Scratchbuilding Forum

**oldweirdherald** · 07-06-2005, 10:33 PM

Over the past several years, as OWH's Slot Car Talk forums have grown in readership, many of the individual forums have even began to grow their own audiences.

One of the things I am constantly touting about the hobby of slot car racing, is that in itself, it has a very broad range of specific interests even within the confines of "playing with toy cars".

Although all slot car enthusiasts themselves compose a tight knit niche group of enthusiasts, many of the more specific aspects of the hobby / sport attract different niches all in themselves.

Besides splitting into the 3 different scales, HO, 1:32, and 1:24 - there are sub groups - of which I have done my best to provide the seperate forums for each of those individual sub-groups within this hobby.

Once again, the forums have grown to the point where another split was inevitable. And that is to give the "scratchbuilders" their own forum to showcase their talents, share their knowledge, and trade their information, tools, tricks, & techniques.

Much of scratchbuilding has been done by vintage slot car buffs - especially since the modern day plastic rtr cars, stamped Flexi cars, & lazer or EDM cut steel chassis have reduced substantially the need for most of the scratchbuilding that was involved in building a slot car. So most of the scratchbuilders who post here have been into restoring or reproducing the scratchbuilt cars of the past.

For the vintage restoration and reproduction enthusiasts, there is a fine line between the "Vintage" and "Scratchbuilding" forums - as to where your contributions fit best - but scratchbuilding is scarathbuilding - and work such as we've seen shared on these forums would be appropriate and appreciated in either.

Basically - the vintage forum can encompass the collecting, preserving, refurbishing, restoring, and even reproducing to "vintage" specs using period acurate componants (where possible)

The scratchbuilding forum, is for those projects where the builder will have free reign as far as using modern materials, componants, tooling, and techniques - to use the art of building from scratch to build a slot car - whether it be a "retro" design, or a competative modern race car.

I am hoping that the regular readers and contributors of the Vintage forum will continue to enjoy and contribute to BOTH forums - but that the division will help to make it easier to find the information - rather then a division in the friends we have made through the sharing we have done here.

I hope this new "Scratchbuilding" forum will help to promote interest in this creative aspect of the hobby, and inspire more projects through the sharing of projects and information.

Welcome!

**Quickerthanu** · 07-06-2005, 10:46 PM

Congrats Scratchbuilding guys!!!

You know how to repay "Mom"????? Buy Raffle Tickets!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Josh B.

**AroDyn** · 07-07-2005, 06:52 AM

I'd been considering the justifiable need for something like this for most of a year - even started up a small web site with the intention of attempting it. Then I began to realize how much WORK it can be to maintain a web site to the kind of standards I would want...

I barely have enough time to build, and I cringed at the thought of giving THAT up to maintain a web site! Guess I should have mentioned it, huh?

At any rate, now I can post all sorts of scratchbuilding projects, information and tidbits that don't actually belong on a forum dedicated to vintage reproduction and restoration.

Thanks again, Mom!

AroDyn

**pablo** · 07-07-2005, 08:46 AM

You mean I can select a body and parts I like, build a frame for it, and do it my way?

It's a good day to be me.

Go ahead, call me crazy, I would love to someday scratchbuild a wing car frame.

**gascarnut** · 07-07-2005, 09:33 AM

This is great - thanks for creating a special spot for us.

There are some good scratchbuilding threads in the 1/32 area that might be nice to copy over here too...

**endbelldrive** · 07-07-2005, 05:44 PM

Hey Mom. you da man!

cheers,

Bob S.

**Rhino** · 07-08-2005, 07:37 PM

Thanks Mom. Glad to see this forum. Now I just have to get enough free time to start building again.

Terry

**jczpt1** · 08-09-2005, 01:58 PM

hI Guys I decided to build a hard body with a scratch frame, 1/24.
but I'm more familiar with angle winders not inline. what would you recommend. I haven't built a chassis in a while but still remember how. I want to use a 501 style motor.
John C

**Larry LS** · 08-09-2005, 02:19 PM

Glad to see you willing to try some building again. What or how you build will probably be determined closer by what kind of car or body you want to use.

One or the other of us on here should be able to reccommend a type of anglewinder setup for you to try.

Plenty of types or styles out there. Let us know what you are thinking about.

Larry Shephard

**jczpt1** · 08-09-2005, 02:30 PM

thanks Larry for the quick response, I already have a Jeff Gordon 2004 Nascar kit, I looked it over and tried to eyeball where the chassis would go, I also looked at the "Portland Area Scale Elctric Racers " cars and chassis and got inspired, they all used inline motors with a bracket, I'm not familiar with.
Professor motor sells a couple of brackets, but I need to establish my wheels first, then the bracket and motor.
The Model uses huge (over 1") tires and wheels, so i need to fill the wheelwells. I'm leaning towrad "Protrack" tires and wheels but need suggestions, as my local raceway closed, I'll be buying over the NET and then buiding.So I cant view the stock first hand.

Thanks John C

**Larry LS** · 08-10-2005, 04:28 PM

So John, to keep old Gordon's car from getting the rear bracket tore up if you go inline like a lot of the Nascars guys do, go with the BWA inline brass bracket.

It is he-- for stout and takes 16d motor types as well as the Falcons. Will dig up some inline style chassis for you to look at to use with that bracket. Here is what it looks like compared to the flimsey old Russkit and similar vintage brackets from days of yore.

You should be able to get them at Prof Motors site a Sponsor here I believe.

Prof. Motors site

Look under (1/24th Slotcars and parts) then for (BWA #50010)

**RapidRick** · 09-01-2007, 06:30 PM

Does anyone know how I can get some Rick B Chassis Jigs? I need to begin building as I really want to try this...

**Bill from NH** · 09-02-2007, 10:17 PM

Rick B's ebay ID is Rgeo0. If you click on one of his auction items you'll see an "Ask sellor a question" link.

**Ragnar** · 09-05-2007, 08:20 AM

I,ve been using the stamped brass motor mount, now I'm going to order some of the BWAs. Thanks for the heads up.

**papa** · 01-17-2012, 07:41 AM

Paul, I can see by the lack of posts that like myself ,most have given up on scratch building. I still field several scratch built cars that I built forty plus years ago. And with some modern motors, gearing & tires they are still very competative with many of the flexi cars of today. Unfortunately its a case of being all dressed up and no were to go for the scratch built cars of the past. Most track owners are leaning to the box stock classes such as the FCR's and a few box stock flexi classes. I realize that they are doing this to be profitable. But the sad part is that we scratch builders of the past are not even allowed to run in the retro races. Could someone tell me how much more retro is a car that was built forty years ago. At least we built our cars from scratch not from computer generated chassis's. Though I will always love this sport as have my children and now my grandchildren, i'm saddened by the fact that the scratch building has given way to computer generated chassis's of brass and steel. This an era of the sport that will fade away with my generation.