After seeing ParkRNDL's posts in the collecting forum on the new AW Nova and '57 Cheb, I know I'm not the only one lowering AW bodies. So let's see yours.

Here's a few of mine:

what kind of wheels do you have on this cars? thanks. fcb

what kind of wheels do you have on this cars? thanks. fcb

Those are JW's double flange stock replacement with silicone skinnies. Except the Rude S'dude, those are Vincent's.

Edit: Just realised the black Stude is on stock Tjet wheels.

BTW: The JW's are spaced 1/8" from the chassis.

WOW!

That Mustang looks bitchin!

And the Orange Stude is incredible as well. Heck they all look awesome.
Great Job!

Did you have to grind off any material on the gear plate?
Thanks and Merry Christmas,
Keith

The side rails on the gear plate are trimmed back to the middle of the armature gear on all of them. The front of the gear plate has also been beveled on all three sides. Rudy's ride I had to go a little farther and trim of the frame rails at the front to clear the hood.

The majority of the work went into the bodies. This wasn't just a matter of cutting the screw posts shorter. With the wheels set out 1/8" from the chassis the tires rub the inside of the fender wells. So, using a ball shaped cutting wheel on the dremel at low speed I hollowed the wheel wheels out. The plastic is pretty thin now but they are unbelievably nimble. No rollovers and VERY contrllable slides.

Thanks for the underbody shot. I didn't think just a screwpost job would get them to look that good

yes very good looking cars..

look good...
i have a copper/white 59 impala arriving on friday
for a low rider job to be done on...

digging those Impalas! I never got them that low, i only went down to about stock ride height... the '59 has so much room inside you could probably get the rocker panels dragging.

A fun project I've done is hogging out the interior of an old JL Mustang, using a fastback roof, and seeing how low I can get it... I'll try to get some pics up...

--rick

Great job on lowering the cars so much! It takes some work but makes such a huge difference.

As stated earlier, all that I have in the slam dept aren't finished, but here's a peek at them...

This is a cigarbox body I stripped and did the post and wheelwell trim on skinny Vincents. Not alot of traction with the A/W chassis.. even with a 9 tooth pinion..

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/7eacece1.jpg

The body was stained by the chroming process, or was in a color transition at the time it was molded, so a repaint is needed.

This VW Bus is gonna be a major slammer. Formerly a mini lindy, it will have a special driver. I'm waiting for RRR to reopen for the required decals, and I need some BMF for the bumpers. This puppy will be lit up front and back when done. Also, please note.. This is my first attempt at a two tone paint job. Thank you for the inspiration, Hilltop!!!

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/9db2b978.jpg

Sorry if they're a bit blurry. I have too much junk on the bench and it throws the auto-focus off a bit.

UtherJoe

Those are both SUHWEEET!!!!

More and more I think this is the way t-jets should look.

Nice job.

Congrats on the 2 toner!!! After applying the tape, take a Q-tip and burnish it on good. Sometimes I hold it over a light just to heat it up a bit to get the sticky side warm. I'm going with the Vette on these builds. I like the low look, nice wheel choice :thumbsup::thumbsup: ...RM

The vette is in the planning stages for a 2 tone also.. I have the first color choice picked out, I just haven't decided the 2nd color... Claret red metallic is one.. the other will be????? I also haven't figured out which color will be on the top yet.. Thanks for the kind words!!! The fact that they're coming from the masters makes me feel like I'm doing something right!!!!

UtherJoe

Congrats on the 2 toner!!! After applying the tape, take a Q-tip and burnish it on good. Sometimes I hold it over a light just to heat it up a bit to get the sticky side warm. I'm going with the Vette on these builds. I like the low look, nice wheel choice :thumbsup::thumbsup: ...RM

Yeah that van looks great slotcarman. Going to be doing a 2 tone phssssssssssssh body soon.

Randy this is great advice and glad I found your post on this. :thumbsup:

I am thinking Impala low ridder now after seein these neat Dragon Drops. This place ROCKS.

