[Ken]

Looks kind of spooky to me, but functional.

Here’s the upgraded version. Nice looking mechanic.

[Ken]

Elvis Presley picking up his new T-bird.

[Ken]

That sure is a nice looking livery.

[Ken]

Chris B came over last Saturday armed with bodies and paint. He painted all three cars. I was there only for encouragment, and did not paint anything.

Chris is on his way to becoming a great painter! Congrats!

A new 1/32 Hot Rod rises from a cloud of purple fog.

1/32 McLaren.

A 1/25 GTO merely for the sake of practice.

They all came out great! Chris is a pro-painter now.

Warm regards,

Ken

[Ken]

Very interesting. Chris B just bought the exact same Ferrari. Rumour has it that Chris also bought another two more 1/24 kits.

I smell a 1/24 track brewing.

[Ken]

[Ken]

Congrats Chris. Art’s detail work on inserts is second to none.

[Ken]

Thank you very kindly Art, F1Nutz, and Porsche911. I’ll post a pic of the 1/25 chassis beside the 1/43 chassis later today. What a difference.

I’m off to my Aunt and Uncle’s 75th wedding celebration.

Warm regards,

Ken

[Ken]

Mr. Porsche911. I humbly thank you for your kind words. Just ask, and I’ll paint a 550 Spyder for you. Any colour you like.

I look forward to helping Chris finish his Mirage. It’s a cool looking car. The front body post looks challenging with the windscreen in the path.

[Ken]

Chris was over today to paint a few bodies. They turned out great!

[Ken]

Chris and I passed by Dailey Hobbies today.

[Ken]

Useful ID charts.

Thanks Porsche911.

[Ken]

I would like to say a sincere thank you to all five of my driving instructors! I owe Michael a huge apology for totally wiping him off the track in one… or two of the curves. The entire room went “Whoa!” at one point. Oops. Be aware of the other cars. Got it. I owe Michael a coffee.

I have to admit that I have not raced like this since I was young (40+years ago). Even then, it was never as cool as this!

My Scalex track is barely 8-weeks old, and barely 30-minutes of total use. I’m just getting started and have more time on MVL track than on my own.

Thank you very kindly for the invitation. I hope to be back if I can eventually find a Hudy tire truer that isn’t a million USD.

Ken

[Ken]

Art.

Thanks a million for another great race! It was a fun evening.

Ken

[Ken]

My humble apologies for having to cancel at the last minute. Work related emergency.

Looking forward to the next races.

Ken

[Ken]

Drew,

I humbly apologize as I can’t make it to this event due to time constraints. I bought 3-cars for this race that now must go back on the shelf until the next event.

I was at your place only once, and was really looking forward to this race. I look forward in hope to the next opportunity.

Have a blast racers!

Ken

[Ken]

Art,

Thanks a million for the venue! It was a fun evening!

Also. Thank you very kindly for the door prize! Looking forward to a Chaparral build in the near future.

Ken

[Ken]

Thank you Jim! It was a great day of racing!

Lots of cool cars including a Racer Ferrari 350P CanAm. My first time seeing one race. Sweet!  :good:

Art. Thank you very kindly for the door prizes.

At first when I saw the body washers I didn’t take them seriously. Now I’m a believer! My Tudor would not handle like it does without these body washers. The difference is like night and day! If you got any other penny secrets that’ll make a tippy car start winning races even with a bad driver? Please let me know?  :yahoo:

Ken

[Ken]

Man am I ever having umm… fun getting cars race ready.

Anyone remember the good old days of just renting a race car from Hertz such as a 1966 Shelby GT350H? Then returning it after the weekend running on 7-cylinders because you over revved it and lost a pushrod? Oops. That wasn’t me!

Ken

[Ken]

Thank you very kindly to Jim for hosting this race! Your track is really cool! I like the twists and turns.

They may not like me as much judging by the off’s. I need to stick to slower cars for a little while.

Cheers,

Ken

[Ken]

It’s not the quantity of drivers. It’s the quality of friendship. Looking forward to trying out the Spa for the first time.

Luis told me he’s coming. He’ll register as soon as he sets his soldering iron down. Poor guy is learning how to build cars by osmosis.

