# Grinding the Letters from Mattel Track



## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

I finally got around to grinding down (off?) the raised letter molded onto the surface of new style Mattel track. It turned out about as well as could be expected. The area being ground down doesn't mar the surface much and takes less than 2 minutes per piece. So if you ever though about doing this, give it a try.

I did it by putting a hand drill into a simple drill press and using a grinding stone. The drill press was only used to hold the drill in place as each piece was taken to the stone.

I never knew whether or not the raised letter effected all cars, but it's hard to imagine it not having a negative effect. The event that made me do this was when I chipped the airdam on an old Aurora G-Plus; the airdam was low enough to hit the letter. The body was in pristine shape for over 30 years before these letters got to it.

For those familiar with the new Mattel track, it seems the 9" 1/8 curve (G) has the highest letter, while the 12" 1/8 curve (J) has the lowest. I also noticed that not all the pieces are made of the same plastic. Some pieces will grind down easier than others.

These molded letters have my vote as the stupidest design decision in the history of slotdom - by far.

Thanks...Joe


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Yeah . . . not terribly bright. :freak: I am actually quite surprised they didn't add a raised Hot Wheels logo too while they were at it.


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

I ground mine off with a file. They should put these on the back of the track.


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