Looking for Fly-ing Lessons (slot cars, not planes!)

[goosenapper]

[HomeRacingWorld]

"Popping the broken gear off of the motor was no problem, but getting a Slot.It pinion on the knurled shaft was an absolute bear!"

Yes, don't do that. Remove the rear axle assembly and get a small section of fine grit sandpaper. Add power to the car and hold the sandpaper against the motor shaft. Sand it until the knurling is flush.

Same thing with your axles. The aftermarket gears are made for a clean area.

"How could the axles be two different widths?"

It is rare, but sometimes you get an wrong size. Have a caliper? if so measure the diameter of them and you will see the difference.

"I noticed that the Slot.It spur is considerably wider than the plastic Fly one, the extra width being necessary to allow for the mounting screw"

Are you using a 18mm diameter 36 spur? (purple)? Even with the added hub for the screw, it should be pretty close to the same.

The Fly with hub is 3.75mm and the Slot.it 18mm/36 spur is 3.85mm

The teeth on the Fly should be twice as wide as the Slot.it.

I have the same car (LH) and make sure the gear hub (where set screw is) is facing toward the wheel and place the spur pretty much flush against the bushing.

"I figured that even if it wasn’t, the Slot.It pinion would carve the Fly spur to fit it."

You might not believe this, but it will be the other way around in MOST cases. If it had that grey colored gear then likely not. That polymer Fly used is useless and much too soft to work properly for extended periods of time.

On most other gears, the plastic will cut the brass pinion. I have seen many a pinion in the shape of an hourglass because of improper fitting (too close).

"Is there anything that I’ve spelled out above that I could have done better or differently?"

My best advice is to try not to mix and match. Remove the old stuff, and replace with new. You will find a world of difference and a much easier tuning experience. I realize that is not always the road we want to take, but just sharing my thoughts. I have spent many hours trying to do what you have done and it is easier to find out what women really want AND getting a winning PowerBall ticket on the same day. Once you get a few parts in stock, try it again.

Just trying to help.

[ChallengerGuy]

Just a thought on the spur gear, since the Slot It needs width for the set screw, does it make a difference if you run the spur with the set screw on the inside (or facing out)? I recall on my Fly 917s I was able to run a slot it spur without the wheels sticking out...which brings up the other possibility, you may want to go back to a full Slot It rear axle and spur gear and simply NOT use the Slot It rear wheels and use a different brand that does not have such a prominent point for the set screw to reside...then it's simply a matter of using a small washer between the spur and the plastic body and the correct spacer (homemade) on the other side to prevent the whole rear end from sliding side to side. Where there is a will, there is a way. Oh heck, just send the car to me! :)

Example of slot it stuff on a fly motor with my own crude brass chassis (to prove that other wheels allow you to mount super close to the spur):





More slot stuff here:

http://www.outriggercanoe.com/mypics/2005_1.html

Cheers,
Mike

[HomeRacingWorld]

A hubless SCC CB Design 15x10 is the wheel you want to use if you go that route sir.

[goosenapper]

Thanks for the detailed feedback and suggestions guys. I'll have another go at it and try to get that back end sorted with Slot.It parts. I had just planned on gluing the plastic Fly wheels to the axle, and I may still do that short-term.

Thanks Harry for that photo of the CB Design Wheels, and I very much appreciate your giving me the part number along with that. I don't own a micrometer, and not knowing exactly what size I needed had stopped me in the past from buying aftermarket wheels. This is a big help, as is that tip to use sandpaper on the existing Fly axle and motor to eliminate the knurling.

I think an order to SCC is in my future, along with some Dum-Dums! :)

[HomeRacingWorld]

Glad we could help sir. Anytime you need a part#, just ask away. One of us around this old dump will know I'll bet :)

[nhdungeonracer]

[HomeRacingWorld]

Ummm, not the same chassis he is talking about. His is the original sidewinder.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Kinda funny that the new Flys still have the motor shaft rubbing something it shouldn't, though.