That’s 5 racers so far. :good:

[Ken]

Your wish-list has been fulfilled Porsche911. 7-friends including your neighbour. It would have been 8 had Racer68 been available.

Is SP+ being run as well? It’s just a small, little car.

[Ken]

Thank you very kindly for the clarifications Gentlemen. I will leave the SP+ in the garage tomorrow. Fred Steinbroner to the rescue.

Looking forward to it. :good:

[Ken]

Porsche911. Thanks for hosting a fun event! Good bunch of guys.

Beautiful track too. :good:

[Ken]

Very cool race report MIA! Nice pics too. :good:

Thanks a million!

[Ken]

I called MG a few weeks ago to check stock on axles. At that time they had no basic scratch-building stock at all.

[Ken]

JMSracer. Thanks for hosting a fun event!

I was in the good company of 3-veteran racers. I came in last, but had a blast!

Ken

[Ken]

Art. Thank you very kindly for hosting a great evening of racing!

It was a blast! :good:

[Ken]

I kept repeating to myself all day “if the weather improves… I’m going racing”. It’s been getting worse all day. Google maps says 2-hours minimum one way (66 kms door to door). The brunt of snow is supposed to fall between 5pm and 9pm. If I dare make it to the race. I still need to get home after. :wacko:

I regret that I must cancel due to bad weather. :negative:

My humble apologies Porsche911. I was really looking forward to racing at the Spa! 😥

I sure hope you’re back in the groove so to speak? That way I might get another chance?

Ken

[Ken]

Excellent race report and pics MIA.

Nice looking Porsche 550 too!

Darn the crappy weather.

[Ken]

Yes it does Joe. Minimum weight of 100-grams too. Really slow acceleration. Everyone can go for a slice of pizza in the long straight and make it back before the first corner.

[Ken]

Joe. The Carrera bodies weigh a lot on their own. You’ll only need a small rock by the time you add a chassis and motor. I thought an aluminum chassis would make my CSC a bit lighter. My Charger-500 ended up at 95-grams before adding any weight. Check the build thread.

These are fun because they’re slow and very stable. They look cool too.

[Ken]

Is unlimited TA invited to this event?

[Ken]

Who besides Art and me is interested in running unlimited TA? Please drive your muscle-car up to the starting line! :yahoo:

[Ken]

Art. Thank you very kindly for hosting a great evening with an insane amount of track-time. Crash & burn rule works just fine when you don’t have marshals. 3-laps heats are a blast! :yahoo:

Nice clean racing Luis! :good:

[Ken]

JMSracer… Thanks a million for hosting a great evening! I came in last, but had a blast! Or something like that.  :good:

Also. Thanks for sharing the order of motors. It’s going to be a BWNC1 car building summer! :yahoo:

 

[Ken]

One of the door prizes for this race will be a 65th anniversary Matchbox Gulf livery Ford GT40. This prize fits perfectly for this race. Nice eye candy too! Matchbox did a stunning job.

[Ken]

Art. Mr Arutunoff and I thank you for the change in numbers. He can now join the race in his ZL1 Stingray.

Another door prize for this race. A limited edition 1/43 Kyosho Lancia Stratos Turbo (Group-5).

[Ken]

Art,

Thank you for hosting another fun evening. Also, thank you for the photos and race results.

It was a good bunch of racers last night.

The 2-cars that did not finish will soon return after a visit to the garage. That’s racing.

Ken

[Ken]

I humbly apologize that I cannot make it to the race as planned. The hospice where my father is staying at just called all family members to my father’s side. His condition has deteriorated severely in the last 24-hours. I am heading to see my father shortly.

I wish everyone a great evening of friendship, and racing. Experiences like this remind me that it’s not just about racing. It’s about the friendships.

Ken

[Ken]

I would like to sincerely thank everyone for their kind words last night.

Ken

[Ken]

Please sign me up for the following entries:

#9 Ford GT-40 (1966)

#37 ZL1 Corvette Stingray (1971)

#51 Ferrari 312P Berlinetta (1969)

Thank you very kindly,

Ken

[Ken]

I need to keep reminding myself that a Corvette is a GT class car. Not a sports car.

#37 Corvette has been pulled from the list.

My humble apologies.

Ken

[Ken]

I’m racing for 3-reasons. To be with friends, have fun, and race at a really cool track. I’ve measured my basement for a track like MVL. Won’t fit.

I don’t mind coming in last, so long as I have the most fun. Most times it’s mission accomplished!

See everyone tomorrow!

Ken

[Ken]

It was a fun day and a good bunch of guys!

Thank you very kindly Art for the opportunity to win that cool door prize. Well done JMs!

I need to salute Sal for the courage to share the day with a bunch of speed monsters! I remember that exact same feeling last March. I hope you return.

Ken

[Ken]

Art. Thank you for the opportunity. It was one year ago since my very first race with R32 at MVL. It was my pleasure to donate a door prize or two for this occasion. It’s cool that you got something nice too. The collection on your shelf looks fabulous!

Speaking of GT40’s. I will bring this new GT40 to the Can Am Thunder for Joe, for Monday. For the agreed price of ONE MILLION DOLLARS! Or was it $50? My memory fails me sometimes.

Concerning pictures for this event. I humbly apologize that I did not have my usual camera with me. My cell-phone ended up drinking a double-double coffee a while back and has never been the same. I’m still hopeful that I can post some pics from my phone. Please stay tuned for station identification while I try and fix this. I will bring my real camera to every event from now on. Ken

 

[Ken]

I will bring hand-outs for references.

Please bring your own safety glasses if you want to watch the drilling process. Thanks for asking.

Ken

 

 

[Ken]

I am so far behind in building cars for S32 that I went on a painting spree several weeks ago. Yes that’s a second 69-71 white Corvette. The first one, the body is ready to install on the chassis. The second Vette will be unlimited class down the road. All this started with a humble Lindberg 49 Ford Tudor that another member donated to me. Thanks again Art. Looks like I took the bait. Hook, line, and sinker!  🙂

[Ken]

Here are my choices to bring for tomorrow. I need to measure them all up for a chassis yet.

The MGB (Mouse Goes Ballistic) will be a slow-class car.

I look forward to having fun tomorrow.

Ken

[Ken]

I’ve painted 9-cars in total so far. 7 are in the picture. I am no expert by any margin and consider myself a new student.

I would be happy to show everyone all the mistakes I can make painting just one car. I’m sure it would make everyone laugh. I was given one very good lesson by Marty from Toys2envy at Group-25 static model building club. But I still had many questions. Reading your section on “how to paint” answered my questions beyond the demonstration Marty gave me. It’s a newbies right to read all the stuff that’s posted here. It’s a bit time consuming, but definitely worth digging through.

I found out it’s not really learning how to paint. It’s more like, learning how not to paint and how to avoid pitfalls.

Ken

[Ken]

You guys are a good bunch of friends. It is my humble honour to try and give back to the sport. Everyone has been so helpful.

Thanks goes to the club for being a good influence.

Ken

[Ken]

I don’t mind sharing that I was a bit nervous. Happy to do another workshop if everyone wants one.

Art suggested to put the reference notes here for everyone. This slightly ammended from last night.

Please keep in mind this is merely how I do things. Always keep safety first.

Tools and materials I use:

1) 8″inch drill press

2) Compound table (Kijiji, Amazon.com or Ebay)

3) 3/4″ aluminum square tubing (Home Depot)

4) #14 drill bit for reamer (KBC Tools)

5) #27 drill bit for guide (Slot-It CH-10 univeral guide)

6) 3/16″ reamer (KBC Tools)

7) 1/16″ pilot drill(KBC Tools)

8) Oil as cutting fluid

9) 1-2-3 blocks (Busy Bee Tools)

10) 2 x pieces of aluminum bar as clamps (Home depot)

11) 4 x Bolts and nuts for clamping

12) Flat, fine file

13) Band saw with 3/16″ metal blade

14) Digitial calipers

15) Black marker (wide)

16) Belt sander with rotary side disk

17) Safety glasses

[Ken]

Mapping out the chassis:

The motor is the biggest fixed factor with an aluminum chassis because it can’t sit below the motor plate (it can only if you dare to machine it). The axle should sit parallel to the motor shaft while the motor is sitting flat in the channel or the pinion and crown won’t line up properly. You can get away with a minor offset up or down which you may choose to use depending on how low the chassis will sit off the track based on your specific tire diameter. Large motors like Boxers, Slot-It, BWNC1, and Scalextric need tall tires to work. Slim-line motors like the BWA050 or Flat-6 are generally easier to work with.

