have Trik Trax zapper, you may ship it to me and I'll zap it for you before you decide to scrap it. 
heat and impact shock are magnets' biggest enemies.


----------



## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Great effort Joe...very inspiring! 

Crack that lil bugger open and install some tyco 440 magnets, I use super glue gel. While yer at it poke the arm in too and shim it up. You could also use the Mattel stuff that you can buy for the same amount as a round trip to Al's house for your tired magnets.


----------



## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

good idea Bill. why didn't I think of THAT?

don't answer THAT! LOL


----------



## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Al,

It works pretty darn good for a cave man...as long as yer rules allow and you have the late model Tyco spares. 

Great gobs of torque and decent top if you find a singer. A great way to save dead vintage cans and hop them at the same time. Really, a pleasant surprise.


----------



## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

Bill, I have to agree given the price of the Mattel chassis direct from the source, the magnets and armatures alone are worth the price. I have to remember to buy more after the holidays.


----------



## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

Do NOT CRUSH that car, It still has a ton of potential, I really like the simple design now just tweak it and finish it, I think you did a great job on it, I am with the other guys that you may have axed the mags in the soldering process but that is an easy fix, pry the tabs remove the end bell and go from there. Hang in there, really it looks great!

Boosted


----------



## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Kewl :thumbsup:

For some reason it reminds me of an old style flopper funny car,s'pecially the bottom side view.
Great work Joe


----------



## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

It looks like a really good start Joe. I agree don't dismiss it as being at a dead end. Just out of curiosity, how does it run backwards? And are those brush barrels, or is that motor the type with wiper brushes?


----------



## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

Joe, that is a barrel system. it can be seen vaguely in the bottom of chassis shot. otherwise, Tyco/Mattel arms wouldn't be the solution, it would need Tomy/BSRT arm!


----------



## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

wow!!! thanx all for chimin in. al pink to the rescue and bill with the arm and mag swap. i never even thought of tryin somthin like that. i have nothing else on my bench to work on so ... like boosted and bill said "just open er up" besides i think i can make it alot better. also still lookin for mo motor brackets. anybody?? thanx for the encouragement boyz and scjoe it still is a rat spinning the other direction. this one is goin to be prepped for surgery.


----------



## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

that's the spirit


----------



## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

Hey if all else fails just let it set by your drag entry that Sgrig is sending back to you, its bound to pick up some performance just from being around any of those cars that Jim tweaked. 

Keep your head up on that build, maybe it was a dog motor to start with, now that you have the case soldered in remove the mags and brushes and check for the arm binding as well. Go over it nice and slow, the problem will eventually show up. 

Does the guide/pickup rotate on the front axle? I like that chassis more each time I look at it.

Boosted


----------



## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Yeah agreed!

Looks light and nimble.


----------



## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

wow you guys u aint gonna believe it!!! i did the mag swap its a totally different chassis. it,s still not that fast(a tuffy will smoke it) but it handles really good and makes a kool swooosssshhhh sound down the back stretch. now i,m headed to mounting it some how but that will be easy.i was warming up the vice when i decieded to check back for the first responces to my original post. you guys save it from the vice!!! thanx so much for yer advice and encouragement. really you guyz are the best man. maybe i,ll think about a drop arm / flag shoe set up or something like that.. i,ve turned maybe 200 laps this evening and learning how to bend the braids and added a lil lead over the foward shoe area. man this has been a gas playin in the cave tonite!! o in the new pics is that the type of hop-up you guys were speakin of ???? i dont know what that chassis is exactly but the mags fell chuncky when ya spin it with yer fingers. any way i,m a happy slothead tonite!!


----------



## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

congrats Joe. that "chunky" is the resistance the magnets create to letting the arm turn. then when the arm is energized, it is that "chunky" that creates torque. you will be a lot happier if you put one of the Mattel 3 OHM arms in it too. glad you didn't VICE it. drop arm for the pick ups sounds good too. have fun man.


----------



## partspig (Mar 12, 2003)

Joe, Next time you do one of these builds, save yourself some time and a headache, by not soldering the lead wires to the brush tubes. I use a round wooden toothpick jammed into the brush tube with the lead wire, no solder necessary. Also it is easy to change out when the lead wire breaks. JMHOFO pig


----------



## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

For payment you can send me one just like it, Ha ha. 

Glad you got it on the right path.

Boosted


----------



## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

i played with this chassis til 3 am eastern now i,m payin the price (just tired allday)and i just made a new shoe/flag.i,m done for a day or so. pig thanx for the hint i have used that method on my riggen before works good i must say. i,m glad it goes around the trak and now i can use this as a baseline to work off of. was wondering if a swing arm would work?but its that damn motor bracket that is the hardest to make. i,d love to just buy some.and boosted thanx ! i thought i could smell yer soldering iron heating up? c,mon man you can scratch one out .... i know you can!


