Hi, Here's a fun T-Jet project. Belt drive. Materials needed: One Johnny Lighting or Aurora T-Jet.Two skinny stock t-jet front wheels. One #8 size rubber band. Small needle nose pliers. Small tin snips or scissors. Take all the gear plate gears off. Need two skinny stock t-jet front wheels minus the tires. Press one on the armature, shoulder up, and the other on the rear gear shaft, shoulder up. Connect the two with a #8 small rubber band. Now you need to make the gear plate clip. Use gear plate clip cut in two. Clip goes in normal spot on side of chassis and needs to be bent around like upside down j . and just folds over the top rail on gear plate. cut off excess. Make one for the other side. ENJOY! Some where I heard this is also called a whisper jet.

sounds cool... how about a pic

Here's a picture. This is from Alan Glanko. His uses aluminum wheels and small rubber belt? I made the same thing using t-jet front wheels and #8 size rubber band.

Very interesting!....How does it run?....How does is compare to stock?

Dragula did this a couple of years back.
Looked cool enough. I have not tried it myself yet. I imagine that it has some LONG legs, yeah? Good for the long-o back straights. I don't imagine that it would be a hole-shot set up....or am I thinking backward?

Probably alot quieter without all the gear mesh!! I would assume the larger armature pulley coupled with the smaller cluster pulley evens things out. I tossed around an idea like this about a year ago and forgot about it, but I was looking for gear reduction so I could have lower speed with higher motor RPMs. I have a few chassis kicking around right now, and just might have to give it a whirl! I will be a bit different though and go with a larger cluster gear so I can slow my puppies down!! :lol: Another interesting concept with this would be a chassis extension and a bigger rubber band..

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/8a589026.jpg

You ought to sell a kit!

Gary#8,

I need a Wisper jet now...thanks for another to do, do, do someday dealy-majoby.

This is just so Kewl! That Chassis gear clip makes it even kewler yet!!

Bob...So when is someone going to make a 4WD version?...zilla

That's COOL!!!!!:dude:

:thumbsup::thumbsup: rr

very COOL!

Runs about the same but very quiet. Been having trouble keeping the arm pully on as after about 20 laps arm shaft gets warm. Tried blue loctite just gotta let is sit overnight before I try it again. If this fails I will need an aluminum one.

What about an old cigar box rim?

The bore center is just about perfect. You could use the larger diameter Lionel aluminum wheel for a gear up/gear down application.

Hop up pulleys...LOL!

One of the Drag Jet guys posted this on HOWL about five years ago. There is a kit out there someplace. Maybe from JWs?

It Is a coooool project. I love the belt slip added, traction help it provides.

And Yes you need a BIG track to enjot it fully.

Tim Leppert,
formerly afxgns

Here's my approach. I found a 20 tooth axle gear from my magnet car leftovers and the retainer that holds the axle gear in mesh is cut with a groove in it. so I put the retainer on the motor shaft ( mean green) t-jet hub on the rear gear shaft with a 9 tooth drive gear so I end up with a 2.22 rear ratio. I'm thinkin this will cure the torque problem . Jl magnets and I'm headin to the dragstrip with this baby. BUUUUUUUUT I might have to put and indy car body on it since it's memorial day or a tank hmmmmm. back to the thrash.
Clyde-0-Mite

Think bicycle!!
Bigger front pulley an smaller back pulley = more top end but less torque
smaller front, bigger back= lower top end but more torque
or did I do that backwards??

You got it right Kevin. There are limiting factors that you need to keep in mind, and ultimately killed the gear reduction for me. The back pulley can only be enlarged so much due to space restrictions. The rear post is the biggest killer and will only allow a mere 1/16th of additional pulley size before clearance issues arise. Unless an alternate rear mount is made, you're stuck with the back pulley at that size or smaller.

You got it right Kevin. There are limiting factors that you need to keep in mind, and ultimately killed the gear reduction for me. The back pulley can only be enlarged so much due to space restrictions. The rear post is the biggest killer and will only allow a mere 1/16th of additional pulley size before clearance issues arise. Unless an alternate rear mount is made, you're stuck with the back pulley at that size or smaller.

Is it the height of the rear pulley that is restricting you?? What if you take a rear junk gear, chuck it in a dremmel and grind the teeth off. Then with a small round rat tail file grind a groove to keep the rubber band on the gear???

BTW if you want to slow down your tjets I can send you mine LOL they are ALL slow. I need to get some speed parts for them

I need slow but steady Tjets for my type of operation! LOL! The trouble from my slow moving point of view is you can only make the arm gear so small. The rest of the ratio tinkering is making the back gear a larger diameter. The back post sits about 1/16th behind the top plate and back gear. The increase of back gear diameter is limited by the proximity of the back post. A couple months ago I would have said shoot me a price, I'll take them off your hands, but my pockets are getting empty again! :lol:

Very, very cool - that rubber belt would cure a world of offcenter/tolerance problems in new issue t jets.... But how long do regular rubber bands last? I know they would get hot, slip and fatigue.

With tongue only slightly in cheek, wouldn't a toothed belt (a la cam belt on a 1:1) work better? Fire up the R&D dept! Or does somebody want to come up with sprockets and chain drive LMAO!!!!! Funny, I bet this stuff has probably already been tried!

I tried several different methods and am still seeking Ideas for this project. The "Gilmer type belt" would be the best and several model kits come with them but the size is wrong. I tried dental retainers but they kept poping the front pulley off because of too much tension. I ended up in the hair care section of the local drug store buying a package of small rubber bands. Trouble there is they are silicone and have oil in them so My next move is to try tire glue on the band and pulleys to reduce slippage. And since it was Memorial Day weekend I chose a " Big John Mazmanian " Wllys body May, he rest in peace.
Have a Happy and memorial weekend everyone and please stay safe.
Clyde-0-Mite