Most aluminum channel has variations in wall thickness. Always make sure the thickest wall is the bottom to give the guide all the help it can get.

Once you’ve selected a car and motor. Figure out your minumum required tire diameter to make sure the chassis will clear the track. Short rear tires won’t work with a tall motor without dragging the chassis across the floor. Some motors may not work with some cars because the math does’t work with the tire diameter.

[Ken]

The machining process:

1) Make sure the chassis is cut long enough. Finding out it’s too short after the fact is never a good experience.

2) After doing the math. Mark/paint the guide and axles areas with a black marker. Scribe cross-hairs over the black marker ink using the caliper to measure from the sides. That’s how I locate the holes.

3) Clamp the part securely without flexing it

4) Make sure the part is true before drilling

5) Always use a drop of oil at every drilling step

6) Always use a pilot drill first. This prevents the other drill bits that come after from wandering. Imperative to keeping the opposite bearing side in line with the first bearing

7) Run the drill at about 600 rpm (slow)

8) Never move the table once you start the drilling process. Carefully change the tools from pilot drill, #14 drill, then the reamer before moving to the next hole

9) Mark the chassis for scrap removal. I use a band saw with a metal blade at high speed so the teeth won’t grab and bend the aluminum by mistake. Leave a small margin for error and finish with a file. The saw cuts both sides at the same time. Make sure to hold the part securely to the cutting bed or the sides won’t match.

 

[Ken]

Mounting the body:

Once you’ve assembled your chassis parts to check for optimum wheel width etc. It’s time to figure out the best location for body posts. Every car is different. I use Evergreen styrene tubing with brass inserts (inserts from Spaenaur) and 5-minute epoxy to mate the body to the chassis. Estimate the tubing to be a bit longer than it needs to be. Install the brass inserts. Then hand drill the holes for the body posts. With the chassis together, install the posts to the chassis and set the body on the posts. If it sits right. I use a dab of epoxy to get it started. Then after the epoxy hardens. I go back and reinforce it. I usually go back and adjust the height of the posts several times before it’s perfect.

Adding weight:

The main reason to build everything extremely light is so that you can go back and put weight back into the car so it will handle better. Someone keeps telling me that the race is won or lost in the corners. A low CG helps keep the car on the track in the corners. You need to bring as much of the bulk weight to just above the track to try and cancel out all the weight up top (fenders, hood, trunk, roof, windows, etc…) You can always move the weight up, or add some to the top of the motor if you need more tire-bite.

Important parts:

Professor Motor single flange roller beargings PMTR 1176

or

Professor Motor single flange oil-lite bushing PMTR 1073

Professor Motor axles PMTR 1034

NOTE: Slot-It axles are slightly oversize and won’t fit the bearings

If you use this method of building for bearing alignment. Professor Motor bushings will almost be as good as bearings. But at after going to this trouble. Why use bushings? Unless of course you have a drawer full of bushings…

And that was the evening.

KensRedZed

[Ken]

Art,

Thanks for posting these photos. I also meant to post the pics of the finished car from the chassis we made that evening. Here they are.

[Ken]

Paint spree part 2. Last Tuesday was another amazing day to paint while at the cottage. I got half way through the list and ran out of daylight. Blackflies came out overnight and by Wednesday, I could not finish painting the rest of the cars. Looks like the basement oven fan will be working over-time this week.

[Ken]

Is anyone still interested in a paint workshop?

Ken

[Ken]

Art. Thank you for the invitation, and pre-race set up. You do a lot of work behind the scenes.

Also. Thank you for the D’Art tires. A scratchbuilder can’t have too many. :good:

[Ken]

I came in last. But had a blast! :yahoo:

Nice to see things are slowly returning to normal. Sort of. :good:

Thanks to MVL for hosting. Thanks to Art for making it happen.

[Ken]

Thank you very kindly to Drew for hosting a fun evening!

