So far, so cool!!! New project in the works... Once I get through with this one I'll have at least 5 more to do..:rolleyes: So, without further Adeiu...

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/100_1515.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/100_1520.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/100_1525.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/100_1521.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/100_1511.jpg

Recipe so far... Take one purple Dash lead sled. Add 4 holes. Scuff, prime and paint flat black, then hit with a mist coat of Testes clear pearl coat. 4 dips in the future bucket brings the shine level up. I had to "mill" down the headlight LEDs to fit the holes properly. Kind of archaic method, but all I could do mechanically challanged as I am. The original purple taillight concept fizzled when I saw the lack of room around the chassis, so an attempt will be made with red LEDs with blue sharpie to try for the blue dot effect. I have blue LEDs ordered so I'm hoping the blue with a coat of red will have the correct effect I was looking for. I also recalled the wicked scooby van purple taillights were a bit too bright, so the red may be the only way to go. I really need a more precise way of drilling holes on a blank panel. A pin vise wouldn't have faired any better, I'm afraid. The eyes just not what they used to be, and the lighting on my desk is far from suitable. The right taillight hole is off by a mile in macro vision.. So far off I had to deleted the picture just to avoid the embarrassment. I either need to make some sort of jig/guide, or shop for a small drill press and some sort of clamp to hold the bodies when drilling.

In other news, I believe (read hope) I have found the secret recipe for the bridge rectifier/ capacitor combo. The parts are ordered and will know soon enough. The easy access chassis wiring configuration has been put on hold so I can look for an alternate to the washers. Getting the solder to stick to the washers is tough. Making the washers come out level is even tougher. Keeping the wires attached to the washers has proven itself a waste of time. I need some ring terminals about the same size as posts to take another stab at it. I believe the size listed on the washers is 2. I've tossed around other concepts, but nothing I can deem as durable, and I want my stuff to last a long time, not work a week and quit. I want to make this work for the long run so I must take the time and do it right.. Update to follow when I get somewhere with this one....UtherJoe

UtherJoe,

Nice Mercury man! That paint job looks Mercurific and is lighted also...Sweet!

Bob...5,4,3,2,1,None...zilla

Looks REALLY sharp Ujoe!!!!

Try tinning paste. Works pretty good for me.

Ujoe, if your washers are plated, you will have a bugger of a time getting solder to stick.
(I solder alot) The zinc coating will need to be scuffed.
Bill mentioned Tinning paste. I am guessing that he is talking about soldering flux. Are you using a core solder?

That merc sure is going to be the cat's meow, mate! :thumbsup:

Great looking Merc.....:thumbsup::thumbsup:

And only 5 to go????.......yeah like we believe that...LMAO.......
Slot...I will not stop til every slotcar has lights....carman.

I used flux and and core solder. The washers are brass. I'm trying to keep washer thickness to a minimum so I don't have to take too much off the posts. Planning to upgrade the soldering iron soon. I want something a bit more professional in the temperature control area, and hopefully with a smaller tip. :thumbsup:

I corrected the taillight misalignment issue with a small rat file (made them oval), which is good, but put a nice scratch across the lower trunk area :cry:(spastic arms!!) and I hope the future will hide most of it. This one is the guinea pig for testing.. Hopefully the rest will fair better in the booboo department!! :rolleyes:

For the good news!!!! Thanks to Joez for inspiration, I have become the proud owner of a new airbrush kit!!! :thumbsup: The package came with two airbrushes, compressor, regulator and water trap. Once the tool shopping frenzy settles down, hopefully I'll have enough money left for paints!! :lol: Now if I could only find a new set of arms!!! :p

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. Uhhhhhhh...having slept on the matter.

Perhaps you could try a small electrical ring connector of the crimpable style. The lil' red one are what's coming to mind. Ya may have to pork the center hole to accomodate the screw. Then just fold the spilt crimp tube at 90 degrees and solder the wire. One could also grind away the sides of the crimp tube and shape it into a flat tab for easy soldering should there not be enough room. In most cases this will move the soldering tab into less annoying position.

