[porsche917]

Here is one of the cars I will be running in the Monte Carlo rally series.

To build this epic rally car that finished 4th overall in the 1971 Monte Carlo rally I am using a model kit that is only available in Japan.  I was able to find the kit on eBay, go figure.

For the chassis, I ended up using an Olifer 3D chassis that was originally made for a Fly Alfa Romeo TZ2.  The wheelbase was very close and there was plenty of room for the guide.  My next step will be to mount some body posts inside the body that line up with the chassis.

For the body posts, I went to Slot Car Corner and ordered some CG Slots 3D printed body posts that are made for conversions just like this.

To make sure these posts stay in place I used some quick setting JB Weld.  The JB Weld did a great job and the posts look very secure.  Plus, the cars will not be going that fast on the rally track so there shouldn’t be any concerns about one of them coming loose.

Here are some pics of the car with the chassis mounted.  The chassis isn’t perfectly centered in the body but it’s close enough to work.

The car still needs the front air dam removed to make it look like the rally 240Z and less of an IMSA Datsun 240Z.

This has been a fun and interesting project.  I will post more updates as the car comes together.

I can’t wait to see what the other competitors are building.

[porsche917]

Unfortunately, Carrera does a terrible job of stocking replacement parts including tires.  Paul Gage makes some great replacement tires in urethane but they have to be glued to the wheels as they are not a very tight fit.  Once glued, you can true them up and they are better than the stock tires.  Slot Car Corner has a great Paul Gage tire selector where you can enter the car make and model and it will bring up your choices.

The Houston club runs stock Carrera cars and makes the Paul Gage tires one of the only things you are required to change.

[porsche917]

The case has been modified to hold the cars securely and hold some spare parts for these cars.

 

Looking forward to giving these cars their first test on the track.

 

[porsche917]

Randy – that is one very good looking car.  It will be interesting to see how quick those Elva’s are.

[porsche917]

Posted for John-Lotus Jr.

Just received the red Elva today.  The Elva has a noticeably lower frontal area and cockpit.  McLaren has more rear spoiler.   Rear track: Elva (stock tires, full width) 2.425 inches, McLaren (slicks) 2.5 inches.   Slight nod to the McLaren there.  Wheelbase looks the same at 2.87 inches.  Elva gets style points for the Chevrolet valve covers (very cool!) If anyone has a red Elva already and intends to race it, I will change the number.  The McLaren is my weapon of choice unless the Elva proves otherwise.
Lotus Jr.

[porsche917]

Randy – Unfortunately you will not be able to run a 3D chassis with the March body.  Having said that, I do like your idea.  You will have to stick to a Slot.it Group C car for the series.

The Netflix piece on Randy Lanier was crazy.  It was almost comical.  His slide into drug smuggling appeared much less deliberate than Bill and Don Whittington.

Marty

[porsche917]

Walt – I also wanted to mention that in addition to our tried and true road track we added another track – a smaller one lane, two loop rally track that is great fun to run.  We will be running two different series on this track in 2022.

Marty

[porsche917]

Walt,

Great to hear from you.

I know there are many clubs that move around from track to track at members’ houses.  It’s more challenging here because so few people have a basement and running on a track in a garage in the summer heat presents its own challenges and having a spare room big enough for a track and multiple people can prove challenging.  Having said that, we are totally open to new experiences and are not opposed to running on a different track.  It would be great if you could come and present your idea to the group.  I can assure you the group would be open to hearing your idea.

We are done running for the year and will start back up on the 8th of January.  That would be the first opportunity to introduce the idea to the group.  It’s also the first race of the 2022 season – Slot.it Group C.  You should come and run with us.  We have spare cars and controllers so don’t worry if you don’t have something to run.

Looking forward to meeting you.

Marty

 

 

[porsche917]

Randy – Thanks for sharing the link to the great video.  I had not seen it before and loved it.

[porsche917]

All,

Here are some additional ideas for the race series we can run in the second half of the year.