The race report is always a blast to read and much appreciated MIA! Thanks for putting in the extra work! :good:

[Ken]

My guess would be a 1960 Ford Galaxie Starliner. :good:

[Ken]

Drew. Thank you for hosting a fun evening!

Art, Felix, Luis, and JonnyRocket were missed. We all hope everyone can make the next race.

Ken

[Ken]

Amazing race report MIA!

Thanks a million! :good:

[Ken]

Art. Thank you very kindly for hosting a really fun event! :good:

The Surtees Lola #7 is always temping me to go to the dark side (brass).

[Ken]

The track looks awesome! Congrats John!

[Ken]

[Ken]

It’s fun to race at such a stunning track!

Thank you very kindly for the opportunity.

Ken

[Ken]

Art,

Thank you for the opportunity to race at MVL. The track is truly Molto Veloce!

Thank you very kindly for taking all the beautiful photos!

The field of cars looks fantastic!

[Ken]

Art,

Thank you very kindly for hosting another fun event.

[Ken]

Art,

Thank you very kindly for hosting another fun event! It was a blast!

Also. Thank you to F1Nutz for the amazing rum balls!

Fun group of racers, and a cool field of cars.

[Ken]

Art,

Thanks a million for hosting another great day at MVL!

[Ken]

Jim,

Thanks a million for hosting!

There were a number of scary close heats. It was a blast!

Had I applied more finger pressure to my controller, the handle would have snapped.

Great racing!

[Ken]

I will be sure to bring some roast chicken, and a pinch of salt from the Shire.

[Ken]

Drew,

Very cool track!

Thanks a million for hosting!

I would also like to thank all the marshals that hand-pushed Fred’s car to the finish line. The brass pinion is apparently just as worn as the crown. The car would be retired already if not for the Carrera Panamericana. Now I need to repair the darn thing.

More 50’s sportscars are on the build list. Fred’s getting old.

[Ken]

Jim. Thank you for hosting a fun evening! It was a blast!

John. The only must is the 14k BWA slimline motor. The rest are upgrades that simply make the car handle a little better. Anyone can race a stock chassis without all the extras. But it’s also good to limit the extra mods before heavily modified or scratch built chassis start showing up. The Mini rules were all designed by Jim.

Jim was kind enough to lend Minis to several regulars until they bought their own cars. Almost everyone is up to speed now.

Here’s a pic of the solid front axle mods and the parts to do it. It works like a charm to get rid of the floppy axle stubs.

[Ken]

Dave and Luis,

I humbly thank you both for your kind thoughts.

I look forward to adding it to the S32 list when it’s completed.  I will gladly post photos.

[Ken]

Interesting suggestions, gentlemen. Thank you very kindly.

How about a combination of both ideas?  “Otto Pazzi” = Crazy eight(s)

Single and multiple eights are apparently the same in Italian. Who knew?

[Ken]

You guys are cracking me up. 🙂

Infinity and Beyond Raceway… Hahaha! Very suitable with 2-eights on their side.

I can’t seem to get through 4-syllable words anymore during chemo. Autodromo is a tad too long, even to spell.

What does “Ocho” mean? Google translate says it’s an English word? I never used it in my life.

Please keep the ideas coming. This is funny. 🙂

[Ken]

Google translate sucks!  Ocho is eight in Spanish. Oops.

“Ocho Veloce” also sounds cool = Rapid Eight!

[Ken]

Progress. Things are moving along quickly.

The track looks like it has very smooth flow for being compact. It looks a bit like a “Mini Ring”.

“Otto Pazzi” seems to flow off the tongue easily enough.

[Ken]

Thank you very kindly for the suggestion, Gary.  It’s a very good one.  Now I’m torn between the choices.

Further progress. The track is fully glued and connected. Elevation is next.

[Ken]

Thank you for kind words, gentlemen. 🙂

“East Side 88” also sounds very interesting.

Further progress.

[Ken]

Thanks million, fellas!

Drew.  I have not yet thought about a period theme. But I’ll likely be swayed by whatever crosses my path. Sponsors and markers are most welcome! Thank you!

