126

(33 replies, posted in Slot Talk)

I finished applying the clear coat to my latest Ebay box.

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/Jan2026e.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/Jan2026a.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/Jan2026c.jpg

It doesn't look any different but, it is sealed now so the exterior won't regrade further.

127

(14 replies, posted in Rapid Raceway)

I managed to get a few photos during the race.

Pre-race everyone was preparing their cars.
http://www.naste.org/members/bill/RapidJan3_2026.jpg

Terry and Bill working the turns.
http://www.naste.org/members/bill/RapidJan3_2026f.jpg

Mike ran a great race finishing third.
http://www.naste.org/members/bill/RapidJan3_2026e.jpg

Rapid Raceway is a fast and challenging course!
http://www.naste.org/members/bill/RapidJan3_2026h.jpg

The race monitor is positioned well for all the racers to keep track of the race info.
http://www.naste.org/members/bill/RapidJan3_2026i.jpg

Drivers and turn marshals were focussed during this event!
http://www.naste.org/members/bill/RapidJan3_2026o.jpg

I just received this message from Jim Mitchell today.

"Hello Slot Racers,

I am happy to announce that Dust Devil Slot Cars is now open, up and running as of 10:00 A.M. Dec. 26, 2025.

The track is an eight-lane circuit, around 155 feet long. There is a "Parts Department" for sales, service, and repairs. Power outlets are located at all driver pit tables and there is plenty of seating / parking, slot car displays, and memorabilia.

We will be running:  CAN/AM, Le Mans, and Sports Cars classes, all in hard body and Lexan body. The Trans-AM challenge class will be Lexan only.

Dust off some of those old slot cars which have not been used in years, and come have fun with them again!!!

We are located in Powell Butte, (in Central Oregon, 97753)

Thanks for your interest,
Jim."

I was lucky enough to get a look at Jim's new shop and the track before it was completely set up. This is a top notch racing facility! I am looking forward to getting in some laps here!

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/Dust_Devils_Bend.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/Dust_Devils_Bend_b.jpg

Awesome Cobra GT Jim! Great job on the paint Nicki!

130

(4 replies, posted in Cars)

I can't argue with you on the FCR based cars. However, I tried the H&R chassis (both the early versions and the later versions) and they are junk! With that said, in Roseburg they race a couple of different classes using modified H&R chassis. They add thick brass side pans bolted to the sides of the chassis. They also race an Indy Car class cutting the chassis to fit model car Indy Car bodies. They seem to like them.

From time to time I get questions about Inslot's Checkered Flag. Here are some of the more common questions and answers:

Q). What is the total lap length?

A). 81.833 feet (on centerline)
     Red lane = 81' 11 3/4"
     White lane = 81' 10 1/4"
     Blue lane = 81' 9 1/4"
     Yellow lane = 81' 9"

Q). How long is the longest straight?

A). 17 feet.

Q). What is the track voltage?

A). 13.4 volts = RV Power Converter Charger.

Q). What is the depth of the track braid.

A). The braid is recessed approximately .030".

132

(1 replies, posted in Gorge Raceway)

Thanks Bob for making this race happen! It was a lot of fun with super close racing! Your track is perfect for Womp racing!

I still have a few Le Mans and Can Am legal bodies on hand.

I have 2 new kits available! $65 each.

Most of the bodies have been sold. A very select few left in 1/24 and some Womp suitable bodies.

136

(33 replies, posted in Slot Talk)

I'd like to have one! Will it fit on the side of a box?

137

(33 replies, posted in Slot Talk)

That sounds like a good plan Steven! They are definitely worth the work!

138

(33 replies, posted in Slot Talk)

I think the box is looking pretty good after applying the Mod Podge. The directions on the bottle say "4 weeks curing time". Since I applied so much Mod Podge to the entire box, I am going to give it the entire recommended cure time before I apply the final clear coats. I will post updated photos after the clear finish has been applied.

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/SBNov2025s.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/SBNov2025t.jpg

That fuzzy/foggy circle is not on the box. Must have been something on the camera lens.

