How to build a 1/32 BSP saloon chassis

To build the kit you will need: .032 wire, .032 id Brass tubing, .020 wire, .063 wire, and either .063 id brass or stainless steel tubing. Building of any slot car chassis requires care. Please ensure that you wear protective eye glasses and only use tools in the recommend way. Soldering should be done in a well ventilated area.

The order I build the chassis is not the only way, but is a method I have come to from building many chassis.

Below is a picture of the chassis frame. The pieces locate into the slots marked with corresponding capital letter.

Stage one is to clean up the chassis and all the slots. Use a diamond file if possible.

Stage two is the remove all the parts from the sprew and keep them safe!

The chassis has to be built the right way up. Check this NOW! The motor will drive the gear on the left hand side of the motor box, when looking from above with the rear of the chassis towards you.

Next is to attach the guide (b) and spacer plate (a). Use the locating holes and 2 small lengths of .032 wire.

Ensure that solder has flowed between the pieces and it is a good joint. Then check the plate is level. This is VERY important. Once done, move to the back of the chassis and build up the motor box area. This will require parts, d, c x 2, and e x 2. Remove a little material from the top edge of the brace (d) where it meets part e on the right. This will allow free movement, and save you from doing it when the pieces are soldered in postion.

The Pillar blocks (c)and the brace should both sit flush with the rear of the chassis. Be very sure the slots (C) are clean and the joint is good. To make sure the blocks are level and straight use a set of oilites in construction and an axle. Tack the brace at the sides first and adjust the blocks before soldering solid. Insert the e parts and solder before soldering the brace all the way round. The e parts need to be soldered well, and look under the chassis to check solder has flowed down into the hole (E). DO NOT SOLDER TO THE CENTRE SECTON, only the motor box.

At this point the chassis is still very flexible. The spine will make the car much more stiff. This is a piece of .063 wire that runs down the centre slot and is bent across the front of the motor box as shown.

To make the wire and the motor box rotate you need to cut 2 pieces of the .063 id tube. The stainless tube is much harder to solder, but does not wear so fast. If you are not experienced at chassis building I suggest using the brass tubing. The front tube can be very short (around 5mm), the rear needs to be bigger as it has more stresses running through it, around 8-10mm in length. Solder the tubes into centre and make sure the wire can move freely within these tubes before soldering the bent part of the wire into the slot at the front of the motor box. After this insert parts f into their slots. They need to be pushed down firmly when soldered into F. Adjust them so the pan rails are parallel with the motor box rails. At this point they should still move freely in part e.

Moving back to the front of the chassis, fix the pan upstops (k) into postion and use a piece of .032 wire the strenghten the joint as shown.

Staying toward the front we are now going to attach the pan rails together. For this you will need the only part of the kit that was not attached to the sprew. This is only 0.8mm. It will sit on the pan rails, as far foward as possible, without touching the guide plate spacer. Before doing this remove any excess solder from under the rear edge of the guide plate. In the picture you will also see 2 pieces of .032 id brass tube. If these are put in at the same time, it makes lining everythig up easier and stops you having to resolder the area later.

This cross brace should ONLY be attached to pan rails, and be sitting on the centre i.e. no downwards movement from the pan rails. Make sure the pan rails can still move side to side. The gap between the rails should remain the same front to back. The rear of the rails are attached to each other using a piece of .020 wire as shown. Bend the wire so it aviods touching motor box and parts connected to it.

Note: The wire diameter affects the traction. Thicker wire = stiffer chassis = less traction. Also there needs to be a little side to side movement at the rear of pan rails. Now the rails are attached and centre section is strong, give it a good clean.

Insert the pin tube supports (g x 4) and the front down stop (h x 2) into the pans only.

The pans are now ready for attaching to rest of the chassis.

Assuming you have not got solder into the .032 tubing insert a piece of .032 wire into each tube and cut to length as shown. The wire should allow the pan to move back and forth freely. Solder the wire to the pans and check to see if the pans move freely in all intended directions, and adjust the wire/tubes until they do.

Part i fits into the final slot of the pan. You made need to adjust the hook to allow the pans free movement. I normally open this up and round the edges of both i and f.

Only solder along the low edge and make sure that the pans are not being lifted, but i is resting on e.

Bar pin tubes and front wheels the chassis is complete. Before you go any further clean the chassis and check the following:

When the pans are held down the motor box cannot be lifted. Adjust parts f until there is NO movement.

The pan movement front to back to smooth

The motor box twists and 'centres' correctly.

The finished chassis is below.

This chassis came 1, 2, 3, 4 in the BSCRA Nationals and won the New Zealand nats.

The nationals winning RTR car used a BSP Blueprinted Proslot motor, 6/36 gearing, BSP Laguna bodyshell and BSP Tyres.