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Not to cause more confusion but it looks like I have to retract my earlier post about the Porsche 908/3 not racing in a CanAm race. The fact is, it actually did race in the 1972 Watkins Glen CanAm race. It qualified 20th and finished in 12th place with Reinhold Joest running the #42, Porsche 908/3 #008. The car did stick around and run the Watkins Glen 6 Hour race the following day and started 8th and finished in 5th place.
This car is the same one that NSR makes.
If approved, this is the car I will be running in the CanAm series.
Happy to have discovered the car actually did run in CanAm.
Can you confirm that the 908/3 will be allowed? I am looking at using one of my Targa Florio NSR 908/3 cars if they will be allowed. Very excited about the series.
Marty
The original 908 was very much like the Fly car Randy shows above. The more flat version was the evolution of the 908/2 nicknamed Flunder (flat fish) by the Porsche mechanics as it resembled the flat side of a flounder fish. This version did not run in any of the CanAm races but did run in the 1969 6 hours at Watkins Glen.
It might be interesting to open up the entries to the cars that also ran in the Watkins Glen 6 hour race. This would include these 908/2 flunders (Fly with 3D chassis), Porsche 917K’s (NSR, Fly with 3D chassis), Ferrari 512 (Fly with 3D chassis and soon to be Slot.it), Ford GT40 (Slot.it, NSR, and Fly), Ferrari 312pb (Slot.it, Policar), and Matra MS670 (Slot.it).
Thoughts?
Let me add – if we are not going to be allowed to use Thunderslots I think we should be allowed to use the 908/3’s from NSR. This will give members a pre-built option for a car to run. Without this many will choose to run the Slot.it McLaren and it might be boring to have a field of Slot.it McLarens and one Chaparral.
Mark,
The Mid-America balancer shown in Brian’s post is adjustable. The magnets on each end move in or out as needed to get the proper adjustment for the axle to move freely. Once in the correct place, they are held in place with set screws. The pointed end is highly critical for the tool to work properly. Having the point in the absolute center of the axle is the trick for the tool to work correctly. If the points are off the tool will not work.
I own two of these tools – one from TWP/Mid-America and the other from Kolhoza. The Kolhoza is the better of the two. I have not used it to set up wheels or gears yet. I will be using it for the CanAm series later this year where wheel RPM will be 7K-9K. I will be writing a report to detail how it works and if it’s worth the time and money.
Two Things – I wanted to confirm that the club has decided to ban Thunderslot cars from the upcoming CanAm series.
Will we be sticking strictly to the list of CanAm cars that Brian put together? If so, I don’t see any Porsche 908/3’s on the list. That could rule out this great NSR car from the series. Can you confirm if this is the case or if the 908/3 will be allowed. I know that Tony Dean raced a 908/2 but the 908/3 never ran in CanAm that I can find. Let me know as I am looking at preparing this car for the series.
It would be good to have the Thunderslots run but they are so much faster. I don’t know what amount of weight you would have to add to them to keep them in check with the Slot.it’s or others. but here is what the weights look like.
Carrera CanAm slot cars – 88 grams to 92 grams
Thunderslot cars – 63 grams
Slot.it McLaren – 63 grams
I just started using one from Kolhoza. I purchased a different one to start with but really like the Kolhoza. I can’t say I have seen a big impact on my times but I need to spend more time working with it.
This was an amazing first round of the series. The second round should be very interesting as everyone now knows what the competition looks like. I can’t wait to see Marc’s story and pictures.
What are the thoughts on running this series at 12 volts? We already run the Thunderslot series at 12 volts so I don’t see us running this at anything less than 12. Thoughts?
I purchased two pairs of these wheels for my Datsun. They are the mini lite versions that are the correct 8.5mm width size. They look good and make it so I don’t have to worry about inserts.
Looking good Randy. Can’t wait to see it running. I ran a Pioneer Mustang in our first Trans Am series years ago. I loved the car.
I would try to find some zero grip tires for the front or at least coat them in nail polish to they don’t slow your car up in the turns.
Marty
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.
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.
