1/32 midget build thread " finished!"

[btaylor]

I have had a lot of folks PM me with build questions on the SRP bodied midgets i have been building.
after consulting with HRW members that have done this ,i thought i would give it a try. I am not good at picture taking,and the camera i just got is not cooperating,so ill do the best i can. this may take a few days as i have not received the SRP bodies ordered yet,will probably be Thurs, or Friday. Getting started on the parts list first and some pictures of the basic chassis arrangement. I will be assuming that since this is posted in the scratch builders section that everyone knows how to solder,and has most of the tools needed to do a build like this. pretty straight forward build and very easy and fast.
i am in the process of finishing the last two for my 6 lane field of this style midgets,If anyone is planning on more than one build,a quick pin jig would be faster yet,but not needed as i stated earlier,they are very a straight forward build.
I have stated before how much fun these are,and they are very easy to get tuned for the track,so far the only tweaking needed after the initial build was to spread the brushes a little to make good contact through the corners,and a little truing of the tires. So with that being said,this is what we will be building.

[btaylor]

One of the first things i use aside from the SRP body (what version depends on your choice 50's/60's)
http://www.racesrp.com/store/132-Dirt-6 ... GETS-21533 Is a 1/43 scale artin slot car. I find these on e-bay new for as little as a $1.50 each if you buy in bulk,or around $5 or so if only buying one,shop around for the best deal. So far the build cost on these is very reasonable,around twenty bucks if you do some scrounging!Thats cheap for a custom built slot car in anyone's book.
this was new in the bubble wrap for $3.00.

All you will be using of this are the wheels and tires/axles/guide pin/ring gear, and maybe brushes if you are so inclined.

[btaylor]

You will also be needing to acquire one of these.$4.99 at my local radio shack.Part #273-0047, they are 9 volt 24,000 RPM rated and with the gear set we will be using they work great at 12 volts.The pinion installed in the picture does not come with the motor,it is from an HO slot car,a Tommy mega-g or SRT series. cost is $1.25 from Jag hobbies.http://www.jaghobbies.com/ho_slot_cars/parts_tomy.htm
it is a seven tooth pinion and works great with the artin 28 tooth ring gear.A lot of folks dont like press on gears or even nylon gears,but for these light cars they work great and are very smooth. i have not spun out the centers on either gear after almost 3,000 laps of hard running.

[btaylor]

I used K&S Brass tube for the last two builds,but you can substitute square tube if you have it on hand. You will be using aprrox. 9" of 3/32" inside diameter tubing for the chassis main rails and the front and rear axle holders.As i mentioned earlier,if you are using any axles and wheels other than the Artin parts,you can adjust your axle carrier tubing to accommodate them,its not critical what axles and wheels you use,but this build shows the choices i made.the only other size brass tube being used is for the front brush holders,i believe it is 1/8" inside diameter,but there again this size is not critical as it only depends on the wire size being used from the motor,and leaving enough room for heat shrink tubing to isolate the brushes from the frame.

[btaylor]

Ultimately, this is where we will be going with the frame rails/axle holders. The SRP midget body has a good bit of play room for wheelbase,so if this measurement is off some,its no big deal. i try and stay about centered of the pre molded axle reliefs in the body,with a slight rearward bias during assembly for brush holder clearance.

Not wanting to jump the gun on the main chassis build,but sometimes seeing where you are going helps put things in perspective.The axle tubes go directly at the end of each main rail to get this wheelbase measurement (or close).The width is set by the motor turned on its side.This is a critical measurement as the motor should be a snug fit between the rails

[btaylor]

[HomeRacingWorld]

Well you are doing a fine job so far, thanks for this effort.

[btaylor]

Thank Harry,its been fun so far.
hopefully the next installment will be much nicer due to a very good new friend who selflessly (or for preservation of sanity) sent me a brand new digital camera! I wont give away his name,as he might be offended by sharing his generous nature with the public. but lets just say you wont have to hold a "shotgun" to my head to get me to Dave/er dive into the next part of this build! you just cant thank some people enough for their help in this hobby. but i am going to try.

[btaylor]

one more item on the parts list,these will become radius rods,roll bar,nerf bars and bumpers.you don't need the whole box,just a half dozen of each size.
this is also the last blurry picture on this build ! (i hope)

[bill from nh]

Nice article Bob! When you install the motors, do you glue them in with something such as Goop or Shoe Goo? If this will be covered in the next installment, I can wait.

[btaylor]

Thanks bill,i have already jumped around a bit so as long as the info gets out there ,it don't matter! I solder my motors at two small points on the metal case,that way I can remove it if burned out.I would think that a hot glue dab would hold it just fine as these things are really smooth. maybe a violent deslot would shake a glue bond loose,but at that point there will probably be other damage!

[ourwayband]

Big Thanks for the Building tips!I really like the fact that you are using the artin cars as a starting point.One thing we all can afford.
Rusty

[btaylor]

[HomeRacingWorld]

I still get a kick out of the paper clips. Leave it to a slot racer to use an innocent item like this.

Reminds me of SEMO Mike & Locoracer Tom buying cheap flip flops at Dollar General, so they can cut them up and make tires. :)

Keep up the build, it's fun to watch.

[btaylor]

Here is a link to what I think is the best deal for someone building enough midgets for a series.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-43-Slot-Cars- ... 4622d34eaa
you cant beat the price,and it gives you several different wheel choices.and an endless supply of pins and tires.To my door price with shipping puts my wheels/tires/pin/brushes and axles at $1.43 per car.and gives you a bunch of spares.