HO Drag Racing Makes Appearance In Car Craft Magazine!

Vol. 1 No. 2
SPRING APRIL 2011
HO Drag Racing Makes Appearance In Car Craft Magazine!
2011 ROCKY MOUNTAIN THUNDER NATIONALS
Inside this edition.
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Car Craft Magazine
Lions Drag Strip
Mr. Wizard’s Curse
Rock Mtn Thunder Nat’ls.
Coming Events.
Tech Tips. shoes
Customizing by KDog
Silicone Tires - How To
For Sale
HairyCanary’s ‘ACES WILD’ lines up against Bondoman’s ‘PISTONATOR’ for promo shot.
A weekend’s worth of HO drag racing soaked up the bandwidth at NitroSlot.com between March 11-13, 2011.
Inside this edition, find out who won what classes. Also, see which cars were the best lookers among their class.
All this and more from the ‘ 2011 ROCKY MOUNTAIN THUNDER NATIONALS’.
Car Craft Magazine
In case you haven’t heard, HO
drag racing has received another
fifteen minutes of fame courtesy of
Car Craft Magazine and LIONS
Drag Strip Trackmaster Rick
Voegelin. In addition to improving
awareness of HO drag racing in
general, subtle plugs here and
there gave boost to the NitroSlots
forum and the NTRA.
The article appears in the May
2011 issue. First edition printings
seem to have sold very quickly as
some NitroSlot members were
hard pressed to find a copy. Myself
and other members pitched in by
purchasing extra copies and
sending them to those who could
not obtain one. If you are still in
need of a copy, you may want to
make in know on the NitroSlots
forum so members can be on the lookout
for extra copies. If you wish to read the
article and not in need of the full
magazine, it can be down-loaded here:
Get Car Craft pdf: http://www.ninjatekprojects.com/PDF/rvCC_article.pdf
-NTRA
Scale Auto Racing News Magazine
Check out a previous magazine appearance at :
Scale Auto Racing News Magazine.
http://www.nitroslots.com/index.cgi?board=gnat&action=display&thread=681
Vol. 1 No. 2
LIONS DRAG STRIP
SPRING APRIL 2011
A BREIF HISTORY
By JOHN BALICH
OPENING DAY, 1955
October 9th 1955 was a day that has
never been forgotten. It was the opening
day at Lions Drag Strip in Wilmington,
California. With Mickey Thompson as the
track manager which happened to be the
only paid staff that the track had. All other
help was on a volunteer basis. With the
facility being accommodated to entertain
2500 people and the likes of 50 cars they
were greatly overwhelmed when 10,000
people swarmed the grounds. Over 400
cars showed which a large amount had to
be turned away due to unsafe conditions
found during tech inspection.
Foundation for the track was based on a
long struggle to bring legalized drag racing
to the Los Angeles area. Local officials
were concerned about the amount of
street racing.
Mickey Thompson and members of a
chapter of the Lions Club raised the
money along with leasing an unused
railroad yard.
With Thompson’s ingenious ideas and
promoting skills the track became the
standard for all others to follow with even
having lights installed in and a “Christmas
Tree” starting system. The track always
had great tractions and air conditions
were some of the most sought after in the
country.
Some of drag racing’s legendary people
got their start right there at Lions. With
the likes of Tom McEwen, Stone, Woods &
Cook and Tommy Ivo became the regular
draw at Lions on Saturday night. The
legend of Lions continued to grow
throughout the sixties with C.J. “Pappy”
Hart taking over for Mickey Thompson in
1965 who moved on to concentrate on his
business. Hart presented the first eight
car fields in Top Fuel, Top Gas, Fuel
Altered and Competition every Saturday
night. In its prime there was one day
where 72 Top Fuel dragsters showed up
to do battle on the 1320. Hart was a
innovator of his time introducing bracket
and grudge racing along with the ever
popular Junior Fuel. Traction technology
continued to grow with several different
compounds being researched along with a
racing surface that was copied from San
Gabriel drag strip when it closed in 1963.
A Call For Host Tracks
As the title above mentions, NTRA is
looking for responses from Nitroslot
members to volunteer their track and
time to host NTRA proxy races. An ideal
track system would include features like
early start detection, RT calculation, ET
calculation, speed, and win detection.
Other luxury features like 60’ not
required. Your track not quite ideal? Let
us know what you have, there may still be
place for you yet. Drag strips without
these features may be considered for a
‘Flashlight’ series of drag racing (start light
and win detection at minimum).
If interested send PM to ninjatek or send email to:
[email protected].
Mr. Wizard’s Curse
The Harbor Commission and Lions Board
cited for action at the strip to be limited
due to increasing population.
In December of 1972 the era came to an
end when the permit in which the track
was operated under was revoked after
constant noise complaints. It was
rumored the complaints were
exaggerated so that the City of Long
Beach could sell the land for
development.
This article was taken from the archives of Nitroslots.com.
Originally written February 2009.
Did you take the NTRA Survey?
During the month of March, NTRA put
together a survey to solicit from the users
of the NitroSlots forum, information that
could assist in determining a direction
which the organization should pursue. The
survey was a necessary tool used in order
that we may provide the best that proxy
HO drag racing can offer. It also provided
an opportunity for users to anonymously
voice opinions of how they felt things
were going. Be sure to review the survey
results and responses in the EXTRA!! sec.
