Reader's Gallery 105 |
Steve Okeefe: Popsicle Stick Wing Car
Don't give Steve Okeefe a challenge - he's liable to take you up on it!
And given his technical skills and perserverence,
he's likely to eat you for dessert, too! I'll let him explain
this latest project. Great work, Steve; thanks again for contributing. --tja
Steve Okeefe writes:
Just under two years ago Jim put together an article titled
" What Doomed the Scratchbuilt Chassis?"
The article's purpose was to address the forces behind the decline of scratchbuilding in the commercial
slot racing world, using portions of an ongoing email conversation we were having. It was of special
interest to me because scratchbuilding is the part of this hobby I enjoy the most, and the more technically
challenging, the better!
Sometime after the article was posted, in an attempt to underline my opinion that aerodynamic
down force has become the principal component of the handling package in wing cars, I claimed in
another email to Jim, perhaps foolishly, that I could build a wing car out of Popsicle sticks and make it work!
I was engaging in hyperbole of course, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was a
technical challenge that suited me perfectly. Whether or not it would really work, I was going to
have to try it. I decided to build the car to comply closely with USRA Group 12 (wing car) rules,
so that some sort of reasonable comparison could be made. The results are on display here,
submitted for your approval.
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Above: Out on the Track
My local raceway, Slots of Fun in Waynesboro, PA (shameless plug!) has a 151 foot Ogilvie Grandstand,
among other tracks. Recently, on the night before a regional wing car race, with some experienced
wing car racers as observers, I asked our local jet to run timed laps with the finished car.
I did not intend to enter the car in the race, feeling certain the first big pileup would do
it serious damage. Straight off my workbench, without any tweaking or tuning, the car turned
several 4.17 second laps, against other Group 12 cars that were lapping the track at no better
than 3.88 seconds. Less than eight percent off the pace on the first attempt; it works!
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Above: All dressed up and ready to trundle
Genuine Popsicle colors, including Orange, Grape and Cherry stripes. The logo was scanned from
a Popsicle box purchased at the grocery store, and the Popsicles inside were shared with family
and friends. The owner of my local raceway obligingly printed the logo on pressure sensitive
vinyl for me, and we were off to the races. Those front wheels you see are actually laser
printouts; the functional front wheels, required by the rules, are hidden inside the chassis
rails. The body style was selected for its relatively tall front wheel wells.
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Above: Project about 90% complete
Having just completed painting and detailing the body, I took a break to record my progress.
This perimeter version, shown here about 90% complete, is one of two Popsicle stick wing car
chassis this project has produced. There is also a backup design Tripod chassis, about 75% complete.
If Jim is interested, I will write an illustrated article on how these chassis were designed and built.
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Above: Chassis top
Strict USRA Group 12 rules allow floating body mounts at the rear; but not at the front, so this
chassis would not, strictly speaking, pass tech. The motor is soldered into the chassis using
a motor mount that consists of three separate pieces of piano wire soldered to the brass axle tube
to isolate the motor and reduce heat transfer. I left the rear tips of the half rails and main rails
uncut to add to the Popsicle flavor.
Larger image.
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Above: Chassis bottom
The guide tongue, like the rest of the main chassis structure, is made entirely of wood,
consisting of Popsicle sticks and their wider brethren, tongue depressors. Only the rear axle
tube motor mount assembly, the floating body mounts, and the two small weights at the front
of the chassis, is made of metal. The tongue depressors were used where the narrower Popsicle sticks
would not have provided adequate strength.
Larger image. |
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Above: Completed chassis
The three main rails, among many other chassis parts came right out of the Popsicle box
we bought at the grocery store, so I feel comfortable calling this a Popsicle stick chassis.
As a point of accuracy, while this may be the first Popsicle stick wing car, I am far from
the first to use this material to build slot car chassis. The real inventor and preeminent expert
of the Popsicle stick slot car is Al Penrose, of BWA Slot Cars.
I hope Al will be pleased with my interpretation!
Larger image. |
Post script: News Flash!
I have a news flash! Last night, after the regular Wednesday night Group 10 (4" NASCAR) racing,
in which I got creamed, I brought out the Popsicle car for another attempt at getting lap times under
four seconds. Well, this time the local jet, my test pilot, cut several 3.95 second laps and even
managed a best time of 3.89! I made sure the track owner saw the time display flashing on the monitor.
So there you have it; a (Group 12 equivalent) wing car built out of Popsicle sticks not only works,
but runs competitive lap times for its class!
Steve Okeefe, Nov. 25, 2004
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