My money is on the table too.

Since I put my hand up to enter the “CEF run what you brung Prop Rod build” suggestion, a rainy Sunday meant time was available to get on with it.
The wheels had arrived from Gary at TLC so clearances could now be factored in.



The decorative wheels were soon removed and a quick trace around the body gave the profile for the 2mm base plate which makes the bottom of the body level with the lip that tins have.



The holes in the silver shrouds need to be enlarged slightly to allow the axles (which I have yet to make) through and will be decorative only as the axles will be mounted inside the body to the base plate. The rabbits face will be painted out and a trip tomorrow to the junk shop for a Barbie doll whose head will become Penelope Pitstop to complete the Wacky Racer look.



The engine mounting plate dimensions are done and it will also be made from 2mm aluminium plate. I will cheat here and send the templates to a friend who operates a water jet cutting machine which will save a lot of work.



The 40mm tabs each end of the mount will be bent up at 90 degrees to provide a mount for the two forward facing ex shrike Baby Bees
I like a non-restoration project like this as its fun and just go where the mood takes you.

Hmmmm. I don't know what to say about this. Tin can body, aluminum engine mounts, good wheels and axles. 2 engines. I'm thinking this 'car' will fly. I'm liking it.

And one more question. Will Barbie be donning a helmet and flame retardant suit?

If I can find Nascar Barbie Penelope will have the full kit

Well the plans for the floor pan and motor mount have gone to the water jet cutters so I pulled three shrikes out of death row to get a couple of donor engines for testing. The plan for the shrikes at a later date is to fix up the green one and make one good one out of the two yellow ones. The remains of the yellow ones will be used for a project I’ve called the XB3 but that’s another story.




Eventually the two donor engines will return to their shrikes and suitable replacements fitted to the Wacky Racer if it passes the testing stage.
The engines seem to be in good order except for the thin walled engine which appears to have had a bit of a beating.



Pulled to bits and soaking in meths.



Never done this before so any suggestions on props sizes and pitch gratefully received. Although the plan shows 3 bladed props there is clearance to run 2 bladed out to 6”. The engines will be forward facing.

Looking Good !! Man that's one weird looking bunny Cant wait to see this in action . getback

That is pretty cool, two engines is off the charts!!! Look forward to seeing it finished, I'm making one too but will take months cause I'm slow as a one armed wallpaper hanger.

Got my chores done by lunch time and since it was too lousy to play golf or ride motorcycles I thought I’d do a bit more on the tether car. The plates had arrived back from my mate at the water-jet cutters and with a bit of linishing soon had the floor pan fitted.



After drilling the engine mount and intake holes I started forming the engine mount plate on my highly technical bending machine.





Starting to look like this might actually work

Got a bit more done on the tether car. Dug a bit of ali out of the scrap bin and started making some axle carriers.


The completed blanks


After drilling the mounting and axle holes, fitted the carriers to the base plate ensuring they are square to the centre line.


All good, polished and ready for fitting to the body. Base plate has been shortened and lightened.


Next job making the axles

Wow, polished and everything
You're setting the bar pretty high Dave.  All for a throw-away sweets tin.  Is the finish fuel resistant?  

Thanks Rod, it's coming along and I'm really enjoying the build. I plan to blow a coat of fuel proof clear over the body before firing it up.
I very much doubt the lolly tin is fuel proof, I think it would soon become the silver special otherwise

Assembled two engines and mounted to car so as to get some idea of axle width needed.



Made the axles and then fitted axles and wheels to car. Gave the car a push test along the floor and it ran straight and true so that was a relief.

Here’s Penelope posing




Penelope with her race face on lol



I have two spinners to mount behind the engines for slipstream and to act as airboxes for the engine intakes. Then the engines will come off to be run up and test some props to see what works best.
Getting there slowly

Coming along nicely. Looking good.

Davenz13 wrote:Assembled two engines and mounted to car so as to get some idea of axle width needed.



Made the axles and then fitted axles and wheels to car. Gave the car a push test along the floor and it ran straight and true so that was a relief.


I have two spinners to mount behind the engines for slipstream and to act as airboxes for the engine intakes. Then the engines will come off to be run up and test some props to see what works best.
Getting there slowly

those axles are beautiful. They look very similar to the Cox Prop Rod-Shrike axles. Can you make them for resale or is it too much work?  Time is money as they say.

happydad

Thanks Happydad
Hmm I'd be embarrassed to say how long I spent making those, enjoyable but not economical

Well how time flies, things got very busy over the last 6 months or so, no time for models or modeling. My elderly mother passed away late last year but at 92 she had a very long and full life. Various other things kept me busy over the Christmas/New Year and I have just returned to New Zealand after a six week holiday in the USA. Drove 8300 miles across 22 states from Seattle to Boston. I have a gearbox to replace on Wednesday in my sons Nissan Laurel and then all going well back into the Penelope Pitstop special.
Has anyone else finished their tether car?

That looks pretty sweet!
Phil

Great job, nice rod!!  I haven't worked on mine since last summer also, had to go on back burner. I'm not the mechanist you are, more like cut, hack, grind, sand
Been working on the tail, its got to hold the engine, fuel and be very strong. I got balsa to fill and shape the sides.  Hope to progress some this summer.
For some reason it won't load the photo right side up.

Finally, some more progress. Life just seemed to be killing my plans at every turn but at last an afternoon free for modelling.
A few weeks back I had a chance to work out how I was going to attach the tether to the car. This is all new to me so I just went with what looked about right and placed the tether attaching point in the middle. Off went my design to my waterjet cutting mate (that saves so much work) and back came the result.



A little gentle filing and wallah.



Drilled polished and affixed  



Next it all comes apart. Body will get a couple of coats of fuel proof clear and the engine mount will get final finishing and polished. Engines will get their first test run.



I’ve been mucking around for months with prop spinners, to mount behind the engines as a bit of stream lining and basically to balance the look of the car but to no real success other than to amass a good surplus of spinners when it suddenly dawned on me. What a plonker I am, Roy Cox solved that problem many years ago.
Quick order off to Red Venom Repros for two black Prop-Rod nacelle’s and problem solved. The wheel upstairs still turns but sometimes, most times, slower than I would like.

Hey Dave, welcome back. It's been a while since we last heard about your project & I gotta say, it's looking good. Who would have thought a Jelly Bean tin could be so functional??

Rod.

Looking Good !! Can't wait to see this baby go , looks like your the only one that's going to finish a model Maybe some are in hiding and will come out the closet here .

You know Rod, I think you've just given me a name for it, Jelly Bean Special. It has GB on the LHS and front badge, I've no idea what for but now it can stand for "The Gelly Bean Special"

Dave, that's as cool as a tether car can be. The first time you let it run full speed, you probably should get it on camera. That way, if it skips or flips, you can watch in slo-mo and possibly determine if the attachment point needs shifting fore or aft, or even angling. I imagine it's a lot like the vertical CG in a plane where we hang it from the leadouts and adjust for some beneficial yaw. (Maybe that's "horizontal" CG. I know how to do it, but forget what the axes are called).

Balancing engine speed/thrust might become a project of its own. You might consider a temporary protective roll cage for the testing phase, so as not to mar the paint job, or worse. In any case, I'm looking forward to seeing this buggy roll. Keep up the good work.
Rusty