Sizzlerking’s Sizzlers
Grading Guide:
CHASSIS:
Here is where the “mint” status is going to take the biggest hit. The chassis will most likely exhibit some form of corrosion due to battery discharge. The corrosion can range anywhere from minor discoloration to a full-blown disintegration of metal contacts and locked motors. If the car has ANY corrosion on the contacts whatsoever, it cannot be considered mint. I have ONE chassis that does not have any corrosion. It is a prototype that had the battery pulled when it was new. Corrosion is considered by Sizzlers collectors as normal when valuing a car. Cars with complete contacts are still common. Contacts do not have much of a part in considering a car’s value. A nice, clean set of contacts can increase the book value up to 5%.
Things to look for when grading or
purchasing:
1. Replaced contacts. Many Sizzlers will have replaced contacts, solder joints and other miscellaneous repair jobs done over the years to try and get them to run. These repairs will not affect the book value of the car.
2. Some chassis and body will still be sealed (melted together on the underside of the chassis at the front of the car). With an sealed car, you can figure that the chassis will be corroded to some degree when the car is opened. It is almost impossible to tell how bad the corrosion is until the car is opened. One key is to make sure the wheels spin freely. This will at least tell you that the corrosion hasn’t locked the motor. You can also tell how bad the corrosion is by seeing if there is a white flaky substance coming out the sides and bottom. The more of this substance there is the worse the corrosion.
3. Chassis can be transferred from one car to the other without affecting the value.