We still slot race during the winter. There's tracks all over the country, you just gotta look for 'em.
Hi-Anybody need any Strombecker track or acessories? I have a "TON". Banked turns,jumps,lemans starts_all cheap.Probably 125/150 pieces of straight track-probably that many curves. E-mail me. Bobbya312@yahoo.com
Another one of my obsessions. http://s159.photobucket.com/albums/t121/bmweuro/Toy Collection HO SLOT CARS/?start=all
The Teather Car thread got me thinkin' that maybe a few HAMB guys are into Slotcars, the search function proved me right. Yes there should be a in the garage instead of a 8" X 20" replica of Vaca Valley Raceway, but my hobbies somtimes get outta hand. Right now it has a few empty carboard boxes and some car parts on it... maybe I'll take care of that tonight. Who's up for drinkin' beer and smashin' little plastic cars?
I think the place was Family Hobby on E14th in S.L. My mom worked there in the 60's, she also used to rewind motors @ the Muir shop ( As in Muir Willys gasser truck fame). I would go there in the 70's & watch.
Thanks 1badnov ... Yep "Family Hobby" in San Leandro was one of the tracks that we frequented ... but I remember going to other Bay Area tracks as well ... I thought there was also one in Hayward (closer to Union City) ... and maybe one in the South Bay?
MFP2241 (Allan), Very cool track! ... and yes, there should be a car in your garage! ... is there anyway you could suspend the track from the garage ceiling when you're not racin' slots? I have the opposite "problem" ... a 3-car garage with 3 cars in it ... but no where to set up my slot car track (for my kids ) ... your layout inspires me!
hey Hemi32 didn't you ever go to the hobby shop in Glenmoor shopping center? it was kind of by the post office. remember the owner with the little arms? I can remember buying my models there but never had a slot car though my brother did.
Yep ... I remember him ... bought my models from him too ... but wasn't his shop next to U-Save Variety? ... or was it near the Glenmoor Barber Shop? ... or the Glenmoor Schwinn Bicycle shop? ... or near Mr. Wilson's Glenmoor Hardware? ... Damn, I hate to sound like an old man, but those were sure the good ole days! ... I sure miss that shopping center ... now it's full of cookie cutter $900K+ homes (with foreclosure signs out front ). Oh ... we're getting way O/T here ... Did your brother build his own slot cars and race at a public track ... or did he have home raceway sets (HO, 1:32, 1:24)? ... Remember King Norman toys at the Fremont Hub? ... damn, you've got me going O/T again!
his shop was in the little mall area by El Patio. (not sure if el Patio was there at the same time) I'd say you walked out the back door of the Schwinn shop and his shop was straight across the aisle. my brother still has his slot car... it was one of those clear plastic bodies that you paint the insides. i think it was a sprint car type of thing. not sure what the chassis was.
I had to make a trip to Pampa, Texas for work about a month ago and found a track there. They have a road course and a dragstrip. Here's the info on the place: Slot Car Speedway 1211 N Hobart St. Pampa, Tx 79065 (806) 669-2226 Still packed up somewhere at my folks house I have an Eldon dragstrip and road course. I also have about 12 cars, most of them are stock, but a couple of them are custom built cars. My favorite ones by far though are the two dragsters that have the pick-ups that pivot for wheelies. The best part of it is that I bought it all at a garage sale in the early eighties for $10. Now that I've seen some of the other layouts on this post I've got to go get them and build a suspended track in my gargage!
For those of you in Colorado. This Saturday will be some Slot car drag madness. Here is the link for the info. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=291642
Back in 1966, our local track had a big road course and a drag strip. I had Cox rheostat and a bunch of 1/24 cars, including an Asp like the one above, some Russkit tube-chassis cars (and a Russkit chassis jig), a Cox Chaparral 2D, and an early hard-plastic Monogram '40 Ford pickup. We used to de-wind several turns off of the motors, epoxy the windings to keep them from grenading, and then statically-balance them on razor blades. I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned the old Bellflower Raceway, in Bellflower, California. From what I remember in the old slot car magazines, that was one of the biggest and best slot car tracks ever built. Dave http://www.roadsters.com/
There is a big track in Riverview, FL. Here is a shot of a 1/32 stock car I made back in about 1965. The model Ford body was from a kit made by Aurora, I think, and it came with all the dents molded in! It is the only slot car I kept but it hasn't turned a wheel since then. Gary
They had a place in Ottawa IL. when I was growing up. 5 lane 1/32 and 1/24 cars. I would go down an watch my Uncle race. He had a cool Pit Kit with a GT-40 he built from a body he bought in the mail. In 1991 at Morris IL. a track was going strong. New style 1/32 cars man how the changed since the 60's they had a drag strip also. It's gone now but what a lot of fun those cars were.
You didn't get the sly Spinal Tap Stonehenge ref huh? The whole deal comes apart and loads onto a 4' x 8' steel frame. Something that will fit into the back of a pick-up in case I ever need to sell or move it. Now if you think I'm bad my buddy has a 8-lane Hillclimb in his shop! He actually had to add on 7' to fit this 40 x 15 beast in his garage.
I had that kit! Aurora called it "Demolition Demon" I bought it for .89 cents at a 7-11. They had a stack of them. I never saw it for sale anywhere else again.
Wow memories... Back around 64 I got involved with slots. First with the Monogram 1/32 track and later the 1/24th. Helped install some of the early tracks in Huntsville, Al even though I was just a kid. Did it all. Built chassis, wound motors. I was really pretty good but a bunch of the NASA engineers started racing and I just couldn't compete with guys that build moon rockets. Still had a blast. Still have my controller but the cars got away over the years. Remember the goo you put on your tires for added traction??
oooh... slot cars. I've had a few 60's slot car tracks over the last few years for resale on ebay. I only had a full set of track and a car that worked once in about 5 or 6 sets. makes me want to buy the next one I see at a swap meet and take it home.
iv raced slot cars since i was 9 years old, i basically lived at uncle kals underground in monrovia ca, stopped for a few years got back into it, stopped again then started racing at buena park after uncle kals closed. my parents spent thousands of dollars in parts and entry fees but its so much fun. and winning every race and getting your money back doesnt hurt either.
if any one wants to identify their old car and see some amazing craftmanship you should check out electricdreams.com its really cool.
we started screwing around with Aurora slot cars at the hobby shop you could tweak those vibrating parts the would go faster or slower or just sat there Next we took AMT 1/24 model kits and used ho train motors with contact wires, geared the rear axle, we built a 20 foot slotted wood track with copper strips in a guys attic in Chicago, the guys at the hobby shop dreamed this up because of the Aurora cars were to small the cars had rubber tires all they way around, lot of fun they really hauled
It was called Celebrity Fun Center! I remember going there for my cousins birthday party to swim and on the way out we watched the cars. i was probably 7 or 8.
I love that video too ! Bob, on Beach Blvd. in Stanton there's a place thats been there forever called "HOBBY CITY". I seem to remember them having a slot car track there back in the 70's.
Back in the late 70's; and most of the 80's, me and my pal's would go to a hobby shop/slot car track/skateboard shop - called Tom Thumb on Davis St. in Evanston IL. We used to race slot cars there, as well as buy our skate decks/trucks etc. Matter of fact; I saw John Cusack there a few times. Haven't been around Evanston in a spell, so I don't know if TT is still operating?
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