# Ugh!! Slimlines...



## cteska (Mar 13, 2012)

Any ideas on troubleshooting these little gems? I have 5 of these; McClaren BRM's and Repco's to be specific...NONE of which will run. Parts seem impossible to find on ebay and locally I have no resource to draw from at all so I'm stuck. I have taken them apart, cleaned, oiled and put them back together and no reaction at all. I've built one using the best parts from them all figuring since I can't buy parts anywhere I would use the best of what I have. I put one together using said parts and got some reaction but it immediately began to spark and smoke going nowhere. Ok, I need advice. Parts have been cleaned and inspected under magnification and seem fine. The only thing I can say is that every one of the armatures seem to wobble and when reassembling any of the bodies it seems harder to snap the top part of the chassis to the bottom. Much harder than with regular t-jets. The only thing I can think of at this point is that the armatures are bad. I'm not an electrician by any means but can all the armatures be bad? I even have a Repco that is in perfect condition, stored in its case all these years...same thing, won't run. Am I right thinking it's the armatures? Where the heck can I find a source for parts? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks guys.


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## 9finger hobbies (Mar 11, 2008)

The Slimlines were flawed right from the start. Your arms are probably not bad, what I have found is that the crown gear does not clear the opening in the chassis and creates too much friction for the car to run properly. You can open the chassis a little with a file or Exacto knife until you have the clearance needed for the crown gear.

If you are not concerned with keeping cars original and are not afraid to cut things up, this is what I have found.
If you reverse the crown gear and reverse the magnets you will have a much better running car. This would mean that you would have to open a new hole for the crown gear on the opposite side. The plastic that the chassis are made of is pretty tough stuff , so it is not a cake walk. You will have everything spinning reverse from original. It has something to do with the timing of the brushes. I have done this to a couple of cars and always come up with a much better running car.

You can still get parts from Jag Hobbies. They have a pretty good inventory of parts for the Slimlines. DO NOT throw away the arms !! I have no idea where you would find replacements for those.

I also replaced the axles with drill blanks to eliminate anything in the drive line from creating any friction.

Hope this helps you and don't be afraid to take a Dremel to stuff you are planning to enjoy racing. These are TOYS , not trophies !

Let us know how it works out for you.


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Test the arms.


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## 9finger hobbies (Mar 11, 2008)

Thanks Bill. Whenever I get stuck , I watch that video and it helps me make sense of Tjets.


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

I rekon it's best to start at the crank and work your way out. Although unlikely, it's possible to have 5 bogus arms...I guess? 

They can be tricky buggers to assemble with out a hammer...giggle .

Note: "Thunderslim" brushes are a good upgrade for the slimmys. It's one of the first things on the to-do list for a slimline.

The main thing is to get the motor running independently from the drive train. Then sort out ALL the mechanical frictions. You cant expect a slimline armature to survive long with ANY binding. Once you have both areas figured out you can combine them and begin track tuning.

Bottomline? They should be loose as a goose before they ever see power. Like your favorite well used-broken in T-jet, the slimmy works way better when it's Singapore sloppy. With torque specs in the negative numbers, they need all the help they can get.


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## ajd350 (Sep 18, 2005)

Now if I could only find some of the armature gears. They look just like the TJet gears, but the arm shaft is smaller. The Slimmies are a pile of fun when you make them happy.


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## rholmesr (Oct 8, 2010)

Yeah, if you get 'em running good, they are a blast. I have one that runs just okay - I worked on it a lot but it still has a bit too much drag so it runs warm - so it doesn't see much track time. 

A buddy of mine has a great one. We occasionally race t-jet indy cars and we allow slimlines to compete and that slimmie of his is just as fast as the regular t-jets but it handles way better because it's so light and low.


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## cteska (Mar 13, 2012)

*Thanks guys !*

So, I took the ideas you guys gave me and now I have a McClaren BRM that will actually work. (!!!!!!) I found that the majority of the problem is the crown gear and as soon as I shaved the chassis a bit (with an x-acto knife and yeah...be careful) it made a big difference. Armatures were not bad as I had thought. Working on these little gems (I am calling them other names now but won't put them into print) is a real riot. I've got sore fingers, pinion gears flying off into no mans land, crushed brushes and all kinds of other stories to tell but bottom line it's all fun...and...I have a slimline that actually runs. Thanks guys, I appreciate the help. Now, I've got 4 more to do...


