# Tycopro Petty Roadrunner Allison Chevelle Set Cars



## hifisapi

Heres a couple of my favourite tycopros:


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## slotcardan

ah yes the very rare grand national tyco pro set from 1972 and 1973









Tyco spent a huge sum securing the rights to produce the Coke logo for the Bobby allison car.

I always felt both cars are very muted in coloring compared to the usual richard petty dodge charger and superbirds.

nobody ever liked the allison 72' monte carlo , and tyco never reused that body again.


The Tyco pro set included 2 high banked 9" radius turns, which were Pure hell to setup correctly.

to correctly use the curve sections you actually have to screw the supports down to a piece of wood or a table top.

otherwise the curves do not have the correct shape to drive on and the cars would routinely get ejected from the track surface.
the set only contained 3 9" straights and the terminal track, which meant you could have no alternate track layout configurations.

additionally driving on these banked turns with the short oval configuration did not give the cars enough time to maintain speed the inside lane having such a tight radius also caused frequent derails, and you had to pump the throttle up and down to try and keep the car on the track, this made only the outside lane really drivable, making the set even less popular. 

The 12" radius banked turns are not much better other then the increased diameter, actually started to cause issues with the outside lane and again the track needed to be precisely laid out and the supports screwed down so the enterance and exit bank was consistent keeping the cars on the track and not flying off it.


tyco pro track is also made of glass basically so any disturbance to the track through a shock would result in the track clips breaking off. these sets were not good sellers and very few survived making them very collectable now.


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## NTxSlotCars

Great pics and great info guys!!!

That's actually a Chevelle Allison is driving. Both bodies were obsolete when the track hit the stores.
Chevy guys switched to the 73 Monte Carlo body on short tracks when it came out,
and Petty switched to a Dodge charger. Tyco never produced either body from this set
again although they could have used the Chevelle with an altered nose for a Laguna S3
which came out in 75. I bet the killer on that body was the tail weight.

I would still like to see that body in Hawaiian Tropic livery though.

Is anyone resin casting these bodies?


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## slotcardan

I was always told it was a monte for allison,,, doesn't matter though the chevy and the monte look so close anyway.

somebody actually was making resin casts last year no idea if they still are.

I have seen a lexan version of the allison car in HO and i think they used the original body for the mold.

there is 2 allison cars on ebay now









this set would of made more sense back when tyco produced the set.


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## NTxSlotCars

That would have been a better set, but I think Tyco was trying to reproduce the 
excitement of the 72 points battle between Allison and Petty. It is now legendary.
I've heard this before on the Chevelle. The confusion is because Allison actually ran both,
a Chevelle and a Monte Carlo...

*1972* Monte Carlo (Driving for Jr Johnson)


















*1973* Chevelle (Driving independent)

















No battle of wits here, I just love this era of Nascar and Tyco.
Any info you have on these cars, I'd like to hear it.
I have a few Tyco Pros, but dont know much about them.
None of my racing friends like running them, so it's just me.

I know Bruce was making both bodies. Some folks on here were fortunate enough to get
and few from him before he passed. Maybe someone will share some pics of them.


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## Hilltop Raceway

Somebody was casting the Chevelle Laguna body, can't remember who it was...










Also, the AFX Chevelle was a much nicer looking body, but that's just me...RM


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## jobobvideo

i got a couple bad dawg allison bodies... one white and one burgundy for the tyco... one day hope to paint the white in a allison replica and maybe cast the other as soon as i learn how to cast...I wish I had a resin casting of the original petty for the tyco not sure if anyone did has cast it though. ever notice that hilltop always has the cool stuff...hifisapi nice cars...slotcardan very nice also...ntxslotcars thanks for the pics and history


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## slotcardan

The biggest tip I can give for the tyco pro chassis is,

The front tires must support the chassis weight. From the factory 99% of these cars have the front tires doing nothing in the air.

The pro came in 3 flavors. 1 wiper style, 2 wiper style with drop arm, 3 buttons.

The buttons are the hardest to setup but last forever. The drop arm in the second gen bends easily and causes deslots in the apex of a turn. The wipers are now almost impossible to find so you have to fabricate something or attempt to use braids which really don't work that well on these cars. The wipers are easier to setup because you bend them but they deform easy and kink easy and wear out very fast then perforate. You cannot use the wipers with the lane changers because the edge of the steel rails will rip the wipers in half in like 5 laps.

This was why I went for the button style. The buttons springs are too stiff from the get go so you have to either get worn out ones or try and weaken the springs but you cannot cut them because the buttons rotate on the springs as the car moves forward, any jams and the buttons will groove and become worthless. That's the secret to the buttons they rotate as the car moves keeping the surface polished and fresh. A little areocar rail and surface cleaner on the buttons makes them work awesome.

Anyway getting back to the front end tires. They are suppose to wobble but you can shim them with .020"-.030" shims I make mine from sheet abs plastic. Replace the usually dried out worthless front tires "good years" with -108 orings make sure you twist the orings so the seem points up around the rim makes the surface constant. 

