42 replies to this topic

[Ghostrider513]

I'm Mike.

 

I'm here to learn how to design and build 1/32 and 1/24-25 scale dragster and funny cars. I am especially interested in building a 1/32 scale 1/4 mile track (it's smaller and fits well in a home garage) and the cars to go with it. If you have any experience with 1/32 scale chassis creation, please contact me.

 

I'm an inventor and this is something I think I can wrap my skills around. Developing affordable chassis, cars and track accessories so anyone can afford the sport. It has become a really expensive sport and that may be why there's a decline in the industry. I have some thoughts how to change this.

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Here's my thoughts about slot car racing which I hope some of you will exchange ideas with me. 

 

My first major thought is that 1/24 scale tracks are so fast that it's too fast to be fun. What do I mean?

 

Top Fuel dragsters and funny cars make an average run at 3.7 seconds / more than 330 mph. A local track should restrict times to this by adjusting the power to the track. No car should be able to complete the track in anything under 3.3 seconds. Right now, tracks are completed in a tenth of that time! Nobody would want to go to a race when the cars were so fast, they were blurs. Slowing the cars down would be better so all of us could watch the race. I viewed the NHRA class times and posted them as a reference in case someone wants to experiment.

 

As a Top Fuel car is the fastest in the NHRA, then it should get the most power on a scale track too within the range I stated earlier.

 

Pro Stocks should run in the 6.5's at around 210 mph.

 

Pro Stock Motorcycles are in the 6.8 195 mph range

 

Top Alcohol Dragsters in the 5.1's @ 285 mph

 

Top Alcohol Funny Cars in the 5.3 s @ 270 mph

 

Comps

 For simplicity, I'd like to see it run as running with a break out time set. It's fun to guess what your car will do but it's not when it's got way to much track power. Instead, maybe a car and chassis with track power to hit in the 7's or 8's.

 

We aren't racing for money and National rules are really strict, which I'll guess scares away a lot of people that would otherwise get into the sport. Some experimentation with dialing in track power could make it pretty exciting for anyone. Then if there are big National points races, well then go ahead and run by those rules. For the average dad and kid, simplification is a better way to go. Build the cars and race them in the class they are scaled after. My guess is there will be more participation and more cars built in different classes by doing this.

 

One last thought why I think this would work is I teach psychology at a university. My students aren't the same students we were (I'm 60). They are used to instant gratification and technology. Everything is easy for them. Slot car racing hasn't adapted well to the changing times but it is make a resurgence. I beat the issues of teaching students in my classes by forcing them to use their cell phones to complete assignments instead of block me out texting or listening to music. My students grades jumped from a 2.0 range to a 3.5 range with most improving at least one point up.  I think the same applies to racing.

 

Okay, that's my ideas about racing. Go ahead and thrash me for opening my mouth. 

 

Mike 

[chasbeeman]

Modified Carrera Willys 1/32.
 

[Martin]

Welcome Mike, always great to hear a fresh outlook.

I am focused on 1/24 cars. Mainly because that's what inspired me from the age of 15 in 1967.

So if your not stuck on 1/32 you will find lots more bodies to choose from.

I do like your idea of turning the power down. Makes the racing more enjoyable IMO. 

 

I did find this, and I do see the attraction  of 1/32. How much space do you have?

 

Posted 25 May 2015 - 01:11 PM

For the home enthusiast, I would dare to suggest doing the 1/8th of a mile as the obvious answer.

5,280 feet or 1,760 yards in a mile

660 feet in 1/8th of a mile gives approx :

1/64: 10' 4"
1/43: 15' 3"
1/32: 20' 7"
1/24: 27' 6"

I rounded to very approx the inches, but you get the idea. 1/8th of a mile is a good distance.

[havlicek]

Welcome Mike,

     Learning to build these things requires more learned skills (basic cutting, soldering, preparation) and a basic understanding of physics, as well as understanding and trying out proven designs, more than any formal stuff.  With many decades of history behind us, not much is new under the sun, except at the very highest, most expensive and fastest levels.

     As for your thoughts on absolute speed limits, just as is the case in full-size racing, slots has developed class restrictions that pretty much handle all that and even more so.  The way it stands, there are classes of racing that cover everything from way-slow to so-fast-it's-all-a-blur.  People can pick a class and style that best suits them, and many have strict rules on motors and other factors that more-than-cover the speed thing.

[team burrito]

ultimate speed is not for everybody & not everybody can complete at that level. my cars are fast enough for me to enjoy & keep it on the track. do what's comfortable for you & enjoy this hobby as it was intended.