Some 1:1 cars have this exact application on the starter solenoid where clearance is tight.

As for the tinning paste, a small tub will last a hobbiest a lifetime. I use it with or without flux core solder. I consider it a "flow facilitator". If you've never used it... give it a whirl.

I've been thinking the same on the crimp fasteners. I just haven't looked very hard for them yet.. Guess no time like the present!! :thumbsup: I've procrastinated long 'nuf!!

With two failed attempts at lighting the sledster, the third time looks good!!! I had to change my methods of lighting a bit, and bump up the resistor for the head lights because 10 laps and lights out just don't cut it!! I have noticed one thing with the AW chassis vs the Aurora. The ohms of the arm do make a difference in the required resistors for the LEDs. The AW arms ohm out lower I assume?????

Here's a few shots lighted..

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/100_1536.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/100_1544.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/100_1547.jpg

The only good thing about the LED screw ups is I'm getting better at doing the LEDs... Practice, practice, practice!!! :lol:

:thumbsup:THE sled one of my favorites. Keep going on this one. I see the future and I see a predrilled van mold in it.
Mike

Looks like something out of an old Batman comic book Joe -- cooool :thumbsup::thumbsup:

nicely done!i dunno how ya do it'but i like it!those leadsleds are awesome,gotta git me some to play with when the TM ain't lookin!:p
love to see one of your short vids like ya did on the bus!great job joe,keep em comin!:thumbsup:

Lights are looking too cool Sltman :thumbsup::thumbsup: I like the background scene also, much better than the keyboard. Nice light reflection on the streets. Hope you didn't water down the streets like the TV guys do :p:p...RM

Ooooooooooooooooooh nice Mercury!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Light my butt and call me Shirley:woohoo:

Bob...not sure what I said but, love your lighted stuff...zilla

okay,bob...we'll call ya shirley from now on...zilla!:p:p

Killer!

I just got an email from my LED source, and the nice yellow tinged 3.0mm LEDs are sunshine white. And I promptly ordered 30 more. I am going to wait until my R&D is done with the rectifier/cap set up to revisit these. Right after I posted these pics, one of the head lights went out. I took this lil bugger apart 3 more times last night to try and figure out what went wrong and have no clue. Trial and error is soooo much fun!!! *** I'm out of 3.0mm until my order arrives (the seller's pretty quick.. should be this afternoon unless my mailman get another bug up his butt) and the rectifiers should be showing up too. :thumbsup:

I just don't understand the inconsistancies from one chassis to the next. How a set up works on one chassis and appears to be just right doesn't work at all on the next. There is such a large power curve for the LEDs to deal with that it's hard to calculate the exact resistance needed. Add in the differences of a smooth running chassis vs a tight one and even more variables appear. I just hope the mouser conversion hooks me up with something usable. These rectifiers are supposed to be good up to 25 volts, and other than honda, I don't think anyone exceeds that!! LOL :jest:



*** trial and error gets expensive too... The colored LEDs are cheap... Like .10 cents a piece. The white variety are about .60 cents a pop. They get a bit pricey when you start burning out 6 an hour!!

Slot,
That Merc is awesome!!!!:thumbsup::thumbsup:

" All lit up and someplace to go".........

Lights are looking too cool Sltman :thumbsup::thumbsup: I like the background scene also, much better than the keyboard. Nice light reflection on the streets. Hope you didn't water down the streets like the TV guys do :p:p...RM


I wish I could attribute the lovely shine to snow melt!! It was just the right time of day with the light from yon kitchen window!! LOL

Looks terriffic, Joe.