Much anticipation was generated when
Mr. Wizard announced he would create
an add-on timing system for the AW drag
strip. After many late nights and much
testing and re-testing, the prototype was
working to Mr. Wizard’s satisfaction. A
tweak here and there was needed but
“Eureka”, it’s working. Now, there was
still an obstacle to overcome, the dreaded
‘price tag’. So, Mr. Wizard configured and
reconfigured, and summoned all the
magical powers he had within and still the
spell of the price tag could not be broken.
Having conjured up the device, but unable
to remove the spell, Mr. Wizard must
sadly withdraw the device from the idea
of production. The UCW, give to Mr.
Wizard much praise for his ambitious
efforts. As far as we know, his device
would be the only stand-alone unit at any
price for any HO drag system. Trackmate
sells you full featured software for which
you must have a computer. Mr. Wizard
has managed to capture those features
and commit them to a single unit, no
computer required, and at half the price.
Now, that’s magic! Though intended for
AW drag strips, I think the device would
be ideal for custom and home built tracks.
What do you think Mr. Wizard?
Wizards across the universe raise their wands to salute Mr. Wizard.
-a statement from the UCW (Universal Council of Wizards)
Vol. 1 No. 2
SPRING APRIL 2011
RESULTS FROM
MM/PS Entries
#2 SST1610'S Pontiac Firebird
#3 Ninjatek's Corvette
#4 TGM2054's Corvette
#10 Eddiebee's Corvette
#15 Rapid Richard's Dodge
#16 Dirty Demon.
Vol. 1 No. 2
SPRING APRIL 2011
ROCKY MOUNTAIN THUNDER NATIONALS RESULTS con’t
MM/PS Qualifying Results - March 11, 2011
Rank
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Name/Car
SST1610 / Firebird
Elapsed Time (Sec.)
.3573
Speed (MPH)
42.88
Eddiebee / Corvette
.4097
34.61
Demon / Dodge
.4112
39.18
Ninjatek / Corvette
.4219
33.75
Rapid Richard / Dodge
.5019
33.42
TGM2054 / Corvette
.8373
16.79
MM/PS Round 1
SST Vs. TGM
Eddie vs. Richard
Demon vs. Ninja
SST runs a .3584 @ 42.88 mph to TGM's .7384 @ 26.22
SST advances to Round 2
Eddie pulls it off running a .4185 @ 34.44 mph to Richard's
.5661 @ 33.10 mph. Your driver went for it and cut a better
reaction at .0033 Richard, but it just didn't have enough.
great race!!!!!! Ninja's driver gets off the line (.0148) a little
better than Demon's (.0230) and doesn't look back. Ninja
advances with a .4321 @ 33.42 mph to Demon's .4336 @
33.42 mph.
Eddie goes to Round 2!
Ninja goes to round 2.
MM/PS Round 2
SST Gets a bye run into the finals.
Eddie vs. Ninja
SST runs a .3605 @ 41.83 mph
Ninja cuts a light but Eddie pulls around him about 3/4 down the track. Eddie is going to the
final running a .4045 @ 35.70 mph to Ninja's .4217 @ 33.75 mph
Vol. 1 No. 2
SPRING APRIL 2011
ROCKY MOUNTAIN THUNDER NATIONALS RESULTS con’t
MM/PS Finals
SST vs. Eddie
and the winner is????????
SST cuts a .0045 and runs .3627 @ 41.83 mph to Eddie's .0099 R/T, .4038 ET @ 34.97 mph.
Nice job SST. This car is a rocket.
Congratulations to SST as Top Eliminator of MM/PS Class at this event.
Also makes best ET and fastest speed with .3573 @42.88mph during qualifying.
Qualifying Results -
March 12, 2011
RAT ROD Qualifying Results
Rank
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Name
RV Racing
Elapsed Time (Sec.)
.6561
Speed (MPH)
20.65
SST1610
.7322
20.54
Ninjatek
.7373
19.21
Eddiebee
.8737
15.32
Scottman
. .9300
15.02
TGM2054
1.6987
8.05
Bondoman
1.8854
7.22
Name
R/T Racing
Elapsed Time (Sec.)
.5064
Speed (MPH)
27.06
Falcon
.5166
28.29
SST1610
.5286
25.44
RV Racing
.5346
26.43
Ninjatek
.5475
24.35
Scottman
. 6207
21.58
Bondoman
.7797
19.25
Charley
.8860
14.69
Eddiebee
Broke Gear
Broke Gear
Gasser Qualifying Results
Rank
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Vol. 1 No. 2
SPRING APRIL 2011
ROCKY MOUNTAIN THUNDER NATIONALS RESULTS con’t
Door Slammer Qualifying Results
Rank
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Name/Car
Bondoman
Elapsed Time (Sec.)