Bob...first gotta slam before I can show...zilla (will come back here some day soon hopefully to post)

i got the chevy bodies yesterday and decided on the `62 instead of
the `59..did a quick top chop to see how it will be(the widow and "A" pillar
are temp)...if i can get it this low that would be cool,then put some dudes with
soul patches in....:dude:
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn294/riceman460/IMG_4225.jpg

I like the way you roll, 4.3 Zook! That is looking mi-t-fine! I would keep the A-Pillar.

The side rails on the gear plate are trimmed back to the middle of the armature gear on all of them. The front of the gear plate has also been beveled on all three sides. Rudy's ride I had to go a little farther and trim of the frame rails at the front to clear the hood.

The majority of the work went into the bodies. This wasn't just a matter of cutting the screw posts shorter. With the wheels set out 1/8" from the chassis the tires rub the inside of the fender wells. So, using a ball shaped cutting wheel on the dremel at low speed I hollowed the wheel wheels out. The plastic is pretty thin now but they are unbelievably nimble. No rollovers and VERY contrllable slides.
how do you guys keep your screw posts square when you cut?i have tried lowering the same impalas,and could only go so far as my file would have started dorking up the body,and then it was a bitch to square my filing job to get the body to sit right.and what do you use to file the posts when yer under the body line?:freak:

As stated earlier, all that I have in the slam dept aren't finished, but here's a peek at them...

This is a cigarbox body I stripped and did the post and wheelwell trim on skinny Vincents. Not alot of traction with the A/W chassis.. even with a 9 tooth pinion..

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/7eacece1.jpg

The body was stained by the chroming process, or was in a color transition at the time it was molded, so a repaint is needed.

This VW Bus is gonna be a major slammer. Formerly a mini lindy, it will have a special driver. I'm waiting for RRR to reopen for the required decals, and I need some BMF for the bumpers. This puppy will be lit up front and back when done. Also, please note.. This is my first attempt at a two tone paint job. Thank you for the inspiration, Hilltop!!!

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/9db2b978.jpg

Sorry if they're a bit blurry. I have too much junk on the bench and it throws the auto-focus off a bit.

UtherJoe

man that vee dub is just awesome!i have a 66 dash westie thats just dying to be lowered!i really like the look!tjets need to be lowered to look any where near decent anyway,hell.my 59 impala by aw looked just ridiculous stock on the chassis,as does my 69 charger!they look like they have lift kits ferchrissakes!it's a bitch working with these high bulky chassis,but nothin drifts like a tjet!

how do you guys keep your screw posts square when you cut?i have tried lowering the same impalas,and could only go so far as my file would have started dorking up the body,and then it was a bitch to square my filing job to get the body to sit right.and what do you use to file the posts when yer under the body line?:freak:

I use a sanding disk in my Dremel tool. Keep it on low speed and check the fit frequently. it's not to hard to see if the dremel is off square and even easier to correct the minor isues that may pop up.

For the initial pass, I like a dremel stone of the medium grit red/brown variety. I prefer the type with the hollow in the end because it helps keep the heat down so your cut is cleaner rather than slagged up with overheated plastic chaff.

IMHO it's best to take 'lil slices and monitor your progress. That way you can make minor corrections along the way.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04736.jpg

Kung fu grip

The picture above is staged, but does show my favorite stone. To execute a level post shave I hold the body firmly in one hand and brace that arm against the bench. Then I brace my other arm with the moto-tool against my holder arm by placing the heels of my hands together almost as though I'm praying...or.... being handcuffed...LOL. By tying your hands together you can only make short controlled movements.

A "flesh mill" if you will, where my right hand is the jig and the left hand is mill head. While it sounds awkward, it makes for a steady controlled cut in a often tight area; which after all is what ya really want.

I've fixed a jillion screw posts. Mentally I treat screw post trimming like target shooting. Relax, take a breath, exhale ....and gently squeeze off the shot!

For the initial pass, I like a dremel stone of the medium grit red/brown variety. I prefer the type with the hollow in the end because it helps keep the heat down so your cut is cleaner rather than slagged up with overheated plastic chaff.

IMHO it's best to take 'lil slices and monitor your progress. That way you can make minor corrections along the way.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f30/modelmurdering/DSC04736.jpg

Kung fu grip

The picture above is staged, but does show my favorite stone. To execute a level post shave I hold the body firmly in one hand and brace that arm against the bench. Then I brace my other arm with the moto-tool against my holder arm by placing the heels of my hands together almost as though I'm praying...or.... being handcuffed...LOL. By tying your hands together you can only make short controlled movements.

