Post by johnbalich on Jul 16, 2009 14:56:03 GMT -7
American ingenuity. Most of us have heard this phrase time and again. Make no mistake, there is a distinct American Culture. We are an amalgam of all the cultures that come to this land. As a whole, Americans are adventurers, and risk takers and tinkers. It is likely because we are a Nation that is young and not so far removed from generations of emigrants. Imagine leaving home, friends, and all that is familiar to journey to a distant land you have heard about but never seen.
Americans as a whole of course, are optimists. Couple this with our innate desire to modify, customize and improve our lots in life, as well as the machinery around us, and it is understandable why we tinker. Whether you most resemble Bob Vila, or are nearer to “Tim” in the ‘Home Improvement’ TV series, most of you reading this column have this inborn urge to take something apart, see how it works, and then about making it work better. This of course brings us to the American Hot Rodder. I always capitalize Hot Rodder, because I think it is a worthy title. Mickey Thompson was a Hot Rodder, Andy Granatelli was Hot Rodder. Heck, I bet Steven Jobs is a closet Hot Rodder. How about my pick as the all time American Hot Rodder of all, Thomas Edison. He modified or improved or tinkered with every mechanical thing he ever touched. If he had had a 1956 Chevy with a 283 you can bet he would have re ground the cam and ported the heads in a jiffy. Then he would have gone to the Drags. Trust me. All of these guys were and are infused with the American 'can do’ spirit.
Slot Car Guys are Hot Rodders too, for the most part. We often spend far more time with our cars apart, than racing them! What is so fascinating about these little machines?
Well first, it is precisely that they are machines. Hot Rodders love machines. I prefer Autos, but give me a close look at the inner workings of Spinning Jenny, or a cassette player (I’m dating myself) and I am intrigued. The first question that formed in my head when my mechanical toothbrush died, was ‘how will I go about taking this apart?’
Watches are another adventure. The mechanical wind up types that is! What a wonder of precision and design! Where was I? Oh yeah, slot cars are machines. They are wonderfully simple machines, at that. Aside from understanding how the motor itself works, in itself a not overly complicated study, the workings are easily understood by merely looking at them. Since they are simple machines, the fear factor in tinkering with them is minimized.
Next, they are LOW COST machines. I am not talking about your medium green Dodge Charger T Jet, but about your run of the mill HO slot car. I haven’t5 looked lately but I bet you can buy an original T Jet chassis for around 15 dollars. A brand new JL or AW complete car might be had for ten dollar or so, maybe less. None of us want to throw money away, but I am much more likely to risk modifying that ten or fifteen or twenty dollar car than I am to attack an imported brass train locomotive that I paid $800.00 for. (If you really want some sticker shock sometime check Ebay for the prices on the better grades of these hand made beauties. $2000 is not all that unusual and $3000 and more isn’t unheard of!)
So, I have a machine that is both simple AND inexpensive. Add the information highway (places like Psychoslots) where fellow enthusiasts (and tinkers) gather to swap
Tips and information as well as throw down some occasional smack talk, and it’s a natural.
Now tell the truth, if you are an old hand at T jets or for that matter any slot cars, (T-Jets in particular seem to practically beg you to meddle with them) how many have you ruined? I have lost count over the years! Whether it’s the sin tweaking the brush springs just a little more……………..(oops!) or removing a tenth of a gram more weight and having the knife slip, I have likely committed them all. (Not so long ago put five armatures in an ultrasonic cleaner with ammonia. This is not a good thing. It becomes worse when you forget they are there and upon checking them a week later, they are an unrecognizable blob of goo and wire. Soooooo……..don’t think you HAVE to be an expert to work on these things. I’m proof! (Maybe we should start an open discussion/confessional: Slot Cars I have Ruined!” How about a Dr Phil discussion: “Men Who Abuse T Jets and the Women Who Live With Them!”
Of course I have glossed over the most obvious reason we love slot cars. THEY ARE TOYS! We love our toys. Go ahead, say it aloud and be free! WE LOVE OUR TOYS.
Why grow up? I loved toys when I was a kid and I plan on loving them till I breathe my last. Forget expensive therapy. Forget cigarettes as a way to relax. (Have you seen the prices of those things? No wonder smokers cough!) Forget strong drink or sedatives. Want to relax and unwind? Pop open a can of your favorite beverage, and sit at your workbench or kitchen table or whatever space you have, and take apart a slot car. Marvel at its little size and simplicity. Figure out what makes it go. Before long you will be trying to figure out how to make it go faster. I’d bet the house on it! Remember of course, "it's only a toy" for those times when these midget mechancial beasties refuse to cooperate. Besides forcefully THROWING a T Jet chassis against the wall in frustration is an act of and in futility. They never break when you want them to. Trust me.
The Drake