.6660
Speed (MPH)
21.04
RV Racing
.7607
20.29
Ninjatek
.7990
16.16
SJ Racer
.8196
17.76
TGM2054
.8574
15.78
Hairy Canary
.9244
14.35
Eddiebee
1.1714
11.44
Scottman
Broke Gear
Broke Gear
RAT ROD Entries
#2 SST1610 Firebird
#3 Ninjatek's Nomad
#4 TGM2054 Corvette
#5 RV Racing Hot Rod
#8 Scottman Rat Rod “Viewer’s Choice”
#10 Eddiebee Panel
#12 Bondoman Willys
#2 SST1610 - Willys
#3 Ninjatek – Willys
#4 Charley – Willys
#5 RV Racing - 55 Chevy
#8 Scottman - Henry J
#10 Eddiebee - Corvette
#11 Falcon - Willys
#12 Bondoman – Falcon “Viewer’s Choice”
R/T Racing - Henry J
Invisible User
Invisible User
Invisible User
GASSER Entries
Vol. 1 No. 2
SPRING APRIL 2011
ROCKY MOUNTAIN THUNDER NATIONALS RESULTS con’t
DOOR SLAMMER Entries
Entrant #3 Ninjatek - Cuda
#9 SJ Racer - Corvette
#4 TGM2054 - Pontiac
#5 RV Racing - Camaro
#8 Scottman - Corvette
#10 Eddiebee - Camaro
#12 Bondoman - Cuda
#14 HairyCanary–Willys “Viewer’s Choice”
ELIMINATIONS – March 12, 2011
DOOR SLAMMER ELIMINATIONS
Door Slammer Round 1
Bondo's Cuda VS Scottman's Corvette
SJRacer VS TGM
RVRacing VS EddieBee
Ninjatek VS Hairy Canary
Scottman cuts a better reaction time but,
Bondoman's Dodge Power pulls him on the
big end! Ron barely escapes catastrophe in
the first round.
WOW! Looked like a peddle fest!
RV gets the hole shot but, a lot of noise
coming out of his rear end. Sounds like
gears!!!!!!!! RV still runs pretty well but,
Eddie pulled off an upset running .7636 @
16.96 mph to RV's .8017 @ 20.41 mph. This
would have been a close one if the gears
would not have gone.
Both drivers leave the line with almost
identical R/T's. Hairy pulls ahead about 1/2
track & doesn't look back! Hairy runs a
.8455 @ 13.94 mph to Ninja's .8878 @
13.75 mph.
Scottman runs a .7376 @18.53 mph to Ron's
.6704 @ 20.42 mph
Scottmans tuneup just about gave a big
upset in round 1
Both cars were hopping from the get go &
SJRacer's never settled down. It deslotted
and hit the wall. TGM advances to round 2
running a .9347 @ 12.86 MPH
Eddie goes to round 2
Hairy goes to round 2
Vol. 1 No. 2
SPRING APRIL 2011
ROCKY MOUNTAIN THUNDER NATIONALS RESULTS con’t
Door Slammer Round 2
Bondoman VS TGM
EddieBee VS Hairy Canary
Again TGM hops & runs a .9298
@ 12.79 mph to Bondo's .6880
@ 20.11 mph
Bondo is heading to the finals
Hairy cuts a good light! Eddie's
Camaro runs him down and
keeps going. Eddie loses his
right rear tire going through the
speed trap & avoids disaster.
Eddie goes to the finals running
a .7636 @ 16.96 mph to Hairy's
.8484 @ 13.72 mph.
Coming up next....
Door Slammer Final
Finals with Eddie VS Bondo
Bondo's driver cuts a good light as well and
powers by the Chevy for the win! Bondo
runs a .6826 @ 20.12 mph to Eddie's .7594
@ 17.09 mph
Congratulations Ron! Your Dodge
was dominant throughout this
event.
Bondo's driver stages first. Eddie's driver is
trying to ice Bondo's driver & burn down his
car. Doesn't work. Track starter waves them in.
Tree lights up. Eddie cuts a .0009 light!!!!!!!
Vol. 1 No. 2
SPRING APRIL 2011
ROCKY MOUNTAIN THUNDER NATIONALS RESULTS con’t
ELIMINATIONS – March 13, 2011
Rat Rods Round 1
RV Racing with a bye run.
Eddiebee vs. Scottman
Firebird Vs. Bondoman Willys
Ninja's Nomad vs. TGM's Corvette
Rick runs a blistering .6670 @ 20.54 mph
Eddie goes .7768 @ 16.55 mph to Scotts
.8872 @ 16.83 mph. Eddie advances to
round 2. Scott did receive the Viewer’s
choice award for his Rat Rod. Nice job
Scott.
Whoaa Looks like Bondo needs to tune up
the Rat to this altitude. SST advances
running a .8446 @ 17.13 mph to Ron's
1.1123 @ 11.16 mph
TGM has problems from the start and has a
gear let go. Ninja advances running a .7428 @
18.89 mph.
Rat Rods Round 2
RV Racing rod vs. Eddie's Panel
Eddie also runs into problems and slows from his previous run. RV Racing advances
to the final with a .6688 @ 20.41 mph to Eddie's .8791 @ 15.64 mph. Rick's car is
running consistent .66's
SST Firebird vs. Ninja's Nomad
Great Race!!!!! SST gets the jump off the line but Ninja runs him down and narrowly takes the victory
by .0167. SST runs a .7978 @ 18.94 mph to Ninja's .7702 @ 18.18 mph. Ninja advances to the final!
Rat Rods Final
RV Racing's Rod vs. Ninja's Nomad
Ninja runs a .7995 @ 17.35 mph to Rick's .6610 @ 20.48 mph.
Congratulations Rick!!!!!!!!!
RV continues his .66 streak and powers effortlessly to a victory.
