Re: Bill's Junk

Looks wonderful.  Maybe a little large for my garage.

"Big Smooth"

Re: Bill's Junk

That's one of the benefits of these smaller units. This one is only 22 inches wide, 24 1/2 inches tall, and 16 inches deep. I'm testing now to see if this one is actually big enough to heat the shop. I've had it running almost an hour and it has brought the temperature up about 10 degrees, 45 to about 52. If this one turns out to be too small I will probably buy my friends model 555. The 555 looks exactly the same but just slightly bigger, with an input of 55,000 BTU.

Re: Bill's Junk

120V?

"Big Smooth"

Re: Bill's Junk

Electricity is only required to run the optional fan, which is wired to a wall plug line cord (plug it in if you want the fan).

Re: Bill's Junk

Happy New Year to all my fellow slot heads.

Race cars are neither beautiful nor ugly. They become beautiful when they win.

Re: Bill's Junk

Yes, happy new year to everybody. May you go fast and stay in the slot.

Re: Bill's Junk

HAPPY NEW YEAR Y'all!

Re: Bill's Junk

Happy New Year gents.

May you just go fast.  smile

"Big Smooth"

Re: Bill's Junk

Thanks Smooth.....I think?

As I get nearer to my expiration date, "go fast" takes on a whole new meaning!

Re: Bill's Junk

ok these were that out of place post was to go. how it ended up in howies  messages is a 6pack and no food fault...

The secondnidator

Re: Bill's Junk

wb0s wrote:

Thanks Smooth.....I think?

As I get nearer to my expiration date, "go fast" takes on a whole new meaning!

these make more sense posted here
When I go I want to like my grand dad did. peacefully in his sleep.
not like the 4 other people did screaming to there deaths as the car plunged of the cliff...

The secondnidator

Re: Bill's Junk

Definitely makes sense here Doc!!!.......

.........I can identify with the 6 pack excuse......only mine is the Mai Tai excuse!!!!

Re: Bill's Junk

Due to events over the last couple of years my attention to and participation in slot car racing has changed. Some of you may have noticed this change as evidenced by my less than frequent visits to the tracks, and the lack of equipment and preparation to race. I thought I’d try to post up some words to try and let you all know what’s going on with me, and no I’m not sick.

To me throughout my life, slot cars have best the best hobby I’ve ever been involved with. Other things have come and gone. Gone mostly due to cost, time constraints, logistics, and just plain effort required to stay involved. Involvement in the hobby of slot cars offers so much diversity within the hobby; it is easy to stay interested in some aspect of slot cars. Whether it is collecting, painting, building, or racing, it is all there within the hobby of slot cars. Through the years I have occupied my time in all of those areas, and in most all of the different scales of slot cars, HO, 1/32, and 1/24.

My infatuation with slot cars first started in the early sixties with my first 1/32 Gilbert “home set” I received as a Christmas present. The following Christmas I received an HO Aurora Thunderjet set which really lit the fire! Collecting slot cars started in the early sixties with that first home set, and the serious club racing started much later in the early eighties. I have collected, played with, and raced HO slot cars at the club level, all with some level of success.

In the mid-sixties I was introduced to 1/24 slot cars while visiting a friend of my father’s. The introduction led me to investigating the commercial tracks popular at the time. Unfortunately I could not afford these magnificent machines and did not have the resources to get involved in racing at the commercial venues. The 1/24 cars were always on my mind as something I missed out on.

Fast forward to the late nineties, and the formation of NASTE. We actually started out racing 1/24 cars on a very short three lane track. We then moved into racing HO, and from there onto 1/32. I have enjoyed the 1/32 scale cars immensely. In many ways the 1/32 scale aspect of the hobby is very similar to HO, especially in respect to collecting and building.

Which brings me to where I am currently. I have had some limited success in terms of racing 1/32 cars, but the 1/24 scale cars are still outside my skill level. I have never been very good at building or racing 1/24 cars. Success with these cars has always eluded me. I feel I am now at a place and in a time where I have the tools and desire to try and up my game. It’s not a New Years resolution or anything, but I have a desire to switch my attention to, and put forth some effort into racing in 1/24 scale. I plan to still attend some HO and 1/32 races, but my main focus will be on 1/24. As you all know I can still be reached using the usual methods, and I’m sure you will still see me here in the Forum.

Re: Bill's Junk

Bill, that's like looking in the mirror for me. I started with a Marx 1/32 set and the next year got t-jets. I had a Cox 1/24 Chaparral that I only took to a commercial track one time. It came home badly damaged from trying to keep up with the faster cars of more experiences racers. When I hooked up with NASTE I found I could enjoy all scales of racing, but I still prefer t-jets. I really enjoy the Econo-cars as they act like big t-jets, so I go to those races. Slot car racing in this area seems to be growing right now, which is great. See ya at the races!

Re: Bill's Junk

I got a 1/32 Eldon set first.    then tyco HO and then settled on tjet and afx HO slot cars as a kid.
Like terry said when I found the naste group I was introduced to all scales of racing.   
I hope maybe next year I can get back into the 1/24 scale cars.  I have some of  the classes but need the time and parts to build the others im missing.  plus It depends on how my arm and fingers feel..... it was brought up to  build a foot throttle    that got me thinking...……...