[mark1]

HI mike! I understand what you are saying. I've done a little drag racing myself, slot cars as well as full size. Faster is not always better. The slot car tracks I raced at had minimum e.t. of 1.899. Lots of racers show up at the track with 20 or more cars. Adding a slow car class would be really cool. Might bring in some new blood,too. I, myself could go for that sort of thing. Might be a hard sell for a lot of the guys, though. If you haven't already done so- check out Unca Frank's drag race page.

[Dave Crevie]

I used to set up a drag strip with my local club. We did all sorts of classes, but the one we had the most fun with was H&R chassis

with the Lightning II motor, and plastic model bodies. The only tuning changes allowed were gears and rear tires. Lexan interiors

were allowed, and generally what everyone used. Even with bracket racing capability, running those cars heads-up brought the

most excitement. 

[Ghostrider513]

I feel better now that more people jumped on here with thoughts and comments. Just so everyone knows, Fast is great. I raced Formula Fords in the 80's (real cars) and one thing I loved was having some control over the car. Push a button and going full on at a blur isn't fun for younger kids. Yawn. Our slot cars back in the day weren't as advance as they are now. I raced at my local track with my old green Lola GT and loved it. I lost interest when it kept flipping off the track in the corners after I upgraded the motor. I'm going to guess here that it might have been the problem and caused the decline back then. We can't blame computer games or TV because one didn't exist and the other was mostly black and white. LOL So, I just thought it would be cool to slow it down a little. I understand there are classes in slot racing. I was surprised that people are earning money racing. I'm in it for the fun, not spending megabucks.

[MattD]

The group that I race with slow down cars when needed to make racing equal and the cars more stable.   We run 60's style brass chassis with no moving parts.   H&R, Protrack, Womps made longer, and flat brass soldered together chassis.   We stick to 21K motors and 1 inch rear silicone coated tires.   Mostly hard bodies, but to save me time on repairs, we are trying a few vac formed bodies.

 

We race for fun and  don't take it too serious.    When it gets serious, it gets fast, it gets tricky and winning becomes real important.    That's not as much fun as guys kidding around and laughing!

[Ghostrider513]

The Willys is really cool. This is what I was talking about. As for making bodies, I can build a vacuum table, I have a 3D printer and I'm sure I can find a way to make the car bodies easily enough. Well done!

 

Hi Martin, I can do 1/32 or 1/24. My garden/family room is 30'

 

Hi Havlicek, I invent stuff and solder, weld, woodwork and more. I'm very competitive and also enjoy souping up any car, big or scale replica. My concern is more about making it fun and affordable for families with kids. Kind of start a new generation. In fact, I have a friend that has created a drag racing track with a stick shift configuration. 1/43 scale. Click the link to see his track. This is innovation. https://www.youtube....h?v=ivsKFXXcwvc   The smoking, the sounds, everything is triggered by the position of the car. Here's a link to his build page: http://www.fiberopti...Drag_Racing.htm  He designed the track and everything on it. The cars even have parachutes that pop open. While the website build pages are a little corny, the guy is a genius. In general, racing involves shifting every 62" on his track. I think it's HO or 1/43 - pretty sure HO. Anyways, miss the shift light and the car slows a fraction. At the end, you pop the chute, then cruise around the side track and back to the start again. I want to go to this level with a 1/4 mile track in 1/32 and 1/24 scale. Whaddiya think?  You're grinning.

 

Team Burrito, Mark1, Dave Crevie. Watch the video above and tell me what you think. Could this be a game changer? If he can do this with HO scale, imagine with 1/32 and 1/24 scale? Shifting gears and parachutes to slow down... Yeah, I'm grinning big. I love this.

Modified Carrera Willys 1/32.
 

 

 

 

Welcome Mike, always great to hear a fresh outlook.

I am focused on 1/24 cars. Mainly because that's what inspired me from the age of 15 in 1967.

So if your not stuck on 1/32 you will find lots more bodies to choose from.

I do like your idea of turning the power down. Makes the racing more enjoyable IMO. 

 

I did find this, and I do see the attraction  of 1/32. How much space do you have?

 

Posted 25 May 2015 - 01:11 PM

For the home enthusiast, I would dare to suggest doing the 1/8th of a mile as the obvious answer.

5,280 feet or 1,760 yards in a mile

660 feet in 1/8th of a mile gives approx :

1/64: 10' 4"
1/43: 15' 3"
1/32: 20' 7"
1/24: 27' 6"

I rounded to very approx the inches, but you get the idea. 1/8th of a mile is a good distance.

