1/24 Mini Cooper S - front wheel driven

[vtecfour]

Just continuing this build from the old forum.

https://i.postimg.cc/8cJY2BJF/IMG-6908.jpg

Resin body's paint detailed. Really makes a difference but those window surrounds are a pain.





Chassis's ready to accept the body with a build up of the Plastruct L channel with additional styrene for a glueing surface.





Body mounting's next.

Dan

[ZackM]

Very cool little project! Should be plenty quick with that Yellow 20k!

Zack

[vtecfour]

Mounted the body. Ended up using just the two front mounts.

Tested it on my small wood track and was surprised by the improvement in fast lap from a year ago with a gain of almost 2/10ths of a second. Must be attributable to the fresh urethane tires.

Very pleased with the results.

Dan

[vtecfour]

Taken a long time, but finally finished a third front engine/front drive Mini to complete a trio for my three-lane track.

Number three is my usual hybrid chassis with a Slot It motor pod, sidewinder like build no. 2.





I've just added another guide post at the other end and now have the option for front and rear drive.

Thought I'd make number three a lookalike of my 1:1 87 Rover Mini in black with red lined rims.









The front engine/front drive is out-performed by the conventional rear engine/rear drive layout and has a different driving feel.

Maybe it's because of the small wheels/tires that are barely larger in diameter than the 18mm spur gear. The motor's a Slot It 21K orange with a 2.77:1 gear ratio (13/36).

At least it drives smooth.

Glad to complete the group.

Dan

P.S. Here's number two in Broadspeed team colors.

[Bal r 14]

I have driven a front wheel drive car in the Crap Car Proxy and it really struggles to maintain traction. That may be a good thing in corners, I don't know. I think the pickup guide height is a big factor. It has to be just right to allow adequate tire contact while still maintaining braid contact with the track. It's certainly not like the normal setup of having the tires just touch the track.

[vtecfour]

From a standstill, I have to ease the power in or get more wheelspin than on rear engine/rear drive. Looks like full acceleration is raising the front wheels for less tire contact.

Suppose I could mount larger diameter tires but I don't have much body wheel arch clearance.

Something to think about.

Dan

[Ragtopman]

Thx for sharing and awesome looking cars! Love the 1:1! I have fond memories of helping my Dad restore his ‘63 Cooper S. What a blast that was to drive back in the day!

[ShotgunDave]

I think it's cool as hell Dan. And all 3 cars look great. I really like the green one. Nice work as always!

[HO RacePro]

You might try replacing your pickup braid with un-braided wire strands. The wire strands have less spring to them, so less tendency to lift the front wheels.

Professor Motor sells AWG 18 gauge wire with a very high strand count. I cut, oh, 5 or 6 inches of it, solder it directly to a motor terminal, then strip an inch or so to feed through and under the guide. I'll thread a set screw next to the wire at the front of the guide to hold it in place.

Works very well in competition and never, ever loses continuity. I don't use braid anymore. This is simple and utterly reliable.

[Vintage 1/24]

Really nice builds and the 1:1 car is just great!

Everyone knocks FWD slot cars, but the rear doesn’t stepout / fishtail, and if you adjust your driving style you can get around a twisty track very well.

[PETER GUNN]

We had some front wheel drive Mini's in 1964 in 1/32 scale and they were awful especially on any kind of circuit with a rise in it, in those days we didn't have decent tyres, however we did try out the idea of a 1/24th Min tried plasticard then brass rod chassis even though the tyres had improved by then still had that hill problem , weight did help but the motors like Muras were to much for them .
Love your work Dan nice to see an improvement on the concept, by the way if your into 1/24 bodies George Turner who does resin bodies in the UK is bringing out a Hillman Imp and a Ford Anglia in that scale