Upgrading Fly Classics
The Fly "Classic" range of cars are some of the finest models ever produced. Unfortunately they are not always the best performing cars on the track.
There are several common faults that are apparent across the range. The first problem is the large amount of sideways or lateral movement of the back axle, this causes excessive wear in the gear train, makes the car noisy and in extreme cases allows the tyres to rub on the bodywork.
The next most common problem is found with the front axles. Fly use a plastic stub axle which doesn't fit the support shoulders very well and again in some cases can cause the tyres to rub on the bodywork which stops the wheels rotating.
The wheels used on the cars look superb but are rather fragile and the mounting stubs can crack very easily which means that the wheel then becomes a very loose fit on the axle.This causes uneven running or loss of a wheel.
The tyres Fly use are very strange, some of them leak a fluid after standing for a while, while others just crack.
The guide is a little on the shallow side, especially for wooden tracks, and can cause the car to deslot at the front, and finally the gear train is noisy, it does improve with use, but I'm afraid I find it unacceptable.
This all sounds as though the cars are truly awful, but you would be very unlucky to find all these faults in a single car. All these problems are easily fixed, and once the work is completed you will end up with a superb running car that is a joy to use.
Fixing the rear end
The back axle area of Fly cars is where most of poor running of these cars originates.
There can be a considerable amount of sideways movement in the axles causing the rear wheels to rub on the bodywork. In addition the plastic Spur Gear is not of the best quality and generates a fair amount of noise. This indicates to me that energy is being wasted. The axle bearings can also be too large for the axle allowing additional "slop" making for poor running. The wheels themselves, although very good looking are not of good quality and once removed from the axle are difficult to refit succesfully. In addition the hubs tend to crack. The tyres tend to either weep a strange liquid when stood for a long time or dry out and crack, neither of which permits good running.
Fortunately the solution to all these problems is fairly simple, if a little drastic and expensive. Replace the lot with high quality components!.
(Please ignore the motor in this picture, it is a 32K MRRC, and has been installed for a competition, the standard motor is fine for normal home use)
The first thing to replace is the rear axle and bearings. I use Slot.it components which I buy from Pendle Slot Racing. The part numbers can be found at the end of this article. Before installing the bearings a small dab of superglue in the chassis axle supports will hold the bearings firmly in place. Before inserting the axle add a few drops of bearing oil (I use NSR Bearing Oil from AB Slotsport), this will improve the running of the rebuilt car.
Remove the motor, at this stage you need to decide if you wish to change the pinion for a Slot.it, or use the existing Fly pinion. I have built cars using both options and have been very happy with the results. If you do wish to change the pinion, you can see how to do it by refering to the "How to build a slotcar" section of this site. Reinstall the motor. I don't glue the motor in position at this stage, prefering instead to do this when all chassis work is complete and test running has been completed.
Next install the Slot.it spur gear, (you need to use the 19mm diameter range), make sure the mesh is smooth and the gears are well lubricated.
You now need to fit the wheels. I always like to use BWA 32005 rear wheels, they are very true and have a decent size set screw fixing method. They also do not have a hub as the setscrew is located in the main section of the wheels, essential when space is at a premium,(such as in a sidewinder setup). Now fit the wheel to the axle making sure the axle does not protrude through the centre hole as it will interfere with the fitting of the insert. Use spacers to ensure that there is no axle movement. You now need to fit the other wheel, but first you must trim the axle to the correct length, using a dremel tool with a cutting disc. You can now fit the tyres. I use Ortman's, from RS Slotracing, the size you need is No.43 "Fly Classic slicks". Before truing the tyres I glue them to the rims using a black flexible superglue obtainable from AB Slotsport.
This completes the mechanical work required on the rear axle.
There can be a considerable amount of sideways movement in the axles causing the rear wheels to rub on the bodywork. In addition the plastic Spur Gear is not of the best quality and generates a fair amount of noise. This indicates to me that energy is being wasted. The axle bearings can also be too large for the axle allowing additional "slop" making for poor running. The wheels themselves, although very good looking are not of good quality and once removed from the axle are difficult to refit succesfully. In addition the hubs tend to crack. The tyres tend to either weep a strange liquid when stood for a long time or dry out and crack, neither of which permits good running.
Fortunately the solution to all these problems is fairly simple, if a little drastic and expensive. Replace the lot with high quality components!.
(Please ignore the motor in this picture, it is a 32K MRRC, and has been installed for a competition, the standard motor is fine for normal home use)
The first thing to replace is the rear axle and bearings. I use Slot.it components which I buy from Pendle Slot Racing. The part numbers can be found at the end of this article. Before installing the bearings a small dab of superglue in the chassis axle supports will hold the bearings firmly in place. Before inserting the axle add a few drops of bearing oil (I use NSR Bearing Oil from AB Slotsport), this will improve the running of the rebuilt car.
Remove the motor, at this stage you need to decide if you wish to change the pinion for a Slot.it, or use the existing Fly pinion. I have built cars using both options and have been very happy with the results. If you do wish to change the pinion, you can see how to do it by refering to the "How to build a slotcar" section of this site. Reinstall the motor. I don't glue the motor in position at this stage, prefering instead to do this when all chassis work is complete and test running has been completed.