Vol. 1 No. 2
SPRING APRIL 2011
ROCKY MOUNTAIN THUNDER NATIONALS RESULTS con’t
Gassers Round 1
A bye run, it is Demon driving for RT Racing
Ninja's Willys vs. Scottmans Henry J
Falcon's Willys vs. Eddiebee's Corvette
Demon slows a bit from his qualifying number. He runs a
.5228 @ 26.02 mph.
Ninja moves on with a .5690 @ 23.59 mph to Scott's .6117
@ 24.26 mph.
Falcon is hooked up and goes .5183 @ 28.29 mph (low et of
round so far) to Eddie's .6680 @ 21.04 mph.
SST's Willys vs. Charley's Willys
RV Racing 55 Chevy vs. Bondoman's Falcon
Invisible User vs. Invisible User
Charley runs into problems and slows to a .9117 @ 15.08
mph. SST with another great pass running a strong .5302 @
25.16 mph. Round 2 is shaping up to be a doozy.
RV Racing makes the Ford look like it sitting still running a
.5607 @ 24.88 mph to Bondo's .8343 @ 14.41 mph.
Gassers Round 2
Falcon with a bye run.
Demon vs. Ninja
SST Vs' RV Racing
Falcon goes .5253 @ 27.49 mph. Good looking pass.
Demon cuts a .0122 RT to Ninja's .0194. The little Henry
makes another strong pass running .5243 @ 26.22 mph to
Ninja's .5669 @ 23.59 mph
Wow!!!!!!! Just a great drag race. RV Racing upsets SST by
running a .5408 to SST's quicker .5407. RV's driver cuts a
.0042 Reaction Time to SST'S .0267. This race was won from
the reaction time. Buy that driver a beer Rick.
Demon advances
Rick (RV) moves to round 3!!!!
Vol. 1 No. 2
SPRING APRIL 2011
ROCKY MOUNTAIN THUNDER NATIONALS RESULTS con’t
Gassers Round 3
RV Racing's 55 Chevy, bye run.
Demon vs. Falcon
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!! WHat a battle. This
was the race of the day so far.
RV Racing runs a .5501 @ 25.83
Falcon trees Demon with a reaction
time of .0053. Demon's RT wasn't far
off with a .0076. Both cars look dead
even down the track with Demon
getting a nose on Falcon at the line.
Demon advances running a .5176 @
26.22 mph to Falcon's .5248 @ 27.94
mph/ Win margin was only .0049
mph to take him to the finals.
Gassers Final
Demon vs. RV Racing
Great race! Rick trees
Demon with a .0123 to
Demons .0270 and Rick
also runs his best ET of
the day with a .5386 @
25.83 mph to Demons
slowing .5405!?
Rick wins Gasser by a .0166
win margin.
Congratulations Rick!!
You didn't have the quickest
car of the event but it was
good enough for a win.
Points by Event (for now)
2011 ROCK MOUNTAIN THUNDER NATIONALS CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS RESULTS
Last year NTRA implemented a points system that would choose Top
Eliminator and Points Champion based on points accumulated across a
series of races run for the year. The idea at the time was that the
championship point’s leader would not necessarily always be the same as
the top eliminator. The assumption was that there would always be a
B/Class bracket allowing a B/Class racer to accumulate as many or even
more wins than the point’s champion which will always come out of the
A/Class bracket group of racers. But, as participation waxes and wanes,
there isn’t always a B/Class bracket and that tends to lend to the points
leader also being top eliminator or vice versa. Now being aware of this, a
new points system needs to be created. Simplicity led us to use the current
system which rewarded vehicles strictly on performance. Not realizing the
flaw, it basically resulted in two systems tracking the same thing. A new
system of scoring is being considered. Until a new scoring system is
announce we will continue to track points using the current system.
Under this system the points champion and top eliminator winner(s) are to
be recognized as such for the event only and not as winners of the yearly
series. In other words a new points champ and top eliminator can emerge
with every event held. In the new point’s championship scoring, points may
be separated by class and/or by division (eg. Sportsman, Pro, etc) while
eliminator points track all races run. With a system like this there will be
two or three points champions based on class or division and one top
eliminator based on all races run. Using current scores, results may look like
this: Pro Div.(MM/PS, DS) – Eddiebee, leader. Comp Div.(Gas, RR) – RV Racing,
leader. A little complicated, but more fair. Check NitroSlots.com for new
points system details to be announced prior to the next race.
ENTRANT
-NTRA
RV Racing
Eddiebee
Ninjatek
SST1610
Bondoman
Demon (R/T Racing)
TGM2054
Hairy Canary
Falcon
Scottsman
Rapid Richard
SJRacer
Charley
MM/PS
810
400
600
DOOR
SLAMMER
200
400
200
810
200
200
RAT ROD
810
400
600
400
200
400
600
200
200
200
GASSER
TOTAL
1010
200
400
400
200
800
2020
1810
1600
1400
1210
1000
800
600
600
600
200
200
200
600
200
200
200
200
2011 ROCK MOUNTAIN THUNDER NATIONALS TOP ELIMINATOR POINTS RESULTS
ENTRANT
RV Racing
Eddiebee
SST1610
Ninjatek
Bondoman
Demon
Hairy Canary
Falcon
TGM2054
Rapid Richard
Scottsman
SJRacer
Charley
MM/PS
31
20
10
DOOR
SLAMMER
10
RAT ROD
31
10
10
20
GASSER
TOTAL
41
72
51
40
40
31
30
20
20
10
10
10
31
30
20
20
10
Vol. 1 No. 2
SPRING APRIL 2011
ROCKY MOUNTAIN THUNDER NATIONALS RESULTS con’t
Ladder Charts
This article on the ROCKY MOUNTAIN THUNDER NATIONALS is slightly abbreviated. Full coverage including more photos which were
omitted here due to space, can be found on the http://www.nitroslots.com/index.cgi?board=rmtn web forum. If you missed this event, be
th
th
sure not to miss the next one. Next event to be held July 4 weekend. Test & Tune to be held May 8 . See more details in coming
events section or to sign up go to http://www.nitroslots.com/index.cgi?board=ntra&action=display&thread=2323 .
