1 Topic by ProfessorFate (edited by ProfessorFate December 22, 2025 9:57 am)

  • From: Powell Butte
  • Registered: June 12, 2024
  • Posts: 26

Topic: Slot Car Chassis build of the month

Hello slot car racers,

   I build slot car chassis from scratch, also known as "scratch built".  There are NO easy-to-follow instructions.  The body you are building the chassis for, are the instructions.  
  I try to build two chassis a month; some bodies will be unpainted as they are for someone who wants me to build a custom chassis. This is to show what can be done. If you have any questions, I will try to answer them as best as I can. I want the slot car hobby to live on.   
  In order to build a good chassis, you will need a good quality chassis jig, wire bender, wheel diameter blocks, 90-degree square, 80-watt solder iron, good quality solder (NOT the cheap crap), good clean brass & steel piano wire, sandpaper, a Dremel and some common hand tools (needle nose pliers, skewer/stick, ruler with 10th or mm increments & sharpie marker, your choice of tools). You will also NEED some patience, practice & imagination. 

Remember, it takes longer to do it fast and wrong than it does to build it slowly & correctly.  

Always use the best quality tools & parts to build the best quality items.
 
  I am not saying I am smarter than the next guy, because I am definitely not. It is that some people just do not know the difference between scratch built and a kit. i.e. (If you put together a Revell model kit - you did not scratch build the model) the same goes for scratch building a slot car chassis. This is Not a kit with instructions!

You may need to sign in to view the pictures.

Jim Mitchell

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/JM1.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/JM2.jpg

2 Reply by ProfessorFate (edited by ProfessorFate Yesterday 6:50 pm)

  • From: Powell Butte
  • Registered: June 12, 2024
  • Posts: 26

Re: Slot Car Chassis build of the month

#1

Hello Slot Car Racers & builders,                                                                                                   

I started with an old Doug Haynes Resilient Resins McLaren M8A body made in the 1990's that I won at auction on e-bay in 2005 still in the NOS original bag. The body sat until 2022 when I scratch built the chassis for the Resin Mclaren M8A CAN-AM and then painted the body. This is how it looks like today.

The car has some practice time so there is no driver installed. (The car ran very well at 7.461 seconds on Tom's track in Bend, Oregon in practice).

If there are any questions, I will do my best to answer them. 

-Jim

https://8upload.com/image/33b5e21ccd76312e/DSC05962.jpg

  • From: Powell Butte
  • Registered: June 12, 2024
  • Posts: 26

Re: Slot Car Chassis build of the month

#2

Hello Slot Car Builders, Collectors, & Racers:

I started with a Lindburg 1/24 Ford Cobra Coupe hard plastic model body made in the 1960's. I scratch built the chassis for the 1965 Shelby Cobra Daytona and then NickiJ in the NASTE slot car club over in Bend, Oregon painted the body. This is how it looks like today. The car ran very well at Tom's World track in Bend, Oregon during practice.

If you have any questions, let me know and I will do my best to answer them.

Happy New Year.

-Jim

https://8upload.com/image/a759b17bd5811777/DSC05967.jpg

  • wb0s
  • wb0s
  • Administrator
  • Offline
  • From: Vancouver, Washington
  • Registered: June 16, 2008
  • Posts: 5,983

Re: Slot Car Chassis build of the month

Awesome Cobra GT Jim! Great job on the paint Nicki!

wb0s's Website

  • Registered: February 16, 2025
  • Posts: 47

Re: Slot Car Chassis build of the month

Very nice builds on both cant wait to see them in person