A "flesh mill" if you will, where my right hand is the jig and the left hand is mill head. While it sounds awkward, it makes for a steady controlled cut in a often tight area; which after all is what ya really want.

I've fixed a jillion screw posts. Mentally I treat screw post trimming like target shooting. Relax, take a breath, exhale ....and gently squeeze off the shot!
thanks bill.i have one of those bits...i was afraid of using the dremel on the screwposts as i thought powertools would be too agressive,so i used a nailfile
instead,but that only goes so far,ofcourse!...ok...i gave it a try on my vw with a split post...sorry the images may bit a bit blurry...anyway hopefully it shows how much i lowered this dash body,the chassis is now all but hidden,only the pickup shoes are showing,plus its got a bit of a lift in the rear,which looks cool.thanks again to you guys for reminding me about tools i had right in front of my face!lol http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj434/slotnewbie69/HPIM0955.jpg
http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj434/slotnewbie69/HPIM0956-2.jpg

Save those used cutting discs. When the discs wear down from cutting metal, keep em for getting inside the body for cutting posts also. Also great for opening up the hood, for a big engine instalation!!! RM

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc196/kwikdeals/014-1.jpg

Save those used cutting discs. When the discs wear down from cutting metal, keep em for getting inside the body for cutting posts also. Also great for opening up the hood, for a big engine instalation!!! RM

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc196/kwikdeals/014-1.jpg

i have a wand control with a stationary motor,and old variable speed black and decker from about the time they invented disco,i believe...the hand held wand is great!no heavy motor vibrating around in my hand...i had the same thought about old cutting discs too!

i got the chevy bodies yesterday and decided on the `62 instead of
the `59..did a quick top chop to see how it will be(the widow and "A" pillar
are temp)...if i can get it this low that would be cool,then put some dudes with
soul patches in....:dude:
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn294/riceman460/IMG_4225.jpg

dang. i've been meaning to cut the roof off one of these since they came out. i did the '59, but never got around to the '62... you have inspired me...

--rick

that's funny because i bought 4 chevy bodies(2- 59's and 2-62's.)
with the intention of chopping and lowering the 59 soft top,but the 62 screamed "do me"..i did chop the 59 and after i did
it is screaming "shorten my roof and cut out my trunk lid". anyhow it will be made into an "el camino"

dang. i've been meaning to cut the roof off one of these since they came out. i did the '59, but never got around to the '62... you have inspired me...

--rick

how'd the 59 turn out?i have both the red hardtop and the copper softtop...love to see some pics!

After seeing ParkRNDL's posts in the collecting forum on the new AW Nova and '57 Cheb, I know I'm not the only one lowering AW bodies. So let's see yours.

Here's a few of mine:

hey have you ever tried this with the aw charger?i have one that just rides STUPID high on the jl chassis,but there isn't much room to fit the chassis in if i lower the screw posts much...the body on the charger is just too frickin tight,so i was hoping you guys might have some chassis mod advice so i can get that ride height down as much as possible...:drunk:

I haven't tried it yet, but there looks like there's a little room. Set yourself up with some Vincent skinny wheels before you try this. They are available from MEV for $3.00 a set and $3.00 for the 4 tires. The Pictures on his site look like carp, but the chromes are decent....like on the red dropped vette ^^^^up there. The wider vincents are the same size as RRR wheels, and won't fit inside the wells. There will probably be traction issues if dropped and skinny tires put on though. Have your priorities straight before you trim this one, runner, or show. There is no more than 1/8 inch clearance for the top plate in back, plus a little bit more if you trim the back edge of the back window. You may gain a bit more in front if you trim the plate ahead of the arm gear. Just make sure the magnet is covered, and the gear plate clamp holds tight. That's about it unless you feel like doing something radical, like a major chassis modification. But as I said, there will be compromises with traction, as the skinny tires are all that will fit inside the wheelwells. The traction issue will not be as bad with an Aurora TJet chassis.... Good luck!!!

