Slot Cars
1:32 Scale - Back after almost 40 years! - 2001 to 2003
Above - The first Scalextric Classis Track in the Christmas 2001 and 2002 basement rec room floor location. My grandson, two sons-in-law and several friends put in a lot of laps here.
Above - May 5, 2003 - The Classic track is off the floor and up on two interior 36" x 80" doors bought cheap from the Menard's "scratch and dent" rack. They are mounted on top of a former dental office cabinet.
Above - July 19, 2003 - The Scalextric Classic track has ended up at my grandson's house so a new Scalextric Sport track followed me home and was installed on the scratch and dent doors. A masonite wall is installed to keep errant cars off of the floor. The backdrop was painted using some 20 year old spray paint and a "wooden" fence added by replicating some art found on the internet. In the activity above, the cars are placed at strategic locations to check for "tail out" clearance.
Above - July 19, 2003 - Foam core board is laid over the doors and Woodland Scenics model railroad risers hot glued in place to raise the track for the overpass. The track is used as a template to determine the radii.
Above - July 21, 2003 - The base foamcore is trimmed around the risers and the track support foamcore is added on top - wide enough for the track and for full inner and outer borders. In retrospect, a third riser support row up the middle would have been prudent. The track is too "springy" when rubbing the metal rails during cleaning.
Above - July 23, 2003 - The overpass is complete. Another lesson learned is that the 2.25" overpass clearance is not quite enough for the rear wings on the Carrera Classic NASCAR Superbirds and Daytonas:
Above - July 23, 2003 - Time to test fit the track.
Above - August 14, 2003 - Another view of the departure incline. Scrap foam was used for the support closest to the camera.
Above - August 14, 2003 - The borders have been painted black and special ones cut out of black poster board for inside the number 4 radius turns.
Above - August 16, 2003 - Foam core is cut to fill in around the track and bring the spectator areas up to the same level as the track.
Above - November 21, 2003 - "Grass" is planted by covering the foam core with green contact paper.
Above - December 8, 2003 - South End with the first of the spectator cars. Thelma and Louise are on the track for some hot laps until the officer in the police car spots them!
Above - December 8, 2003 - North End with a Ferrari, an Avanti, an Aston-Martin and an XK-120 from the 1964 track!
Above - December 8, 2003 - Pedestrian bridge is in, the starter is ready, bring on some competition and Let's Race!!!
Above - December 9, 2003 -The folks in the Corvette Corral cheer the Le Mans team. Note the Scalextric electro-mechanical timing system.
In 2005 I undertook an upgrade of the control panel and the timing system. Click here.