Tuesday, 11. November 2003
By Tony Diaz del Valle
You’re
probably asking why I chose 1970? Well, maybe it’s because of the movie Le
Mans with Steve McQueen, or it’s the great cars. It’s the Cars!!! My
latest purchase is Fly’s 908 which placed third that year. The car, like all
other classics, needs some work. First, I change the gears. To keep the cost
down, I used TSRF gears 14/45 giving me a 3.2 to 1 ratio. (the plastic ones that
come with TSRF chassis). You can buy them at Professor Motor. Thanks to Jimmy
in Greece for the idea. You will not believe how quietly the car runs.
As you can see in the picture, the gears (Fly) and the magnet are removed. Also, I cut a little off the motor shaft so it doesn’t rub the tires. Before I forget, I change the axles on all my cars using 3/32 piano wire. Cheap and it does the job. You can do plenty of cars with one wire from the hobby store. The one thing I didn’t take pictures of were the wheels and how uneven they are. The one thing I notice when I take the wheels off is the one next to the gear is usually cracked. To remedy the problem, I usually add a drop of CA when it’s time to install the wheel to the axle.
So far, so good. But if you race, I would change them out. (It’s worked ok for me) When you take the tire off, look at the middle of the wheel; I’ll call it the spine. You will probably see that it’s concaved. All you have to do is use your Dremel and sand it down until its level. Now, you can sand the tires down. If you want to skip this part, buy BWA wheels (3203 or 3205 with Ninco F1 rear tires). If you really want some traction, buy PPR tires. BWA 3203 will work with PPR Fly classic tires. It’s a great combination. I have a few cars set-up that way. But for this one I wanted to see how smooth I could get this car and the tires to stick using only stock.
One last item, before I put the car back together, I change the braids. I use Slot-it braids. They’re softer than Fly’s and you can spread the braid out some. Once that is done, I break the motor in. Now it’s time to run the car around the track. To make sure the car has good contact, I add some lead tape behind the guide. I use the lead tape that you get from a golf store. That’s it. For under $2, you have a smooth running car.
Disclaimer: These ideas and techniques are from many people who visit this site. I just wanted to put them together and pass them on to someone who is just joining. I highly recommend these cars. They run well after a few adjustments, and they look good.
- Tony
If you have any questions email me at tddv@lannigirl.com