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/SBNov2025u.jpg

139

(33 replies, posted in Slot Talk)

Here's some inside pictures for you Mike. This box has been used, abused, and loved!

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/SBNov2025n.jpg

The inside ain't pretty, but I will be leaving it just as it is.

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/SBNov2025o.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/SBNov2025p.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/SBNov2025q.jpg

Yup, this one is the real deal; Hoffman!

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/SBNov2025r.jpg

140

(33 replies, posted in Slot Talk)

After letting the Mod Podge dry for 30 minutes or so, things are looking pretty good!

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/SBNov2025h.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/SBNov2025i.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/SBNov2025j.jpg

I put a second coat of Mod Podge over the decals and stickers.

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/SBNov2025k.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/SBNov2025l.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/SBNov2025m.jpg

141

(33 replies, posted in Slot Talk)

Well here it is the day before the race. I have roughly 24 hours to prepare my cars for racing at Rob's Redline Raceway. And what am I doing you might ask? Well I am working on my newest slot car pit box acquisition.....of course.....

I got this one off of Ebay. The stickers is what got me! I love slot boxes from the past, especially when they have been decorated with cool stickers by the previous owner! This box in particular really called to me. When I was 12 I was introduced to the 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396 that a friend of my mother's owned. It was the second "muscle" car I had even ridden in! And I rode in this one a lot! As in all the way across the USA. Virginia to Portland and back! Anyway that one vintage sticker got me to pay way too much for this box, as it goes on Ebay when there is something you really want!

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/SBNov2025a.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/SBNov2025b.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/SBNov2025c.jpg

I knew from the photos the box was well used and a little rough.......It arrived yesterday and after unboxing it was clear it was definitely a little rough. Since my main interest in this box is the stickers sanding it all down to refinish is not a pleasant thought. That to me is turning a priceless piece of history into a $50 box (which I already paid more than $100 for!).......In the past I have used a product called Mod Podge to seal vintage photos of advertisements for slot car items to pit wooden boxes. It has worked well for me. With this box it appears it had some sort of clear coat applied years ago. The clear coat had yellowed, become brittle, and started flaking off. I used a plastic bristle brush to knock off the loose stuff. I was careful to do as little damage to the old stickers as possible. The top of the box was in the worst shape with a damage already done to the stickers. Once the loose stuff was knocked off I applied Mod Podge over the entire surface of the box, sides, top, and back. My hope is to seal what's left of the old stickers to the wood and then give the whole box a good coat of clear. We'll see how it goes.........

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/SBNov2025d.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/SBNov2025e.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/SBNov2025f.jpg

After about 30 minutes the Mod Podge is starting to dry, and it's looking pretty promising.

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/SBNov2025g.jpg

142

(8 replies, posted in Cars)

Here's an update on the Beau Vette, Steven Ennis who now owns the yellow Vette, commissioned a new chassis from Jim Mitchell in Redmond. The original chassis got separated from the body some years ago. Unfortunately I never documented the original chassis when I took the photos of the car during Beau and Howie's visit. I look forward to seeing this car on the track once again! KUDOS to Steven for resurecting this beauty!

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/BeausVette.jpg

Thanks Bob for the fun racing today! The new guys are getting faster....I'm not.....I see trouble ahead!

Here's a couple pictures I took...
http://www.naste.org/members/bill/GorgeNov22c.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/GorgeNov22d.jpg

More photos from the Porsche 962 race at Rapid Raceway.
http://www.naste.org/members/bill/rapid962nov2025_9.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/rapid962nov2025_10.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/rapid962nov2025_3.jpg

What a fun race we had at Howie's last night! The racing was so fast and so close! Most all of the field was posting lap times under 4.7 seconds! That is very fast!

Here's a few photos I snapped.
http://www.naste.org/members/bill/rapid962nov2025_5.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/rapid962nov2025_6.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/rapid962nov2025_7.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/rapid962nov2025_8.jpg

Geof is considering purchase.