UtherJoe

Some great lookers! Thanks!!:thumbsup::thumbsup: rr

I haven't tried it yet, but there looks like there's a little room. Set yourself up with some Vincent skinny wheels before you try this. They are available from MEV for $3.00 a set and $3.00 for the 4 tires. The Pictures on his site look like carp, but the chromes are decent....like on the red dropped vette ^^^^up there. The wider vincents are the same size as RRR wheels, and won't fit inside the wells. There will probably be traction issues if dropped and skinny tires put on though. Have your priorities straight before you trim this one, runner, or show. There is no more than 1/8 inch clearance for the top plate in back, plus a little bit more if you trim the back edge of the back window. You may gain a bit more in front if you trim the plate ahead of the arm gear. Just make sure the magnet is covered, and the gear plate clamp holds tight. That's about it unless you feel like doing something radical, like a major chassis modification. But as I said, there will be compromises with traction, as the skinny tires are all that will fit inside the wheelwells. The traction issue will not be as bad with an Aurora TJet chassis.... Good luck!!!

UtherJoe
yeah i'm with you on the skinnies,but i am tired of my jl's rollover all the time,as the center of gravity is just too darn high...all my cars are runners,as i am not collecting shelf queens...i can't afford collector quality stuff anyway.i got into tjets because all the beautiful body types to be had,and ease of tuning.they are a pain to get looking realistic in some cases though...i wish aw would have made their charger body a tiny bit bigger so you could lower it more .guess i need some short axles and some skinnies...

haven't looked into it yet ,but is there a way to narrow the back half of the chassis to
allow a tub job for slicks to be tucked into the wheel wells?
i think someone on here mentioned this already..:hat:

Read through this thread.. Mr. Bill Hall has done a modification or two you will find informative. There is another much more complicated chassis mod also farther in the thread. http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=236410 You can only take off so much before durability and performance suffer...

UtherJoe

Read through this thread.. Mr. Bill Hall has done a modification or two you will find informative. There is another much more complicated chassis mod also farther in the thread. http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=236410 You can only take off so much before durability and performance suffer...

UtherJoe
heres a pic of how low i managed to get my charger.not slammed,but low enough it doesn't look quite so bogussorry about picture quality,it,s my wife's camera,still working on it,...http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj434/slotnewbie69/DSCN1512.jpg

Might be able to give you a hint on the camera.. It obviously has a macro setting (that magical close up setting), but because there is stuff with writing in the background, it's focusing on that stuff instead of the car. Try a plain background, and it should focus on the car instead...:thumbsup: Looks good from what I can make out though!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Might be able to give you a hint on the camera.. It obviously has a macro setting (that magical close up setting), but because there is stuff with writing in the background, it's focusing on that stuff instead of the car. Try a plain background, and it should focus on the car instead...:thumbsup: Looks good from what I can make out though!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

ok i am reposting a couple.heres the vw lowered even more,and maybe a cleaner shot of the charger...and thanks for the tip,looks like yer right...btw,do you get a fullscreen pic,or a smaller one?http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj434/slotnewbie69/DSCN1512.jpghttp://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj434/slotnewbie69/DSCN1515.jpg

Charger looks about right for "back in the day". Jacked up in the back a little to clear the big meats, with the front down a bit or the front was jacked up a little for weight transfer. I heard that back then California passed a law about tires being outside the fenderwells. Not here in Okla. You could sit down on the part of the tire that stuck out of the fenderwell. N60X14 on 10" slotted wheels was the way to go.

Charger looks about right for "back in the day". Jacked up in the back a little to clear the big meats, with the front down a bit or the front was jacked up a little for weight transfer. I heard that back then California passed a law about tires being outside the fenderwells. Not here in Okla. You could sit down on the part of the tire that stuck out of the fenderwell. N60X14 on 10" slotted wheels was the way to go.

basically for the charger i just wanted a realistic stance without having to hog out the body,or trim the wells.i have an impala that i slammed,but i don't want skinnies on the charger rears.it looks way better now thanks to you guy's advice with the dremel.think i might just slam that impala some more now i know how to do it right!that vw stays on the track waaaaay better now too,with minimal barrel rolls,lol:thumbsup:heres the lowest i could get the impala without chassis mod...it's on a stock aurora tjethttp://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj434/slotnewbie69/DSCN1516.jpg