Next install the Slot.it spur gear, (you need to use the 19mm diameter range), make sure the mesh is smooth and the gears are well lubricated.
You now need to fit the wheels. I always like to use BWA 32005 rear wheels, they are very true and have a decent size set screw fixing method. They also do not have a hub as the setscrew is located in the main section of the wheels, essential when space is at a premium,(such as in a sidewinder setup). Now fit the wheel to the axle making sure the axle does not protrude through the centre hole as it will interfere with the fitting of the insert. Use spacers to ensure that there is no axle movement. You now need to fit the other wheel, but first you must trim the axle to the correct length, using a dremel tool with a cutting disc. You can now fit the tyres. I use Ortman's, from RS Slotracing, the size you need is No.43 "Fly Classic slicks". Before truing the tyres I glue them to the rims using a black flexible superglue obtainable from AB Slotsport.
This completes the mechanical work required on the rear axle.
Front Axle
I'm not a big fan of the way Fly deal with the front axle on this range of cars. The stub axle is a great idea in principle but in order to be effective top quality components need to be used. Fly use ill fitting plastic parts, so it almost always causes problems.
The simple solution is to replace the lot.
I use BWA 32003 front wheels fitted to a solid Slot.it drill blank axle. As for the rearwheels cut the axle to length and make sure the axle does not protrude through the wheels. You can now fit the tyres. I always use Slot.it Zero Grips on the front as they are of similar size to the Fly Originals.
I have found that the axle is a tight fit in the existing chassis axle shouders, so I always enlarge the holes with a minature round file, until a loose fit is achieved.
The standard guide is very shallow and can lead to de-slots. This can be overcome by fitting either the Fly racing Guide, or a Slot.it guide.
The simple solution is to replace the lot.
I use BWA 32003 front wheels fitted to a solid Slot.it drill blank axle. As for the rearwheels cut the axle to length and make sure the axle does not protrude through the wheels. You can now fit the tyres. I always use Slot.it Zero Grips on the front as they are of similar size to the Fly Originals.
I have found that the axle is a tight fit in the existing chassis axle shouders, so I always enlarge the holes with a minature round file, until a loose fit is achieved.
The standard guide is very shallow and can lead to de-slots. This can be overcome by fitting either the Fly racing Guide, or a Slot.it guide.
Finishing
Your car should now look something like this :-
To complete the work you now need to paint the face of the wheels matt black and when dry fit the correct inserts, (available from BWA). The inserts should be painted silver prior to installation.
This is the completed car:-
This is a list of components used :-
Slot.it 54mm Drill Blank (Pack of two) SIPA01
Slot.it Rear Axle Bearings (Pack of two) SIPA02
Slot.it 19mm 32T Sidewinder Gear SIGS01
Slot.it 10T Sidewinder Pinion SIPS10
BWA Rear Wheels 32005
BWA Front Wheels 32003
BWA Lola Inserts 32203
Ortman Fly Classic Rear Tyres #43
Fly Racing Guide 79557
Your car should now run much better than before.
An example of a upgraded car from the "Fly Classic" series, this time a Ferrari 512S Coda Lunga:-
Another upgraded car from the Classic Range, this time the Porsche 917 K:-
The Porsche does require a little more work than other cars in the range, as for some reason they seem to require a deeper guide. I have found the best guide to use for these cars is the TSRF Fly/Scalex replacement guide, it is necessary to modify the front of the chassis in order to fit the guide.
Also there are no BWA inserts available for this car so you need to make your own. I used cut down inserts made from the original Fly wheels.
A Porsche 908 Flunder, as well as the standard upgrade parts, this one has a Slot.it V12/3B 25K motor.
To complete the work you now need to paint the face of the wheels matt black and when dry fit the correct inserts, (available from BWA). The inserts should be painted silver prior to installation.
This is the completed car:-
This is a list of components used :-
Slot.it 54mm Drill Blank (Pack of two) SIPA01
Slot.it Rear Axle Bearings (Pack of two) SIPA02
Slot.it 19mm 32T Sidewinder Gear SIGS01
Slot.it 10T Sidewinder Pinion SIPS10
BWA Rear Wheels 32005
BWA Front Wheels 32003
BWA Lola Inserts 32203
Ortman Fly Classic Rear Tyres #43
Fly Racing Guide 79557
Your car should now run much better than before.
An example of a upgraded car from the "Fly Classic" series, this time a Ferrari 512S Coda Lunga:-
Another upgraded car from the Classic Range, this time the Porsche 917 K:-
The Porsche does require a little more work than other cars in the range, as for some reason they seem to require a deeper guide. I have found the best guide to use for these cars is the TSRF Fly/Scalex replacement guide, it is necessary to modify the front of the chassis in order to fit the guide.
Also there are no BWA inserts available for this car so you need to make your own. I used cut down inserts made from the original Fly wheels.
A Porsche 908 Flunder, as well as the standard upgrade parts, this one has a Slot.it V12/3B 25K motor.