"Due to economic cutbacks,the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off"

Re: Bill's Junk

I think I got my first set in the early 80's. It was a Tyco HO set. That is what initially set the hook....... Good to hear your stories and I will do all I can to help Bill get rid of his 1/32 cars so he can focus on 1/24! LOL

Re: Bill's Junk

You guys know I have only racing for around a year now. I have never had a lot of interest in the HO stuff, although I have owned many sets overs the years. Perhaps the T-jets with some tuning would make them more appealing to me.

Racing 1/32 has been great, and I have learned a ton for not a lot of money about what to do an what not to do.

Bill told me I needed to come 1/24 racing, because of my love of motorsport he thought I would like the technical nature of the cars. Needless to say he was right, it is definitely at the head of my list of cars to work on, parts to order etc. It isn't cheap, but man the racing is just so much fun!

We are in such a unique place to have three great 1/24 tracks to race on within 20min of eachother, I plan on capitalizing on it while I can!

Thanks for the push bill!

As notes from your statements. Preparation is definitely the only thing holding you back, I have seen you put some incredible runs together when you have a car that is working properly. If you focus in on it I am sure the results will come!

Zack

Re: Bill's Junk

Thanks for the encouragement Zack! It's great to have you involved in the slot car racing around here!

Re: Bill's Junk

Yes in deeded there is something missing when your not racing with us  Bill. life can get busy at times. I would love to build a few 1/24 cars but  I believe that they would not get much run time with me working on Saturdays...

The secondnidator

120 (edited by Mitch58 January 13, 2020 8:50 pm)

Re: Bill's Junk

I don't remember ever not having some kind of set around. I do remember that there was a track in a strip mall behind our house when I was about 5 (1963). Dad had some kind of open wheel car and he and his co-workers would race at various tracks in southern California.  The first set I remember by name was a Motorrific set that let you race your Matchbox cars by dragging them around the track with a spring, very noisy.  1967 brought in an Eldon Demolition Derby set. I loved this set but by design the cars got destroyed.
Christmas of '69 brought in a Strombecker modified figure 8 with the Porsche RSK and the green Lotus both with working headlights. Oh the hours I spent on my knees running those cars.
About 1971 Mom came home from a garage sale with my first HO set. It was huge. it wound uphill around a mountain then ran downhill into a loop, but I usually set it up as a dragstrip running diagonally across entire length of the basement. The braking area was two pillows.
Dad used to take me to Hillsboro Hobbies to race on their big track. by the time I was old enough to drive myself there was only one track left, it was on SE Stark. I went a couple of times. About the third time I went it was gone.
Other than a small HO set for my daughter in Central Oregon and a large HO set for the boys here I didn't do much until they built the drag track in Vancouver.
I met Terry through a craigslist transaction and visited Monty's and Howie's tracks once each.
Somewhere I met Bill Bostic in some kind of online chat thing and the pusher man made some kind of junky out of me.

Re: Bill's Junk

Thanks Mitch, but I like to consider myself more of an enabler than a pusher.............

After all.....I suffer from the same affliction!

Re: Bill's Junk

I've come to realize I'm pretty OK with this social distancing thing. I enjoy just being by myself, out in my shop, wading around in my flood of slot car stuff. I'm not really getting anything done, other than some Ebay sales. But I am having a good time poking around in some boxes, finding some of my stuff that has been packed away since our move two years ago, as well as finding more of Goose's stuff he had boxed away.

Here's a wooden carrying case I found years ago. I'm not sure what it was originally built for, maybe some sort of salesman's case? The wood box is nicely and professionally constructed. Inside there are plexiglass compartments, again professionally constructed. It will hold 120 plus Aurora Thunderjet cars.
http://www.naste.org/members/bill/IMG_2118hobox.jpg

I have quite a few T-Jet cars I've collected over the years. At one time years ago I had quite an extensive collection including many rare cars in mint condition. When prices and the value of those cars went through the roof I sold all of the more collectible cars. My collection now consists of mainly used and more common cars. But truth be told I like them the best because I can throw them on a track and run them without decreasing their value or worrying about damaging them. I've loved these little T-jet cars since I was 8 years old, and yes I still have some of my original cars. After 57 years they are still my favorites!
http://www.naste.org/members/bill/IMG_2116hobox.jpg

Re: Bill's Junk

hey I had about 20 of those from my childhood to up to about 20 years ago. Came home from work and saw that my wife had picked up her sisters young boys. asked what the kids were up to and she said they were in the back yard playing with a box of hot wheel cars they found in the up stairs closet . Well I to my horror  by the time i got out there they had decided it would be fun to do the old smash every thing with biggest rock trick. was very very very upset at the time. but in the same breath i should had them in a safer place.......

The secondnidator

Re: Bill's Junk

I came home from college one summer to find that my mother had given all of my Strombecker cars and track to a neighbor kid who promptly sold everything. In addition to that, Mom had given all of my comic collection (including an ORIGINAL Captain America 3D comic with the ORIGINAL glasses) away because "you had pinkeye one year and the comics were all contaminated." That Captain America issue sold for $15K at a comics trade show I dropped into while at another trade show I was working for my company. I was a little miffed with my Mom for a while...

Re: Bill's Junk

The Mom "threw it out" stories are abundant in our hobby! My story is a little bit different in that Mom would throw my stuff out, but my Grandmother would pull the stuff out of the garbage and store it away for me! When my Grandparents moved from their home of 40 years I found all kinds of toys stashed away in their attic storage areas!