# Desert Motorsports



## DesertSlot (May 8, 2009)

Howdy! This thread will be the saga of a middle aged man attempting to become an HO slotcar modifier! LOL Me, along with my clumsy fingers are about to delve into the world of microscopic enhancement. Wish me luck!

Project 1 Replace stock Yenko grills with after market chrome grills from RRR. I know it's a simple task but it's a start!










It came out well and I think it's a great improvement.

Next projects will be doing some white lettered tires and putting racing stripes on my Road Runners. Hopefully over the weekend. My first attempt at white letters didn't fair well. My daughter says I need one of those magnifying glass stands. Maybe a microscope!


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Harbor freight sells a nice one for a decent price. It is lit by a florescent light and everything! It works pretty good, but the clumsy fingers are magnified as well, as I have found out! :lol: It takes some getting used to!


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Glad to see yer jumping in the game with the rest of us slot-tards! Dont sweat the small stuff and dont sweat the big stuff, just hack-n-chop yer way to the other side like the rest of us.

Whats the worst that could happen?


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

You end up with a small pile of plastic catastrophies like I have!! :lol:


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## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

Don't get down on yourself as you start this adventure. I'm sure everyone who's preceded you has a list of horror stories they experienced as they developed their skills over time and trial and error. Just remember, you can start over in most cases. Plus you have this resource at you disposal anytime you run into a problem that you think is insurmountable. Just have fun and remember, PIX are required, as we are a visual bunch on this board. :dude: rr


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## kiwidave (Jul 20, 2009)

Well done, nice set of cars! Just jump into it and have a go! I learn everything by mistakes!!!!!!


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## DesertSlot (May 8, 2009)

Thanks guys! Thanks for the encouragement. I hope to be chronicling my exploits here. Of course I'll have pictures!


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

I am just teasing DS!! My unique way of customizing does tend to leave a trail of CARnage :freak: behind me!!! :tongue: As far as the regular customizing genre goes, my score card does look a lot better..  Don't be nervous. With in a short time you'll be laying down paint jobs that rival the best of us. There are numerous trick, hints, and ideas floating around here, and our buddies in die cast always have something up there sleeve to help in the inspiration department too. Hobby Talk is a vast wealth of knowledge that I'm proud to say I'm a part of. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Hilltop Raceway (Feb 12, 2006)

Glad to see you fixed the grill screwup DS :thumbsup::thumbsup: Somebody on that design team should have been fired. Instead of delving, just go ahead and jump in, make a big splash. We all screwup, at least I do, just part of the process. Keep those pics coming...RM


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Great mod DS :thumbsup:
Glad to see a fellow Texan in the customs thread.
Can't wait to see what other ideas you have.

Rich


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## bobhch (Apr 22, 2007)

*Those grill jobs are a great improvement on what is a very nice Camaro body...*



DesertSlot said:


> Thanks guys! Thanks for the encouragement. I hope to be chronicling my exploits here. Of course I'll have pictures!


Pictures............Whooooooooooooopie!!!!!!!! Now you are talking. 

Bob...Welcome to Alices' Restaraunt! You can make any slot car you want at Alices' Restaraunt...zilla


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## DesertSlot (May 8, 2009)

BTW, those Yenkos have brand new SRT's and silicones all the way around. Bud sent me a few front sillies to try because the Viper I bought way back wouldn't fit my chassis and I told him I wouldn't bother sending it back. I tried the fronts on a used chassis and they seem to make a difference. I'll probably buy some more.

I got some clear coat at town yesterday! I'll be working on the Road Runners this weekend! The stripes I got had a few scratches on them even though they were well packed. The scratches are only on one end of a couple of them so I think I can use the good sides. I'm gonna stripe the Green Shelby too, maybe.


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## win43 (Aug 28, 2006)

Nice grills :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## 1scalevolvo (Feb 5, 2004)

:wave: Welcome to the Hobby !

:thumbsup:Great work !

Neal:dude:


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## resinmonger (Mar 5, 2008)

Sweet!!!! There can not be too many sano garages here. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## DesertSlot (May 8, 2009)

*Stripes!*

Howdy! Well I had some good luck and some bad luck today. For the bad, I ruined two glasses, smudged the stripe on the back of the Yellow RR and put too much clear on my green Shelby! Bummer. For the good, my Road Runners came out pretty nice, minus the one glass. I ruined the glass putting oops! on the mounting posts to help loosen the glue to remove them. The Shelby really looked good with stripes on the hood and rockers (Dark Green w/White) but then I must have gone crazy with the clear!


















