37 replies to this topic

[Bob DeWoody]

This is a 55' four-lane MDF 1/32 slot car track located at my home. Visitors are welcome but please contact me prior to planning a visit. Modlerbob@gmail.com
 
Track is in the final stage of reconstruction.

[Larry Granger]

Serious progress there Bob..! Look'n Good.

Let us know when it's up and running.. 

[Pappy]

Looks like a fun track to run. All lanes should be the same length and easy to turn marshal. 

[tonyp]

The track is cool. The paint used on the surface has metal filings I guess in it so the 1/32 plastic cas get magnetic grip but still slide and drive like non stuck cars. I liked it much better than the plastic track bob had which was more stuck magnetically.

[Bob DeWoody]

Still working on isolating dead spots around the track.  Improved the driver's stations today.

[Danny Zona]

Very cool looking track, Bob.

[Bob DeWoody]

Wd ran our first laps tonight.  Can't load the video

[CoastalAngler1]

Watch out for the black dog - Daisy is trained to unhook controllers on command.      

Nice work on the track!  

[Bob DeWoody]

Daisy's name is Penny.

I got up this morning when my dog reminded me it was time to take her out for her morning routine. Then after looking after her I turned on the power to my new raceway and drove one of my Carrera GT3 cars for about 20 laps on each of the four lanes. Later, after breakfast, I'll go back out and repeat the process. I am determined to keep all four lanes in good working order on a daily basis so that when a friend or two drops by the track will be ready for action. Previously, at the old location, I would get there on my once or twice a week visit and spend the good part of an hour just getting the two middle lanes running. It was a real p.i.t.a. because of the dust levels and lack of continuous use. And hey, if no one drops by it's their loss, not mine.

Up to now I have never charged or asked for money and I'm thinking that may be part of the problem. People tend to equate the value of something with what it costs. If something is totally free then it is either worthless or there is a catch somewhere. So, I am thinking of asking for $5 a visit or a $20 annual membership. If you are not satisfied I will return the money. I'm also thinking of starting a pool where everyone interested chips in $5 and after three months the person who has recorded the fastest lap, either in a race or just time trials takes the cash (I will not be allowed to participate). I will get a white board and keep everyone's best time recorded. Each winner will have to sit out the next pool. Maybe the lure of easy money will stir some interest.

[CoastalAngler1]

Darn C.R.S...maybe Penny has mellowed since she's grown up now.  You're lucky to have a track at your house!   

 

$5 is cheeep.  Someone has to pay for electricity...well worth it.  Use the money to buy a car, and award it in a race.  The guys who will visit don't need the money, they want to spend some and run cars. 

[Twisted Metal]

Hey Bob....glad to hear you have it all back together and it looks like a very fun road course to run on.
No one should complain about a minimal charge whether $5 or $10 to have a place to run their slot cars at.
Look forward to seeing some of the completion photos soon.

[Bob DeWoody]

Last night Garold came by, not to work but to have some fun running on the track.  He is primarily into classic 1/24th scale slot cars but I think I am slowly adding 1/32 to his interest.  I picked my two slot.it Chappy 2Es and we ran them side by side for over an hour, neither of us able to gain an advantage.  Then We switched to a pair of my Pioneer TransAm cars and continued the fun until I happened to notice it was almost 1 AM.  This was the most fun I have had in a long time.

[mcrracer]

Beautiful cars! Takes me back to when I was a kid racing on my Strombecker Monza race set from Sears!

[Jay Guard]

Looks great Bob, when I'm in town I'll stop by and have some fun!!  I'll try to remember to bring my 1/32 JK Flexi, you won't believe how fast those are.

[bbr]

Still working on isolating dead spots around the track.  Improved the driver's stations today.

interesting way of doing the controller hookups

[Bob DeWoody]

I will post some new photos of the final driver's stations.  Very basic, no power light or reversing switch.

[Bob DeWoody]

Looks great Bob, when I'm in town I'll stop by and have some fun!!  I'll try to remember to bring my 1/32 JK Flexi, you won't believe how fast those are.

This track is too short for motors faster than 22K.  I have a couple of cars with brass and piano wire chassis built by Marty Stanley.  They have 22K motors and are quick but still manageable to drive.

[Bob DeWoody]

Here are a couple of images of the driver's stations.

[Bob DeWoody]

The lap counter is now installed and working.

[tonyp]

Track is really nice, went there Sat night and ran some laps with Bob and Grant Gorner. The surface which has metal powder mixed with the paint in the turns provides grip but the cars still slide and drift and are not "glued" to the track like his plastic track with the steel rails. A lot of fun. Can't wait until he gets some racing started.

[Jay Guard]

Bob:

What "22K" motor would you recommend?  I was thinking of a Falcon geared way down.  They handle so great I think it would still be a fun car for your track.  Nonetheless, I'll bring it by when I'm down there in September and we'll give it try.  When I was at Garold's track we ran some hard bodied tube framed cars that were an absolute blast to slide n' drive. I'd run those again in a heartbeat.

[Pappy]

Jay, I would look at the Slot It Flat 6 motors. They have a lot of torque and last a long time.

[Pappy]

Jay, here's another good motor.

 

http://cloverleafrac...products_id=422

[Bob DeWoody]

Bob:

What "22K" motor would you recommend?  I was thinking of a Falcon geared way down.  They handle so great I think it would still be a fun car for your track.  Nonetheless, I'll bring it by when I'm down there in September and we'll give it try.  When I was at Garold's track we ran some hard bodied tube framed cars that were an absolute blast to slide n' drive. I'd run those again in a heartbeat.

This track is designed to work best with any of several brands of hard bodies with plastic chassis with max 22K motors.  No gluing the tires and no spray glue on the track.  The best tires are urethane either from Paul Gage or super tires.  The cars we had the most fun with last weekend are from Carrera, they have 18K motors and are a blast to drive.  I have much faster cars in my collection but so far there isn't much interest in other buying them.  The Carrera cars are $32.95 plus $4.00 for a set of tires.

 

Of course you can bring and practice with any 1/32 scale car you like as long as it has sufficient ground clearance.  Foam rubber tires do not get good traction.

[Pappy]

Bob, with the 1/24 scale Carrera cars you can't really true the tires, you can only polish them because the whole rear axle assembly (wheels, tires, gear and axle) comes in one piece. Is this the same for the 1/32 scale cars?