CARRERA SLOT CAR TRACK

-
The learning curve is pretty steep on this VR stuff I'm trying to set up. The goggles aren't here yet but I've been trying to prepare everything I can so we're ready. It seems as if I'm constantly running into a new roadblock each day. My best computer wasn't quick enough so I have upgraded to a faster assembly. - New motherboard to accept an 8 core processor, larger hard drive, much better video card, etc, etc...

The new motherboard didn't come with wifi so I first tried plugging in a Netgear USB adapter. It worked but was really wonky. - kept dropping connections. I ended up taking my Linksys card out of my garage computer and installing it so I wouldn't have reliability problems.

Even though my new setup has enough USB 2.0 & 3.0 ports I found out that this Oculus system is picky and wouldn't I be able to use them. I ended up having to order a new PCI-e 4 port USB card that's supposed to work. I hope it gets here before Christmas.

To save time I already set up an Oculus account and installed their software. As I was trying to download games I realized that my C drive (where I'd installed their software) wasn't large enough and I didn't have enough space for any games. The way they've got their system designed you have to have the games installed on the same drive as their software or it won't run. I wish I'd known that before I spent 2 days getting it set up. I ended up having to delete everything I'd installed and started over with a new drive destination.

Some of those VR games are really big! - Around 50Gb! My internet isn't exactly blazing fast so I figure it'll take me 2 or 3 days to complete putting them on the computer. Researching which games to get keeps me busy between downloads. I don't want to waste $$ or hard drive space on stuff that is crappy. This VR stuff is still in it's infancy so there aren't a lot of good software titles out there yet. With any luck I'll find about a half dozen different ones that everyone will enjoy over the holidays. There will definitely be a couple of driving sims in the list. Teresa likes scary stuff so I'll have to get a few of those also. - Add in a couple of kid games and we'll be set.

I modified the table that I made for my force feedback steering wheel so that the top is large enough to place the tracking sensors that I'll need to set up.

I had to research how long the cables are that the system has to have hooked into the computer so that I'd know where to locate everything. At first I thought I'd just extend them if they were too short but I found out that most people doing that experience problems if they go beyond a few extra feet.

They say that this Oculus VR system is easy to set up but unless you've got everything ready you're likely to spend weeks waiting for whatever parts you may need if they're not compatible.
 
Christmas 2016 has come & gone. I did manage to get the VR system operational before everyone showed up. In some ways I am thrilled by it and everyone that tried it was in awe. - - But there is a dark side to the system. Many of the games will cause motion sickness in some people and unfortunately I'm someone that seems susceptible. I love playing the games that don't cause me problems but I have to avoid the ones that do. The biggest disappointment for me is that the two driving sims I got make me want to hurl! DANG!! I'm hoping my sons have a better experience with them.

Santa (Teresa actually) was very good to me this year. I scored with 4 more cars for the racetrack and an inflatable GOOD/YEAR blimp.

The first one I unwrapped was a #9 Kasey Kahne NASCAR Charger. It'll look great competing against the 2 Ford Tauruses I've already got.
IMG_8375.JPG

IMG_8355.JPG


The next one I opened up was a '57 Chevy stock car. The paint scheme is a little wild but I really like the idea of running nostalgic cars. Now I'll need a few more from that era.
IMG_8373.JPG

IMG_8374.JPG


What I'd really wanted was a few more winged cars for the track and I wasn't disappointed. The last two I opened up were Bobby Isaac's #71 Daytona and Tiny Lund's #55 Daytona. They look great on the track but I'll need to play around with the magnets to get them to handle better. The longer bodies tend to have problems cornering without some extra mods to compensate for the weight distribution. The #40 Pete Hamilton Superbird I've already got sticks to the track a lot better after I modified it.
IMG_8363.JPG

IMG_8364.JPG


Now I've got 7 classic NASCAR cars from the late 60s - early 70s. It really makes me want to update the system to digital so I could see more than two of them at a time racing. - Maybe someday...
IMG_8365.JPG