All in all it was a good day for my initial attempts. Now I got the bug! 

Top Heavy Shelby!


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## kiwidave (Jul 20, 2009)

Cool, you have a good eye for detail. I learn everything by mistakes!!!


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## brownie374 (Nov 21, 2007)

What are you using for clear?I like thr future dip and shake method!


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## DesertSlot (May 8, 2009)

Thanks Dave! I put the glass from the yellow one on the red so now I have two pretty good cars. I also was able to clean up the rear of the yellow one a little. I'm thinking of soaking the Shelby and starting over maybe but I'll have to get more decals and the last soaking I tried didn't come out very well.


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

DUDE! Great start!

NOW RELAX! Do something else and let that green thing dry thoroughly.

Mask yer chrome carefully. Wet sand until the goobs are gone. Wash carefully and remask. Respray. It'll be fine! Really!


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## DesertSlot (May 8, 2009)

I'm using Krylon Crystal Clear. 

Thanks Bill! Yeah, I'll be working on the Shelby. I might just strip it down and start over. Last night, I stripped a Javelin. I'll be painting it this week.


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## resinmonger (Mar 5, 2008)

Krylon has a great propsenity to over coat. I had that problem with 1:43rd models. You are thinking "almost there, one more light pass" and the next thing you say is "holy ceramic, Boy Wonder!" Trust me, you are in no way the first to go down this road.

Russ the too glossy Hutt :freak:


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## tjd241 (Jan 25, 2004)

*Future .... just a dab will do ya!* nd


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## DesertSlot (May 8, 2009)

*White Letters*



















I did some white letters tonight. Here is the first one. A few more coming up. I clear coated them but when you re-mount them you have to be careful not to bend them. I also discovered a tooth pick comes in handy when adjusting them.


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## kiwidave (Jul 20, 2009)

Cool, I love lettered tires. I think they make a big difference!!


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## DesertSlot (May 8, 2009)

*More*

They didn't come out as good as I wanted but it was fun and a good experience.


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## DesertSlot (May 8, 2009)

Thanks Dave. I'll be doing this again some time soon with experience!


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## WesJY (Mar 4, 2004)

Yeah!! I always love white lettered tires.. I do have a real ones on my cherokee jeep! 

Wes


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## bobhch (Apr 22, 2007)

*Good news: DesertSlot is posting up kewl pics!!!!*

I am digging the colors and stipe jobs! These look very nice to me with white letter tires to boot. Never had any luck putting those on but, I may try it again after seeing these pictures.

Bob...havin fun eh?...zilla


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## Hilltop Raceway (Feb 12, 2006)

Be sure and stop by the all new "DesertSlot OneStop TireShop", just opened!!! Great deal's on white lettered tires!!! Thought I'd put in a plug for ya. Great looking tires!!! I've always liked letters myself...Are those decals are transfers??? RM


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## win43 (Aug 28, 2006)

Very nice looking stuff. 

I too have made the overkill of spray clearcoating.


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

*Corrective measures*

Ya know...

When it happens it's kinda like driving on ice...rather than hitting the brakes...try mashing the gas and steering like a monkey on crack.

I've been known to blow runs and excess off of projects using....yup ...you guessed it ...more paint! Ya gotta show no fear squeeze the trigger, then direct the movement of the fluid almost as though you were pressure washing the mistake away. Aim or direct it to a point where the excess will drop off cleanly OR to an area where the boo boo can easily be sanded off and buffed into oblivion. 

This technique can also be used by using just the air blast from your DA airbrush. Ya just ease the trigger back using only air (dont engage the fluid portion of the needle stroke) and blow mistakes, bugs, and boogers off the workpiece. Then reload the blown off area with paint and make a blending pass over the still viscous area to reconstitute the initial and secondary passes. 

Doesnt always work... but if you project is still in a viscous state it's been known to work. So long as you are working wet on wet, in most cases you'll be OK if you just mellow out and dont panic. Certainly you only have a small time window to react, but the more you paint, the more relaxed you'll be when the eventual rears it's ugly head. Oviously it's too late if your paint film has flashed... your goose is cooked anyway.