Vol. 1 No. 2
SPRING APRIL 2011
Coming Events
Full Weekend Of Racing!!!!!!!!
MANUFACTURERS FUNNY CAR CHAMPIONSHIP
Test and Tune: May 8
Qualifying: July 2
Eliminations: July 3-4
This is TEAM race to determine bragging rights in Nostalgia Funny Car,
modeled after the Manufacturers Funny Car Championship that was
held at Orange County International Raceway in the '70s.
All cars must conform to NTRA Nostalgia Funny Car rules. Entries are
subject to inspection and teardown at the discretion of the race
director. Track power will be 13.8 VDC. NF/C rules are posted at:
http://www.ninjatekprojects.com/images/NFC_Rules_2011sm.jpg
Each team will consist of four cars representing the following
manufacturers:
Chevrolet
Chrysler (Dodge/Plymouth)
Ford (Ford/Mercury)
Independents (Pontiac, AMC, Jeep, all others)
Entries: Each racer can enter up to two cars; however, only the car
with the quicker qualifying time will race on the respective
manufacturer team.
Qualifying: The four quickest qualifiers representing each of the four
manufacturers will qualify for the respective teams. Cars that do not
qualify for the manufacturer teams will compete in open competition.
If a manufacturer team does not have four entries, any open spots will
be filled by the quickest qualifiers that are not already on a team. (For
example, if there are three Ford entries, the open spot will be filled by
the quickest non-qualifier from another manufacturer; see below for
"blocker" scoring.)
Team Eliminations: There will be three rounds of eliminations. Each team will race every other team once, with the No. 1 qualifier vs. No. 1 qualifier, No. 2 vs. No. 2,
etc. Each win scores one point; the team with the highest point total after three rounds will be the Manufacturer Champion. In the event of a tie, the team with the
better head-to-head record will win the tiebreaker, followed by the quickest e.t., followed by the fastest speed.
If a team has a spot filled by a car from another manufacturer, that car will not score a point for a victory – however, this car is a "blocker" that will prevent the other
team from scoring a point if it wins.
Individual Championship: The two cars with the quickest elapsed times during eliminations will race in a "winner-take-all" Chicago-style Individual Championship.
Highest Points Scorer: The entry with the highest total of points scored will be recognized as the Top Gun. In the event of a tie, the Top Gun award will go to the entry
with the higher (i.e., slower) qualifying position, followed by quickest e.t in eliminations, followed by fastest speed.
Open Competition: Cars that do not qualify for the Manufacturers Championship will race in single-round Open Competition. Pairings will be based on qualifying
times (Example: No. 5 qualifier vs. No. 6; No. 7 vs. No. 8, etc.)
Click on poster to sign-up.
Track Specifications
Track: Lions Drag Strip, Aptos, Calif.
Length: 15' 3" timed section, 8' shutdown with dynamic braking
TKO CNC-routed Sintra
Rail height/shape: .012"-.015"/rectangular
Power supply: 0-30VDC, 10 amp
Timing: Trackmate DP2000
Vol. 1 No. 2
Coming Events (con’t)
July 2 – 3*
Lion’s Dragstrip, California
Manufacturers’ Funny Car Challenge
Featuring NF/C (4-Gear) & NP/S
Test & Tune will be 05/8/2011
SPRING APRIL 2011
Below is a stock Autoworld chassis. To
help demonstrate this "tweak", one shoe
has been replaced with an original
copper Aurora T-Jet shoe for
comparison. With the shoes unhooked
and resting on the springs, notice how
much higher the silver AutoWorld shoe
(in back of photo) sits:
October 15 – 16*
Lion’s Dragstrip, California
The pictures above shows the sloppy AutoWorld
bend compared to the sharp, more pronounced bend
in the Aurora shoe.
2011 NTRA Finals
NTRA Stock & Ratt Rod Classes
Test & Tune will be 09/11/2011
*This is the schedule as of 12.29.2010 and is subject
to change. For more info about proxy racing and
events check out http://www.nitroslots.com .
____________________________
The problem is the last bend before the hook:
.
Tech Tips
Taming the Wild JL/AW T-Jet
Revisited: Shoes by SwamperGene
To fix the AutoWorld shoes, you have to
sharpen this bend. To do so, simply grab
the shoe tightly at the bend and push the
hook down. You only need to go a very
little bit to make a big difference. The
"after" pic is a little too much, but it
demonstrates the direction you need to go.
If you go too far you will end up will too
little spring tension, resulting in a loss of
speed. Like front contact patch setup, this
area has a sweet spot that you'll find with a
little practice.
The following is taken from the SlotMonsters forum.
It is a PU shoe how-to by SwamperGene on shoe
adjustments.