I really was surprised when I opened up the blimp. I'd jokingly mentioned to Teresa that I thought it would be cool to see it floating above the track. I didn't expect her to buy one for me. I hung it up as soon as I could and I really, really like it. The scale looks right. I may have to add a few L.E.D.s to it and see if there's a way to put a little plastic camera crew inside.
IMG_8358.JPG

IMG_8359.JPG

IMG_8357.JPG

 
Nice cars you got! I got the two Daytona's and the 57 Chevy. Do you sand the rear tires at all? You could also try some silicone or urethane rear tires for some extra grip. The blimp is cool! Have you gone to this slot car web site before? try it, lots of great info, tips and reviews. Home Racing World

Here is a picture of my Carrea layout I took down back in Sept.


100_6357_zpsf4hejr0o.jpg


I replaced it with this layout.

100_7448_zps7ovjvgsr.jpg
 
Last edited:
Merry Christmas,John.. I am just dying,looking at the effort you put into the track layout. Just damn...
 
Nice cars you got! I got the two Daytona's and the 57 Chevy. Do you sand the rear tires at all? You could also try some silicone or urethane rear tires for some extra grip. The blimp is cool! Have you gone to this slot car web site before? try it, lots of great info, tips and reviews. Home Racing World

Here is a picture of my Carrea layout I took down back in Sept.


View attachment 1715001890

I replaced it with this layout.

View attachment 1715001894

I love your initial layout. It's got plenty of straightaways mixed with enough curves to keep it from getting monotonous. I've still got too many curves in my layout.

- Looks like you've got too many cars (send me some LOL). The display cabinets in the background look pretty impressive too.

How large (how many feet by how many feet) was that first setup you had? I'd like to see more pics of it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The routed track looks great. Did you notice much difference between the two setups other than layout and the third lane? It seems that most of the custom tracks I see are 3 lane. I always wondered why 4 isn't more common.
 
Merry Christmas,John.. I am just dying,looking at the effort you put into the track layout. Just damn...

bomber, I feel guilty for not having wished you (and everybody else) a Merry Christmas before now. - Oh, MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!

Even though I like most things about the current layout I've got, I keep thinking I should re-do it. It'd be great to have more lanes (and less curves). In order to add additional lanes I'd have to really cut down on the amount of feet the course has so it would fit on the tables.

It seems like the better option would be to switch everything over to digital so I could run 6 cars in the space I've got now. I could probably swap out some of the curves I'm currently running for some straight lane-changing track and add a pit lane to the long straight.

I haven't figured out how much it would cost to do the digital conversion but it's probably more than I'd want to spend. - At least right now.
 
The Carrera layout was 17x6 feet. It was a fun track. If I had room I would have kept it set up also. I like the flow of the wood track better. The different radius of the corners are fun. With the wood track there is no magnetic downforce on the cars, the braid on the track is non magnetic. Fitting the cars with silicone or urethane rear tires help a lot with traction. Also adding some weight to the chassis. I usually run the cars at 10 volts with a adjustable power supply. Here are a couple of pic's of the old track.

100_6023.jpg


100_6662.jpg


100_6200.jpg
 
Last edited:
The Carrera layout was 17x6 feet. It was a fun track. If I had room I would have kept it set up also. I like the flow of the wood track better. The different radius of the corners are fun. With the wood track there is no magnetic downforce on the cars, the braid on the track is non magnetic. Fitting the cars with silicone or urethane rear tires help a lot with traction. Also adding some weight to the chassis. I usually run the cars at 10 volts with a adjustable power supply. Here are a couple of pic's of the old track.

View attachment 1715002332

View attachment 1715002333

View attachment 1715002334

There's something about viewing pictures of small scale dioramas that I really enjoy. I'm not ignoring your new layout but I really like seeing the pics of your old setup.

So, would you say that it's more difficult to keep the cars on the track without the magnetic attraction or have your modifications nullified the difference?
 