Possible H2 Series

Main Track

 

BRM mini 1/24 scale Group 2 Cars – spec class

Alfa

Ford

Opel

 

BRM 1/24 Trans Am – Not easy to find if you don’t already have one

Ford Mustang

Chevy Camaro

 

RevoSlot GT1 – spec class

Porsche GT1

Toyota GT1

Mercedes CLK GT1

McLaren GTR

 

Slot.it DTM – spec class

Mercedes

Opel

Alfa

 

Scalextric BMW E30 – spec class

PCR Chassis available for the Scalextric version

 

CanAm – ’70-’73 – open class

Slot.it McLaren

NSR Porsche 917K

 

Group 5 – open class

 

Group 5 Racer/Sideways – spec class

 

GT3 – open class

Scaleauto

Slot.it

NSR

 

NSR GT3 – spec class

Porsche GT3

Mercedes

Audi

Corvette

Aston Martin

BMW Z4

 

NSR Mosler – spec class

 

Carrera BMW M1 – spec class

 

Policar Classic F1 – spec class

Lotus

March

Ferrari

 

Policar Modern F1 – spec class

 

Fly Trucks – spec class

 

BRM Group C – spec class

 

 

Rally Track

 

Group B Rally – open class

 

Monte Carlo ’72-’82 – open class

Lancia Stratos

Audi Quattro

Renault R5 Turbo

Ford Escort

Fiat 131

Porsche 911

Porsche 924

BMW E30

Ferrari 308GTB

 

NSR Fiat 500 – spec class

 

Scalextric Ford Escort – spec class or open class

[porsche917]

Randy,

I can’t wait to see your cars.  The Mustang sounds very cool in the Ecurie livery.

I still think the 914 will be the quickest but I like the mix of other cars.

Marty

[porsche917]

All – Here are the proposed rules for Slot.it Group C.  Please review and post any comments you have.

Slot.It Group C Models Allowed

Jaguar XJR6, XJR9, XJR10, XJR11, XJR12
Lancia LC2/84, LC2/85
Mazda 787B
Nissan R89C, R90V, R91VP
Porsche 956, 962, 962 IMSA
Sauber C9 Mercedes
Toyota 86C, 88C, JTK 63C

Body

The body cannot be modified in any way.
The stock plastic cockpits and glass are mandatory
Lexan cockpits or glass is prohibited.
Body must start every heat with radiators, windows, and wings in their correct location.  If any of these items fall off during a heat they must be repaired before the next heat starts.
Antennas, mirrors, wipers, and tow hooks are not required and do not have to be replaced if they come off.
White kits allowed but must be painted, or decaled uniquely, with at least one coat of paint.  At least two numbers must be visible.
Body screws open choice.  These can be taped to prevent loss. Any car that loses a screw and causes an issue with a competitor’s car will have a 5 lap penalty applied.

Chassis

No modifications to chassis are allowed unless otherwise specified.
Chassis must be Slot.It that is intended for the body.  This can be the stock version or an EVO or EVO6.
Motor pod cut-outs can be removed.
Flashing on chassis may be removed to allow better floating of the body.  The gap between the chassis and the body cannot be greater than the thickness of a credit card.
Front axle lower adjustment caps are optional.
Modification to the upper axle loops is prohibited.
Front axle height adjusting grub screws are open choice.
Magnets of any type are prohibited.
Ballast is allowed but must be above the chassis pan. A 5-lap penalty will be imposed if ballast falls onto track and causes an issue with a competitor’s car.

Guide

Slot.It guides are mandatory.  Slot.it SICH-07 deep wood screw guide highly recommended.
Pick-up braids are open choice.
Guide spacers are open choice

Set Up

Wheel/tire must not be visible outside wheel-well/fender when viewed from above.

Motor

Slot.It V12/4 23K motors are mandatory.  The older version of this motor has a dark orange end while the newer motors have a white end.
The small circuit board on top of the motor can be removed.
Any modifications to the motor are strictly prohibited.
Lead wires and lead wire guide terminals are open choice.

Motor Pod

Slot.It inline motor orientation mandatory.
The motor pod is prohibited from protruding below the chassis.
Flashing may be removed from motor pod to allow better float. Excessive removal of material determined by scrutineer.
Motor can be held in place with screws.  Screws are open choice.
Motors cannot be held in with tape or glue.
Slot.It stop/axle collars are allowed.
Spacers/washers are open choice.
Slot.it CH14 or CH56b spherical bushings mandatory.
Pod screws are open choice.
Tape may be used to prevent the pod screws from falling out.
Slot.It magnetic suspension kits are allowed.

