63 replies to this topic

[Bill from NH]

You're not alone, this is one of the reasons I got a variable power supply!  Hopefully I can moderate the flexis down to our old reflexes, lol.

 
Garry, I think a variable power supply will suit your needs just fine. I occasionally run at a local hard body club that has a 4-lane Tunkel track powered by a variable supply set at about 10 volts. We don't use a flexi chassis, but run scratchbuilt jalopies & use brass FCR & H&R chassis in late model sportsmans. What you use for chassis is less important than what you use for motors. The jalopies & H&R late model sportsmans use the H&R Hawk, an 18,000 RPM motor. The FCR late model model sportsmans use the Parma Deathstar, a stock Chinese 16D. Both motors are very driveable on the reduced voltage. The older 36D & Pittman motors you mentioned ought to run good too. I have a couple of each, but don't currently have them in a car. Be sure to post some photos once you get your track set up.

[MarkH]

Those are auto reset 20amp breakers. Group 12 motors are about the fastest we run and those are rarely used. Mostly FK style motors.

[MattD]

Rick, there are more of us than you think. We run rigid frames, H&R, Protrack, extended womps and scratch built brass pan. All hard bodies, pony car trans am, Indy cars 55-68, hot rod coupe or roadsters. All hard bodies, all 15,500rpm motors. Running 7.8-8.4 second laps on a Blue King. 1 inch rear tires and no less than 3/4 fronts. Our cars look like cars!!!

[Bill from NH]

Matt, are those Fox or Fox II motors you're using? We run only chassis with no movements too. We don't have a class where extended womps are legal, but I got a couple I want to build.

[MattD]

Bill, we run a motor called the MT5. It is a motor that a local guy distributes to a few race tracks. He imports them, I think. I have been told that these motors are for power mirrors in some kind of car.
They are slightly less power than a Fox. We do have some Canam cars that have Fox motors and they get down in the 7 second range in a Canam style body. We have used up the stock of Fox motors that I had and we are not using them in any new builds.

An extended Womp is not much different than an H&R or Protrack chassis. In a class with the same motor, tires, and body style, there isn't much advantage from one frame to another and it creates an out for all those womps you have in a box. We allow any kind of weight and there is no best frame out of the whole mix.

We occaisionally run a race with the computer system, but usually just run crash and burn until one car is left or anybody but the leader calls "last lap". It goes fast and everybody wins sooner or later.

For us, racing is about having fun and not taking it too serious.

[Horsepower]

 Hi Mike,

 

The times with the modern flexi's I mistakenly bought when I first got the track are in the 3 second range. Getting well into the 2's I would think is quite possible. I won't ever find out as I really don't enjoy that type of "driving". The vintage cars I enjoy "tail out" driving are more in the 4 to 5 second range.

 

I know I'm alone on this type of car and driving style.........

HA! NOT A CHANCE! 

[Garry S]

 

Holy smokes Gary. Either you should move here to Oregon or I should move to Iowa...........then there would be 2 of us!

 

Rick:  I was just looking through your track thread, it seems we have something else in common.  This is Lilly, my constant companion:

 

[dc-65x]

Hi Garry,

 

Lilly looks like quite professional. I'm sure she helped with your track design.   Our 2 Tabbies are a constant help to us!

[Bill from NH]

I thought Lilly was about to write a list for the latest slot car needs. No cats now, but growing up, I always had a yellow tiger cat. 

[Garry S]

Latest progress pic, can't wait!  

 

 

 

[MarkH]

Looks real nice. Be sure to use 5200k lighting (Sun Light) in your race area or the Red and Orange lanes could get confused when marshaling. Home Depot or Lowes has the bulbs or LED fixtures in that range. Plus it lets the colors of the cars appear correct and easier on the eyes for long periods of trigger time. 

[Mach9]

Beautiful, beautiful track !

[JimF]

Really, really nice. That layout is certainly different (and I personally like better) than the more common modified hillclimb of many home tracks. Actually, that could be a nice simple commercial layout, too. Sorta-kinda what an original orange coulda/shoulda been?

 

Bigger and faster is not always better... great job on this project.

[eshorer]

Looking good. Another "slow poke" here, at least on my home track, King Mini Booa: http://www.shorer.co...la_Raceway.html  We run 1/32 scale Fly, Ninco, SCX, Slot.it, Racer, NSR, with urethane tires. Usually in the 5-6 second per lap range. They seem to suit the track, and I save the fast stuff, and foam tires, for the commercial raceway. I just didn't want to get the home track all glued up. 

Eddie

[Garry S]

The day has come! Mr. Gerding and two of my sons survey the situation:

 

 

I hope this fits down the stairs...

 

 

No problem at all with the stairs. Here's Mr. Gerding in one of his favorite positions:

 

 

And very quickly, we're ready to race!  

 

 

 

Many thanks to Gary Gerding for this fine track. He was a pleasure to work with throughout the whole process from design to installation, and I can highly recommend him if you are in the market for a top quality track.

 

I still need to mount the monitor on the back wall and do some minor refinements, but major wiring is complete, all lanes and lap system are working great, and we're ready to race! 

[John Streisguth]

Nice!!!

[MarkH]

Way cool. I wish you were a bit closer. We would love to have you in our series at SERG.

This track looks like a lot of fun.

[Garry S]

76 ft lane length, 9.0v, Parma Turbo chassis, x-12 motor, tuna tires, a totally wrong gear ratio, and I haven't touched a controller in 40+ years = 6.55 sec.  

 

I'm actually pretty happy with that.      

[Garry S]

6.047 sec. I think I better go to bed, LOL. I'll get into the 5s tomorrow.

[MarkH]

I did the same thing when my track was first up and running. Had to drink a couple beers and take a melatonin for a few nights. I am betting you will be in the mid 3's soon.

[mcrracer]

Congrats on your new addition!!! Looks like fun.

[Mach9]

Man, that is just a very, very beautiful track. Looking at the underside, Mr. Gerding's workmanship shines through as well. Minus the paint, it looks as nice on the bottom as it does on the top. Nice, nice, nice!

[MSwiss]

The track looks great.

And that control panel looks real nice.

[Les Boyd]

Nice.... being as I too am getting ready to retire, you have lit a spark and there may be a track in my plans.

[Garry S]

I just priced those Lista workbenches... Ouch!  They are beautiful, though.