The mods make a big difference in the handling. Using a adjustable power supply helps out a lot. I think the Carrera power packs are set at 14.5 volts. I run my power supply at 10 volts. But the cars run well at that setting also because they don't have the force of the magnets to slow them down too. They drift a bit in the corners, it makes you have to drive the car a bit. Here are a few shots of the routed track.

100_7449.jpg


100_7450.jpg


100_7463_00.jpg


100_7454_00.jpg


100_7465_00.jpg


100_7466_00.jpg
 
WOW!!!!! The close up detail of the new track looks great! What scale are all those cars? Surely those aren't all 1/32. Are some of them 1/24 or 1/25? Where the heck did you find the '71 Roadrunner and '75? Cordobas?
 
Thanks! These are all 1/32. The 71 Road Runner is a resin body by Chase Cars. It is mounted on a Artin chassis. The 75 Cordoba and tan 75 Charger are old Lindberg kits mounted on Scalextric Dodge Charger chassis.

100_4022.jpg


100_3370.jpg


100_3287.jpg
 
Thanks! These are all 1/32. The 71 Road Runner is a resin body by Chase Cars. It is mounted on a Artin chassis. The 75 Cordoba and tan 75 Charger are old Lindberg kits mounted on Scalextric Dodge Charger chassis.

View attachment 1715002790

View attachment 1715002791

View attachment 1715002792

I am truly amazed to see those. As much as I like the A-bodies and earlier B-bodies, it's really neat to see the variety you've assembled. I never knew they existed in 1/32.
 
It's been awhile since I posted but I did manage to add some lights to the blimp!
IMG_8380.JPG

IMG_8384.JPG

 
WOW!! Very cool and more, did you ever think of building a race track from scratch and have long stretches where cars could really wind or unwind? I had a friend back in my early teens who had one, lots of fun specially when you have cars that handle like they should.
 
WOW!! Very cool and more, did you ever think of building a race track from scratch and have long stretches where cars could really wind or unwind? I had a friend back in my early teens who had one, lots of fun specially when you have cars that handle like they should.

Thanks leblanc. The layout I've got does have some pretty long straightaways but I'd still like to eliminate a bunch of the curves. There are several reasons why I do like the long straight sections where you can really get on the throttle more. - For one thing, it's easier to keep the cars from coming off the track so often and interrupting the action. - Another thing I like about having longer straights is that you don't feel as though you have to 'putt around' the course so much.

All that having been said, I tried to utilize all of the track pieces I had and this is the layout I came up with. It'd be tempting to buy more straight sections now to replace many of my curved sections but I'd really like to convert this system over to digital so I could run 6 cars on it at the same time and include a pace car, pit section, etc... The changeover would be pretty costly if I include all the bells & whistles I'd want and I'd be swapping out many of my present track pieces with ones to accommodate the conversion. - So until I'm ready to go digital it'll probably stay as is.

Building a track 'from scratch' would probably make it more difficult to tweak things while I'm still trying to figure out the layout I'll never feel like changing again and would be harder to transport to another location if we ever finish the other house we're working on. For now, I'm having a blast with what's here.
 
Sounds like good reasoning.

It's been awhile since I tried to figure out the full cost of converting to digital but I think it was going to be over $1000 if I included everything I'd wish for. I know I'd like to add in several track sections that allow lane changing, one long primary pit lane and a second short one for the pace car, a digital timing/position tower, wireless controllers, the required new power packs, the conversions for the cars, etc, etc...
 
We could do quite a few things, if money only grew on trees!

I used to buy the occasional lottery ticket until I realized I had a bigger chance of having a 'love-child' with Pamela Anderson than winning. Now I put those few bucks into projects instead.
 