Gears

Slot.It in-line crown gears and pinions mandatory.
Gear ratio is open.
Modifications to crown gears or pinions are prohibited.

Wheels

Slot.it wheels are mandatory.
Rear wheels –
Diameter – Only 15.8mm or 16.5mm
Width – Only 8.2mm or 10.2mm
Material – Aluminum or magnesium
Front wheels – only 15.8mm wheels from any material are allowed.
Diameter – Only 15.8mm
Width – Only 8.2mm
Material – Plastic, aluminum, or magnesium
Slot.it Group C wheel inserts are mandatory.
Inserts may be interchanged from different Slot.it Group C models.
Any modifications to the wheels are prohibited.

Axles

Only Slot.It axles are allowed.
Any modifications to axles are prohibited.
Slot.It independent front axle kit is allowed.

Tires

Only Slot.It tires are allowed.
Tires may be glued to the wheels, trued and have their edges rounded.
Traction compounds are prohibited.
Varnishing the front tires to make them slick is prohibited.
Zero-Grip (front) and F30 (rear) tires highly recommended.

Track Power:    12.0 volts

If it is not mentioned it is not legal.  These rules were written to create a fair event and not for racers to look for loopholes.

 

[porsche917]

Randy – The final decision on the track power has not been made but it’s safe to say that I want to have as many people compete as possible.  This in and of itself means the power setting has to work for everyone.

Any of the newer Slot.it cars are not any better than the cars we have been running.  The only thing you might find different is a lighter interior or one that has less interference with the chassis.  Other than that, the cars currently available are no quicker than what we have been running.

I would love to help you get your car and controller set up for the increased voltage.  I would suggest changes to the crown gear before you mess with the pinion.  A one tooth change to a crown gear has a significantly smaller impact to the gear ratio than a one tooth change to a pinion.

It should not be that much harder to run than it is currently.

[porsche917]

I found some front lights at Pendleslot made by PCS as well as TeamSlot.  The pictures show the TeamSlot version where the lights are in a bonnet/grill mounted version and the PCS loose mounted versions are available in pairs.

[porsche917]

The History of Slot.it Group C Speed

It was twelve years ago that the Austin Slot Car Club ran its first series – the first Slot.it Group C series.  It’s not hard to understand why the club would choose these cars to run for its first-ever series – the cars were stunningly beautiful, easy to set up, loads of available Slot.it performance parts, and the cars were inexpensive.  When set up well these cars were fun to drive and were very evenly matched making the races very exciting to watch and run.

In the twelve years since we first ran the Slot.it Group C race series there have been improvements to the cars from Slot.it – adjustable front axles, stiffer chassis, lighter drive cockpits, and a quicker 23K motor.  All of these changes have increased the performance of the cars and made them more enjoyable to run.

 

Throughout all of the changes made by Slot.it the club has continued to run the series at the same 11 volts it did at the first race twelve years ago.  Running at 11 volts has worked well but almost all of the current racers are running the lowest possible gear with a 9 tooth pinion and a 23 tooth crown gear.  With almost everyone running the same 9×23 gearing the series becomes more about motor strength than car set-up and driving skills.  It’s true that driving skills play a big role in any race but even the best driver cannot overcome a down on power motor.  The differences in motor power are especially noticeable on a track like ours where the straight is such a large part of the circuit.

In light of this, the Slot.it Group C series starting January 2022 will be run at a higher track voltage.  The final voltage has not yet been decided but current thinking has it somewhere between 12 and 13 volts.  The 12-volt setting did not seem to be too big of a change and 13 volts seemed like it could be too much.  There will be lots of testing taking place in November so that by December the final voltage number will be announced.

How does the change in voltage affect how my car is set up?

·         You will have to reevaluate the gearing you are running.  If you are currently running a 9×23 gear you might have to move the crown gear up to a 24 or 25.

·         You can add more weight to your car without the same performance penalty you would have had at 11 volts.

·         You will need to glue your rear tires to the wheels.  If you have been able to get by without gluing your rear tires to the wheel you will have to now.

·         If you choose to run the same 9×23 gearing you will more than likely not be able to run at full throttle on the back straight.  The higher voltage with 9×23 gearing will require better throttle control.

·         You will need to adjust both the sensitivity and brakes on your DiFalco controller.

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