If there's any one trick to painting... it's preperation THAT doesnt just mean that you have washed, primed and sanded the workpiece! Preperation more so in the BoyScout idea...that it's not so much IF it will happen but rather ...WHEN it happens you'll be loose and ready to react.


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## DesertSlot (May 8, 2009)

Hilltop Raceway said:


> Be sure and stop by the all new "DesertSlot OneStop TireShop", just opened!!! Great deal's on white lettered tires!!! Thought I'd put in a plug for ya. Great looking tires!!! I've always liked letters myself...Are those decals are transfers??? RM


Thanks for the plug! They are decals. I forgot where I got them but when I find it, I'll let ya all know.

Yeah Bill, I think I did that with models when I was a kid. I bought some Pine Sol today. But, I'm not gonna strip it yet. I'd like to keep the original green if it doesn't strip too much. I'm out of white stripes now too. have to order more. I got paint for a couple of Camaros and GN's so they'll be comin' up. I'll take before during and after shots.


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## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

Dave,
Here's a tip so you can still use that Krylon clear you've bought. When I do up a custom, after the prep and I get the first coats of paint down and need to start the detailing, to protect the basic paint I hit the bod with a light one or two coats of Krylon. After that sets, I hit the detailing; bare metal foil, details painted if needed, no decals yet. Next, since I only use cans, I pull out the Testors Gloss clearcoat. Do a nice coat, generally one but no more than two. Once this has dried, decals go on and anything else I may have missed detailing. Once all this has set for a day or so or when I remember to go back to that job, a dip or two in the Future wax. Let it dry and she is done. If I need more gloss, another dip. I do it this way to save on decals I used to screw up using "Too Hot Clearcoats" for the various decals available. I haven't screwed up any decals with this process. Plus, I've been able to use that case of Krylon CC I bought awhile back.  rr


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## DesertSlot (May 8, 2009)

Great tips RR. Thanks! I forgot to get the future today. It will be weeks before I get another chance. My problem was not waiting for the clear to dry. I get too anxious. Now, I will have a number of projects going and will try to be patient. I screwed up two tires and numerous tire decals doing my tires. Tomorrow, I'll be posting some before pictures and doing a light first coat of color on a few cars. I'll try not to do more than one coat a day!

How long should I soak these bodies in Pine Sol? Over night?


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## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

DesertSlot said:


> My problem was not waiting for the clear to dry. I get too anxious. Now, I will have a number of projects going and will try to be patient.
> 
> How long should I soak these bodies in Pine Sol? Over night?


Great solution, have a few jobs ongoing. That way there's always something to tinker on. 

Personally, I don't use Pine Sol, don't really care for the smell. But I'm sure like any other solvent, it depends on the bodies manufacturer and their paint.

I've stripped some AW bodies in an hour and some over a couple of days. And then there's that dark Blue 55 Suburban. :devil:

I don't think there is anything that will strip that one. 

Maybe sandblasting! :dude:  rr


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## DesertSlot (May 8, 2009)

*New Projects*

Howdy! Today I had the day off and my daughter went home yesterday so, guess what I did? Paint a few bodies! I figured out that rustoleum enamel isn't the best paint for our cars. But, when I went to Walmart yesterday, that's all I could get! It takes forever to dry! But, they came out fairly well.

OK. The red Camaro is going to get a set of black hood stripes. The gray Daytona is going to be done up with a Superbird package. And last but least, the Javey will have the t-top panels painted black. I have to order the decals for the 'Bird and tail lights for the Camaro. I'll trim them out, around the windows, etc. Can I put acrylic clear on top of enamel? I'm going to have to. I have to wait a couple days.










I had a few mis-haps like the pine sol eating up a window post on another Camaro and I have another 'Bird soaking in it now (bad painting mis-hap). I want to make a red or blue 'bird with it.


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## DesertSlot (May 8, 2009)

No, the other bird will be orange or yellow!


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## kiwidave (Jul 20, 2009)

Nice work mate!


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Yish...ugh...stoleum

Sorry Dave, There's scads of paint tech and tips in the archives....probably shoulda metioned that. Crustoleum is a mineral spirit based paint...the advertising is true....it wont chip or peel...

that's because it never dries... hahahahahaha!