But you know, if you're going to be doing lead sleds, that you're going to have to figure out a way to blue-dot those taillights.:rolleyes:

-- D

Working on it Dslot!!! I have blue LEDs on order and with a coat of transparent red should do the trick. I initially tried to fit purple leds in there but they were too big to clear the chassis. The ones in there now are 1.6mm and there's plenty of room. The purples are 1.8mm, but are a different design and and are thicker. The purples were too bright anyway as I discovered on the mystery machine. I did try a feeble attempt to blue dot them with a blue sharpie, but it didn't work. I'm still waiting for all my goodies to arrive so I can resume my mad scientist acivities.. I wait all day for the mailman and all I get is junk mail!! :mad:

Working on it Dslot!!! I have blue LEDs on order and with a coat of transparent red should do the trick. ... I did try a feeble attempt to blue dot them with a blue sharpie, but it didn't work.
Joe,

I was just joking, but if we're talking for real, I don't think you're going to get very far trying to overlay red and blue filters - they'll end up blocking almost all of the light. Filters don't put color into light; instead, they take all the color out of it except the color of the filter. For a miniature blue-dot taillight, I'd start with a white or maybe purple LED, and give it a good heavy coat of clear red. Use a tiny drill to drill through the red into the clear LED plastic, and take a piece of tiny diameter fiber-optic thread, heavily coat the end blue, and cement it into the hole, flush.

You might be able to get away with only drilling thru the red layer, and then dotting the clear dimple with the blue Sharpie - no fiber optics.

I suspect the white LED is going to be larger than the red ones also, since they have to have three generator-point-thingies (I forget what they're called) instead of one. The purples only have two, I think, and you say they're too big.

It's just a mental exercise for me, but you might be dedicated enough to actually do it. My hat is off to you.

But either way, you've got to start with light that has both blue and red wavelengths in it - like white (or purple). The red filter will stop the blue and pass the red; the blue filter will do the opposite. As long as they're next to each other, you see both colors. But if you put one over the other (painting red on top of a blue LED or dotting blue onto a red LED) you stop both colors, i.e. practically all of the light.

I've been doing a bit of playing around with LEDs also, but taking a different approach than you're using. If I have the perseverance to get it to a conclusion and it turns out to be practical, I'll write it up for the forum. Meanwhile, I'm in awe of the amount of skull-sweat you've been putting into this project.:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Lazy-boy D

I gotcha Dslot!!! Kinda like the 3D glasses effect.. I will be tinkering with clear resin in the near future, and it can always be tinted. Little dabs in the tail light holes of purple tinted clear resin might be the trick. White LEDs are available in the required size, but are way too bright so the tinted resin should tone it down a bunch. I also have a plan of molding tail light lenses for those complex tail light cars (I really want to try a cougar) and if I can swing the tools required my tail lit 66 GTOs will be feasible. A lit mustang, fairlane, road runner, and others are possible too. I also haven't given up on fiber optics. But you don't get the same quantity of light emitted from them. I like lighting up the track as real headlights do. The pictures make the LEDs look brighter than they are. They really are pretty realistic direct as I am doing them.

This is all new to me. It's less than a year since I started tinkering with this stuff. I do have the ambition to keep it up. I just hope I am physically and mentally capable of seeing it through.:rolleyes:

This scenario can be mentally productive or counter productive. :freak: By the third cup of coffee the haze lifted and an idea popped into my head. We have a deep fryer in the kitchen that has a rather unusual plug on it. For whatever reason (safety, UL requirements, whatever) This unit has a plug with a magnet inside it. There is a magnet in the cooker, and put the two together and you get power. I've been struggling trying to come up with a method of getting power to light up Xtraction bodies for a while and the answer was in the kitchen all along.

Mind you, this is just an idea, completely untried. T Jet Racer sent me a bunch of magnets.. really strong ones, small compact design. It's fun playing with them.. 1 1/2 -2" away and zip... they're together!! They are pole sensitive so as long as they are matched plug end for plug end the plug will be polarized. A couple of spring loaded contacts on one plug, and some regular contacts on the other set in a in a pair of nesting resin bases and the detachable body plug is born. There will be issues to deal with though.. These magnets are strong, and the possibility of ripping the wires out instead of disconnecting is highly likely. This concept will be simmering on the back burner, waiting for the remainder of the puzzle pieces to come together.

