Sorry Hank, but Im double posting this, both here and in the Tuning section. I know Im blowing my own horn and all, but this is a damn good tip and it really applies to both forums.

Careful which junker chassis you throw out, guys. Some of em can be still put to use even if the axle bosses are busted, something's cracked, or if the axle holes are crooked leaving you with a 3-wheeler. OR, even if its perfectly intact but you just have no use for a Command Control slotless. Read on....

I had a handfull of command control racing chassis that I got in a lot and once I plucked the motors, I had no use for them. But then I had an idea:

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j71/grungerockjeeper/slot%20stuff/DSC00178.jpg

Once you lop off the front and rear axle sections of these, you have a nice, open frame to snap a widepan body right onto for painting. The little holes just in front of the motor are where the pickups hook into and theyre perfect for a toothpick to fit into for handling and drying your body. Its a LOT more stable than a glob of handi-tack for those bodies that dont have a screwpost or some little hole for a bumper or other part to connect to. I dremel off every bit of plastic not necessary for structural rigidity so that when painting the undersides, I get as complete of coverage as possible:

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j71/grungerockjeeper/slot%20stuff/DSC00179.jpg

And there are a few other chassis that can be cut down to almost nothing but body tabs and something to put a toothpick into so you can paint away:

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j71/grungerockjeeper/slot%20stuff/DSC00180.jpg

The Amrac/Rokar type chassis is perfect for mounting a lifelike, but you'll have to punch a hole right in front of where the motor went for your toothpick. And AFX mag and nonmag or JL/AW XT chassis can be trimmed down to nothing but bucket handles and motor pinion bosses for a perfect mount to paint those bodies. I also had a damaged 1st gen curvehugger that I chopped off the front and rear sections and opened up the area under the motor as well, but that one wasnt available for pics since I have a bad dog mustang drying on it right now. HP-7s and 440 Widepans cant be easily converted for this kind of use since they dont have a place handy to poke a toothpick into, or an area where you can make one like the Amrac. I do have a few tyco narrow bodies I may want to repaint at some point so Ill have to figure out a way to make one of those work for this. OR, try a tyco TCR narrow...

I did this a LONG time ago, but I had a junker Ideal TCR racing chassis from a big lot and converted it into a stand for test running a block motor with regular brush barrels:

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j71/grungerockjeeper/slot%20stuff/DSC00181.jpg

Again, lop off everything except for the motor cradle and of course the copper tabs that contact the brush barrels since due to different lenghts of pinion shafts, some of the rest of the chassis can get in the way. The bars underneath for the pickups are exposed, so you can use a 9 volt battery to test your motor, or just lay it on the track rails to test it also:

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j71/grungerockjeeper/slot%20stuff/DSC00182.jpg

Have used blank chassis for awhile. I just don't bother cutting them down. Mount them to a dowel rod and I can snap or screw a body on. Plus my fingers don't get paint on them. Great pix!
:) rr

Dowel rod, huh? Interesting idea, RR. I only cut them down so that when Im painting my bodies, I dont want a lot of extra plastic stopping the paint from covering as much of the inside of the body as possible. Just looks more finished and professional that way, IMHO.

Nice "jig-age" tip Jeeper!

...Personally I use the jig screwed to the stick...is that kosher?

Everyone who comes to chat knows real slot-tards spoof paint into the air and quickly toss their cars through the cloud.

I have also used junk chassis as mounting jigs to use when adapting Ideal TCR,Matchbox PP,etc. to 440-X2 & G+ chassis.
I have 2 old Ultra 5 that I use as painting jigs.I also use a junked T-jet chassis for lowering posts & maintaining proper clearance.



Neal:dude:

Hey Bill, if screwing the chassis to a stick is what works for you, then I guess its as kosher as bacon wrapped pigs feet!

Everyone who comes to chat knows real slot-tards spoof paint into the air and quickly toss their cars through the cloud.


Works for me! Now if I can just get the decals to land the way I need when I throw them at the bod. :freak: rr