It's been a few years now since the
release of the Johnny Lightning (now
AutoWorld) Thunderjet reproduction, and
it seems we've pretty much found most
of the ways to make these quirky little
cars drivable. One of the problems has
always been that when they do run good,
the front end is very jumpy. Full throttle
on the straights can often lead to a deslot as the car starts doing "wheelies", in
part due to the torque but as many of us
who've raced them know the cars seem
to be "over sprung", leading many of us
to resort to shoe restricting and cutting or
compressing springs to help alleviate the
problem. Looking closer at the
shoe/spring setup, we can see where the
real problem lies....in the rear bend
leading to the shoe's hook. As they say, a
picture is worth a thousand words, so
hear is another pictorial to demonstrate.
The angle of this bend affects the
"preload" of the spring as the shoe is
installed. As you can see below, with the
shoes flush with the front tires, the
Autoworld shoe (now in the front of the
photo) has the spring fully compressed
and that's not even accounting for rail
height, which would put even more
pressure on this spring's coils. Notice
how with the Aurora shoe, in the rear,
the coils are still slightly separated,
allowing the spring to function.
As you can
see, the result
leaves you
with a spring
that can do its
job correctly.
It's very clear in this side by side before/after picture.
After trying this on a few cars, all I can say
is wow! With sticky tires the cars are still a
little jumpy due to torque, but the overall
handling improvement is phenomenal and
the cars are much smoother on the track!
by
SwamperGene
Vol. 1 No. 2
SPRING APRIL 2011
The Body Shop
KDOGs’ Door Slammer – ’56 Pick-Up
by
KDOG
PART I
I have been meaning for a while, to show
you guys what I go through, and my
thought process when I decide to do a
tear down / scratch build project. Some
may remember the Rat Rod Willy's I did as
a give away a couple of years back.
Next I drill a 1/16" hole in all 4 corners, I
have used battery drills all my life at work
so I am comfortable using them on small
work as well, but a simple pin vise hand
drill will get the same results.
With the chopped top and the handmade aluminum injection pipes, it
was a cool build, and I was glad to see it at a recent Nitro event.
This time I am building a 56 Ford 4 Gear
Door Slammer for the upcoming race at
Sam's.
I will start with a new Auto World 56 Ford
4 Gear body from Auto World. As you can
see I have removed all the glass &
chrome. I use a Dremil tool with a round
grinding bit for this, carefully grind away
the melted plastic.....WITHOUT......burning
through the body. Don't ask I have been
there; an easy touch works here....
Next I use an exacto keyhole saw to connect the dots, work slowly
here.
In the photo the truck is sitting on the tires, so the finished truck will
be somewhat higher....
Next my favorite part, the Cutting......
PART II
For the next installment I had planned to
do the chassis mountings until I realized
the front screw post on the Aurora 4 Gear
chassis will interfere with the hole I'm
making in the hood for the blower, so I'll
do that step first.
You can see the stock body mounts in this photo that will also be
removed.
Next the body sitting on a New Old Stock
(NOS) 4 Gear chassis. I chose this chassis
over the AW one for better tolerances in
the gears and the way it will mount for a
Slammed look.
I picked out this blower, and set it on the hood to mark the size hole I
want to make....
Once the hole is cut
I use these narrow
sanding sticks I got at
the Hobby shop to
smooth the rough
edges, here are the
sticks with the
keyhole saw I used...
Now you see the finished hole for the
blower. I now need to put the backer
under the hood to support the blower.
Vol. 1 No. 2
SPRING APRIL 2011
The Body Shop (Part II cont’)
You can see I traced the size of the inside
of the hood on sheet plastic, cut it out,
trimmed it to fit, and glued it under the
hood. I cut it large enough to go fender to
fender so it won't be tight under the
hood. When the blower is dropped in it
will show detail below the hood line very
cool.
Here is the truck body with the blower trimmed and dropped in place.
Next I'll mount the body to the chassis...
PART III
I placed the tubing in the truck bed and
glued it in the truck bed.
Now is time for the front screw mount.
For this I used square styrene cut roughly
to length, (a bit long is better). I drill a
1/16 hole in the center, than screw it to
the chassis....
Today I am going to get the body mounts
built and prep the body for some of the
detail parts I will be adding.
After the glue cures you can unscrew the
front post and remove the body.
Here you will see the finished mounts.
Notice I added another at the rear tail
gate area for a future Wheelie Bar...
Before the body goes to the paint shop I
want to prep it for a few detail parts I will
add in final assembly. I want to drill holes
for the, exhaust pipes, and the roll bars,
than I prep the tail gate for the spoiler...
I start with the rear bracket; I tried a few
different pieces of styrene till I found this
piece of tubing that provides the correct
ride height. I first placed it on the chassis
and marked each side. I than cut 2 short
pieces of plastic and glued them on the
marks...
Set the body on the chassis and adjust the
front ride height by sanding the post till
you have what you want. Put your
favorite glue on the screw post and set
the body on, being careful to get it
centered and level before the glue dries.
At this point I should say the Dog likes Gap
filling CA (instant glue) the best, buts
that's me, 5 Minute Epoxy gives you more
time if you are trying this for the first
time....
