Reviving my 40 year old 1/32 Revell track

[bitman]

Many hours and a ton of tweaking to the track. That's it. It will remain as it is for the foreseeable future.

Smoothed out some issues with the banking and effectively moved the straightaway a foot north. There was no way to tweak the banking at the south end of the straightaway to keep cars from driving into it under acceleration and deslotting. I worked hard on the entry turn increasing the banking slightly while smoothing out the transition. So now you can begin accelerating sooner and hit top speed before the bank at the other end. You can still go too fast and deslot but braking comes more naturally. You need to brake going into the turn to drive the nose and hence the guide into the slot and turn the car. If you were still accelerating you would be effectively pulling the guide out of the slot when you needed it most.

The track is a blast to drive. Since taping it has been so reliable. But as I built and tuned cars everything became more intensive. Problems would crop up and they were difficult to diagnose. The new builds are metal chassis and hard bodies with attention to tolerances and stiffening . Fresh tires trimmed and trued. The chassis and 16Ds sit 1/16" off the track.

This all led to track problems. Deslotting and other odd behavior. After reading a lot of posts on handling and all I found some of the problems. Bumps at the track joints were in some cases making contact with the back of the chassis. One part of the high bank was bent enough that even these short 1/32 scale cars would get upset by contacting the track. I at first thought these problems were with the cars and spent hours tweaking guides, braids and everything else. It was really mostly the track.

The one car tweak that helped was loosening up the guide a bit. I had read that this works with some cars on some banked tracks. It seemed wrong but it worked. Now the guide can wiggle just a bit and that along with the change to how you enter the straightaway and brake going into the turn made such a difference.

The track is quite technical and demands a lot of attention at 12+ volts. You really need to hit some points right to handle the speed. The high bank braking in and accelerating around and through is tricky but a rhythm you can get into. Braking is still something I feel less than accomplished with.

I love it.

[VenturaAlfa]

Your track really looks great. Glad to hear it's running well also.

I'm still trying to figure out how you got your banking to lay down so much. I have one less piece in mine to make the 180 and the banking angle is so steep that the two straights that come into and out of the banking are almost a foot narrower than yours are. Anyway, this is about your track, not mine. I have to say it really looks great.

Ventura Alfa

[bitman]

Thanks Ventura.

My banking has custom made supports and everything is screwed down. Do you have transition pieces to go between bank and straight?

[bitman]

Probably equally the most frustrating and yet rewarding part of doing all this has been learning to drive the track. Reading and learning about understeer and oversteer has given me a whole new appreciation for 1:1 racing. It makes loose vs tight understandable. Now if NASCAR racing wasn't so formulaic it would still be fun to watch. But I look back with new interest at watching the stock cars run on the clay track in my home town. I don't think I could ever get into magnet racing after watching one of my cars oversteer through a corner yet hookup up and fly straight down the straightaway.

[bitman]

Hey Ventura - I should add that as you flatten out the banking the individual pieces will want to keep their curve. I added 2" wide by 1/8" BB ply under the joints and screwed the track to them. Then you need to add support between the joints to counter the bend. Sounds complicated but really not. Just get the pieces all connected and then build supports as you flatten and screw it down. Trial and error should be expected.

[bitman]

I should clarify I few things. Reaching top speed on the straightaway is a perception thing and unlikely a reality. It feels so good to be able to squeeze the controller wide open and hold it if only a fraction of a second. The emphasis on the fastest part of the track has changed from the end of the straightway to the banked turn entering the straightaway. It feels more like a banked short track mile NASCAR track like Dover than a speedway like Daytona. Get off the corner under full throttle onto the straight then brake hard for the next corner.

The difference between a manageable consistent speed and flat out on the 55+ feet of track is a little over a half second. 6 seconds vs 5.5. But that half second is huge in terms of attention.

Despite the fact I built 3 nearly identical chassis they all perform a bit differently. Two of them have identical hard bodies. One instills so much confidence it betrays the complexity of the track. Another hooks up faster than the others. Impossible to explain.

[bitman]

Double post. Sorry.

[vintagerevell]

Bitman,
Love this thread! I just had to register as a long time lurker to let you know! Thanks so much for detailing every move with this wonderful layout and the pics to boot. The internet is such a wonderful thing.....I was able to accumulate track over the last few years to also relive some of my childhood memories with the first Grand Turismo track I got at age 4 back when it was still fresh in 65. I have a banked curve set and plenty of other track to try and emulate the same setup you have there, looks like a wonderful track layout and I'd love to try this one! I may have some questions for you later on so don't ever leave this forum! lol It really does look like loads of fun and I'm sure all the labor paid off sweetly!

[bitman]

Thanks so much for the feedback Vintage. I really appreciate it.

I am still amazed when I go out in the garage some evenings and run a few laps. I have this awesome track a few feet from my back door. There is no doubt old Revell track can be a joy to race on.

Take the time to tweak your layout and get the the track to run smooth. Screw everything down but don't be afraid to make changes. Running laps lets you feel out the spots that need work. I wanted it to be challenging yet fun. If you learn the track you can be fast but if you just drop by and run some laps once in a while you can still have a good time.

Taping the rails was definitely the best improvement. But getting the track joints flat removed some annoying deslots at speed. Subtle changes in banking even flat corners can have a dramatic effect.

I need to post more photos. And please post questions if you have them.

Bit


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[wollie69]

To me, this thread prooves that track-material of a few basic-slotsets can make a wonderfull and interesting track.

Greetings from germany.

[DaveinMI]

Bitman, I love your layout too ! Add me to the group of people still enjoying vintage plastic. If you don't mind I'm going to try and enter your track into the Ultimate Racer software to save as a starting point for a future track of mine

[hkfanatic]

Top notch--from the building of the table to the laying out of the track!

Congratulations.

[stringdevil]

Hi Bitman
So cool!
Thanks for all of your posts!

I too have recently got back into slots. I'm almost 50 and when I was a kid everything where I lived was AFX. I loved it but always dreamed of the bigger cars.

Now I seem to love it just as much and I've been buying as much Revell track as I can find.
When I finally build/set it all up, it I'll take some photos and post.

It has been most difficult to find 21" radius curves.

For cars I think most of mine are clunkers at the moment but this will improve in the near future.
I'm focused on the track first.

I'll keep watching your posts.
I just love the packaging and the used 1960's cars.
So much mojo!

Best regards
WGS

I

[radtad]

Awesome Build thanks for sharing!!

[bitman]

Got together with some friends, a few beers and some racing last night. First time in 6 months as I had a little heart problem to deal with (all is good). An hour of cleaning and car tuning and and we were flying. Still love this track and anxious to build some more cars.

Thanks again for the feedback. Makes me smile.

Stringdevil - I'll check and see if I have some 21" curves to spare.