How to build a GB-Track/TSRF Porsche 917PA rocketship
By Jack Marteville
The first GB-Track issues, the Porsche 917PA used in the German Interserie and in the Can-Am, were not a commercial success, in spite of their lower price and good performance. Quality-control problems plagued them, and many were dumped at cost by retailers.
The net result for the enthusiast is...easy availability of low-cost, excellent bodies, a perfect subject for a TSRF conversion.
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Set your TSRF32 chassis as shown, with the steel pan and the front axle set at the shortest wheelbase attainable. Install the pin-tubing as shown, cutting one end so as to just allow the black plastic retainers to hang onto them. |
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After disassembling the driver compartment from the body, remove excess material with a Dremel disk. |
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Lightly shave the sills inner sides just behind the front wheel wells, even with the sides. |
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Remove the gearbox details and shape as shown to clear the TSRF chassis with a Dremel disk and files. |
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Glue the gearbox bits back in place with Plastic Weld. |
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It is necessary to remove the
turbine to clear the TSRF motor. It can later be shaved and replaced from
the top of the decorative Porsche flat-12 engine. Push the driver's
compartment back in its location.
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Once that every bit of the inner body clears the chassis and allows the steel pan to rest perfectly flat on the plastic chassis, time to mount the body. For this we used the Automatic Body Mounting Tool and a pin-vise, the whole operation taking less than a few minutes, for a perfect fit. |
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All the details from the GB-Track car are kept, but the performance level is going to be something else again... |
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A comparison between the stock chassis and
the TSRF32 quickly reveals the difference between the basic toy of which
the design has not evolved for many years, and the serious
performance-oriented contender which throws all the old concepts out the
window. The absence of flexible lead wires, the adjustability and
flexibility of the new chassis are matched by its near indestructibility.
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Here we go, and the lap times are bettered by one third! The pin heads holding the body can be color-matched to the body to make them more discrete. The steel pan can be trimmed to fit closer to the body. |