Inspired by all of the custom chassis work on this forum, I decided to tub a chassis to fit the wheels under the body of a Henry J.

I used a Thunderplus chassis to start. Despite the multitude of available thunderjets chassis I have, I just hate to cut into a good one. I had to trim away the rear vertical portions of the chassis so I could move them in. They were positioned and epoxied in place. The final drive gear had to be shaved on the backside to fit. I used locktite to keep it in place.

Since the fattest part of the Henry J wheel wells are slightly forward, I had to slide the chassis forward on the body. Using some red goop (ala Bill Hall), I filled in the screw hole as well as the area around it. I needed to create a whole new screw hole forward of the original.

Once the chassis was slid forward, the front wheels no longer lined up either. Using the red goop, I filled in the 3 front axle holes. This gave me a new surface area to drill my own axle hole on the same plane as the two lowest holes and blow the top one.

Next I had to shave the backside of the AFX Wheels front and back. Once shaved and ont the axle, the rear wheels rubbed both the body and the chassis on the back side of the magnet housing. I thinned out the body as much as I could and dremeled behind the magnet housing. The tires rotated freely.

I have Weird Jack butt uglies on the rear. Once they get a little dusty the car handles okay. The narrow wheel base is not good for racing but I love the look of the 5 spoked rims tucked under the body.

Jim

Picture 1 is the "tubbed chassis" next to an untubbed version with the same wheel set - AFX 5 spoke front and rear.

Picture 2 is the side view of the tubbed vs. standard set up

Picture 3 is rear view.

Picture 4 is the tubbed chassis on top of the standard chassis.

Nice job there.
I understood what you were trying to do from the discription but I really didn't "see" it until I looked at your last picture.
Nice job.
Perhaps this is how some chassis should start out....
But then people like you would have to come up with some other wild idea!

Scott

Great work Tim! Looks like a killer drag car!

Picture# 3 I guess they blew everyone else off the road!!!!!!

Rich

NICE work,, !!!!!
Chris

Great job! I'm sure Bill would love to get into that junk pile you're showing in your pix. :)

:thumbsup::thumbsup: rr

Nice to see that bod down where it can cheat the wind without using skinnys all around!
Great job!

I know how tough it is to shave a chassis and keep it smooth. The single dash vw bus that I have required near the same treatment to fit Jacks tiny tires under it so nothing rubbed. Had to shave the hubs too!

Your HJ is an inspiration!:thumbsup:

I like them J's!!! especially tubbed and and laying low!!! Great work!!! I need to go charge the Dremel...RM

Zoiks Jim! I have a whole buncha uther words to use as well but Hank will throw me in the pokey!

Always knew the H-Jay had some deep potential for mischief.
Narrowing the pinion box is very innovative and gutsy. My jaw hit the floor with the usual "Now why didnt I think of that?!"

Combined with the wheel trickerations this is really the cats meow!

A one what bulb has now illuminated above my head. Oh OK! ... two fire flies in a Mason jar ....regardless, that is an inspiring technique. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Lookin' good in -n- low with big beefy slicks!

Bob...Henry Js Rock...zilla

WOW!!!! Now thats one cool Henry J

Great job! I'm sure Bill would love to get into that junk pile you're showing in your pix. :)

:thumbsup::thumbsup: rr
I want to get into that junk pile.. Nice work.. send those excess to me.. lol

Junk pile, some of those look better than my shelf queens......

Great narrowing job, with slimlines high dollar and scarce that is just the answer to get those gumballs on wide wheels under normal fenders. No AW chassis to try it on though.... Nice job!

So, why is it called a Henry J? Is the 'j' for Jim?

J is for John, Henry John Kaiser builder of the Henry J...RM

Well, I think he would be proud.

Finally got this camera figured out, then my computer had issues. The scrapheap in the background is actually current project cars ready for cleaning/tuning or looking for a chassis. We operate like a Triage unit here. Stage one Triage are cars ready to get out on the road, stage 2 are cars needing some body work and stage 3 are cars that need a lot of work or are destined for the goop pile.
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o308/T-jetjim/IMG_2424.jpg
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o308/T-jetjim/IMG_2433.jpg
Stage One- ready for bodies
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o308/T-jetjim/IMG_2426.jpg
Stage 2 - T-jet Bodies needing minor (some major) work.
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o308/T-jetjim/IMG_2428.jpg
Stage 3 - T-jet bodies needing major work or future goop
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o308/T-jetjim/IMG_2430.jpg
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o308/T-jetjim/IMG_2431.jpg
Even though we are primarily a T-jet hospital, we don't turn away AFX triage patients.
I know Bill would be excited about the T-jet drawer.

Jim

That's what I call a Salvage Yard!!! Bill could start a Goopsville Plastic Factory!!! I even spotted a gray Falcon/red carpet, looks just like the one I cut up. Man of man, if the Repair Genie or Slotcar Fairy could "poof" them back to original. I'd sure like to rummble through there. I remember very well rumbling through the 1:1 junk yards looking for old parts. Thanks for the memories...RM

Excited aint the word! I popped wood so fast I feinted. I'd pour them all out on the floor and take a bath in them. Hahahahahahaha!

Now that's a workable inventory!

Wunder if ya can get Testors 3502 by the gallon?

OMG! That's a treasure worthy of an Indiana Jones movie. Some of them clearly aren't getting the proper attention. I would hold them and pet them and love them... :woohoo:

No wonder it is so hard to find t-jets!
Jim is hoarding them! :lol:
Definiatly (?) a nice parts stash you have there....
Ummm. How many nice cars do you have?
Scott

What I want to know is where do all those driver heads end up??? :confused:

:freak:

What I want to know is where do all those driver heads end up??? :confused:

:freak:

In an alternate universe very near where all the lost socks are. Just down the street from where all the digicam patch/USB cords reside.

There seems to be some evidence that both the dryer and the vacuum provide transport to these other realms.