18 Ft. Track Build
Using instructions found elsewhere here at Redline Derby, I decided to build an 18 foot race track. I read 18 ft. is equivalent to 1/4 mile in the 1/64 scale, so that seemed like a good place to start. I also had enough track on hand to get it done. So I decided to start with that length. I'll see how things go from there and maybe make it longer in the future. I think 25 ft. is the next logical length, just because after browsing the site and forums here, that seemed like a somewhat common length.
My neighbor is a contractor and he took down an old garage. There was a lot of good wood that could be re used. We built a floor in our loft from the garage roof. There were random pieces left over that I was able to use for the track. The boards are about 1 x 6 more or less. The longest piece being 8 feet long. I'm going to use that as the downhill ramp and the other pieces to the flat straight away. (The wood has got to be at least 60 years old).
Discussion
Got some hinges from the local hardware store. I think they're about 2 inches long. Connected the 4 foot upright to the 8 foot ramp.
Stood it up, and it looked like this.
The cross beam at the bottom of the 4 ft. upright is flush with the bottom of the 4 footer. That works fine when the 4 footer is straight up and down, but if I pull it back to change the angle it can rock to the right or left. I suppose it will always be straight up and down so it doesn't really matter. Otherwise it could easily be moved down the 4 footer a tiny little bit. Depends on how level the floor is also. I might adjust it in the future.
From here I would connect hinges to the next longest piece which is 6 feet and the two three foot pieces. It turns out the 6 foot piece is warped a little bit and not completely flat. I'd feel better if it was flat. I'd feel better with less seams too, so In the future I'll probably get a couple six footers and stick 'em on with hinges. For now I'm just using the pieces I have and laying them on the ground.
The core of the race track is going to be made up of this Snake & Mongoose drag race set. There's 28 feet of low wall track in here. (Enough for two 14 foot lanes). The pieces of track are about 2 feet long. So the less seams the better. There also a starting gate and a finish gate in here so that, and a few more pieces of track should be enough to get me started racing. (From past experiences I know that this finish gate is total garbage, sometimes falls the wrong way...but, it's enough to get me started).
This Hot Wheels 25th Anniversary SNAKE & MONGOOSE Drag Race Track Set from 1993. It was a Target exclusive. It's also a numbered limited edition. I forget what my set number is, maybe 250 something. (For those keeping "track" at home).
I added 3 pieces of track to each lane. This made the track about 19 feet long to allow for some run out after the finish line. The track pieces came from random other sets I had around. One thing I don't like is that they are the highwall track. I'd prefer it was all the same, but these are the longest pieces I have so I'm opting for less seams. Rather than adding more pieces of low wall track that I have.
Is that thing sweet or what?
Yeah, do it! It's really simple to do and a lot of fun. Doesn't take long. Next thing you know, your're racing.
I needed something to hold the starting line in place. For now I just took a little 1 inch piece of scrap wood and screwed into place between the two tracks. You can see the screw in the photo. This can be improved in the future. This is just what I had on hand, and it works fine.
This was enough to get me racing. The starting gate has some issues that need to be addressed. The track could use something/guides to keep the track straight. The finish gate is next to useless and needs a new solution. Those minor issues didn't keep me from racing though and I posted some results elsewhere in the forum. They can be found here. http://www.redlinederby.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=601
great looking track, nice how to-pix., just a thought, but racing on concrete, and to save "paint" how about a towel spred out just below the transition section area! ......... the boogie man lurks...
-Oh yeah, before I started racing I put a jacket at the end of the track to catch the cars. It took me a while to get the placement right. There was the occasional jacket jumper. As a matter of fact the first run I made with the twin mill it jumped the jacket, chipped up the paint on the nose and might have bent the rear axle a little if it wasn't already bent. In the future I hope to put a couple curves at the end of the track and send the cars back towards the starting line. I need more track. The cars are going pretty darn fast at the finish line. I'm pretty sure they could make it back to the start line with enough track.
Under the transition I thought about putting plywood. Cars (so far) very rarely jump the track before the finish line. It has happened though.
- That darn two piece starting gate is a pain. I also tried to modify it...it worked better, but the "hinges" are still too separate pieces. So I'd like to eliminate any differences between the two lanes. I'll probably be building a starting gate from scratch, like others I've seen on the site here and in the forums. Not sure where to get the pexi glass or equivalent for the front "door". That
would also eliminate the fact that straight out of the gate there is the seam transitioning to the first piece of track. I do like the way this starting gate looks though and wanted to make it work. I haven't totally given up on it.
Here's the bottom of the starting gate. Each starting button is an individual starter.
I glued a couple popsicle sticks together then stuck them onto the starter with elmers glue. I figured that glue wouldn't harm the plastic starter.
Did the same thing on the top side.
After a while of racing the top little piece of popsicle stick came unglued. I guess I need a different glue, but I'd rather not harm the starter. Also after I was done the bottom piece wasn't connected either. The glue didn't stay stuck to the plastic.
Some other neighbors took apart on old redwood deck. I used one of those pieces for the upright height. It's almost 4 feet long. Maybe an inch or two short. Took one of the random 1x6's and stuck a couple screws in there.