----------



## sidejobjon (Jun 3, 2010)

*Motor brackets*

Joe,
Cool build I think chapperal has motor brackets, with his Landsharks for sale.
Keep up good work, you must have ton hrs in that build.
Thanks for showing SJJ


----------



## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

thanx for the tip sjj i did email and now i gotta wait to see if he answers. 1 came back as no good [email protected] so i tried al. and i,ll wait some more seems he,s busy all the time last time i emailed him it took 2 weeks or so. think i,ll go ahead n try n fab up another motor bracket. i built a motor last nite with the 440 mags n arm for the next 1. tonite i,ll try to mess with a drop arm ? just in the moch up stage.


----------



## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

this is the new scratch gone bad!! these days i like just tryin different stuff and its brass. i want the ferrarri to go againt the porsche on my trak . just some pics of tubing cans and assorted parts . man this stuff takes some time ti figure out. but this is fun tonite!!!


----------



## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

just a quick update for ya. i spent new years eve in the cave playin with the new chassis and made ok progress. was able to get it soldered up and ready to put the motor together. now i,m waiting on some rim/tire combos to arrive to finish up and get er goin! well i gotta come up with some type of shoe,but im not too scat.on a positive note i tried a couple of different solders and found one that worked wayyy better than what i had previously been using.i really wanted to make a swing arm for it but cuz of room restrictions it may not be possible (for me).also i gotta poke around and se if i can find a good axel for the fronts.


----------



## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

You're really making me want to dig out my brass and play Joe!! I got a far as digging out a box motor, but that's as far as I got. For some reason, brass stuff ends up all wonky when I try... :freak:


----------



## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

well it,s been a long time playin with the scratch and i,ve kinda hit a wall.due to being kinda busy and lack of inspireation. this thing is makin me crazy and i refuse to work on anything else till i get this to go good.seems i must have a bad crown gear on cuz i can feel a big drag on the mesh when it comes to a certain spot on the gear and i can see where it was cast/injected molded so i,m waiting for a new rt-ho wheel and gear remover so i can take things apart. i have in the past ruined good rims so it should be here in a day or 2.also i,m thinkin bout tryin the flapper type contacts in stead of braids. i dont know but it seems braids dont go good on a railed trak and that has me thinkin bout a braided trak this summer maybe!!!it has turned a few and i mean only a few good laps then the crown shimmeyies over and it just spins but, the 440 mags and arm make it fast.this is the only car i,ve played with all winter and i,m gettin kinda bored so it may geet shelved for a bit. some of the fellas will tell ya to walk away for a bit... sounds like a good idea besides i have some yellowjacket arms comming and a lambraghinni? gallardo body waiting to be built. but in all this kinda build is hard for me and it is knockin on the door of being a real good slotcar!!


----------



## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

Nice, I have not had the time to get my scratch build started, I have the material and some plans and tools, but just no time. I did get my dyno figured out, and did a little more work on the track, and started a Kids racing night for my son and 6-8 of his friends, we have had a blast racing.

Dont quit on that project, its getting better all the time.

Boosted


----------



## tjd241 (Jan 25, 2004)

*j.w.a.*

just walk away... No harm in taking a step back Joe. I proceed as if j.w.a. is one of my tools. I hate doing stuff over that I should have done a different way the first time... (the right way)... When it kinda starts to feel like work... set it aside and find something more fun. Nothing worse than "forcing" a build. For what it's worth though, your scratch build really seems to be coming along great. :thumbsup:


----------



## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

I think we've all had a couple of those. It may have been a chassis or a body, but it was defintely the project from hell for some reason. Like that great HO guru has stated time and time again, WALK AWAY. Put it in the box and revisit it in a couple weeks, months or just later. Sometimes later, it just all seems to come together. :thumbsup::thumbsup: rr


----------



## joegri (Feb 13, 2008)

eurika!! after 3 different gear sets i got it to go better than good.i got my rt-ho gear/wheel puller in the box today and when i got home i started playin. well i swapped out 3 different sets of gears and finaly got a good mesh.now she goes around the trak at an ok klip and i,m more than happy!!! i just could,nt just walk yet but i was close.next i,ll afix the body to the chassis and swap the braids to flappers n then see what i got. jeeez i,m kinda happy right now! no sence in posting any pics now cuz it looks the same . it i,ll change when it,s done then i will. but like i said before this thing is knockin on the door for being a real good slot car.


----------



## tjd241 (Jan 25, 2004)

*Joe...speakin of knockin on the door...*



joegri said:


> eurika!! ...this thing is knockin on the door.


Linesiders are being taken from shore already in some of the usual places... Keepers in the mix ! ! :hat:


----------



## bobhch (Apr 22, 2007)

joegri I just read and looked at all the pics on this thread and love it.!

It takes the right mind set to do stuff like this and you got that nailed!

Make your own slot car 101...Sweet!










Running that T-Jet Chassis you built me alot right now! 
It's fun when you have a Great Chassis to run with a fun slot car body...Thank You Dude!

Bob...Got Track...zilla


----------