Next you need to check the weight and tension on the front end if your using wipers keep bending them flat so the front tires start to touch the track surface. If using buttons you may need to keep swapping out sets until you find one weak enough to set the front end correctly.

Now you have to start bending the front tire chassis arms down till the front tires carry chassis weight. Tyco tells you to use clippers and pinch the top of the plastic so the arms bend down but it never works and you can break the arm off, I use pliers and twist the plastic down then hold it for about a minute so the plastic relaxes sometimes you can see the plastic turn white as it stretches you can use heat from an iron to melt the plastic but it is more dangerous. A good way to check is a little decal on the front rim then drive the car if the decal spins then you know the tire is carrying weight.

Some times you have to bend the lip of the chassis around the guide flag also. But you need those front tires making surface contact and holding chassis weight the car will handle night and day.


Next the tycopro came In 2 basic flavors. Steel and brass plates. The drop arm chassis used a special brass plate with black powder coat and it isn't interchangeable on the other chassis, but on the wiper and button cars the steel and brass is interchangeable.

A steel chassis will slightly act like a magnatraction while the brass will act like a larger 1/32 scale car. Both types will require track aprons, which is why you want to run them on the original tyco pro track system or the tyco u-turn track system or a routed track. The chassis will drift and a normal track without aprons will not be wide enough to drive them well.

I like button contacts(tycopro2)brass plate (tycopro1), the 2 tone rims(tycopro1 and drop arm), -108 orings and .474 medium compound super tires on the rear, white boot or black boots.

They made a speed tuned gear set for the tyco pro but its impossible to get. You can hack the chassis and fit the curvehugger and 440 gear set but I don't need it.


Well I can keep going but this should make a big difference on the cars you have.


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## NTxSlotCars

Wow Dan, thanks for the great info!
I always figured those buttons had potential, but I never knew their theory of operation.
So I guess some kind of light lube might help them rotate?


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## slotcardan

That's where I found the perfect use for areocar lube.

Aerocar is a conductive track cleaner and leaves a coating on the rails ., well I take the xacto knife wet the blade then put it on the sides of the buttons with the springs it wicks right into the brass eyelets and spring, vroom, self cleaning self lubricating conductive buttons they spin easier and the car skates along the rails almost as good as the wiper versions. Nothing beats the wiper version for speed but they just do not last 200 laps on rails.. If you run them on a braided track or a copper tape track they will but the stainless rails eat them alive. Since you cannot get proper replacements any more they are a weird phosphor bronze alloy in a thickness that doesn't exist for general sale to the public,,, I tried making my own, it just doesn't work the same. Copper is way to soft and brass or normal bronze is too stiff and springy.... Better to save the wipers and trash on the buttons.

When running correctly both the wiper and button version run so quitely it makes you think you went deaf. The low amp draw makes throttle control awesome as well.

Lap the gears for even more performance. Comm drops do wonders too.

I know you can get even more performance out of them if you start hacking up the chassis but I wasn't willing to do that.

Once you figure out the tuning secrets they run fine. Granted any magnatraction is going to out perform them. Curve hungers are much faster due to the magnatraction, but in a drag race the pro is faster due to reduced drag.

Now a tuned up 440 is like a going to lunicus speed where you go to plaid compared to either but for old school drifting nothing beats the pros.

18volts and 75 to 90 ohm controllers and you will be in heaven.


Oh it is possible to use the a broken set of button contacts and make a nice mount for braided contacts using the radio shack solder wick stuff.

Riggens has pics on the site to show how but basically you gutt the buttons and solder the braid to them over the top then wrap it around the bottom. I think the braids are too stiff and they will cause issues with the front wheels floating again. Then you start gutting the front end for a axle and different rims or you go Billit aluminum front wheels for the extra weight, but then there is a wear issue on the front axles that are plastic. Basically you end up with a chassis that wants to wear out very fast. Great if you are a racer at the club level bad if you want to fool with them at home and last a long time.


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## videojimmy

The Allison car is my dream collection car. I hope to get one someday!
Cool set!


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## gonegonzo

Thx for the tips . I have a pile of the PROS and a few Riggens . I'm basically a T-Jet racer but will definately be devoting more time to the brass cars with this infof .

What's a good aftermarket aluminum wheel that runs true ?

Thx 
Gonzo


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## hifisapi

videojimmy said:


> The Allison car is my dream collection car. I hope to get one someday!
> Cool set!


Just the Allison car? Whats wrong with the Petty roadrunner? Its way cool too!


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## hifisapi

slotcardan said:


> I was always told it was a monte for allison,,, doesn't matter though the chevy and the monte look so close anyway.
> 
> somebody actually was making resin casts last year no idea if they still are.
> 
> I have seen a lexan version of the allison car in HO and i think they used the original body for the mold.
> 
> there is 2 allison cars on ebay now
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> this set would of made more sense back when tyco produced the set.


thats the fairly common Petty Dodge Charger, Not the roadrunner.