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## tjetsgrig (Nov 1, 2009)

Brush tension is also a big issue with these chassis'! The tabs are short and fragile, with gearplate removed, bend the brush tabs up a bit, Thunderslims are a good replacement brush, they are a little longer than the stock brushes.


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## cteska (Mar 13, 2012)

tjetsgrig said:


> Brush tension is also a big issue with these chassis'! The tabs are short and fragile, with gearplate removed, bend the brush tabs up a bit, Thunderslims are a good replacement brush, they are a little longer than the stock brushes.


Yes, I did get some of those as well, thanks. The top chassis is always a bit rough to snap into place after I put brushes in and there have been times I have actually broken pieces off. I can't seem to find a way to "easily" snap those back in.

I also found that the advice to 'get the motor running and then worry about the drive train' was great in that it gave me a plan of action. Before that I was trying to fight all the little fires at once. 

Could someone give me some advice on two other things regarding these slimlines? All of them need tires...the ones on them are hard as bricks which is normal but make them impossible to run as you know...I have no clue what kind to get and when I look there are so many different kind and sizes that I cannot figure out what to buy. Can someone give me a link to some silicone tires for these? Or some advice in general. 

The second thing is the term "track tuning"...if someone could explain that to me? I assume it's a series of tweaks that improve performance after I get the darn things running but not sure what to do.

Thanks as always!


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## 9finger hobbies (Mar 11, 2008)

Go to Balls Out racing and look at his Indy car rims and tires. That's what I run on mine and I am very happy with them.


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

We didnt even get to gear lapping LMAO!

Track tuning...adjusting pick up shoe tension, aligning and adjusting shoe contact patches, tire profile selection, Axle-wheel-tire truing... maybe independent front wheels?

Your just getting started.

Dog dishes are great if you like bow wow. I prefer the AFX Ansen slot dish look on the Aurora F-1 slimlines. The standard AFX Cragar looks period correct on the slimmy pick up. trucks. Both light weight AND stylish.


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## afxchamp (Jul 4, 2013)

You gotta love slim lines , rholmesr is right . I have a very fast one , and a few more in the works . Thunder slims are a must as it is almost impossible to put any tension on the brush springs . I have about 20 of them now , 1 awesome racer and a few more right there . Just remember this if you get one running real good and race it , get ready for the cheater car heckle . But the satisfaction of having a great running one is well worth it


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

have you tried drilling out the holes for the brushes to fit standard t-jet brushes?
if you do, take the opportunity to advance the timing by drilling just a little in one direction (opposite of travel direction of armature)
try changing the pinion to a little larger and using a cut down crown or maybe one from a 4-gear to get more out of potential.
Hank cuts down inline poly mags to fit and gets rewound arms for more speed.
finally, stay tuned for segmented (popular in 1/24 racing) magnets to replace stock magnets in.
they will be drop in.
just sayin! 
LOL


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## mrtjet (Dec 3, 2013)

*segmented magnets for slimlines*

Segmented magnets for slimline....tell me more, tell me more! No need to drill for tjet brushes. I t is my understanding that thunder brushes are made for them.


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## mrtjet (Dec 3, 2013)

afxchamp said:


> You gotta love slim lines , rholmesr is right . I have a very fast one , and a few more in the works . Thunder slims are a must as it is almost impossible to put any tension on the brush springs . I have about 20 of them now , 1 awesome racer and a few more right there . Just remember this if you get one running real good and race it , get ready for the cheater car heckle . But the satisfaction of having a great running one is well worth it


FAX don't you love how deep into the corners you can go before backing off? My one good slimy is just about as fast as a good running 16 or 17 ohm tjet. How does your compare?


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## mrtjet (Dec 3, 2013)

*hubs and tires for slimies*

What do you use for better hubs and tires for the slimmies since the axles are thicker? Does someone make them or what?