In other news, I finally have my slotcave back. I've made a few purchases that will make a big difference in my lighting operations, starting with a drill press and a milling plate. The overwhelming desire to light a model motoring 66 GTO was just too much and I broke down and bought them. Hopefully I can make the milling bits last. Them suckers are 'spensive!!! And they are very small, so the likelyhood of bit failure is high.. We're talking micro here.. .015 and .020 cutting width. Needless to say I'll be going slow and taking my time. If all goes well, I'll be adding to the bit collection with some larger sizes for bulk milling op's. The game plan is to mix milling with resin casting and make taillight inserts. This will make the following cars do-able:

AW 59 Chevy
AW 67 Cougar
Dash/MM 55 Chevy
Dash Fairlane
Dash Galaxy
JL Mach 1
JL Boss Mustang
AW Torino
AW 67 Firebird

These are on top of all the other lighting projects I've got brewing. One step at a time is all I can do. First step is getting all the tools in house. I'm anxiously waiting for these to show up so I can get busy. I just hope the good response is there when these start to hit the bay... :rolleyes:

Oh boy, Oh boy,Oh boy,Oh boy,Oh boy,Oh boy! :thumbsup:

I am excited for you, Ujoe! It will be really cool when you get this going and start selling.
Please mark me down for one of each! :D

Stop playing with the darn led's already!!!! get er dun!

Love the L.E.D. sled! This is going to be neat to watch!

In other news, I finally have my slotcave back. I've made a few purchases that will make a big difference in my lighting operations, starting with a drill press and a milling plate. The overwhelming desire to light a model motoring 66 GTO was just too much and I broke down and bought them. Hopefully I can make the milling bits last. Them suckers are 'spensive!!! And they are very small, so the likelyhood of bit failure is high.. We're talking micro here.. .015 and .020 cutting width. Needless to say I'll be going slow and taking my time. If all goes well, I'll be adding to the bit collection with some larger sizes for bulk milling op's. The game plan is to mix milling with resin casting and make taillight inserts. This will make the following cars do-able:

AW 59 Chevy
AW 67 Cougar
Dash/MM 55 Chevy
Dash Fairlane
Dash Galaxy
JL Mach 1
JL Boss Mustang
AW Torino
AW 67 Firebird

These are on top of all the other lighting projects I've got brewing. One step at a time is all I can do. First step is getting all the tools in house. I'm anxiously waiting for these to show up so I can get busy. I just hope the good response is there when these start to hit the bay... :rolleyes:

"..........You light up my(insert the word slotcar instead of life here)life........You give me..."

After last week's fiasco and the move into my old, yet new and improved shop, I have finally been able to get back to testing. I took the ole lead sled out and redid the headlights yet again, and put them on another chassis. I kinda messed up the AW chassis I had in that body, so I guess it's a parts chassis now. :cry: Anyhoo, here's a couple pics on the testing station..

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/1f4b1c4d.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/e77b63ba.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/25845930.jpg

Once the secret formula has been established, and my drill press and stuff shows up, I can start popping these out a little quicker and a lot more precise. This one does dim down a bit at lower speeds, and it doesn't have the rectifier/cap combo in it either. I need to address the wire routing/ resistor issues to make it all fit neatly, and I haven't figured it all out yet. Still working out the small details. Will keep y'all informed as progress gets made! :thumbsup:

Nice - that lead sled looks huge. :)

For some reason, when I saw the bottom pic, the movie "Thunder Road" came to mind...RM

For some reason, when I saw the bottom pic, the movie "Thunder Road" came to mind...RM

Crank it up!

http://www.univie.ac.at/Anglistik/easyrider/data/av-files/bthundrd.wav

BALLAD OF THUNDER ROAD
Let me tell the story, I can tell it all
About the mountain boy who ran illegal alcohol
His daddy made the whiskey, son, he drove the load
When his engine roared, they called the highway Thunder Road.

Sometimes into Ashville, sometimes Memphis town
The revenoors chased him but they couldn’t run him down
Each time they thought they had him, his engine would explode
He'd go by like they were standin’ still on Thunder Road.

