Need help mounting FCR body!

[racereric]

I have recently just purchased a clear lexan FCR car body from my local track and painted my first body. The problem I have is mounting the body and cutting the wheel wells out to fit the chassis. I just don't want to mess up a perfectly good body before I even get to race it! Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks, Eric

[racereric]

Nobody knows how to mount an FCR body?

[wjdougherty]

Mounting a FCR body is just like mounting any other kind of slot car body. Depending on what type of body you bought and painted will determine how you trim and mount it...

Before I continue, what type of body do you want to mount??

[balln68]

i just followed the cut line on my body, if it doesnt have a cut line progressively cut the body down as you need, the first body i cut years ago was a disaster. i cut right into the side of the body. i'd check to see if your raceway has a minimum body height. and i just position the body on the frame up where the tires should be on a regular car.

[racereric]

Wow that's some nice paint balln! Thanks for your tips. And wjdaugherty I have a parma lexan dodge intrepid body.- I painted it with candy red pactra spray paint.

[Slotracer152]

Get a nice straight cut around the bottom first. Then put the body on the car. Cut around your wheels from there. FCRs are some of the easiest to mount because the chassis have the platform on top of which the body sits.

I may only race group 7s once a year, but FCR will always hold a special place in my heart.

[wjdougherty]

What you didn't say was the body 4" or 4 1/2". It makes a difference as to how high you have to measure the rear spoiler height. Otherwise, do like they say and cut on the cut line. Place the body on the car in approx where you want it. Shine a light behind it and pin it through the existing mounting holes. From there mark your approx wheel wells. Remove the body and make your final wheel well cuts. Reinforce the body with body armor or tape at the pin tube holes, front end grill area, down the center line of the hood from windshield to nose (prevents hood crumple), and use a "L" piece of body armor mounted from the rear deck lid to the back end of the car down to the bumper line (prevents rear deck getting caught in the gears.

Mount the body on the car. Take the car to the track, along with a pair of scissors, and make your final cuts at the track making sure the body doesn't drag the track or rub the tires.

[Bill from NH]

To help you with the wheelwells, use something round(tire tube, quarter, or something similar sized) & mark them with a Sharpie on the outside of the body. Then use a pair of curved fingernail scissors to cut them out. I don't believe the straight sides can be cut up into the doors, but check your local rules.

[racereric]

I really appreciate all of the responses! You all are a big help. I also have the velcro mounts on the chassis. Is it possible to solder in mounting pins like they are on a wing car? The body is a 4 1/2 I believe

[racereric]

Well, I just messed up my body. Having shaky hands doesnt help anything at all. I cut straight up into the rear quarter panel and tried rounding it off with and Xacto knife but it just looks bad. Guess I wont be racing FCR tonight.

[oldweirdherald]

Not a big problem! If you hacked it up a bit, or cut too far, it can most likely be saved and at least used!

Get some "body armor" or body bullet proofing strips - if your raceway has the ones sold by King - those are the same ones Lee Gilbert makes.

Body armor is strips of lexan with really sticky double stick tape on the back. Just cut to size, then peel of the paper and stick.

You can cut a couple strips about 1/8" to 1/4" wide by about 2" long (I don't have any slot cars here to measure), and stick it above the wheel wells on both sides, on the inside. It will reinforce where you cut too far and make it strong again. Don't worry about the looks - especially if this is your first time out! If you really need to reinforce it even more - you can add a strip on the outside above the wheel well too.

If you're having trouble using the curved fingernail or nose hair scissors, another good tool is a Dremel with a grinding wheel on it. Just easy does it, or you might cut too far again! Using a tire tube (as mentioned above) is what I always do. Hold a light behind the car and mark a dot on the body for the center of the axle... then take the body off, and put the center "nipple" of the tire tube on the dot, and draw around the outside with a fine point Sharpie. This really helps even klutz's like me to cut it nice & straight!

Just mount it up and RACE IT! The local hotshots will help you out and most likely let you know some tips once you get there. The important part is to just enter the race & HAVE FUN!!!

[racereric]

Thanks Paul! I'll check my local track today when I go. I gave it a shot and used the curved finger nail scissors and it worked FLAWLESSLY!! Now I just need to slap some of that body armor on the one side and I'll be good to go! All a part of my transition to 1/24 scale. I moved away from my 1/32 scale track in Atlanta and there is only a 1/24 track where I live now. I know a lot about the 1/32 scale, just seeing what knowlege can transfer over into this new realm!

[balln68]

If you race at ASR Kenny is a real good guy he will get ya what u need.

[racereric]

If you race at ASR Kenny is a real good guy he will get ya what u need.

I do race there. Kenny and Mike are both great guys. Kenny got me a perfect setup on my GT1 car

[trickyvic3]

What I do is mark my center line to the axles, make a rough cut with my sissors, and then use the dremel to round off the wheel wells.
It works real good, but as mentioned above you need to go nice and easy with it.
Don't feel bad about screwing up a few, as we have all done it lol.

After you've figured out what works best for you, and you've done a few, it will become second nature to you.
Whats nice about the FCRs is you can move the body around quite a bit to make up for small mistakes.

You should see the first few I did on my own lol. Lets just say, they wern't very pretty !!!

Vic