 

 

 

Welcome Mike,

     Learning to build these things requires more learned skills (basic cutting, soldering, preparation) and a basic understanding of physics, as well as understanding and trying out proven designs, more than any formal stuff.  With many decades of history behind us, not much is new under the sun, except at the very highest, most expensive and fastest levels.

     As for your thoughts on absolute speed limits, just as is the case in full-size racing, slots has developed class restrictions that pretty much handle all that and even more so.  The way it stands, there are classes of racing that cover everything from way-slow to so-fast-it's-all-a-blur.  People can pick a class and style that best suits them, and many have strict rules on motors and other factors that more-than-cover the speed thing.

 

 

ultimate speed is not for everybody & not everybody can complete at that level. my cars are fast enough for me to enjoy & keep it on the track. do what's comfortable for you & enjoy this hobby as it was intended.

 

 

HI mike! I understand what you are saying. I've done a little drag racing myself, slot cars as well as full size. Faster is not always better. The slot car tracks I raced at had minimum e.t. of 1.899. Lots of racers show up at the track with 20 or more cars. Adding a slow car class would be really cool. Might bring in some new blood,too. I, myself could go for that sort of thing. Might be a hard sell for a lot of the guys, though. If you haven't already done so- check out Unca Frank's drag race page.

 

 

I used to set up a drag strip with my local club. We did all sorts of classes, but the one we had the most fun with was H&R chassis

with the Lightning II motor, and plastic model bodies. The only tuning changes allowed were gears and rear tires. Lexan interiors

were allowed, and generally what everyone used. Even with bracket racing capability, running those cars heads-up brought the

most excitement. 

[Ghostrider513]

Dale,

I completely agree. Too fast with everyone overly serious spending mega bucks isn't fun to most people. Would I want to do that, no. I'd rather hang out and have fun. Do I have issues with others doing it? Nope. They're having fun too.

 

I, like you think there's room for different types of racers. 

The group that I race with slow down cars when needed to make racing equal and the cars more stable.   We run 60's style brass chassis with no moving parts.   H&R, Protrack, Womps made longer, and flat brass soldered together chassis.   We stick to 21K motors and 1 inch rear silicone coated tires.   Mostly hard bodies, but to save me time on repairs, we are trying a few vac formed bodies.

 

We race for fun and  don't take it too serious.    When it gets serious, it gets fast, it gets tricky and winning becomes real important.    That's not as much fun as guys kidding around and laughing!

[Steve Boggs]

IMHO the best thing to do would be to just race Brackets in the beginning. That way a car doesn't have to be able to run a specific number to be competitive, and your racers can grow and learn and go faster at their own pace. It's one thing to start out slow, but it will get old really fast if that's all they're allowed to do. Watching a slotcar run the 1/24 scale 1/4 mile in 3 seconds is like watching grass grow.

[Ghostrider513]

Would anyone out there want to write, or help me write a comprehensive how to about slot car drag racing? I have been asked (not for money) to write a how to starting with the very basics through advanced. This came up because I had very limited knowledge and want to get really involved in the sport. A friend said he would put up the money for printing costs if I created the manual. I'm out of work and not sure if the school will call me back. I'm a part time writer and this is something I'm really passionate about. Plus I'd be building my track and cars. I lack the real knowledge of someone with decades of racing. If interested, please contact me. Oh, I have a homebuilt CNC that I will be making track with. I plan to have those files available to anyone if I sell the book. As the publishing industry is nearly dead, I certainly doubt there will be a lot of sales, but it will be a technical compendium for future generations. All assistance would be fantastic and of course you get full credits. Thanks friends.

[Ghostrider513]

Hi Steve. Brackets? I've heard that term but don't know what it means. I'll look it up on Google. How to apply it to slot dragsters is completely lost to me. Lol. Thanks, I'll check that though.

IMHO the best thing to do would be to just race Brackets in the beginning. That way a car doesn't have to be able to run a specific number to be competitive, and your racers can grow and learn and go faster at their own pace. It's one thing to start out slow, but it will get old really fast if that's all they're allowed to do. Watching a slotcar run the 1/24 scale 1/4 mile in 3 seconds is like watching grass grow.