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## sidejobjon (Jun 3, 2010)

*LaGanke*

I got some LaGanke Copper Brushes for Formula cars. When i get some bench time to try out. I can`t belive they made them bake in the day. So as fast as TJET now i need to get some time in.
SJJ


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

There is a thread on here somewhere about a slimmy that they changed the magnets to some out of an inline motor, added some traction mags, wheels tires etc and it was said to be a real rocketship.

Boosted


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## mrtjet (Dec 3, 2013)

Thank you all for the info so far! Please keep posting about this. Any and all info is GREATLY appreciated.


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## mrtjet (Dec 3, 2013)

*slimline versus tjet Performance*

Do you guys think that a blue printed slimline could perform comparable to a blue printed tjet? The only non stock parts would be motor brushes and of course tires. I am thinking that on the straights they would be comparable. But I feel that the slimmy would have better braking and cornering.


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

I don't believe the Axles on a Slimmie are any different diameter than those on the other Aurora chassis.... They're all 1/16"



mrtjet said:


> What do you use for better hubs and tires for the slimmies since the axles are thicker? Does someone make them or what?


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Center/crown gear spline location makes the slimmy axles different from the both the short and long T-jet axles. Their end splines are also shorter in length. 

Due to the spline location the slimmy axles are actually more similar to the four gear AFX rear axle, except they arent as narrow


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## 60chevyjim (Feb 21, 2008)

bill I think ralph means they are the same diameter where the rims fit on them . 
not about the spline spacing. 
I change the rims on them all the time ..
I like the ansen slots the best on the 32 ford pickup's 
and aluminum super II type front and rear rims n tires look good on the pickup too..


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Yes, forgive me. It was silly of me to elaborate on the axle topic.... especially seeing as how no one would ever think of swapping them out for some other ridiculous reason as yet un-posted. That would never happen....LOL!


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## mrtjet (Dec 3, 2013)

Ralphthe3rd said:


> I don't believe the Axles on a Slimmie are any different diameter than those on the other Aurora chassis.... They're all 1/16"


Looks like I better look at my slims again. Coulda sworn they where different.:hat


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

mrtjet said:


> Looks like I better look at my slims again. Coulda sworn they where different.:hat



You are right. The differences are subtle, but there. At the toy level, AW has pretty well proven that the journal diameter can be hand grenade accurate. In that respect Ralph is accurate. Never the less there are other considerations besides the rough diameter. 

Beyond the obvious difference in spline location the, spline diameter can average .003 difference between Slim line and T-jet. All my slimline axle splines are dead on the money at .066. My T-jet stock ranges between .063 and .065. Additionally, a simple visual inspection would also reveal that the heavier slimmy splines are different from the fine cut T-jet spline. Heavier splines make for grumpier wheel fitment, all things being equal.

New, used, plastic, resin whatever; not all wheels are created equally either. As a general rule NOS wheels are gonna be on the snug side on slimmy axles. I always flute ream the hub center to ensure and agreeable fit. 

Also consider that the outer hub spline is shorter in length. The hub offset of your chosen rim then comes into play with regard to total width. Certain wheels can only be pushed on so far on a slimmy axle before they walk off the spline and ring ding.

As Jim mentioned, thread ons are also a great option! :thumbsup:


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## mrtjet (Dec 3, 2013)

You are right Bill. It's just the splines are bit different. I never realized that. I always thought the axles were thicker.


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## 65 COMET (Nov 4, 2012)

:thumbsup:First thing I want to say is slimlines to get running good and fast takes a little more time than a regular tjet.I always make small adjustments at a time.If you over adjust the brush tentioners to many times they are going to break easier than regular tjets.
If you get yourself a set of polly mags for a bsrt chassie cut to hight,then make sure you have the magnetic field going in the proper direction epoxy them in place.One thing I try to do is make all other mods first and adjust brushes last.:thumbsup:


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Check for binding of the arm in the top plate, and then with it in the chassis first. Then check the driven gear/pinion gear, and the rear axle by them self for any binding (install the axle after checking the pinion/driven gear set before installing the back axle). Then check the top plate with all 3 gears for binding, and assemble with all the gearing. Any binding in the slightest in the gear train will really affect performance.... way more than a T Jet. Once the gears are running smooth, then make your brush adjustments. It's easier to isolate each gear for binding than trying to find the issues assembled.


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