(CHORUS)
And there was thunder, thunder over Thunder Road
Thunder was his engine, and white lightning was his load
There was moonshine, moonshine to quench the Devil’s thirst
The law they swore they'd get him, but the Devil got him first.

On the first of April, nineteen fifty-four
A Federal man sent word he’d better make his run no more
He said two hundred agents were coverin’ the state
Whichever road he tried to take, they’d get him sure as fate.

Son, his Daddy told him, make this run your last
The tank is filled with hundred-proof, you’re all tuned up and gassed
Now, don’t take any chances, if you can’t get through
I’d rather have you back again than all that mountain dew.

(CHORUS)

Roarin’ out of Harlan, revvin’ up his mill
He shot the gap at Cumberland, and screamed by Maynordsville
With T-men on his taillights, roadblocks up ahead
The mountain boy took roads that even Angels feared to tred.

Blazing right through Knoxville, out on Kingston Pike,
Then right outside of Bearden, they made the fatal strike.
He left the road at 90; that’s all there is to say.
The devil got the moonshine and the mountain boy that day.

Bob...Thunder Rooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad...zilla

Looks are deceiving... They are long, for sure, but they're as long as a JL boss mustang, 1/8" longer than dash fairlane, and about 3/8" longer than a falcon or JL firebird. I'll post up comparison pics tomorrow. :thumbsup:

Nice singing Bob!! Next time, I'll get the guitar tuned up and we can do it together!! LOL :woohoo:

I know someone's gonna mention the "high beams"...:tongue: LEDs are like that when you look directly in them. These will light up the track for about 6-8" ahead of the car when driving in the dark. You'll get a glow on the wall when you're pointed at it. What I did notice today is the meatwagon flasher does light up the ceiling a little.. I can fix that by milling the top flat and putting a circle of foil on top, or painting the top red, or blue... maybe not with the multi colored flasher. Hmmm, foil will be the only way with that.. :rolleyes:

LED Sled....huh huh huh.....huh huh huh.....huh huh huh.

Cool Joe!

Doh!!! Never thunk it that way befur!! LOLOL :tongue:

For some reason, when I saw the bottom pic, the movie "Thunder Road" came to mind...RM

........and maybe a little "Cobra" with Stallone.

I'm thinkin' the pharoh's 51 merc from american graffiti too... Candy red with lake pipes.... So many sleds... :thumbsup:

http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fs earch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dmovie%2Bcars%2Bamerican%2Bgra ffiti%26fr%3Dslv8-hptb7%26ei%3Dutf-8%26x%3Dwrt%26y%3DSearch&w=500&h=375&imgurl=static.flickr.com%2F2400%2F2503849213_6068e b6724.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Fbraint oad%2F2503849213%2F&size=137.9kB&name=Pharoah%27s+1951+Mercury+from+American+Graffi ti&p=movie+cars+american+graffiti&type=JPG&oid=b0f8a333bfd6b3f4&fusr=Brain+Toad+Photography&tit=Pharoah%27s+1951+Mercury+from+American+Graffit i&hurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Fbraint oad%2F&no=1&tt=86&sigr=11iqdfpht&sigi=11g2e15mm&sigb=13hq6rhrc&sigh=1171bq0se

I'm thinkin' the pharoh's 51 merc from american graffiti too... Candy red with lake pipes.... So many sleds... :thumbsup:

http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fs earch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dmovie%2Bcars%2Bamerican%2Bgra ffiti%26fr%3Dslv8-hptb7%26ei%3Dutf-8%26x%3Dwrt%26y%3DSearch&w=500&h=375&imgurl=static.flickr.com%2F2400%2F2503849213_6068e b6724.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Fbraint oad%2F2503849213%2F&size=137.9kB&name=Pharoah%27s+1951+Mercury+from+American+Graffi ti&p=movie+cars+american+graffiti&type=JPG&oid=b0f8a333bfd6b3f4&fusr=Brain+Toad+Photography&tit=Pharoah%27s+1951+Mercury+from+American+Graffit i&hurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Fbraint oad%2F&no=1&tt=86&sigr=11iqdfpht&sigi=11g2e15mm&sigb=13hq6rhrc&sigh=1171bq0se

Yeah the red one!

