Scratchbuilding Forum

[Scale Series]

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.

I never understand posts like this. Nobody said you can't run your vintage cars at a retro race if it conforms to the rules such as width, clearance, tire diameter, body, motors........ It's retro racing, not vintage racing.

You're missing the point "retro" is about the techniques and materials used to build a chassis to conform to some basic rules. It's not vinatage racing where anything goes.

I also don't understand your issue with using a computer for chassis design? What's the difference between that and graph paper or a drafting table?

The CAD program doesn't design it for you. It's basically like having a blank sheet of paper and your imagination still has to come up with the design and translate that to black and white on the paper. It's not like one types in "tripod" into CAD and it generates a chassis for you? You draw a line, and the line is the length you make it. If it's wrong, it's wrong, the program doesn't correct it for you.

Look at it this way, every computer has MS Word on it, When we open up Word, the program doesn't make us an instant Kurt Vonnegut or Hemmingway? It's just a blank sheet of paper and the words still need to flow from the brain.


Take this chassis for example. I drew it up in CAD and used a R-Geo universal retro kit. I could have built the same chassis from K&S and just not had the bent up pin tube holders in the pans or a coined guide tongue. Not a big deal, it was a mattter of convienence. I assume most people buy a bracket, they did back in the day? If not I could have also made my own.








So what's your real issue?

[gascarnut]

Paul, I can see by the lack of posts that like myself ,most have given up on scratch building.

I'm not sure how you got to this conclusion, seeing as there are 294 separate threads in this sub-forum......

Scratchbuilding is more alive and well now than at any point int he last 40 years since the demise of the original "pro-era". Most of that has come from the resurgence of Retro racing in 1/24 scale, but some of it is and always was present in 1/32 scale.

Read through all the threads in this forum and then please tell us if you still think this:

. This an era of the sport that will fade away with my generation.

Scale Series and people like him are the next generation, and whatever a Cad system can do for them, it cannot melt the solder or bend the wire.

[Scale Series]

Scale Series and people like him are the next generation, and whatever a Cad system can do for them, it cannot melt the solder or bend the wire.

Thanks, Dennis. As you are aware, I wasn't even born in the "Pro-Era" so I basically am self taught. I do what works for me, and others should do what works for them. I have picked up a tip or two from others and hope some have picked up some tips from my builds?


In case some are not aware Dennis's 1-5/8" wide F1 is the standard of the class. Many use it, copy it or strive to make something better.

Out of curiosity can you show us a picture of your latest Can-Am? I've been looking in Keith's or Nesta's photos of some of the So-Cal retro events and haven't seen anything.

[gascarnut]

Out of curiosity can you show us a picture of your latest Can-Am? I've been looking in Keith's or Nesta's photos of some of the So-Cal retro events and haven't seen anything.

I have not been doing much Retro racing in SoCal after all the turmoil out here the last few months, the last new thing I did was this:



My own CanAm cars are now more than a year old.

I have some new F1 designs, but no photos of them as yet. Mike Iles and Jay Kisling had the D3 versions for the Checkpoint cup. They were fast but unfortunately they were fragile - I used a guide tongue I don't usually use and they bent. Then there's a new IRRA design coming too, Kisling will have the first one running at the next Retro East race possibly.

[Scale Series]

I was tinking of doing something similar to the center rails, but with wider straight rails on the outside. Kind of based off an old brass and wire GT-12 chassis from South America that I have. Probably will use a combo of .055" and .047" rails and use a Dragonslayer nose piece? Some of the Michigan guys have been doing well running VanPeenen's chassis built really soft so I might try it? Don't know for sure, it's still floating around in my mind. LOL


Can't wait to look at Keith's race report to see the 1-3/8" F1. Hopefully the Jay is on the podium with the 1-5/8" version at the Retro East race or it won't be in their race report.