[Ken]

Hi John,

Art can probably add wheels to your base. I had the base there for the old plastic Scalex track. It was an easy switch.

I bought the Track Mate driver stations that have the reverse switch built into them. Going the other way will sure add another dimention to a race night.

[Ken]

Thanks Micheal,

Someone once told me the races are won or lost in the corners. There seems to be lots of opportunities to pass on this course. It looks like fun for sure.

It’s safe to say that slow class cars with 14k to 18k motors will be the main focus of this track.

1) Sportscar

2) Hot Rod

3) All the GP classes

4) Trams Am

5) Boulevard Cruisers

6) Classic Stock Car

7) Nascar

8) Classic LeMans

[Ken]

It was a productive day at the Infinity Motorsport Park. The day began with the copper tape treatment. It’s quite an art form.

Then came the wiring… and a few @#$%! choice words along the way. The simple ways to DL the freeware programs are gone. You need to jump a few extra hoops to find your way these days. It all worked out in the end with a nice runnng track. Both lanes respond well.

I already lost one car to the floor because the barriers are not up yet. Patience, grasshopper… Yes master Poe.

[Ken]

The wiring has been cleaned up.

The laptop has a sliding drawer.

Driver’s stations are completed.

Most of the barrier supports are in. The blocks sitting on top of the track should be the last to be installed.

[Ken]

You know it, Bill!

I feel like a kid just before Christmas. 🙂

Art was over today and attacked the outside borders. It’s looking more complete all the time.

My turn to play catch-up and paint the all details.

[Ken]

Thank you, Luis. You’re always welcome to spin a few laps.

The borders are painted. A little more work to the overpass and inner loop and cars can safely race.

Track decor will take some time.

[Ken]

The track is ready to host races. All the outside borders are buttoned up and painted. Timing system works great.

What’s left?

1) Inside details (grass, checker cork, etc.)

2) Double row of hay bails to line the outside of the inner loop

3) Cloth skirt to hide the base

4) Garage face for pit row

5) Cover infrared flood lamp with “finish line” art work/cover

I still need to move the work bench into the next room or marshals may have a problem. I also need to make room for bread boxes filled with cars, and pizza eaters. It’s slowly getting there.

[Ken]

I would like to thank my friends that prayed for, and supported me through a few recent tough weeks (tough year actually). I’m finally back home and on the mend.

The grassy areas were filled in before I left for a week.

Plus we have 140 bales of hay, and many stacks of tires. A gaggle of orange hazard cones as well.

[Ken]

Bill, Luis, Drew, and John,

I humbly thank you for your kind words of encouragement.

I thought they were kidding when they said 6 to 8-weeks recovery. Apparently not.

Art is an amazing track builder. He’s done most of the work so far. I was more of a general helper.

[Ken]

Further progress on the scenery details. The rocks look like… rocks!

Art came by and tinted the rock formations. Truly an artist’s touch.

When it came time to choose a tint either gray or brown for the rocks. I simply said “Make it look like Bancroft!” I got my wish.

The earth coloured base is ready for grass. Striped borders, hay bales, and grass is next.

Then I need to prep the rest of the room to host races. Looking forward to it.

[Ken]

The grass was finished off tonight. It looks amazing!

[Ken]

It looks great thanks to you, Art. You did all the work. I was merely the clean up crew.

Cheers,

Ken

[Ken]

Drew,

Thank you very kindly for the donation of lawn and trees. Looks great!

Art barely used half. I will return the rest so you can make repairs to your lawn in the future.

[Ken]

The track room has been rather dark since the ballast stopped working on one side. The ballast is tucked away behind a curtain and not very easy to get to. It’s tough to make progress on the track or even race when you can’t see. The track has been dormant for a while.

JonnyRocket came over today and helped fix the ballast and install some new track lighting. We also stuck a few pics on the walls.

What a difference. I’m once again inspired to keep moving ahead. The cars absolutely sparkle under the LED lighting. Breathtaking.

[Ken]

Art,

Thank you very kindly for hosting a fun day at MVL. Great looking pics!

Nice group of friends too. 🙂

[Ken]

Art,

Thanks a million for another fun day!

MVL is a very cool track.

It was good to get out of the house for the first time in weeks.

[Author]

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