Although it was not the Feature Race of the evening, it was definitely the most popular!

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/REDLINENOV172025MON10.jpg

This was the largest field of Midgets we've had at The Redline since the class was introduced. These things are big fun! The racing action is crazy! Wild wrecks with the cars tumbling and flipping brings the volume way up in the room (mostly laughing!). It is amazing to me how durable these cars are! With many crashes and wrecks the only noted damage was on just three of the cars. One car lost the rear chrome "cage" piece (came off but didn't break), one car's driver lost his left arm (again, came off but didn't break anything), and one car in a trip off the track and onto the floor, ended up with the rear of the chassis bent. The chassis got bent but there was no damage to, or loss of any of the plastic chrome pieces!

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/REDLINENOV172025MON11.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/REDLINENOV172025MON12.jpg

Again, more really close racing! Only 9 laps separated first place from fifth place! These cars have plenty of power for what they are (think, bad handling Womps!). This is truly a driver's class, and Bob showed us who was the best driver! Bob completed his clean sweep of the night scoring his third win, and third PASER WEENER Point (PASER sponsors the Weekly Winner (WEENER Points) Point racing). Mike was only three laps behind Bob in second.

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/REDLINENOV172025MON15.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/REDLINENOV172025MON13.jpg

Four races were able to post sub-five second laps!

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/REDLINENOV172025MON16.jpg

By the end of the race we had all spent some time laughing, howling, and shouting in excitement! What a great time it was! Thank you Rob for providing us the opportunity to race on your fantasticly fast track, and eat your awesome hot dogs and cookies! Thanks to all the racers for the great competition and comradery! Great times, great people!

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/REDLINENOV172025MON3.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/REDLINENOV172025MON14.jpg

After completing the Old Man Race, and grabbing some of Rob's awesome hot dogs for dinner, we moved pretty quickly to the Feature Race.......On a side note; Doc brought some of his fantastic famous salsa to this race. His salsa made my hot dog even better! Thanks Doc!

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/REDLINENOV172025MON2.jpg

The Feature Race was for the Flexi Class. These cars took some adjustment and recalibration by drivers because they are so fast on the Redline! After a few initial laps all the drivers were dialed in and haulin' the donkeys! This was yet another really close race with the top three all within 2 laps of each other. It was only another 4 and 5 laps back to fourth and fifth. In the end it was Bob taking his second win of the night, with Bill Henry only one lap behind him in second.

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/REDLINENOV172025MON8.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/REDLINENOV172025MON9.jpg

For this Monday's racing, Midgets were the talk of the night! We had a great turn out as far as racers with a total of 10! Most of us "Old Guys" had showed up by 3:00 PM. True to the mystique of the old guy culture, the "Old Man" race scheduled for 3:30 PM did not get gridded up until sometime around 4:00 PM, or maybe it was 4:30 PM......Hey, we're old and we don't care!

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/REDLINENOV172025MON1.jpg

The 1/32 Open Production Class was scheduled for the Old Man Race with 9 racers participating. The tuning of these cars is being more refined each time this class is raced. Doc, Mike, and Bob are three of the best builders and tuners. Since the cars are based on factory cars, tuning is essential in getting the maximum performance out of them. These cars are becoming faster than I ever figured possible. 

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/REDLINENOV172025MON4.jpg

For the Old Man Race we ran one round of 3 minute heats. Battles on the track were fast and close! The top four were within 6 laps of each other! Bob took the win over Rob by just 3 laps. However, Rob posted the fastest lap in every lane! Rob was the only racer to break the 4 second barrier!

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/REDLINENOV172025MON5.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/REDLINENOV172025MON6.jpg

To date this is the most useful soldering block I have used. It is made for jewelry work and is available on Amazon. There are two sizes, and this is the largest size. It will withstand the heat from a torch for soldering the thicker flat brass. The pins for locating and securing your work are also available on Amazon (metal pins for dental lab honeycomb firing trays).

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/chassistools1a.jpg