thought about it a second longer, then said, “Okay. I’m going to work on it right now, though.” He hoped maybe that would
discourage Jack.
It didn’t. “Good!” Jack answered.
He looked again at Mort, and Mort winked. “Better help him good, Jack!” he called, as the boys went out the door. “Chick wants
to enter the Concours and the race Saturday!”
Jack looked at Chick in surprise. “You do?”
“Yep, I do,” answered Chick, and broke into a fast run. He left Jack behind for a couple of seconds before Jack caught up.
Dad and Mom seemed unable to believe their eyes at sight of Jack. He greeted them in that polite way of his, then followed
Chick and Mr. Grover downstairs to the basement.
Chick cleaned off the old solder from the metal frame and front axle with steel wool, then fitted the chassis and axle on
the chassis jig. Dad had bought the jig for him when he had made his first model car almost two years ago.
Dad plugged in the soldering iron to heat it. He unrolled about six inches of solder from a big roll and dipped the end of
it into a can of soldering flux. With a brush he dabbed the areas of the front axle and the curved-up end of the flat metal
frame, then held the iron, when it was hot, against the metal frame close to where the two pieces were to join together.
Suddenly the solder melted, flowing between the joints. Dad took the iron away andthe solder hardened to a smooth finish almost instantly.
“Gee, Dad! That doesn’t look so hard,” exclaimed Chick.
“It isn’t,” agreed Dad. “Just don’t put on too much flux, and make sure your iron’s good and hot. And keep your fingers away
from the hot tip!”
Chick laughed. “Makes sense!” he said.
“Want to solder the axle to the other side?” asked Dad.
“Sure!”
Chick dipped the end of the solder into the flux. Using the brush, he dabbed a little flux near the end of the metal frame
that curved up on the left side and on the front axle where the two pieces were to join. He took the soldering iron carefully
by its handle and held its tip against the curve of the flat metal strip. He felt jittery.
Suddenly the solder melted and flowed quickly between the joints.
“Okay,” said Dad. “Take the iron away.”
Chick did. The solder hardened to a neat, smooth finish. Almost as neat as Dad’s!
“Hey! Nice work, son,” said Dad. “You handle that iron pretty well.”
Chick lifted the drop arm and let it drop freely at its pivotal points. It was free as could be. The arm had to work freely
so that the pickup brush and the slot flag at its end would keep contact with the track. For good measure, he tightened the
small screws on both sides of the chassis mounts a bit more. The pivoting cross bar of the drop arm was fastened to the mounts
and these were the only screws that held the drop arm to the chassis.
He noticed something. The axle was sticking out more than a sixteenth of an inch from the left front wheel and was only a
thread or two into the right front wheel. Wow! That had to be fixed for sure.
With a wrench he loosened the nut between the right wheel and the nylon bushing, unscrewed the wheel, then did the same thing
to the other wheel. He then turned both nutstill they were almost exactly the same distance from the ends of the axle, screwed the wheels back on, tightened the nuts
against them and checked the result. He grinned with satisfaction.
“That’s a lot better,” said Jack over his shoulder. “Funny I hadn’t seen it when I had it.”
Chick examined the rear wheels. They fitted on the axle well enough. He placed the slot guide on the V-shaped end of the drop
arm and tightened a set screw with a tiny alien wrench to hold it. He checked to see if the guide pivoted freely. It did.
He set the motor carefully in place inside the drop arm, fitting the bushing of the front end into the hole in the motor mount
that was soldered to a cross bar, and the rear bushing of
discourage Jack.
It didn’t. “Good!” Jack answered.
He looked again at Mort, and Mort winked. “Better help him good, Jack!” he called, as the boys went out the door. “Chick wants
to enter the Concours and the race Saturday!”
Jack looked at Chick in surprise. “You do?”
“Yep, I do,” answered Chick, and broke into a fast run. He left Jack behind for a couple of seconds before Jack caught up.
Dad and Mom seemed unable to believe their eyes at sight of Jack. He greeted them in that polite way of his, then followed
Chick and Mr. Grover downstairs to the basement.
Chick cleaned off the old solder from the metal frame and front axle with steel wool, then fitted the chassis and axle on
the chassis jig. Dad had bought the jig for him when he had made his first model car almost two years ago.
Dad plugged in the soldering iron to heat it. He unrolled about six inches of solder from a big roll and dipped the end of
it into a can of soldering flux. With a brush he dabbed the areas of the front axle and the curved-up end of the flat metal
frame, then held the iron, when it was hot, against the metal frame close to where the two pieces were to join together.
Suddenly the solder melted, flowing between the joints. Dad took the iron away andthe solder hardened to a smooth finish almost instantly.
“Gee, Dad! That doesn’t look so hard,” exclaimed Chick.
“It isn’t,” agreed Dad. “Just don’t put on too much flux, and make sure your iron’s good and hot. And keep your fingers away
from the hot tip!”
Chick laughed. “Makes sense!” he said.
“Want to solder the axle to the other side?” asked Dad.
“Sure!”
Chick dipped the end of the solder into the flux. Using the brush, he dabbed a little flux near the end of the metal frame
that curved up on the left side and on the front axle where the two pieces were to join. He took the soldering iron carefully
by its handle and held its tip against the curve of the flat metal strip. He felt jittery.
Suddenly the solder melted and flowed quickly between the joints.
“Okay,” said Dad. “Take the iron away.”
Chick did. The solder hardened to a neat, smooth finish. Almost as neat as Dad’s!
“Hey! Nice work, son,” said Dad. “You handle that iron pretty well.”
Chick lifted the drop arm and let it drop freely at its pivotal points. It was free as could be. The arm had to work freely
so that the pickup brush and the slot flag at its end would keep contact with the track. For good measure, he tightened the
small screws on both sides of the chassis mounts a bit more. The pivoting cross bar of the drop arm was fastened to the mounts
and these were the only screws that held the drop arm to the chassis.
He noticed something. The axle was sticking out more than a sixteenth of an inch from the left front wheel and was only a
thread or two into the right front wheel. Wow! That had to be fixed for sure.
With a wrench he loosened the nut between the right wheel and the nylon bushing, unscrewed the wheel, then did the same thing
to the other wheel. He then turned both nutstill they were almost exactly the same distance from the ends of the axle, screwed the wheels back on, tightened the nuts
against them and checked the result. He grinned with satisfaction.
“That’s a lot better,” said Jack over his shoulder. “Funny I hadn’t seen it when I had it.”
Chick examined the rear wheels. They fitted on the axle well enough. He placed the slot guide on the V-shaped end of the drop
arm and tightened a set screw with a tiny alien wrench to hold it. He checked to see if the guide pivoted freely. It did.
He set the motor carefully in place inside the drop arm, fitting the bushing of the front end into the hole in the motor mount
that was soldered to a cross bar, and the rear bushing of
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