39 replies to this topic

[Fast Freddie]

Jay, who built that track for you? What is the track footprint?

[Jay Guard]

I believe it is a Hasse built in the early 2000 timeframe for someone in the Long Island, NY, area. I got it a few years ago from the second owner also in Long Island.  

Although the track surface was OK it was painted with flat latex paint and you couldn't clean it as the dirt just went into the paint pores. The braid was pretty messed up and the braid lands were at about .080"+ deep, not to mention it was braided in one piece. Structurally it was in good shape but it obviously needed some work.  

Luckily Don Bryans (who took over for Steve Ogilvie) lives about 30 miles from me so I took the track to his place and he refurbed it. He filled and rerouted the braid lands, braided it in sections, and painted the track with Rustoleum 5300 epoxy paint. It's pretty much like new now.  

The track footprint is 34' x 11' in a dedicated 20' x 40' slot car room over my garage. I call it "Orange Crush" because it's very similar to an American orange track that's been "squeezed" a bit.  

I'm seriously considering putting in some esses just after the donut to give it a bit more interest and make it a bit more like the original AMCR orange track. Lap times for a Retro Can-Am are in the 3.1-3.2 sec. range and for my 4.5" Flexi "Rental" Stock Cars about 3.6-3.7 seconds.
 
Here are a few pictures...
 

 

[slotcarone]

Jay, have you ever run the track backwards down the straight into the flat turn?

[Jay Guard]

Mike:

No, why do you ask? I've never heard of anyone running an orange track backwards; some other tracks yes, but not an orange.

[W. J. Dougherty]

We ran the Engelmann in Manchester, NH, and the King at Mimi's (not the Gerding) backwards. Both produced almost equally fast lap times. The Engelmann raced cleaner backwards. I think the King was also very good run backwards. Worth a try...

[Don Weaver]

Esses would make that track. More like the original Orange...
 
Don

[slotcarone]

Running it backwards would make it way more challenging than adding esses IMO. And cost nothing.

[slotbaker]

Awesome...

[MattD]

Nice, Jay. I can see where you can change things up by running backwards every now and then. That will keep guys from driving by memory!

[Pappy]

that will keep guys from driving by memory!

Come on, Matt, you know us old guys ain't going to remember how we drove the last lap much less get into a rhythm.   

[Don Weaver]

The guys at the "Doghouse Raceway" in Lexington, SC, have made it a practice to run our Jail Door cars backwards.  
 
Don

[Jay Guard]

The guys at the "Doghouse Raceway" in Lexington, SC, have made it a practice to run our Jail Door cars backwards.

How do you guys keep the braid from getting all messed up?

[MattD]

Put the guides in backwards.

[Don Weaver]

How do you guys keep the braid from getting all messed up?

They run a rotation of classes at the monthly races on Saturday and the Jail Door class only comes up every three or four months.

[Cheater]

Looks like Jay's poor attempt at a funny went right over your head, Don...

[Cheater]

Every time I see this track, my back starts hurting... Jay can explain why if he wants to.

 

Jay, those pit spaces looks a lot better than the last time I was down!

[Pappy]

Was it from stooping over and watching Jay work?   

[Pappy]

How do you guys keep the braid from getting all messed up?

 

Looks like Jay's poor attempt at a funny went right over your head, Don...

 

I was going to answer that but I know 90% of people on here don't get my weird sense of humor. 

[Cheater]

Was it from stooping over and watching Jay work?

Not always. He would have never have gotten that track out of the basement it was in if I hadn't tagged along. Heck, we barely got it out working together...

I seem to recall Jay saying that night, when we finally found a hotel that had a room (at about 2 AM), that he was as tired as he could ever recall being... Joke all you want, Butch, but that was a tough, long day, as I am sure Jay will confirm.

His current track is the second track I've helped him retrieve and transport, first to his former home in Alabama, then to storage units in Florida, then to his new house in Deland, and then upstairs to the room over his garage. Not to mention the two days it took us to scrub that that nasty track surface clean with some sort of witch's brew he concocted.

It's also absolutely the last track I'm going to help him move! LOL...

[brnursebmt]

And without my superior track leveling skills it would not even be raceable! 

I spent the better part of an afternoon holding up each section while Jay made the adjustments he wanted!

[Cheater]

LOL.

"Success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan."

[MattD]

Butch,

I don't remember what we were talking about! Oh yeah, memory. I think I used to have one.

[Mike Patterson]

Being as how I like to pick nits, shouldn't this track be called a Reverse Orange Crush?

[Pappy]

I'm seriously considering putting in some esses just after the donut to give it a bit more interest and make it a bit more like the original AMCR orange track.
 

Jay, in my opinion those little squiggly esses on an orange are more of a nuisance than making the track better.
 
Here's what I would do. I'd move the donut down closer to the big bank. Put a little straightaway about three fourths of the way around it so it crosses the back stretch at closer to a 90 degree angle and then put a right hand turn on the little straightaway so it parallels the main straight. Then I'd angle it toward that recessed area on the other side of the door in the first picture, put in a finger like is on a King track and then a series of nice S turns heading back to the lead on. Build a pedestal base on wheels like I have on my track and throw the legs away. 
 
I know Greg's coming down this weekend, get him to help you.   
 
Sometimes I crack me up. 

[Jay Guard]

Mike P:
You got me there, it is a reverse Orange Crush! 
 
Butch:
I'd do that but I'd get sawdust on the carpet.