Bill can work it into the Odd Thursday rotation at the most appropriate opportunity.  I would guess that it won't be the next event though.

Chris

The output files from the two rounds are online now:

Round 1 - https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5ess … U2Z2xKbEVn

Round 2 - https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5ess … pHaEgxN3g0

There are tabs at the bottom of the screen to navigate between sheets, click on the one you would like to look at.  I have added a sheet for car type and mods just to see who was running with what gear and tuning tricks. 

I look forward to seeing how this class develops, but I do have a minor concern. Going through the results and looking at the lap times, there were three cars with average lap times well below 10.5 seconds (an arbitrary number I chose as a target lap time).  There were 2 cars at 9.9 and one at 10.1- the next cars were at 10.5 and higher.  All cars will be allowed to play but we may institute a handicap system to accommodate the performance variance for strong motors.

I very much look forward to adding this class to our regularly scheduled rotation.

Thanks to all who provided feedback and helped get it set up.

Chris

The official rules for the Le Mans Classics Category:

Technical Specifications-

Except for the following allowances, car should be box stock.  Specifically this means-

  • Stock motor

  • Stock body and chassis (wheel wells may not be altered)

The allowances-

  • Traction magnet must be removed

  • Any rubber/urethane tires may be used

  • Tires may be glued and trued on the wheels

  • Guide and braid are free to replace/modify

  • Guide may be shimmed to appropriate depth for track

  • Grinding to fit (lead, brass, etc...) weight in is acceptable.  Grinding to remove weight is not.

  • Front stub axles may be replaced with a single, solid axle holding the stock front wheels

  • Use of metal gears is allowed provided they are the stock ratio (pitch may be different)

  • Use of metal wheels and a replacement axle & bushing is allowed.  Wheels and tires may be of similar size/aspect ratio to the stock hardware (from any vendor), or use the Slot.It replacement kits (http://www.132slotcar.us/store/index.ph … =24_94_100).

  • If wheels are replaced, the wheel itself must be appropriately detailed or period-correct inserts must be installed.

  • It is permitted to glue bearings into the chassis

  • It is permitted to glue the motor into the chassis

  • It is permitted to apply glue inside bearings to eliminate slop of oversize bearings

  • Chassis may be filed along its perimeter for float, but do not remove more than 1/16" of material.

  • Valances and other bodywork may be separated from the chassis and attached to the body provided it maintains the original profiles, features, proportions, and contours of the model.

  • BNOVA and similar guide repair components are acceptable for repairing existing cars but not as a tuning option

  • If it's not mentioned, you can't do it.

Classes-
The category will be broken into two classes- front vs rear motored and scored as such (inline counts as REAR motored; front motor has a driveshaft between the motor output and the pinion). 

Eligibility-
Any Le Mans competitors modeled by Fly Scalextric, Monogram, Revell, or Ninco which ran in the 1971 event or prior are eligible for competition.  All entries need to use the Fly/Scaley black stripe motor regardless of chassis manufacturer

Things seemed to run well with the cars we had last night and I think this is a good start for the class.  We will go forth with these as the rules baseline and if we need to adjust, then changes will be made.  I appreciate the feedback and discussions and hope this rule set will generate a fun, new way for us to run very pretty cars which have been sitting on the shelf or in boxes for way too long.

Chris

Thanks to Bill for opening up early and to those who made it out to try the new class.  As we discussed, the objective is to have a class of good-looking cars from the "Golden Era" of sports car racing (50's through 1971 to be specific) running at a slightly relaxed pace from the current Classics category for which we are permitted to do some tuning to make them fun but run them with stock motors and bodies.

Bill- Send me the file please as that will save me a whole bunch of typing.

Rico- I will post the results in this thread with who was running which car and what mods once Bill sends it.

Just a reminder, Bill's opening early today and we'll do a race with cars prepped per the regs on page 4 (http://naste.org/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=5745#p5745).  Doors open at 3, aiming to run around 4 so we can be done and get back to the normally scheduled event for the night.