When all else fails get out the "instructional manual". I know it's hard to do that, but it helps, I must admit. Most camera's have one unless you've thrown it away. There should be a tulip icon setting or a "Macro" setting on there someplace. Play around with it and find that setting, then you can get close...RM

Just trying to help!!! If you look at the 59 Impala picture,the car is fuzzy.. but the bottle of testers is crystal clear.. Your camera is trying to look smart, by focusing on the writing, but missing what you're aiming at. (it just doesn't know!!) If the car is the only thing you're shooting, it will focus on the wheels, or writing on the car, but if theres anything else with writing on it elsewhere in the viewfinder, especially larger, it will focus on that instead. I just got my camera a few months ago, and am just getting the hang of it.. (I still take more duds than good ones) Keep trying and they'll get better!! :thumbsup:

UtherJoe

Just trying to help!!! If you look at the 59 Impala picture,the car is fuzzy.. but the bottle of testers is crystal clear.. Your camera is trying to look smart, by focusing on the writing, but missing what you're aiming at. (it just doesn't know!!) If the car is the only thing you're shooting, it will focus on the wheels, or writing on the car, but if theres anything else with writing on it elsewhere in the viewfinder, especially larger, it will focus on that instead. I just got my camera a few months ago, and am just getting the hang of it.. (I still take more duds than good ones) Keep trying and they'll get better!! :thumbsup:
UtherJoe

yeah we tried the tulip setting for closeups,so yer right its the background confusing the camera.whattaya think of the cars,btw?darn...looks like i edited the wrong post.sigh...do you see a fullscreen image or a small one?

Oh yea, the cars are looking good!!! Like the lowered stance, very muchs :thumbsup: :thumbsup: ...RM

All three look awesome!!! Dropping the charger as much as you did makes a huge difference!!! The bus looks wicked, and the 59 is F I N E!!:thumbsup::thumbsup: Nice job!! By the way, if you set you upload size to 640 X 480, they will be right between those two sizes (the 59 chevy size, and the charger size. you have to check it before you upload the pictures...

UtherJoe

thanks guys!i am pretty new at this so thanks for all the help!yeah i like how these are turning out too,and they handle a bit better too,so even better.i am waiting for some parts for my aw tjets until i start hacking up perfectly good chassis.iwould like to experiment with brass weight pans as i am tired of them deslotting so much ...i don't run in a club so the guys i race with is just for fun any suggestions on scratchbuilding pans?any help is always appreciated

I would like to experiment with brass weight pans as i am tired of them deslotting so much ...i don't run in a club so the guys i race with is just for fun any suggestions on scratchbuilding pans?any help is always appreciated

How 'bout trying longer guidepins first? Not a magical fix, cause you'll still swing out too far at times, but at least it should allow you to slide more and fully deslot less. Take a piece of your track, set your car into the slot, then eyeball how much more pin you can get away with. Size does matter. nd

si i guess i could just put some sort of sleeve on the pin?i have alot more pin on my jl's than the stock aurora chassis...i dont want to buy fancy stuff off the net cause i already catch hell as it is for this little obsession...lol!

Here's a Merc that started low so I just lowered it a tad more.

That looks sweet, Win!! I like it!!! I like it!!!:thumbsup::thumbsup: :woohoo:

how'd the 59 turn out?i have both the red hardtop and the copper softtop...love to see some pics!

i found these pics that I uploaded to my ISP a zillion years ago when I did the chop...

http://home.comcast.net/%7Erwurtz/images/jl59conv01.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/%7Erwurtz/images/jl59conv02.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/%7Erwurtz/images/jl59conv03.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/%7Erwurtz/images/jl59conv04.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/%7Erwurtz/images/jl59conv05.jpg

sorry if this ventures into thread hijack territory... a top chop ain't a slam, I know... but fwiw, this one is lowered WAY down from the way AW made it. :D

--rick

Looks cool Rick!!! I have a couple 59's and 62's just waiting for some chopping and slamming... :thumbsup::thumbsup:

UtherJoe