[Ghostrider513]

I have 25 ft wall to wall. I wanted to go with 1/32 because of that. I have a track an hour and a half away from my house running 1/24. If I had the space I'd do that instead. I might be able to get my town to let me set up a track in one of the buildings so I can start a summer type camp for at risk kids to come build and race. The mayor liked the idea a lot. I'm out of work right now (Summer layoff). If it's free, the kids might like to come and we can get them off the streets and out of trouble, plus teach them how to work with their hands. Anyways, 1/24, 1/32, either would work for me as long as I'm racing. What's your opinion about my summer program for kids?
Welcome Mike, always great to hear a fresh outlook.
I am focused on 1/24 cars. Mainly because that's what inspired me from the age of 15 in 1967.
So if your not stuck on 1/32 you will find lots more bodies to choose from.
I do like your idea of turning the power down. Makes the racing more enjoyable IMO. 
 
I did find this, and I do see the attraction  of 1/32. How much space do you have?
 

Posted 25 May 2015 - 01:11 PM
For the home enthusiast, I would dare to suggest doing the 1/8th of a mile as the obvious answer.

5,280 feet or 1,760 yards in a mile

660 feet in 1/8th of a mile gives approx :

1/64: 10' 4"
1/43: 15' 3"
1/32: 20' 7"
1/24: 27' 6"

I rounded to very approx the inches, but you get the idea. 1/8th of a mile is a good distance.

[Ghostrider513]

I used to set up a drag strip with my local club. We did all sorts of classes, but the one we had the most fun with was H&R chassis
with the Lightning II motor, and plastic model bodies. The only tuning changes allowed were gears and rear tires. Lexan interiors
were allowed, and generally what everyone used. Even with bracket racing capability, running those cars heads-up brought the
most excitement. 

What's an H&R chassis? I'm totally new.

[Ghostrider513]

Welcome Mike,

     Learning to build these things requires more learned skills (basic cutting, soldering, preparation) and a basic understanding of physics, as well as understanding and trying out proven designs, more than any formal stuff.  With many decades of history behind us, not much is new under the sun, except at the very highest, most expensive and fastest levels.

     As for your thoughts on absolute speed limits, just as is the case in full-size racing, slots has developed class restrictions that pretty much handle all that and even more so.  The way it stands, there are classes of racing that cover everything from way-slow to so-fast-it's-all-a-blur.  People can pick a class and style that best suits them, and many have strict rules on motors and other factors that more-than-cover the speed thing.

I can do the fabrication/soldering but I want to learn more. Where can I get info about different classes, bracket racing (don't know what that is but will Google it) and more. I recently posted here that I'm going to write a how to about drag racing. Any help would be great. I'm out of work until August (hopefully) and It'll give me something to do. Thanks.

[Dave Crevie]

Mike; I'll help if I can. Somewhat over simplified, bracket racing is simply a system where every racer qualifies at

a certain elapsed time, and has to match that without going faster in the race. If you cut a lower e.t. than you set

in qualifying, you "break out" and are eliminated. Your qualifying time is called a "bracket". The racer that finishes

closest to his "bracket", wins. i.e., if your bracket e.t. time is 2 seconds, and you go 2.001, and the other racer goes

2.002, you win. If you go 1.999, and the other racer goes 2.000, you loose. When the NHRA first initiated this type

of racing for real cars, the idea was to take the big money out of drag racing. It made the driver the biggest part of

the race, not the biggest, most powerful motor. The reason I hated that type of racing, and why I gave up on drag

racing, was that after spending ten grand on my Plymouth Road Runner so I could win races, I found myself being

paired up against VW bugs and Ford Pintos, and sometimes loosing. 

 

H&R is a company that makes RTR chassis for the home oval racers. They are meant for mounting model car bodies,

and are pretty good for the money. There are a few things you need to change, such as how the height of the guide

flag is relative to the track braid. But they are relatively fast, and make a good class for racers who don't want to get

in too deep. You can have a very competitive car for under $75.00. 

 

1/32nd cars are a good choice if you don't have much room. There are quite a few stock cars and hot rods offered in

plastic, home set type cars. Generally, these are slow, but paired without modifications, can supply some very good

racing. There are no full dragster type cars available, though. The group I used to race with scratch built a lot of

gasser, altered, and rail dragsters in 1/32nd and had a bunch of fun with those. If I can, I'll post some pictures of those 

later.

 

Some shots of the portable drag strip I built for the Friday night group.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

[Ghostrider513]

Wow! Thanks. I might try to create 1/32 dragsters, gassers and funny cars if there aren't any being manufactured.That might be a great home startup retirement biz. I'd certainly enjoy it. Great pics.
Thanks for the assist.