I used to buy the occasional lottery ticket until I realized I had a bigger chance of having a 'love-child' with Pamela Anderson than winning. Now I put those few bucks into projects instead.
At least you won't go ,to the v.d. clinic... I would consider that..., a win/win..... :)
 
At least you won't go ,to the v.d. clinic... I would consider that..., a win/win..... :)

I've never had to worry about any of them crotch rot problems. I think my 'phantom of the opera' resemblance minimized my risk. - That and my sarcastic sense of humor... Women just can't seem to appreciate fat jokes.
 
I realized that the size of the layout was going to be too big to reach across shortly after setting it up so I moved the supporting tables a few feet away from the walls. It's a bit of a walk around it to retrieve cars but not too bad.

I had trouble with some of the cars not gripping the track surface very well and it was a real headache trying to keep them on the track. I ordered some small neodymium magnets that I plan on experimenting with. Hopefully they'll aid with handling.

One thing that has really surprised me is how fast the tires wear on these cars. After about 30 laps you can actually start to see rubber building up around the rear wheel wells/quarter panels just like real cars. - Not much, but it's there. While building the track I did quite a bit of research on scale racing and found that some places where they compete guys will actually change tires in the middle of long races. I'll probably keep running mine 'til I'm down to the rims LOL.
Really cool, i love all the details you all did. BTW If the tracks rails are stainless steel the magnets should not be able stick.
 
Last edited:
OOH! Sounds pretty cool. I don't think I've ever seen a routed track that didn't look awesome. I always figure that those tracks are for the 'real diehard' crowd. They tend to look more like real road surfaces if they're painted and it's really nice to avoid that plastic appearance of the off-the-shelf track. What did you do with the track you took down? Post some pics of your new setup!!!

I grew up around HO slots. Primarily aurora A/FX pancake motored cars in the 1970s. Space being at a premium, i decided to stick w HO scale. I did a plastic sectional 4 lane HO track that i made to look like a routered track. I used Tomy AFX , soldered the rail ends together, and used plastiweld solvent adhesive to glue everything, and epoxy to fill in the gaps, i even countersunk the attach screws and epoxied over their heads. Then i used N scale model train roadbed cork for the roadbed edges, along with black lexan for retaining wall barriers. No more clickety clack around the track everything runs smooth. This was a lot of work so i did the bedding and sanding in short sections every week until i could paint the whole thing.

I used dupont grey laquer primer for painting the track and lexan barriers, then painted the barriers white. Springtime green felt was spray glued on for grass, and covers the cork roadbed bringing the grass up and level with the edge of the track. I used paint markers to color each lane its prospective color. I also painted the controller plug in plates to match the lane each one is wired to. Maybe theres some ideas here you can use.

The white U shaped thing over the track is the homemade lap timer. It uses 4 infra red LED emitters, there are 4 infra red LED collectors imbedded into the track surface. Its lap timer runs on windows 95 and is a trakmate freeware software program. I also wired in 4 22volt transformers. One for each lane, so no power surges when a car flies off. The controllers are parma 60 ohm 3 wire, and the track is wired for dynamic brakes

I used 1/8" plexiglas for a clear retainer around the table to catch flying cars. It does pretty good most of the time. Table is designed to fold up flat against the wall of the garage when not in use. Of course being 1/32" scale yours are too big to fold for storage. Pix of my track below. My little boy is maybe 1/&1/2 in those pix.

BTW dge467 i love the 1/32 scale cordoba and charger. If i was racing 1/32 scale id have to paint one up like the red 77 charger SE i owned years ago. Seeing all these pix is a treat and an inspiration to me. I intended to put trees, HO scale lighting, and grandstands and such on my layout but never got to it. Once it reached this point we started racing every friday night.

We run Tomy AFX SRT chassis on friday nights ( supermodified class) and old aurora pancake chassis for a random vintage night (modified class). All body mods are allowed. No lexan bodies. You can run any tires, windings, and magnets you want. I even have 4 identical stock SRT chassis with tomy camaro iroc bodies and we run an iroc night.

20131028_180813.jpg


20131028_180803.jpg
 
Last edited:
-
Back
Top