TCP Professional HO Scale Race Car Parts 1971-1974?
Please contact me if
you need large versions of these scans or a copy of the installation directions.
Your feedback, historical insight, personal experience and any additional information
about these products
or other Pro Racer parts from the time (Laganke, Bronze Man, Bamberg, Pro-Comp,
Thayer, Perkkett/KMT,
DCRP Spider and similar) would be greatly appreciated.
Historical Reference:
TCP was started by Tom Coyne and developed the most wanted HO race car
parts for PROFESSIONAL racers of the early 70's. Part of a tight knit group
of enthusiasts and small manufactureres in the midwest (see also Bronzeman in
Ionia Mi, Thayer in Flint, Mi, Laganke in Ohio, K & K (Randy Kemp) in Indiana
and DCRP in Gary, Indiana), TCP was known for innovation and quality. Many of
the TCP commercial products were the result of collaborations with Pro racers
of the time, and TCP was able to bring individual innovation to a slightly wider
market. As quoted by a racer of the era (JB), "TCP was always the highest
quality, everything he did was the best out there..."
TCP was bought by Gary Beedle of BSRT/Scale Auto in 1974 to expand their own
line of high performance HO scale parts, a BSRT theme which continues to this
day.
Key Products:
Pro Pan 1-A (.025 Brass) allowed the
use of the stock pick up shoes.
Pro Pan 1-B (.030 Brass)
Super Pro-Pan (with or without fr wheels,
.025 or .030) "Ready to mount on the AFX chassis". ProPan
025, ProPan 030, ProPan
032, ProPan 032 with wheels
Open Class Pan (with or without fr
wheels, .025 or .032 and .032 in steel) Designed specifically for the AFX
chassis. The version with front wheels had brass tubing soldered to the fronts
and used wheel pins for split independent rotation. ) 030
Steel, another
All TCP pans were available RTR on a new chassis or your own chassis with work done by the company. Note that TCP literature notes both a 030 size and an 032 size. Insulating the pan from the pick ups was a key installation step (most used scotch tape). Failure to properly do so led to smoke in any number of places....
Mounting instructions for the TCP Open Class Pan on the Aurora AFX
Chassis by Tom Coyne and Marty Thalison
page 1, page
2, page 3, page
4
(click image for larger version)
Independent Front Wheel Sets (Gold,
Silver, Black, Blue, Green,
Red)
5/16th Wheels w Sponge Tires (Gold, Silver, Black, Blue, Green, Red) and with
special wrench.
***TCP mounted the wheel
locking nut on the 080 hreaded axle from the INSIDE using a specially made wrench.
This allowed
The wheel/tire to be wider- improving stance and
roadholding because there was no wasted "nut space" between
the inside of the wheel and the axle. Most classes
that these cars ran in had a width limit of 1 5/16th's. See additional
pics of the wheels on the "Toybaron"
link below...
5/16th Sponge Do-nut
Threaded axle set with nuts,
nuts 2, bolts
Hardware Kits
Bushings, Arm
Bushings, Brush Tubes
Guide Pins
Bronze Wipers, Lead
Wires
These may have been sourced
from Bronze Man Products, also in Michigan, owned
by Marty Thalison.
2,4,6 Lane Lap Counters
Additional pictures (Toybaron.com)
Price List page 1
Price List page 2