[MattD]

Dave just showed the easiest way to set up a drag strip.  Portable,  cheap plastic saw horses for support.   Routing plain straight track is a breeze.   A trim router, a 1/8 bit and a custom bit from Slot Car Corner that rides in the 1/8 slot and cuts the "gains" for the self stick braid they also sell.     A power supply/battery and 2 automotive remote starters.    Some sort of flag starter,  pretty simple to build some kind of cable or electrical flag drop.   Same thing at the line, a mechanical  indicator for the winning car.   

 

Computer timing system is ideal, but the simple track can be done first and a couple guys can have fun with flag drags.   Simple to handicap and give a few car lengths if you are just having fun.    

 

Faster still is to buy 30 pieces of Revell or Monogram 1/32 slot track and set up a plastic track.   Three 10 foot pieces of plywood about a foot wide with track fastened to it would be portable and solid.    Copper tape can be applied over the rails for better electric continuity.   If you want to spend a little more, buy Carrera true 1/24 track.   

 

You should be able to run 1/24 cars on the 1/32 track since they only go in a straight line.

 

Routing can be done with a CNC and a local cabinet shop if you find one interested in a small job.    They can rout one piece of 4X8 MDF into 4- 8 foot lengths of straight drag track.

 

There are many pretty simple and easy ways to get started.    The hardest part always seems to be going out the garage and getting started!

[Dave Crevie]

The sections are 3/4" MDF, with 1X4 sides and cross bracing. I actually cut the slots with a hand circular saw,

using the rip guide to keep the slots straight. The reliefs for the braid were cut with a router with a 5/8ths flat

bottom bit with a dowel pin inserted in the end to fit in the slot. Worked perfectly. I don't recommend plastic

track, but if you are going that route, Carrera is the only way to go. You won't be happy with anything less.

Also, if you are going to do plastic track, you need to add feeders every fourth section. Otherwise the voltage

drop will be very noticeable. Use at least #14 wire for the runs, and #16 for the drops from the track rails to

the runs.

 

I used a TrackMate timing system. The best out there. But you will pay close to $1000 for a complete system. 

There are much cheaper units out there, but most can't do bracket racing match-ups. Even fewer are able to

start a race with separate trees for each lane. By the way, there are a few pics of my track under construction

in another thread.  

[mdiv]

We have a small HO club that meets once a month really...really...really locally lol like less than a mile from my house.  One night the guys built an HO drag strip in the host's basement room and we were doing heads-up runs.  It was an absolute blast.  The car that won the most heats?  T-JET Batmobile!!! Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah  nah nahy  nah nah nah nah nah nah nah BATMAN!

[MattD]

I do think you could use Revell or Monogram 1/32 track.   For drag racing with no turns, the 3 1/2 lane spacing and 1/4 inch deep slot would be OK.   Certainly not as nice as a smooth, routed track.   A $40-$50 box of track is all you would need and you could play.    If space considerations are worked out, you can always graduate to a nice routed track, if you find out you really want a drag strip.     The plastic stuff is cheap, and it can go in a small box when you are done.

 

Another option is just some 1X4's nailed to a 1 X12 with copper tape.     There are many easy, quick ways to try drag racing.   Run the same motors and tires and total car weight and just run each class heads up.     Play, play, play then graduate to timing and a better track.

[Ghostrider513]

We have a small HO club that meets once a month really...really...really locally lol like less than a mile from my house.  One night the guys built an HO drag strip in the host's basement room and we were doing heads-up runs.  It was an absolute blast.  The car that won the most heats?  T-JET Batmobile!!! Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah  nah nahy  nah nah nah nah nah nah nah BATMAN!

Of course Batman won. Very cool. I love it.

[Ghostrider513]

I do think you could use Revell or Monogram 1/32 track.   For drag racing with no turns, the 3 1/2 lane spacing and 1/4 inch deep slot would be OK.   Certainly not as nice as a smooth, routed track.   A $40-$50 box of track is all you would need and you could play.    If space considerations are worked out, you can always graduate to a nice routed track, if you find out you really want a drag strip.     The plastic stuff is cheap, and it can go in a small box when you are done.
 
Another option is just some 1X4's nailed to a 1 X12 with copper tape.     There are many easy, quick ways to try drag racing.   Run the same motors and tires and total car weight and just run each class heads up.     Play, play, play then graduate to timing and a better track.

I have a CNC machine to build the track. I can do all of the build part. Except timers. I'm creating a draster/ funnycar chassis for 1/32 home builds and I'm building a vacuform table to make bodies. That's the challenge.