super 16C and sportsman motors

[steve h.]

I am getting ready to build some new cars and was wondering what is the latest hot motor combinations for super 16c's and sportsman / contender motors?

[Tom Marsteller]

Steve,

There is a place for every C-can setup, each has it's place. Here are some opinions for you.

Kelly,

One for the ultimate in lightness the other more for magnetic field containment. The light setup is really popular for wing car racers. It can be a bit tricky to build up for the inexperienced. Be meticulously clean and make sure you really prep the inside of the can before gluing the magnets in place. Some have had problems keeping their motors soldered in place. I have personally not. The Kelly seems to be the most popular setup right now.

ProSLot,

They come in 2 different can thickness'. Still my favorite choice for scale car racing. Keeps the magnetic field contained pretty well.

RJR,

I have not used it too much but seems comparable to the ProSlot setups.

Mura,

The Tank of C-can setups, very durable and a favorite of drag racers. Contains the magnets power probably the best.

Koford,

The Feather can reward you with a good motor if you take your tiime and blueprint it. Can be a bit tricky to setup the endbell hardware. The gold plated hardware works really well on motors where shunts are not allowed.

If you are going for pure speed the Kelly light setup is usually favored.

There is possibly another C-can coming out soon but time will tell how it is.

Kelly magnets are popular but must be honed. I have used successfully both ProSlot and and Mura magnets.

Armature wise RJR or ProSlot are really close. I have met die hard users (and winners) of both.

See you next month at Bear's for the TRRS kickoff.

Tom......

[steve h.]

Thanks Tom

One other question what is the difference between Proslot's Millennium and Intruder blanks, and which is better all around.

I don't know if you have been out to Bear's but that is definately a nice track, do you think there will be a lot of people there?

Steve

[Tom Marsteller]

Steve,

The Intruder seems to produce more torque and the Milleniium more RPM's. I have used both to no distinct advantage. Still depends on the track and the tracks power. I used a Millenium arm at last years scale Blowout to TQ on RGeo's Paperclip in GT-12. Guys like Brad Freisner swear by the Intruder blank for BoxStock.

I have really enjoyed using the 16-D Millenium arm for group 10 racing. Big air gap and free spinning.

This will be my first trip to Bear's, I have heard nothing but good comments about it. As far as attendance is concerned, time will tell. Many people do not go racing till the weather turns to cold. RGeo was slow last year but we did not advertise that race well enough. Bear's is not too far away from all those die-hard SlotShop racers so we shall see.

Tom......

[BillyBob]

Would the plated Kelly Can help Steve with his motor building?

Keep it in the slot and JUST HAVE FUN:D

BillyBob

[steve h.]

Does Kelly have a website?

[BillyBob]

Steve,

The Kelly website under Bullet Raceway Home Page.

www.bulletraceway.com/kellyracing

Keep it in the slot and JUST HAVE FUN:D

BillyBob

[steve h.]

Thanks, I just read this all again and was wondering why everyone says the Kelly setups are more difficult to build? Is it installing the magnets so they do not come loose or setting up the enbell properly or both?

[Tom Marsteller]

Steve,

Where I have seen problems happen is...

Building up the endbell and not electrically shorting it to the can. Some builders accidently when they drill into the endbell for the can mouning screws, angle the holes so that the screws touch the endbell hardware internally.

Some have bent bent the backing plates so that they short out against the can.

Some builders have not properly prepped the can before gluing the magnets into place and have had the magnets come loose during a race. I have had magnets come loose in a Kelly setup because I used too much heat soldering in a motor.

I have seen many a Kelly motor come loose from a chassis due to not properly cleaning the can before soldering the can to the chassis. Some have mentioned that no matter how much preping you do to the can, they cannot get a good solder joint and blame it on the metal. I have not seen or experienced this first hand and have watched many Pro Box racers change out Kelly motors several times during a race.

There is a price to pay for lightness in all slotcar classes and it comes through durability. If you are driving well in a clean race, you are at an advantage using a Kelly setup but during most weekend races, using your best and lightest stuff may not allow you to finish a race.

Sometime the advantages or dis-advantages are more psychological than real.

Tom......

[cheater]

Originally posted by Tom Marsteller
Some have bent bent the backing plates so that they short out against the can.

The original backing plates had a "goalpost" section that would short out aginst the endbell bushing flange. Kelly is now removing these but if anyone has an older setup with the "goalposts" still present, be careful of this.

Bending the backing plates is best accomplished by supergluing the unbent backing plates to the endbell plastic and then bending the "radiators" down after the glue has hardened.

And yes, one has to be careful drillling the upper endbell mounting holes to avoid shorting out against the spring post screws. These holes need to be more vertical than normal to prevent the short.


Some builders have not properly prepped the can before gluing the magnets into place and have had the magnets come loose during a race.

The paint on the inside of the can MUST be removed before gluing the magnets in or they will come loose sooner or later. I chip it away with an X-Acto knife and then deeply scratch the surface a lot to help the glue adhere.


I have seen many a Kelly motor come loose from a chassis due to not properly cleaning the can before soldering the can to the chassis. Some have mentioned that no matter how much preping you do to the can, they cannot get a good solder joint and blame it on the metal.

It is a very good idea during initial can prep to scrape the paint off the places where the motor will be soldered in and then to tin the hell out of those places with acid flux. It is also a very good idea to solder the Kelly motor to the chassis in three places, rather than two, especially at a big race. Even with tinning, the solder joints do in my experience tend to pop loose more easily on the Kelly cans.