SlotIt- Mclaren-M8D - Tune ?

[Florida_Slotter]

RM,

Well my friend, I have the second car in the photos at the top of your post. The "Led Zepplin" car, at least to me< is something special. Being one of those "mature Individuals", I certainly do enjoy listening to that band's music. One of my favorites by them includes "Stairway to Heaven" (a feeling shared by many other fans). I do believe this car is a tribute to that song.

To start with, let me say that what I like in a slot car might not be the same feel that you like, but I will continue on with my setup hoping you will like it.

The first thing I do is remove the factory rear tires and put them in the "Old Factory Tire Box" for safe keeping. I then glue a set of Paul 20115 XPG tires on to the rims, then true them to the same diameter as the original tires. To make my job easier, I remove the body from the chassis for this step.

Once that is complete, I make sure the guide centers itself. By that I want to make sure that the turn marshal need not pick the car off the track's surface just to make sure the guide is centered so they can return the car to the racing action. To accomplish this, I simply free the lead wires on both sides. Then I turn the guide to full lock - your choice, either right or left. Then I remove almost all slack in the wire that is connected to opposite side of the guide of the direction you turned the guide. If you turned the guide to the left lock, then I pull almost all the slack our of the right side wire and dress it in place. Repeat for the other side by turning the guide full lock to the opposite as the previous adjustment. Once there is an equal amount of slack on both sides, the guide should self-center. If not, check to make sure the guide post is not too tight, or if there something keeping it from moving freely.

Next comes setting the front ride height. I think this is one of the most important aspects of chassis setup when you are running on MDF without magnets. The track I run on uses tape for power. I got some tape and put it on my setup block as having it right makes such a difference in the chassis.

To have the car ready for the front ride height, first make sure the guide braid is flat against the guide flag. I know that most braid is pulled down, and that will mess up your setup.

I use M2 x 3mm grub screws for the top of the axle. Insert one into the provided holes on both sides of the chassis. Turn them to the right until the front tires can just be turned with a light pressure from your fingers. Once both sides are finished, then insert M2 x 3mm grub screws into the provided holes in the bottom of the chassis and tighten them until they start to cause friction against the axle. Once that happens back them off about an eighth of a turn. Double check your work by spinning the front wheels. They should be free and turn nicely. Remember, friction is your enemy here.

Put the car back together, place it on the track and enjoy.

Hope this helps.

[Lenny Broke]

Hi Roger
Talk to your brother!
Alan