My Dad has a bunch of sets of hubcaps from the 50s like that...and the 60s, and the 70s...all stored away. He has a nice hubcap collection for sure and is fun to see them when he gets them out from time to time.

He took the bus to work and would look out the window for hubcaps laying on the side of the road. Then when he got home he would pull out his little yellow72 Super Bettle to go retrieve them.

Bob...cars are in my blood...zilla

nice work utherjoe!

It felt pretty good having the soldering iron in my hands today, but the aftertaste still hasn't gone away. I need one of them fans with a filter on it to draw the fumes away from me. Seems they always end up right in my face!!! Most of you will remember "Wildthang"!!! This was a JL body I had nothing but trouble with fisheyes in the paint. I believe it saw the pinesol bucket 3X before I got a coat of paint on it. Sadly, in the process I did a major boo boo to the body and the scars remain visible through the paint, though the decal hides a good chunk of it.

This was an attempt to use short fiber optic sections to span the body thickness and make use of the smaller 1.8MM LEDs I got in. I used a hot melt glue gun to bridge the light path from LED to F.O. chunk, and then JB welded the LED in place. The hot melt glue prevented the JB from obscuring the light. Well, it worked for the most part. One headlight is brighter than the other, and I'm not sure if it's an LED ready to fail, or just the difference in thickness of the F.O. chunk or the hot melt not filling right. Testing continues to see how it survives....

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/e0be843b.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/02470d48.jpg

I felt rather productive today.. Aside from the suburban, I also managed to fiddlefart this little frankenstein creation. I was suprized to find the cab is diecast. the remainder is plastic. It did make 3 full laps before deslotting so I guess I did something sorta right!

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/6aaebfdf.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/03bf2c73.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/a3f499dd.jpg


And a reply to Doba's statement that the leadsled looks huge. Yes it is a bit longer than most Tjets, but here's a graphical picture to show how it stacks up...

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/7dcda27e.jpg
About the same length as a MM GTO, 1/8" longer than the Boss Mustang, 3/16" longer than a Dash Phairlane, About 1/4" longer than a firebird or a Phalcon. The dunebuggy is the pipsqueak of the bunch.

Thanks for posting up. Would you say you've found "the" formula or "the" combination of parts to light most cars? or... Does each car require a different approach? nd

Well, unfortunately, different cars require different techniques to light. You just have to wing it from body style to body style. I haven't even skimmed the surface yet, but only dabbled with the easy ones. The first thing to look at is head light size. The lead sled headlight measures in just under 3.0mm, and I have over drilled it to shove a 3.0mm in there. The drill press I have will allow me to fit up to a 5.0mm LED in the chuck so I can mill them down neatly to the size I want. The lindy van uses 2.0mm LEDs. There are other factors to take into consideration though. The base of the 2mm is very big, and accommodating it on the inside can be a royal pain. I was quite fortunate the guy who I get my LEDs from worked with me to carry the smaller 1.8mm in a warm white. The issue with the 1.8 though is the lack of a light shaft, it having just a bump. The compact size makes up for it though. I have had some luck sanding the bump on a 1.8 and attaching a small bit of fiber optic to it to extend the light shaft.The nova was really, really tight using 2.0mm LEDs with a repositioned light shaft. It may seem like a miniscule amount, but the 1.8mm will free up at least 1.0mm of space in a conversion like that. That's alot of room when you're looking for clearance between the pick up shoes and the annode and cathode (where the juice goes in and comes out) on the LEDs.

The tail lights are even crazier. Again, I've only dabbled with the easy stuff so far. What I would love to find is a cross between a gel style superglue and a clear casting resin that can be tinted red, self levels and cures within minutes without leaking past casting clay or JB weld. The lindy van uses 1.8mm reds, the suburban has 2.0mm with the light shaft, the nova used 2.0mm without the shaft, and the lead sled has 1.6mm reds. It varies based on two things. The shape I think will fit best, and the space inside the body.