This next step isn't for the faint of heart,
one slip of the saw and you start over, so
go slow here. I slice the tail gate with a
razor saw, once finished I cut another
piece of Styrene for the spoiler
Vol. 1 No. 2
The Body Shop (Part III cont’)
SPRING APRIL 2011
Now I start on the block I drill holes
through 3/32 x 3/32 plastic bar, both
directions, one slightly higher than the
other. Next you need to find room for the
last hole for the Brass wire that will attach
the block to the blower.
Here is the ‘56 attached to the chassis ready to go to paint.
The last installment to this build will be a
custom made Wheelie bar, with a
parachute bracket built in.
PART V
Ok I know it's been a bit.....but I'm back to
finish the 56 Ford Door Slammer Build.....
This last installment is a 2fer; I finish the
truck, & show how I build a wheelie bar!
First the parts....
Next up I add the final detail parts to the
finished truck!
I use 1/16 for the
main frame, 1/32 for
the axle, 3/32 for
the tubing, 1/4x1/4
for the angle, & 5/16
flat stock.
After I spray the block black, I cut a piece
of thin blue wire around 3/4" long and
glue them in place. You will also see the
brass wire bent for the linkage...
PART IV
After a great Christmas holiday I'm back to
work on the Door Slammer 56 Ford
pickup.....
I didn't really spend any time on the
aluminum exhaust pipes or roll bar as all
you need to do is cut them to length and
glue them in place. The
blower was a different story this time, as I
wanted to add some linkage, and
plumbing detail.
Here is the finished blower...
I start by drilling the hole for the linkage
on the left side of the blower as you face
it. I'm not sure of the
size but it was the smallest Brass wire the
shop had, than pick a drill bit the same
size.
Next a hole on the right below the scoop
for the collector block...
Here they are cut
up, and drilled.
I use blue wire with a red strip painted
just leaving a bit of blue showing to look
like the blue and red fittings on modern
blowers. You will also see the Brass
linkage glued in place and trimmed...
Next I paint the rest of the blue wire silver
to look like the braided section of the
hose, and add the brass wire to the
block...
Last just
bend the
wires to
shape and
trim / glue
the brass
wire the
hold below
the scoop...
And there you go Blower Detail!!!
Next, a bit of an overview on soldering. I
used to be intimated by soldering, than I
watched a friend/master do it. I use a
steel plate screwed to my work bench as a
starting point, next I use sheet magnets to
help hold parts in place....
I make sure to
have flux on the
parts, clean my
tip and add a
small bit of
solder, than just
touch it to the
joint you are working on, and let it flow. Practice is
the key here if it doesn't work melt it and try once
more.
Now the first 3 parts assembled ready for
beads.....Here lies the issue for some guys,
walking into a craft store and asking for
glass beads... No Problem the DOG can
help here to! I just scratch my fingernails
on an old engine block for the black nail
look, than put your best "wife beater"
(sorry ladies) tee shirt on your Pit bull for
a few laps around the back yard, now you
have "the Look". Next open a can of BUD
and massage into your scalp..... You can
now walk into any Craft Store and not
have your
manliness
questioned....I
Think.
Vol. 1 No. 2
SPRING APRIL 2011
The Body Shop (Part V cont’)
Anyways I glue 1 bead to the axle, than
the next, and you are almost ready to roll.
You see I have also made a bracket to hold
a parachute, as you can see I tossed the
angle bracket for one made of wire, I
solder it onto the wheelie bar as well.
Wow this has been a LONG, but FUN build,
I hope everyone enjoyed it as well as I did.
-Dog
This tutorial created by KDOG and was taken from
the NitroSlots forum. A complete downloadable PDF
is available at:
http://www.ninjatekprojects.com/PDF/KDOGsDOORSLAMMER.pdf
How To Make Silicone Tires
By Trek Lawler
Ever wondered if you could make your own silicone
sponge tires and save some of the expense plus
create custom sizes?
Well, thanks to Trek Lawler you might be able to.
“OK here go some instructions on how the
tires are made now. You'll need to go
down to your local O'Reilly auto parts and
get some flowable silicone, it's made by
Versa Chem and is type 750 made for
windshield and glass sealer. You will also
need some Pliobond contact cement; this
is industrial grade and should be available
from most hardware stores.
You'll then need to find some foam rubber
that is comparable to the kind used in the
Wizzard tires. Since I don't know anything
about this I simply took off a foam rubber
from a Wizzard tire that was no longer any
good and took it to my local rubber and
foam dealer. In my case it was to a place
here in K.C. called Hanna Rubber. These
guys looked at it and we found a
comparable match. After you get good at
this you can experiment with softer or
harder compounds of foam rubber. Okay
now that we have some of the vital
components. You will need to make a tool
to cut out a circle in the foam. In my case
since I have a lathe I simply turned down a
piece of tubing that was approximately
.250 of an inch and put a knife edge on it.
I then chuck this up in a dremel (everyone has
a dremel tool don't they) and cut out the inner
circle that the wheel will go into. I also made a
tool to cut out the outer circle to complete the
tire donut, but I suppose you could just cut it
out and true it up later after mounting it on
the wheel. I then take the wheel (in most cases
I re-use Wizzard wheels, and in some cases will
use flanged .250 wheels with the flanges
turned down) coat it and the inside of the
rubber donut with the Pliobond, this doesn't
need to be excessive just a little will do, and
press the wheel inside the donut. I usually wait
overnight to provide a good tight glue bond.
Once this crude donut and wheel are made I
mount it squarely in an old T-jet axle (see
these are still good for something) using a JW's
tire press, I then chuck it up in my Dremel tool.