Personally I always look for the big skull and cross bones and the words "Dries Fast" and "Extremely Flammable" "Will cause Brain Dammage"!


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## bobhch (Apr 22, 2007)

*I'm insain in the membrain.....insain in the brain*



Bill Hall said:


> Yish...ugh...stoleum
> 
> Sorry Dave, There's scads of paint tech and tips in the archives....probably shoulda metioned that. Crustoleum is a mineral spirit based paint...the advertising is true....it wont chip or peel...
> 
> ...


Dave it is good to see you had some fun on your day off. :thumbsup:

Bill,

What is Brain Dammage? lol  Think I may have some? 

Bob...dries fast works for me...zilla


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## DesertSlot (May 8, 2009)

Well, my three car project has been scrapped. Literally. New project will have to wait for proper supplies and tools.


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## bobhch (Apr 22, 2007)

*We are experiencing technical difficulties right now...please stand by*

Been down this escalator before, traveled that path, rode that train & fell down those steeps...the old Strip-a-ma-rinky dinky-do-do...it happens.

Bob...no worries Dude...zilla


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## Hilltop Raceway (Feb 12, 2006)

DesertSlot said:


> Well, my three car project has been scrapped. Literally. New project will have to wait for proper supplies and tools.


That's why they make stripper, for all of us that screwup, and have to start over!!! Oh, I've been there many times...RM


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## DesertSlot (May 8, 2009)

Yeah, Thanks guys. That was yesterday. Friday I'm gonna order out some REAL stuff to use modifying my cars. Brushes, paint, knives and model car detailing kits. Not the crap I can get within a couple 100 miles from here!


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=215904&page=27

Dave,

Roll on down the page a ways and you'll find the core of my arsenal. There's more too...but shown is what I like to have in easy reach.


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## DesertSlot (May 8, 2009)

Thanks Bill! It'll be years before I get half of that. In the meantime I'll be plugging along. I decided to make the superbird orange. I'll get good paint. I want to use the decals from RRR. It'll be a while but I'm dead serious about this one! Pics to follow in a couple weeks! Hopefully it'll be worth the wait! :hat:



Bill Hall said:


> http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=215904&page=27
> 
> Dave,
> 
> Roll on down the page a ways and you'll find the core of my arsenal. There's more too...but shown is what I like to have in easy reach.


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## bobhch (Apr 22, 2007)

*Getting Real......have fun shopping!*



DesertSlot said:


> Yeah, Thanks guys. That was yesterday. Friday I'm gonna order out some REAL stuff to use modifying my cars. Brushes, paint, knives and model car detailing kits. Not the crap I can get within a couple 100 miles from here!


Dave,

Kewl as it sounds like you are getting ready to start tearing up on some Fun slot builds. 

Having good tools and supplies is very important and always helps. I use my X-Acto saw all the time but, sometimes a good pair of solid casted Scissors cuts away the rubble as well. Just depends on what you are doing. Don't forget to get some Extra X-Acto blade knives ( sharp is good *Ouch*  ).

Bob...Sounds like you are on a mission to FUN!!...zilla


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## DesertSlot (May 8, 2009)

OH Yeah! Mission to Fun. Even though I've had a few mis-haps I still love working on them. When they come out nice, that's just a bonus!


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## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

bobhch said:


> Don't forget to get some Extra X-Acto blade knives.
> 
> Bob...Sounds like you are on a mission to FUN!!...zilla


 
Dave,
Save yourself some $ and grief, don't start buying those 5 pack blade sets. Go ahead and pick up a box or two of 100 #11 blades. This will be you best bet from a cost perspective and having some blades for awhile. In my case, this is my most used commodity for customizing. Don't worry, you'll use them all sooner or later as long as you're building. Check out Micro Mark tools and everything else you'd need (mailorder and on the web). Right now, box of 100 #11 on sale for $14.00. 

http://www.micromark.com/NO-11-BLADE-PKG-OF-100,6543.html


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## DesertSlot (May 8, 2009)

Thanks! Link saved. 

One of my good buddies here (RB) sent me an extra GN body. I'm gonna do a quick little red paint job on it! I won't be able to decal (don't want to anyway) or clearcoat it. I'll just detail the front end when I get my model paint set.

No, I'm gonna wait. It can sit naked with the Superbird until I get some good paint.


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