31 Ford Sedan

[btaylor]

Finished up my 31 Ford yesterday. I think I attained the look I was after, going for that mid 50's era car.
Ruff around the edges, with a heavily raced patina. All it needs now are some laps!

[HomeRacingWorld]

You succeeded. A really good job all around. Engine detail is really nice.

[btaylor]

Thanks Harry. I was going for the green and white one in the background of this picture. My green is off a bit, but it does not matter much. I think I captured the feel of it anyway.

[TuscoTodd]

That is one cool looking contender!

[bill from nh]

Bob, you've done a good job "weathering" this car & some of your others too. This '31 looks like it has been on the track for a couple years or more. :) When I was a teenager, I used to watch such 1:1 cars run on the Beech Ridge Speedway 1/3 mi. clay oval in Scarborough, ME. That track is now paved & very different cars race there.

[slothead]

I have no idea how you are able to make so many, high quality cars. You must have quite a stable of jalopies by now and it would be great to see some action shots or videos of them together on the track.

Considering what dirt track race tires look like today, it's hard to remember or imagine racing on narrow tires like these jalopies had.


My question is - how do these cars handle on the track? Can you get decent traction and how do you set them up so they don't roll over in the corners?

[btaylor]

Slothead, I am usually racing alone, so I don't get many videos. I can get some help, and make one or two.
Setting up a car with a high center of gravity and skinny tires, can be a little tricky. The key is not to get to much traction, and keep the main weight low in the chassis. easy enough to do, but then I have built a few.
I run my jalopy's and midgets at 10 volts, with 18-21k motors. I like the motors with some punch, or torque. The cars actually drive quite nice, and are not hard to handle at all. they do slide out in the corners just like the real cars did, and the scale speeds on the straights allow for some very fun racing. I actually prefer the skinny tires over fat ones on most of my cars. The key is to build them all as equal in weight, speed, etc. to keep them all running about the same. If you like very fast stuck to the track racers, then these are not for that person. however, if you want some side by side vintage style bar rubbing action, these are the ticket!
I will see if I can get some video for you.

Bob

[strangebrew]

.............Nice Job from Mr. Non-Stop-Taylor :D