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## hifisapi

Hilltop Raceway said:


> Also, the AFX Chevelle was a much nicer looking body, but that's just me...RM


The AFX chevelle has nice detail but the tycopro is way cooler styling. On the tycopro they really tucked in the rear tires and it just looks awesome even though its not realistic.


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## slotcardan

yup i just like it better 



hifisapi said:


> thats the fairly common Petty Dodge Charger, Not the roadrunner.


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## slotcardan

Well Tyco actually made a hopup kit for the pro that came with spun alum front rims and Orings..

right now there is one guy on ebay making alum rims front and rear on a lathe.

Personally i don't like the alum rims because they wear out the plastic shafts on the front forks over time. 

but riggens original stuff for the tycopro pops up on ebay from time to time, they include the front and rear alum hubs, and you usually have to supply your own tires(orings).

The tyco pro will handle better then the T-jet, 500 and the first gen non-magnatraction, some early magnatractions are slow also... 

once you get into true magnatraction the tycopro is just a distant memory.
no-way you can compete with a G plus chassis. then your into tyco 440x2 territory, and well from there the Super G and so on.



more tips for the tyco pro.. check the chassis REALLY well for cracks in the plastic or cracked gears the pinion may be cracked, you can use the early curvehugger gears for replacements if you can't get the tyco pro versions.

you cannot fix cracks in the chassis the plastic was designed to not take glue, basically nothing will bond to it,,, you can melt it back together but its not worth it, scrap it for a chassis with no cracks. any structure problem with the chassis totally throws off the cars handling.

check the lower brass or steel plate. Contrary to what people say, that plate was not designed to be a shaker plate. so make sure that plate does not move and is tight to the chassis. there are little fingers next to the motor barrels that secure the plate at the front of the chassis. use a punch and bend the fingers so the bottom plate is tight. if the plate is loose you will not be able to setup the front tires correctly.
you can let the rear of the plate float if you want, there are 2 fingers at the back of the chassis that don't need to be bent tight unless you want to.

sometimes the front sits up so high that you need to bend the front guide pivot area on the brass or steel bottoms, .010" can make or break you with these.

you can swap out the steel plate for a brass one or vice versa.


you may need to set the play in the gears with a .010" shim. I set the play then lap the gears with polish compound. you want it buttery smooth.

next your going to want to run a wire bypass for the motor contacts. the way tyco setup the contact shoes to go through a wire onto 2 plates then the motor snaps into the chassis and the plates are suppose to touch the brush barrels is HORRIBLY bad. I use short wire shunts and i solder a bypass from the plate to the side of the motor and hard wire it directly to the brush barrels. Some guys use a toothpick, jam the bypass wire into the barrels and then press a toothpick into the hole to keep it connected... i just hard solder it, makes maintenance a pain but it works much better.

i'm skilled with an adjustable heat iron so i makes sense for me. I also some times have to run a new wire from the button contacts up to the motor plates,,, this is very hard because you have to hard solder to the button's outside barrel and then file everything flat again and make sure the rivit can spin in the barrel free of everything.



gonegonzo said:


> Thx for the tips . I have a pile of the PROS and a few Riggens . I'm basically a T-Jet racer but will definately be devoting more time to the brass cars with this infof .
> 
> What's a good aftermarket aluminum wheel that runs true ?
> 
> Thx
> Gonzo


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## 1976Cordoba

Bad Dawg was doing the Tyco Petty Roadrunner body before he died. I got two of them and turned one into the 1971 Petty car:


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## jeffaary

The ultimate Mopar Nascar related slot car set, IMO. I've got one. The cars are displayed in an original Tyco Pro hobby store display case, the box is hanging on my wall, and I use the track as my permanent layout in my hobby room:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/jeffaary/IMG_1541.jpg

I also have an NOS sticker sheet from one of those sets. I also used to own a set that was never used (plastic parts were still on trees, paper liners still between the track pieces, and the controller wires had never had the twist-ties removed), but the cars were MIA.


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## Zombievickers

*i have this!*










It's still sealed in the box and I'm getting ready to start accepting offers on it if anyone is interested!


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## hifisapi

Zombievickers said:


> It's still sealed in the box and I'm getting ready to start accepting offers on it if anyone is interested!


I think it might be worth more and be more saleable if the sealing wrap is removed so the set can be open and inspected. That way the buyer can be sure both cars are in there and that they are in mint/new condition. Buying it sealed without inspection is an unwanted gamble imho.


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## Zombievickers

Yea, i understand where you are coming from but i'm not really willing to do that. I sent the picture to bob beers and he's made me an offer on it, a good one at that. I'd really like to give the other collectors a chance to bid on it too but i'm waiting to list it until i have it signed in two weeks at a charity event.


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## alpink

an awful lot of waiting
waiting for a museum
waiting for a curator
waiting until enough posts/time to post pics
I say just sell it to Bob and be done with it.


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## WesJY

I agree with Alpink. if you want this set in a good home then Bob Beers is perfect guy for it. 

Wes


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