You'll need to turn this at a fairly high rate of
speed around 20,000 RPM. Take an exacto
knife and trim the outer edges of the tire so
that they are close to the edge of the wheel
(don't cut them to close as you'll be able to
sand them true later). Use a piece of
sandpaper around 200 grit (in my case I simply
got some of the stiff finger nail sanding files,
I'm sorry I don't know exactly what they are
called but they work very well and provide a
stiff support and are somewhat flat). I then
start sanding the tires down, you'll want to
sand the tires down to around .010 of an inch
smaller then what you want the finished
product to be (the silicone will add the
remaining diameter to the tire). Be sure you
make it as square as you can. After getting it to
the diameter you want I then sand the outer
and inner edges to the wheel.
Now get an adult beverage and clean up all the
foam dust you have all over you. OK now
you've got the wheel and tire blown off and
you're ready to apply the silicone. Chuck the
wheel and tire in the dremel, and add just a
little of the flowable silicone (just a word of
advice, this silicone is FLOWABLE and will drip
so don't do it over your wife's good carpeting
or counter, yes, I learned by mistake). Work
this into the foam and around the outer edges,
(don't worry if it's not flat, and just rub it into
the foam). Once the first coat of silicone is
rubbed in, hold the tire assembly inside a Dixie
cup or some other disposable cup and turn the
dremel on as fast as it will go. I have an
adjustable one and it will turn up to 30,000
RPM. Please do this inside something that will
catch the excess silicone flying off of
the wheel (yes, I also learned this by
mistake. I also have a very
understanding track manager. This
silicone will eventually dry and peel
off of the wall but it's hard to get off
of the dog). You'll notice that the
silicone will look rough, this is OK.
Carefully take the wheel and axle
combination and either leave it in
the dremel and stand it up right or
carefully take it out of the dremel
and mount it in something that will
support it upright (in my case I took a
block of wood and drilled holes in it
for the axle/tire assemblies. This
silicone takes around 15 minutes to
start to gel, I usually wait around 30
minutes and then add another coat.
After each coat check the diameter
until you achieve the size you want.
If you spin the tire at the speed I
indicated the silicone will add about
.003" of silicone with each coat (I
know this doesn't sound like much
but 3 or 4 coats will usually get you
in the ball park). If you've done
everything correctly you shouldn't
even need to true the tire up after it
dries. The silicone will dry very flat at
that thin of a coat.
Please be patient when trying this,
it's not something you're going to
master immediately, as a matter of
fact I ruined 2 pairs of tires just the
other night because I got to zealous
with the sanding block and made the
tires to small. I've been running
these tires for quite some time now
and have been doing very well in our
MAHOR races here in K.C. I hope this
helps, it's quite a bit of work but very
satisfying after you achieve the final
goal."
Taken from http://www.marioncountyraceway.com/files/Speed_Tips/
Though not mentioned within the article some of the
chemicals used may give off toxic fumes. When
mixing chemicals always do so within a well
ventilated area. Also as a precaution, eye and skin
protection should be worn. Anyone from NitroSlots
forum familiar with this procedure or one like it, a
photo tutorial will be greatly appreciated by all who
have considered making their own silicone tires. Just
post on site or send article and photos to:
[email protected]
-NTRA
Vol. 1 No. 2
SPRING APRIL 2011
For Sale
A page of the newsletter is reserved for NitroSlot members to list any hobby items they may have for sale or may be
looking for. As this is the first year of the newsletter I will list some the website and links of NitroSlot members and
supporters. Click link below image to go to website (active when viewing online). To list in future issues, send all info and
photos to [email protected].
http://www.tsshobbies.com/
http://www.jaghobbies.com/
http://www.lucky-bobs-slot-cars.com/
http://shop.ebay.com/skrcustoms
http://slotters.weebly.com/
http://www.rabbitracing.com/
http://www.bracket500.com/
http://www.mobydiditperformance.com/
http://www.scaleauto.com/
http://www.grdracing.com/
http://www.drhoe.net/
http://www.hodra.org/
http://www.sluggercan.com/
http://www.groovinracing.com/
http://hodrags.com/USDRA.html
http://nitroslots.com/index.cgi?board=resin&action=display&thread=2288
Visit our friends at:
http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/kdog2008_W0QQ_nkwZQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZQQ_mdoZ http://nitroslots.com/index.cgi?board=resin&action=display&thread=2289
http://www.ljlrc.com/
http://slotters.weebly.com/ho-drag-racing.html
Vol. 1 No. 2
SPRING APRIL 2011
This issues ‘Watermark Car’
Each issue we will feature a car that is used as a watermark.
This month’s ‘Watermark Car’ is the red and purple ‘Wicked Willys’ painted by Hilltop Customs. This quarters’ newsletter
is so heavily laden with photos that the watermark barely comes through. But, now that you have made it through to
the last page, you can now appreciate its true beauty. Equally as detailed as the car, is the shop. Check out the signage,
the workers, and even the soda machine with the Geico money on top. Hey, that Corvette is looking sharp also. Hilltop
Custom’s does it all.
Next issue Vol.1 No.3 SUMMER July 2011
Be sure to check out NTRA Quarterly EXTRA!, for survey results.
AVAILABLE MAY 1st AT WWW.NINJATEKPROJECTS.COM/MANUALS.HTM