CK

Well, it was a thought...  I know they have a good looking 550, Cobra, XKE, and probably more, so I wanted to throw them in the mix as well.  If someone wanted to be creative and get one to run in the spirit of the class, then I'd be game for it.

I am honestly looking forward to trying to tune my Monogram Mustang and a Daytona coupe.  I've wanted a class in which to race those for a long time but we never had one.  Will need tires and a motor though...

How about this...  For this Thurs, we have a "run what you brung" race with all these cars we've been talking about.  What I am proposing is to tune them within the spirit and intent of the class and let's just see how they run together.  For the sake of this exercise, please don't make an irreversible modification outside of what the draft of the regulations permit.

Bill has graciously been volunteered to open the track up at 3, so perhaps a 4p event just as a trial.  I know not everyone will be able to make it but we'll run with whomever does and see how these cars all run together.

The current draft of the regs is below.  They haven't changed outside of the addition of the Revell/Monogram/Ninco option:

ckouba wrote:

Except for the following allowances, car should be box stock.  Specifically this means-

  • Stock motor

  • Stock wheel wells (may not be altered)

The allowances-

  • Traction magnet must be removed

  • Any rubber/urethane tires may be used

  • Tires may be glued and trued on the wheels

  • Guide and braid are free to replace/modify

  • Guide may be shimmed to appropriate depth for track

  • Grinding to fit (lead, brass, etc...) weight in is acceptable.  Grinding to remove weight is not.

  • Front stub axles may be replaced with a single, solid axle holding the stock front wheels

  • Swapping gears is allowed provided it is for the identical stock ratio (pitch may be different)

  • It is permitted to glue bearings into the chassis

  • It is permitted to glue the motor into the chassis

  • It is permitted to apply glue inside bearings to eliminate slop of oversize bearings

  • Chassis may be filed along its perimeter for float, but do not remove more than 1/16" of material.

  • Valances and other bodywork may be separated from the chassis and attached to the body provided it maintains the original profiles, features, proportions, and contours of the model.

  • BNOVA and similar guide repair components are acceptable for repairing existing cars but not as a tuning option

  • If it's not mentioned, you can't do it.

The class would be broken into two categories- front vs rear motored (inline counts as REAR motored; front motor has a driveshaft between the motor output and the pinion).  Any Le Mans competitors modeled by Scalextric or Fly which ran in the 1971 event or prior are eligible for competition as-is.  Any similarly-eligible Monogram, Revell, or Ninco models which meet the category criteria (550, Cobra, Daytona, T70, DB3, etc...) may be allowed with the allowance of a motor change to the black stripe Scaley/Fly unit.

Did anyone else run something we're building that class around?

Did anyone shake any cars down at Al's last week?

I will actually miss this Thurs but intend on making the following and will be bringing a box of Flys with me. 

Chris

Yeah, I forgot about the Daytona Cobras, T-70 spiders, and the more accurate looking Rev-ogram Shelby Mustangs.  They handle like crap but they look so good.  I think they'd be a good add for this class.

I think it'd be a good idea to see how well these all play together and make something work out of it.

If we start to broaden it up, it may lead to a spec motor- or maybe have the Mono-Rev/Carrera cars use a black stripe?  Let's see how well they do together first.

Funny you mention this...  I was also thinking the same regarding some of the similar era Carrera cars.  They would likely require a motor swap but I thought they'd fit in well with the spirit of the class as well.

My thought on the Mono-vell cars is that they seem to have a fairly stout motor, even if it is a slim can (am I think of the right ones?).  We'd have to do some comparisons, but I like the idea.

The thing I am keeping in mind as the goal for the class is:

"good looking, well-tuned, fun handling, slow-motored cars from the glory days of sports car racing that look as good as they go"

As that plays out in the rules, I am very open to the MRRC Cobras, the Carrera C- and D-types, etc...  Just need to make sure they are compatible with the Scaley/Fly baseline.

