Inslot's Checkered Flag Raceway - Renovation (Page 2 of 8)

Will do Tommy! Thanks!

well you are getting further than I have. I way over built my table and only can get so much done before it is way to hot to work..
all the plywood and side boards are off just need to break down the table frames  and start the new table build..

I was out early again this morning to try to beat the heat. The shop stays nice and cool, but I had some 2x4s to cut and I like to do those cuts outside.

Once I had the doors closed back up to keep the heat out, I got started on the removal of the hairpin turn. First I pulled the braid up and dug out the screws joining the track surface pieces. The paper I had stuffed into the screw recess hole before applying the bondo worked out really well. I was able to easily expose the screw heads and did not have to dig bondo out of the phillips heads!

I installed two temporary legs to help support the curve section on its own. Then I removed the two bolts and nuts, and the screws holding the hairpin to the rest of the track tabletop. The curve separated easily once I had removed ALL the screws.

Looking good Bill

Up early, 8 cups, then out to the shop!

That knife is my go to all purpose tool! When damage needs to be done it'll do it! Between that and my saws-all, I'm good to go!

I'm going to try to get some serious work done this week. I have no schedule yet because I'm also trying to work in days to take my Granddaughter driving. The driving days are harder to schedule because of my Granddaughter's spur of the moment schedule!

You’ve been busy, nice job.

Wow, looks like you are adding about 15' of track to the layout.

Thanks Howie, I figured you'd be gone this week. I've been getting some of the easier stuff done that I can accomplish by myself while working in "other" projects (bush trimming, trip to the dump, driving with my Granddaughter while she has her permit).......

It will be an 11 to 12 foot lap length increase when it is all said and done.

It definitely helps relieve a little stress Doc!

I don't have much to show for today's efforts. I spent a little extra time trying to find materials. It seems as though every time I restore or re-construct an existing track I find myself wondering if it would have just been easier to start over from scratch. Today some of the "challenges" that come up when re-constructing an existing track made themselves known. First off this track surface is 5/8 inch MDF. Now the easiest way to make changes in the layout is to use like materials, so that all the joint line up easily. Well guess what, I found out after visiting Home Depot and our local lumber yard, 5/8 inch MDF is no longer easy to find. So I went with 3/4 inch MDF. I'll use 1/2 inch plywood for the tabletop instead of the 5/8 inch used on the rest of the tabletop. This should put my track surface joints even where the track is flat to the tabletop. Where the straight from the exit of the banked curve comes down the hill, I will have to do some fancy shimming to make the 5/8 inch roadbed flush with the 3/4 inch roadbed.

The next challenge was with the 180 degree hairpin. As the hairpin was originally mounted to the tabletop. the entry into the corner was elevated making for downhill travel through the curve. With the layout reconfiguration the lead into the hairpin will be with a flat transition. This meant I had to remove all the screws screwing the MDF roadbed to the tabletop. Not terribly difficult but time consuming. I used a magnet (I've found many "useful" uses for 1/32 slot car traction magnets) to locate the screws, and then dug out the bondo covering them with a knife so I could remove them. I had to remove almost every screw so I could knock out the shim materials under the roadbed. The profile for this curve will be totally opposite of what it was originally.

So now it's hot and I'm done for the day!

I cut and installed a couple 2x4s in the framework for cross bracing.

In this photo you can see the 18 or so screws I had to remove to get the shims out from under the roadbed.

This shows the original profile of the corner when it was positioned at the exit of the banked turn. Not gonna work where it is located now!

This is a very good question Doc, one I have contemplated myself. I guess it's just nostalgia. I want to retain as much of the original track and its history as possible. It would probably be easier to just re-route a new corner, and it would only cost an additional $30 for another sheet of MDF. But there's that stubborn part of me I constantly deal with, and there's the "challenge" part of the endeavor..........We'll see how it goes, it's not over yet.....

What I accomplished today:
1. Another trip to Home Depot (and NOT finding what I actually wanted......again....).
2. Another trip to the lumber yard (to get what I actually needed at about the same price as Home Depot....if they had it).
3. Cut, fit, and installed tabletop plywood surface.
4. Added additional 2x4 bracing to the tabletop framework.
5. Played around with lane designs to reconnect the hairpin turn to the rest of the layout (most fun part).

I used 1/2" plywood (OK, 15/32") for the tabletop. The original portion is 5/8", which you can't find anymore. Even 1/2" and 3/4" is undersized by 1/32" now days. I mean come on, how much can 1/32" actually save them?

Here you can see where I drew in the proposed new slots that will tie the hairpin curve back into the rest of the course.