Alternative 1.7" Wheelbase Chassis

[NDRacer]

I came across this (https://www.shapeways.com/product/V9...li=marketplace) Lancia LC2 body on Shapeways, which is designed for the longer MegaG chassis (1.7"). I was just wondering if there were any alternative chassis with a similar length that could potentially be made to fit? I've found it surprisingly hard to get good measurements for other chassis online. I think the longer version of the AFX Turbo chassis will probably be too short (1.6-something inches), but I wasn't able to find measurements for the Tyco or Likelike F1 chassis, for example. Are there any other potential solutions I might be missing? Thanks

[RichD]

All of the Life-Like cars had a ~1.52 inch wheelbase. The Tyco 440X-2 pan chassis has the right wheelbase but it may be too bulky to fit under the Lancia body. The Tyco HP7 chassis has the right wheelbase and is more likely to fit under the Lancia body.

[NDRacer]

Great, thanks Rich. I'll have a look into the HP7.

[BIG E]

Just get that gear mesh smooth. The HP7 cars are notorious for tearing up the gear sets.
Maybe use better made gears from another car.Have fun! -- Ernie :>)

[Model Murdering]

HP 7? Ugh ... antiquated changeling model. Hardly the best of Tyco's learning curve at that point in time.

Whats the matter with the Mega G Plus? 1.7". Smooth, well balanced, replacement parts available.

[NDRacer]

My hesitation on the MegaG+ was two-fold:

1) Futile though it may prove, I'm trying to stick to cars that are at least acceptably operable with the older standard Aurora/AFX handsets

2) I'm not all that interested in outright speed + huge amounts of magnetic downforce. My preference is drifting towards Magnatraction and Turbo

I'm yet to branch out from the AFX stable, hence wondering if any other chassis might work well in this instance.

[vins123]

have you tried AW 4 gear or AFX speciality chassis, both are about 1.7 wheelbase and both can have chrome rims
Sylvain

[Model Murdering]

Weeeee! Vin said Four Gear Specialty Chassis! Somewhat unknown, they work fine on AFX .250" rear rims with .474" tires. The shoes just need heeled back to compensate for the ride height change. They are a fun platform to build on. Tune-able from mild to wild, a favorite of drag racers and customizers alike. AFX Specialty. Magna Specialty, are both possibilities. I cant speak to the Auto World version, but the WB information is out there.




The AFX Specialty chassis may present a width problem. As in "lack of".

Their rear axle is short. Using standard AFX rear axles is problematic in that the splines dont relate to the narrower rear journal spacing required by the Specialty chassis.





You'll need a post of sorts.




... also a rear bracket to establish the height and keep the centerline side to side.

Other than some cut and paste for mounting, the adaptation of the wider Lancia rear quarters to the Specialty chassis would require some axle trickeration.

A bit of work, but one of these with a 6 ohm crank and poly mags would be blistering fun!

[RichD]

You can buy machined wheels that have nibs on the inside, that would give you a wider track even if the 4-gear axle was a little short. The original 4-gear Specialty chassis was designed for dragster type cars with a long wheelbase and large diameter rear tires. Today there is an Auto World clone of the Aurora specialty chassis, so those are easy to come by. My club does not race cars of that sort, but I should get one to see what I can do with it.

[Model Murdering]

Designed for Dragsters ... ?

I'll have to beg to differ. The Specialty Chassis wasnt just a one trick pony Dragster design, rather a well thought out, versatile, package. Lets give the engineers at Aurora credit where credit is due.

Arguably, the Roaren Rolls (the first model to use the Specialty chassis), the Woody, the Model A coupe, the Model A panel, the F 150, all the various Shaggen' and emergency vehicle Vans (at least 14 versions), and the Whimsical Peace Tank were all of the street rod ilk. They all used the "standard" Specialty chassis that featured three wheel base positions. Of this group, only the Rolls and the Tank used the dragster tire.

The Grand Am funny car used the standard chassis.
The Vega funny car used a divorced front end.
Neither used the dragster tire.

There were only 2 Top Fuel Dragster designs, with two paint schemes each. The "Fueler" was an open cockpit wedge. The "Aztec" featured an enclosed canopy. The Dragster versions required the additional front module to extend the wheel base. Both used the dragster tire. Both stylings featured full coachwork to cover all ther extra Nylatron.

Notably, the Specialty chassis used a 12 tooth pinion.

Bill

[RichD]

I missed out on these cars when they came out. I could never figure out why Aurora used the four gear arrangement, they could have just as well done a stretched version of the original T-Jet chassis unless they were also looking for a lower gear ratio.

[Model Murdering]

If memory serves, you were serving our country. Thank you!

"I could never figure out why Aurora used the four gear arrangement, they could have just as well done a stretched version of the original T-Jet chassis unless the were also looking for a lower gear ratio."

*******

Altered and tubbed.

I think I can answer this. A two fold dilemma of the track width of the wheels and tires, relative to lane spacing, and the fact that the rear magnet housing of the T-jet chassis has to be pared razor thin to sneak the smaller Specialty wheel and tire on.



The diameter of the large rear Ansen mag and the smaller Specialty tire would not work without some butchery. The rear magnet housing of the T-jet chassis is in the way, even with the wider T-jet axle. The housing needs to be pared all the way forward to the shoe hanger plate. This gives you a track width of 1.35", in other words, well over the centerline for sectional track, AKA no side by side action.

No amount of whittling can make the Dragster tire fit unless one goofs the axle width out to asinine proportions.

So the mandate was too wide in two dimensions. Like any good hotrodder, they altered the chassis and narrowed the rear end.

The rear axle center is moved back for the Dragster tire to clear the rear magnet housing. The extra gear is merely a spacer/idler to make up the gap. Narrowing the rear axle, and axle box brings the track width down to a workable 1.20", for side by side action.

Note: The motor magnet positions are reversed from the standard AFX/Magna chassis, to keep everything spinning the right direction with a minimum of fuss.

[RichD]

I think that I have it now, the Specialty chassis allowed using wide rear tires without increasing the width of the chassis. With the introduction of the A/FX chassis the cars got a lot bigger but Aurora did not come out with wider HO track.

[Model Murdering]

Yessir, the width-footprint is the same between the the AFX and the Specialty chassis. Just for fun, I sparked up the digital caliper: Across the axle box the T-jet chassis is .586" , and the Specialty chassis is .430". Call the Specialty chassis axle box a buck fifty narrower. Then, I randomly picked AFX and Specialty models from my collection. Measured across the rear wheels, they all mic'ed in around 1.25" to 1.30" depending on how close the hub is to the chassis.

****

If memory serves, the AW version incorporates the basket handle arrangement for body mounting, which the originals did not. The original Specialty used a front screw/post and a rear stand-off bracket.

In retrospect with hijacking, we maybe we should've done this in another thread. Sorry

[NDRacer]

Just realised I never came back into here to say thanks for all the suggestions. And no worries about the detour the thread took -- a lot of interesting info.