I know this is expanding the class pretty openly, but as Mitch points out- I imagine we all have some cars that have stayed on the shelf because they'll never cut it in the Classics or Classics 2 category but you'd like to run them.  This might give them a home, so I'm open to trying them all to see how they fit in.

If someone who has one (Mitch?) wouldn't mind putting some effort into setting one up so we can compare, I think that'd be a great start.

I've heard no violent objections to the option of replacing the rear axle, wheels, tires, gears at this point.  Any other opinions out there?

I will be reluctant to spec a motor other than the stock black stripe.  If they prove unreliable, then we can talk about it but if we're going to change gears, tires, wheels, etc... how much of the car will still be Fly?  I think motor should stay for now.

That said, I am not sure where the intent of a RTR class came from.  Knowing Fly "quality", I think the only way the group I race with (yeah, YOU guys) would be happy with them is to be able to do some tuning and use a handful of quality replacement parts.

As far as 3d printed chassis, I can rule that out for now and always.  Those are for the "Classics 2" category.  I don't see that being in the spirit of this class.

As far as wheels, I will phrase it in this manner: does anyone object to having the option to replace your rear axle assembly with gears of an identical ratio and metal wheels and tires of appropriate size and aspect ratio (regardless of vendor)?

I know there are other quality wheel vendors out there (BWA, SCC, CB) and while the Slot.It kits are very easy, some of the wider tired cars will need wider than stock Slot.It wheels to maintain their appearance.  I want that option on the table.

docdoom wrote:

are replacement slot axile kits a go or no go with these cars.

Currently still up for discussion.  I am hoping we get to a consensus shortly but I am leaning toward permitting it.

kidvolt wrote:

Thoughts...  it sounds like some of these cars need quite a bit of work to be competitive.  smile

Well, yes...  They are Fly's after all.

I am going to breathe a little life back into this thread.  The current rules package proposal:

Except for the following allowances, car should be box stock.  Specifically this means-

  • Stock motor

  • Stock wheel wells (may not be altered)

The allowances-

  • Traction magnet must be removed

  • Any rubber/urethane tires may be used

  • Tires may be glued and trued on the wheels

  • Guide and braid are free to replace/modify

  • Guide may be shimmed to appropriate depth for track

  • Grinding to fit (lead, brass, etc...) weight in is acceptable.  Grinding to remove weight is not.

  • Front stub axles may be replaced with a single, solid axle holding the stock front wheels

  • Swapping gears is allowed provided it is for the identical stock ratio (pitch may be different)

  • It is permitted to glue bearings into the chassis

  • It is permitted to glue the motor into the chassis

  • It is permitted to apply glue inside bearings to eliminate slop of oversize bearings

  • Chassis may be filed along its perimeter for float, but do not remove more than 1/16" of material.

  • Valances and other bodywork may be separated from the chassis and attached to the body provided it maintains the original profiles, features, proportions, and contours of the model.

  • BNOVA and similar guide repair components are acceptable for repairing existing cars but not as a tuning option

  • If it's not mentioned, you can't do it.

The class would be broken into two categories- front vs rear motored (inline counts as REAR motored; front motor has a driveshaft between the motor output and the pinion).  Any Le Mans competitors modeled by Scalextric or Fly which ran in the 1971 event or prior are eligible for competition.

Regarding wheel/axle replacements, I am inclined to allow it based on knowing that we will inevitably break them.  The stipulation is that the original wheel needs to be used to create inserts (or accurate replacements from other sources used) and the replacement wheel(s) and tire(s) need to be the same dimensions.  The objective is to retain the appropriate look for the car in period.

Philosophically, I think it's ok to have this class drift to a tuner class instead of RTR.  I fear if we don't allow the tuning options, there may be a dominant chassis but more specifically, I think we'll all get a little frustrated at running ill-handling cars at slow speeds.  I want there to be options on the table for improving the drivability while remaining a slow and pretty class, which should be guaranteed by sticking with the stock motor/chassis.  The wheels/gears/axles/tires options make enjoying the cars a possibility.

