The 962 is a very sexy, but somewhat problematic, body. LM's were ruling the roost for awhile at our track, but Dan and my own 962 always seemed to be getting the short end of the stick handed to us by Ed's snappy little Mazda 787. I guess one could always switch to the 787, but if you're a hard core Porschephile like myself, that just wouldn't do.
The 962 is just too long to be agile, and its inherent fragility in front meant a guaranteed repair job after every run.
I have to start up front by saying that both of the ideas to address these issues are my friend Dan's, merely imitated somewhat lumpishly by myself, but well worth sharing nonetheless.
In order to match the Mazda's agility, it was evident that the 962 needed an assectomy to shed a few pounds in the tookus. Dan used a heat gun to do his by cutting off the tail section, then melting it down in a graceful line. Not having a heat gun, I just opted to remove the tail, cut off the fins, then cut a V-shaped channel in the underside of the body and simply bend it over. A little putty and paint on the body and some epoxy on the bottom for rigidity and voila:
Now the 962 is just as snappy as the Mazda through the twisties and our end of the stick isn't short anymore! The difference between the stock and modified bodies is really quite dramatic:
To solve the 962's recurring need for a nose job, cut a piece of fairly thick styrene to act as a kind of interior bumper. Super glue to the top of the body mount clip receptacle and to the lower edges of the valence. Let dry, then fill the resulting pockets with plastic epoxy. The sides can be similarly strengthened by gluing styrene reinforcing sheets over the interior of the flanks, then coating with epoxy as well:
Now the 'S' can weather the severest crashes without an instant ticket to the body shop.
A bit time-consuming to do, but the results are well worthwhile. Happy Mazda-spanking!
Nice work. I had thought about something similar... but never got around to it. I would suggest adding a lexan wing to the rear, at least just to make it look better
I did drive the Mazda for a while, and it performed much better than the Porsche... I guess that you just evened the playing field. I would love to see some lap time comparisons with the modified and non modified bodies, just to see how much faster it is.
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EMUracing Micro RC Syndicate /DG Designs /GSR /Reflex Racing /Fast By Faqish /MurderTown Racing
I tried running two types of wings on my "Stumpy", one was just a piece of lexan that was bent up at the back and the other was too large, but it did not feel as nimble. I might try a thinner peice of lexan for the next experiment, but it really doesn't feel like it needs a wing, it just looks like it needs a wing.
Last edited by dxm2; 2009.04.06 at 01:45 AM.
Reason: upload photo
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