AJ's Hot Shots:The First Independent Front Suspension and Just How It Was Done In Days Of Yore

AJ's of Indianapolis, Indiana even made some go fast goodies for Hot Wheels and Aurora Cigar Box cars back in the early 1970's, a time that desperately needed the Fashion Police if you were a teenager then as I was. The Hot Shot wheel was in actuality an unthreaded O-ring front hub and wheel set with the center axle hole  diameter .014 inches and used an aluminum nail that was modified by Dad or some other being who could use the correct tools safely, assuming that you were still unable to use tools since you had definately not advanced to slot cars yet and were still holding on to the gravity toys. The Big Boys with Big Boy HO Aurora Slot Cars saw an opportunity and used these to create an early independent front suspension. K&S Engineering made then and still makes the necessary 1/16 x .014 brass tubing which is hollow and becomes the axle. A flat headed straight pin (the older ones had perhaps a larger head diameter than those available today-of course I found some old ones!) is cut shy of a half inch, and the shaft stub that is left is bent with a pair of pliers so that it is retained inside the hollow tubing. I cut my tubing to one inch long, then sanded the cut end so it was perfectly perpendicular and friction free. The resulting one inch brass tubing axle is inserted in the positioning holes up front on the chassis, the Hot Shot hub placed on the tube end, and the bent pin with outer head inserted into the tubing as a wheel retainer. This set up produces a free spinning brass tube axle and wheels that turn independently. Without spacers, the axle can slide to the outside in turns. You can also enhance this by adding T-Jet brush springs between the chassis and brass wheel washer that comes with the Hot Shots. Now you can try this in the privacy of your own home! God Bless!

Tony mgbbrown