Thoughts?

CK

Yep, thanks for another fun night at Too Bad, Bill!  Lots of good close racing up and down the finishing order and a great time.  It was fun pushing to try to catch John in GT.  That car is a rocket!

Chris

Someone I have traded with on SCI has a number of cars which fit this bill for sale.  If anyone is interested, they are:


Scaley:
GT40 #95 White w/black hood, green nose
GT40 Gulf #1
GT40 #3 red
GT40 #4 gold
GT40 #11 Dk blue w/oragne stripe
D-Jag #60 White w/blue stripe
D-Jag #518 Blue

$35 each 1-2 cars shipped, $30 3-4 each cars shipped, $25 each for 5 shipped

Fly

Ferrari 512, silver no tampo
Ferrari 512 black, Playboy
GT40 #6 Blue w/yellow noce
GT40 #98 White w/blk hood
GT40 #130 White w/blue stripe
Ferrari 250 GTO #112 Blue w/yellow stripe

1-2 cars $40 each shipped, 3-4 cars, $35 each shipped, 5+ cars, $30 each shipped

Anyone interested in any of them?

Mitch58 wrote:

It would be nice to see something other than Ferraris and Fords.

I have 917's and 908's to tune up and intend on doing so!  There will be more than the two F brands.

Mitch- I picked up a used 906 with NSR tires on the rear.  IT IS AWESOME!  Unfortunately, it has a Slot.It white motor in it so it's ineligible, but the chassis handles the power very well.  With a stock motor it would be SUPER stable.

Also- Bill: The Slot.It F1 tires seem to fit the Fly GT40's very well.  Seeing as they fit and I am familiar with the compound, I'd recommend starting with the 917 or 512.  They don't fit on those wheels.

I am disinclined to run the Scaley GT40, unless mine are just that old and the newer ones run much better...  The Fly's run rings around them- at least on my track.

250GTO, 250LM, 917, and 512 tires would be helpful as well.  I can't seem to find anything which fits that rim.  While you're at it, a T-70 tire maybe too.

Depending on how the Scaley's run- some 300SL/SLR, D- and C-Type...  If people have them.

I did locate a few more of my Scaley GT40's and couldn't get them to run within half a second of the Fly's.  I would be curious to try their 250GTO and see if it gets better results.  The 512's and 917's I have seem to run pretty well too, but I don't seem to have truly effective tires for that wheel configuration/

reek455 wrote:

The problem I'm having is that most of mine have been modified in some way making them illegal.

Yeah, I think we need a way to be able to grandfather in the cars in our stable- less away from RTR and lean more toward tuned, slower, classics.  I do want to see them all play well together.

Bill, I'll be there early with bells on!

CK

Mitch58 wrote:

I know that the Fly and Scalextric sidewinder cars have room for weight. I don't know about the front motored cars.


Here's my thing about why I would still advocate grinding for fitting in weight:  I have tried tuning one or two of these by putting weight in them.  Once I did, they didn't want to button back up nicely.  All the interior pieces leave little space to put weight.  A modest amount of grinding solves that problem.  I remember thinking that it was a shame that to get them to run well, it looked like they were bulging at the seams.  If the whole intent is to make a pleasant class out of pretty- but slow- cars, I think it would behoove us to make sure they stay pretty as we make them enjoyable to drive.

I would like to leave the door open to grind to fit the weight in and that is why.  I am fine if other chassis grinding/trimming/valence relocating is off limits.

Any objections?

RE: Scaley Vette- game on Mitch!

Goose wrote:

I would like to start out running the the cars with no body modifications to see how well the cars run, and then have some modified body cars to run against to see if it creates a advantage, if it does then vote on the modified body into the rules.


That seems reasonable to me- but I would be inclined to take away the chassis trimming allowance as well.