# Help needed fine tuning tyco track



## gonegonzo (Jan 18, 2006)

*Fine tuning tyco track*

I have a door slab 6 lane TYCO oval track . This is the 5th year that it's been used . I always thought it to be smooth as I built it with all the precaussion I knew of . After I hosted a race on it last night , it became evident the track needs FINE TUNED . It's no longer , if ever , as smooth as I thought .

1. When building , I was very particular of every piece selected . 

2. I glued wooden shims underneath each piece to act as a shim and screwed it down to the door slab . Each screw hole was countersunk ( in the plastic and wooden shim ) so no screws were sucked thru the track .

3. I attached double sided foam/tape under each of the locking tabs to eliminate them being pushed down after connecting .

4. The rails seemed to have a nice transition to them and only a few needed pushed down and draw filed . 

5. I built it on a birch door slab which is really ridged .

What can I do to fine tune this track ? It is a door slab and I move it around from time to time . I don't really want to disassemble the track UNLESS it's absolutely a must to smooth it out . 

Thank you in advance ,
Gonzo


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## BewstdGT (Jan 4, 2005)

I certainly hope someone can help chime in. I haven't even gone to those extremes, so mine is really noisy and has a few rough spots that like to derail the cars.

What specifically do you feel needs tuned? Is it bumpy, noisy/clacky?? Just trying to clarify so others can give more specific answers.


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

Hi Tom,
I know you wrote me about this thread...

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=210466

I tried responding to your e-mail but it got sent back to me. I can't seem to get an e-mail through to you.

I updated the above thread with the current status and my thoughts on what I think can be done once you think you have done all you can by filing, etc. It will be interesting to see if any new info pops up in this thread.

What are the symptoms you are experiancing? Uneven track surface, pin getting stuck in track joints, the dreaded "rejection" (car is thrown backward out of the slot), unexplained deslots, etc. Have you tried a Microscalextric to eliminate the rails as a problem?

Joe


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## gonegonzo (Jan 18, 2006)

The track was smooth and fast before storing in 5 months back . It's been dry and never bumped etc . 

Now , it's bumpy and some of the rails are uneven though I have most of them fixed now . Some of the joints seem to be slightly opened up but not rejecting any cars .

There are many unexplained deslots .

Unless I can massage it back into shape , I'm going to have to pull the track up and re-lay it . I'm trying to avoid that .

Gonzo


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Temperature swings will do strange stuff!! I hope you can get it straightened out without much more hassle. Keeping my fingers crossed for ya!


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

Here's an idea I started tossing around yesterday...Tape the inside of the slot!

The ultimate solution to making plastic track smooth would be a continuous "U" shaped liner inside the slot. Unless you can get that custom made and tested, it isn't practical. But, what if you applied a very thin tape to each wall of the slot spanning many pieces at once?

Because McMaster-Carr has a great website for locating product, I started looking yesterday for tape which might suit this application. A quick seach showed me 1/4" was the thinnest tape width. This should work as the slot is 1/8" deep and the other 1/8" could go along the track surface - if you get differerent color tape, it could double as lane striping.

I saw Super-Slippery Tefon tape with a thickness of only .0035". While this would reduce the slot width if applied, it might be worth testing. The math shows it would reduce a 1/16" slot (.0625") to .888/16" (.0555). I think I'll give it a whirl next time I order from them. Of course, you could always run a simple test using any thin tape you happen to have lying around the house.

Here's the link:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#surface-protection-tape/=q2sf7k

Joe


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## gonegonzo (Jan 18, 2006)

Thx Joe . I saved it in my files . I'll give it a try as well .

Gonzo


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