OK, on to speculations on future projects... The JL and most likely the MM mustang should be do-able by making a mold of the tail lights, and casting them in red tinted clear resin with a 1.6mm LED imbedded in the cast. The same pretty much for the 59 chebby tail lights. The 55 will need something smaller so colored fiber optic may be the way to go there. The 66 MM GTO and the 68/9 JL and MM GTO can be done by milling out the lens areas of the taillight lenses and reverse casting the lens to fit in from the inside of the body, and the same LED imbedding process will occur. I'm just not sure which size led will light them properly, and until I get there, I won't know. JL Boss and Mach 1 mustangs can be done this way, as well as cougars and chargers. The trouble with the covered headlight cars is the headlight area will need to be milled to look like the headlight covers are open.

I'm not sure if fiber optics will be enough to illuminate cast taillights. I've experimented with a piece of taillight lens (yes it's really thick) and all I noticed is a small dot of light in there. There's just not enough light emitted to do the job. As much as I'd like to run and get these whipped up, I need to take baby steps and handle one project at a time. I have managed to keep the scrap pile to a minimum, and would like to keep it that way. The cost of milling bits (2 bits = $40.00) for the GTO has me nervous about starting with that project, and I really don't want to accidently wreck the only MM GTO I have. I guess I need to give Harrison a call and order some before they're gone.

I also need to come up with an adjustible clamp to hold the body tight without deforming it. I have an idea of using model RR foam roadbed for body protection, but need to accomodate the roof area, and be able to extend the clamp the length of the body. The milling clamp I have is only about 1" high. I have a plan that will hold the body snug, and will have seperate stops to prevent the vise from smooshing the car.



Enter the little shop of HOrrors!!!!!!



http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/cb263d84.jpg


http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/4ff90693.jpg


http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/4f09225c.jpg


http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/7e80038b.jpg

Everything in it's place and now I can't find anything...LOLOL

:thumbsup:Looks organized

Uther Joe,

Seeing the picture of the size difference in slot car bodies and your description of the L.E.D. sizes realy puts this whole lighting them up thing in perspective. Holy Moly you got lot of work cut out for you. No worry as you can Shirley handle it with no problems...well maybe just a few wrinkles.

Well that shop is looking good. That Milling set up you have is a huge step above a Dremel. There is no turning back now so, go for it Dude!

Bob...is it break time yet?...zilla

Now if I can only keep my nose to the grindstone!! Sounds painful.. Maybe not!! LOL

Now if I can only keep my nose to the grindstone!! Sounds painful.. Maybe not!! LOL

This is what the little shop of HOrrors looks like at night. Scarry very scarry...quick turn on the lights.

http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc339/1970peaches/aabattty2.jpg


Pain is the least of your worries Other Joe...Buhahaahahahahahahah!

Bob...L.E.D. the fun begin...zilla

Joe,

wowowow.. i can see alot of work done on every body!!! just plain awesome man! :thumbsup:

do you ever do on tyco bodies? (LED?)

Wes

What a way to start the day!!! ROTFLMAO!!!!! Beautiful, Bob!!!! :lol::lol::lol:

Not yet Wes. I'm still trying to master one type chassis. When I can figure out a way to plug and unplug the wiring between body and chassis then I can tinker with the AFX/Xtraction/TYCO chassis stuff. The other thing with the TYCO's is finding a suitable, durable place to tap the wiring from for the lights. I haven't messed with them other than my one US1 dump truck.. I hope to get around to them one of these days!! :lol:

cool post utherjoe!it's always neat to see the shopspace guys are working in too.nice drill press setup!i imagine its tough to keep those little bodies stable for drilling.couldnt you use a third hand tool and a pinvise,and drill by hand?might be easier and improve accuracy,no?
and that 12 string..yamaha?

Somebody's been very busy.....
And leave it to Bob....turn on the lights...Zilla.....to put things in prospective.