just won a 1/32 riggen vette on fleabay...any opinions?insights?advice on tuning?

just won a 1/32 riggen vette on fleabay...any opinions?insights?advice on tuning?

Hey Slotnewbie69!

I'm not familiar with Riggen's cars, but, the best insight I can give you is the same with just about any slot car. After you get it, go over it looking for any issues with wheels and tires not being on good or not being mounted properly. Check that the motor is secured to the chassis. Check that the pinion and crown gear are meshing correctly - that is one that if something happened to the mesh and you put it on the track and pulled the trigger, you might just tear up the teeth of the pinion, the crown, or both!

After you have done the visual checks, get it on the track and start putting some laps to it. Figure out what it needs. Tries trued? Wheels trued? No magnet? Different magnet? Etc.

Other than those basics, I really have no specific experience that I can share with Riggen.

Post up some pics and show us what you scored!

Have fun!
PD2:thumbsup:

need tires,as i will be racing on mdf.magnets not an issue,as its copper tape for rails.the original tires are the orange sponge tires prevelant at the time.it looks to be in good shape from the pics,so i will post pics as soon as i get it.it takes awhile for stuff to clear customs,as i am in bc canada

Yeah, wait until its physically in your hands - pictures only show 50% of what may not be seen when purchasing it from someone you do not know. I'm sure it will be fine and you will have minimal tuning and tweaking to do.

PD2:thumbsup:

i have been dealing with an isp problem,but a very understanding ebay seller.the car shipped out so i will post pics asap!neil

so,finally got my riggen corvette in the mail today!its a johnson green wire armature.anyone know anything about these?it runs great!can't wait to get it on the track!any tune up tips would be great,all i have done so far is clean it up.
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That is a nice looking car... Sand the rear tires a little to get to soft sponge if possible, if not, I grind them down a little more and layer RTV silicone one them in small layers and race em that way...I run bunch of my womps that way.

That is a nice looking car... Sand the rear tires a little to get to soft sponge if possible, if not, I grind them down a little more and layer RTV silicone one them in small layers and race em that way...I run bunch of my womps that way.

thanks rodstr!yeah we have been playing around with paint on black silicone ,as we run on mdf routed with copper tape.the tires cleaned up real well considering their age.they are glued on though!but just like back in the day!they are still pretty soft,but i will sand em a bit to get rid of dings and whatnot.the motor says johnson on the bottom,and(don't quote me on this)saguchi?i have heard of the mabuchis,but this is one i have not come across in my research.the winding is very shiny green wire,and the brush holders are rectangular.dunno much about tuning can motors,so any help is appreciated!:thumbsup:

Very nice car Slotnewbie! Looks just like a womp-womp, like rodstrguy said. In fact, it looks a little like the Champion chassis or an International. Either way, very Parma metal stamped chassis looking.

Rodstrguy is right - you are probably going to need to sand down the rear tires a bit to get some good spongy grip back - the tires maybe too old and layering in some silicon, if you can, would help, even on MDF tracks. Worst case, just get some new wheels and tires and pull these off if you cannot get the car to hook up and run how you want it to.

Regarding the can motors like this, there are different brushes and springs that you can use. The brush is what makes contact with the comm and gives it the power coming from the track to rotate the motor. Probably the best thing to do right now is to clean the motor. There are several ways to clean cans and some are more elaborate than others. I'd just recommend hitting it with some electrical cleaner - its a solvent that is safe for electronics that cleans contacts and areas that electrical contact is made. What you want to do is try to hit the part where the brushes make contact by the end bell - this is the area where the wires come to and make some sort of contact with the brushes that the springs are pushing on. In fact, if the motor is anything like the Parma or other can motors, you should be able to see a part of the comm from outside the bell via a little "window" on either side of the motor. The comm usually is shinny copper - if the motor has been run alot, it will be tarnished black. Either way, the comm should have at least three segmented pieces around the comm or motor shaft. You can spin the pinion side of the comm to see how bad the comm is tarnished. Try to shoot some cleaner in there to clean it out. Shoot some cleaner where the green wire windings are and just any where you can without opening up the motor. Then, once you think you have hit it pretty good, take some compressed air (can or a compressor) and blow out the cleaner/solvent - have a towel handy and just try to dry it out as best as possible. In fact, once you think you have it blown out real good, let it sit for 30 minutes to an hour air drying. Once dry, put it back in the car and try it - make sure it works good and is running right.

If you want to go further and check brushes and springs and what not, that's a tiny bit more involved. Feel free to explore, but pay close attention to how the springs were installed and how the brushes came out - they must all go back the same way in order for the motor to run as good as it was running before. The main things you look for are the brushes being too worn and the springs maintaining continuous pressure - and the same pressure - on the brushes. Brushes that are well worn are very short in length and have a nice curvature at the comm end of the brush that is sweeping and almost looks like the comm's being cupped by it. Yes, you want some curvature, but not to the point that it is deeply worn. Brushes can be replaced, but unless your brushes are too short for the springs to be applying any pressure to hold them against the comm at the same rate, then you don't have anything to worry about. The only other thing to do to the brush is to make sure the face of the brush that is making contact with the comm is clean. Springs - don't push back on a spring and try to over extend it or make it loose its shape - these things need to be pushing at a similar constant rate against the brushes to give the comm and motor the timing and advance that it needs to spin. Just be careful not to bend them back or out of shape in any way.

Like I said, there is a lot more to the can motors - fun enough, you can apply alot of the electric motor techniques, cleanings, and what not from R/C electric motors to these too - just on a smaller scale. Yes, you can even apply comm drops to "juice" the motors, but, I'd do it lightly as even these tracks will throw dust, dirt and other particles up and that comm juice will pick it up and gum up the motor.

Hope that helps you get started. Good luck with your new racer! Looks fast and fun!

PD2:thumbsup:

thanks!very detailed response!my buddy carlos has a couple of these i will race.i like the old riggen and parma cars.i would like some strombecker stuff too,especially their cheetah in 1/32!

thanks!very detailed response!my buddy carlos has a couple of these i will race.i like the old riggen and parma cars.i would like some strombecker stuff too,especially their cheetah in 1/32!

You are very welcome! A Cheetah in 1/32 is very cool looking! Let us know how you do racing it once you have everything cleaned up and racing!

PD2:thumbsup:

had it on the track last night!runs great!i sanded the tires,and they work well,but i will go with silicones i think,as we run on mdf.if i can find a riggen cheetah body,thats what i will put on this chassis.the vette is cool,but the cheetah would be cooler!

Did Tyco make any 32nd scale cars?

Did Tyco make any 32nd scale cars?

I don't recall ever seeing a Tyco 1/32. All I remember were the HO / 1/64 cars.

PD2:thumbsup: