# Tcr



## tasman

I traded some stuff for a small tackle box of HO slot cars sight unseen. When I got the box I found among a lot of other stuff several TCR slotless cars and bodies. I tried searching this forum for TCR but got no hits.

Can anyone give me a little background on these. All I know is that I think they are Ideal Total Control Racing, but don't know much more. Do people still collect/run these? Can you get parts? Chassis need some work but bodies are in great shape. 

Any info is appreciated.


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## Jisp

Tasman, one of the members here, Slotcardan has an amazing site dedicated to the little beasties here http://www.tycotcrracing.com/

Best summed up by saying that what he doesn't know about Tyco slotless aint worth knowing. He's an ever helpful and friendly guy to seal the deal....

Cheers,
Michael. :thumbsup:


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## slotcardan

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## mrstumpy

I'm a little late to this thread, because I went directly to slotcardan's TCR site as soon as it was posted on here. Fascinating! 

Having started with Aurora "vibrators" at age eleven, then moved to Strombecker 1/32 scale, and then 1/24 scale on commercial tracks, I had dropped out of slot cars (drove real Stock Cars for seven years) and what got me back was an Ideal TCR set in 1978.

Changing lanes and dodging the Jam Car was great fun. With the Jam car you could even race by yourself and have a good time. The wife and I raced the set all the time (her first exposure to slot cars) and I bought a second set to make bigger tracks and get more cars. We wore everything out and then couldn't get anymore Ideal stuff around here. (No Internet then.)

After another gap of several years I went back to 1/32 scale and eventually back to HO (sort of living my childhood in reverse.) I hadn't paid much attention to Speedsteer or Tyco TCR until now as they were not popular in this area (Eastern Ohio.)

After fining Dan's TCR website, now I'm wondering if I missed out! But the big question is: Where do you find this TCR stuff? EBay only? What kind of prices would a beginner expect to face? I'm sure that by now the supply of TCR stuff is pretty thin, so is it worth getting into like I did before, just in time for it to vanish again?

Inquiring old racer wants to know...

Stumpy in Ahia:wave:


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## slotcardan

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## mrstumpy

I went from TCR right into radio control cars too. In fact, the advent of affordable R/C is probably another contributing factor in the demise of slotless racing. R/C allowed an even better level of reality.

I raced R/C for about 15 years, both pavement and off road. Great fun, but like a real race car, it got expensive. The technology kept getting better, so it always required more money. Heck, I could have built a pretty good Stock Car for what I spent in R/C over the years!

But hobbies ARE addictive or they would never have evolved. I have had to give up real racing and real hot rods over the years due to steadily rising costs vs income and do the model versions. So you might say that I've "scaled back" my hobbies in more ways than one!

TCR looks like my next stop on the hobby trail!

Stumpy in Ahia:thumbsup:


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## slotcardan

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## blue55conv

Slotcardan - I like those dragster display cases. Where did they come from?


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## slotcardan

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## Grandcheapskate

I have tons of Tyco TCR and Command Control cars and track (including the rail-less banked curve). Just need the space to set them up. I was one told the secret to using this system was to have enough amps and voltage so the cars don't stall switching lanes.

I'm curious - how do you count laps with a slotless system, since the cars may be in either lane when the cross the start/finish line.

Thanks...Joe


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## slotcardan

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## mrstumpy

Dan, you "Da Man" when it comes to TCR! I have returned again and again to your TCR website to learn as much as I can. However, I hope you'll tolerate a few dumb questions from a beginner from time to time.

Having absorbed the advantages of going with the later Tyco equipment, I have put out the word to the slot car guys in my club that I'm on the lookout for a Tyco TCR set, or track, controllers, and cars. So far I have two leads.

By the way, I see that some of the cars have a "whip antena" coming out the side window. What are these for? Are the drivers talking on CB radios while they race?:freak:

Second question is that I'm also into model railroading and have several different DC power packs. Could any of these be used to "beef up" the voltage or amperage for TCR? I'd eventually like to run two jammers and two racers. Would there be any advantage to varying the voltage to help my nephew learn to drive these cars (with no jammers on the track)?

Being an old Stock Car racer and taking into consideration what you say about protecting the steering with wide bodies like Stock Cars, I'd like to at least start with an oval track. Would two 15" straight on each side be enough, or should I plan to make the track longer?

Race carefully...Stumpy in Ahia:thumbsup:


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## slotcardan

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## shocker36

NICE RC stuff Dan Im working on putting back together a Blackfoot and I have a Bullhead with some cool vintage stuff on it not to mention some RC 10, 10L and Composite craft stuff.


slotcardan said:


> expensive and even worse for competition hahaha
> mid 90s my tire budget was 2000$ for nationals. LOL
> 
> but ahh the memories
> 
> 
> 
> when brushless took over i was out for good. it became a rat race keeping up with the Firmware upgrades and having to swap out the ESCs for new better throttle curves.
> add to that the start of LIPOs and battery fires and i said it ain't worth it anymore. then 9-11 occurred and i lost 2 friends and i said that was truly it. i got out of the city after that as well.
> 
> i raced on/off electric, 1/8 gas, 1/10 gas, 1/12 pan, touring etc. was factory sponsored during the late 80s-90s. was fun and a good way to burn out and torch your bank account. not that slots are any cheaper mind you hahaha. i also raced mini Z, and Qsteer, Chrono and microracers.
> 
> good luck on the TCR trail  there are many many hidden TCR systems that people forgot about but they exist. the biggest issue is more then 2 player slotless systems. everything slotless occurred before digital so your stuck with analog for the most part.
> 
> if you want more then 2 players then the best right now is digital slots like scx or carrera or scaleextric. otherwise more towards RC is mag racer or DMXslots. those use onboard batteries.


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## slotcardan

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## slotcardan

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## mrstumpy

That's quite a collection of R/C stuff! I wasn't quite that far into it, but had a lot of fun. Today, as an old retired geezer, there's no way I could do it!

Meanwhile, back to TCR. I think I'd better explain what I'm thinking of to give a better idea of what my renewed interest is.

This is a project partly to share with my grand nephew who has just moved in next door and is four years old. He's fascinated by my T-jets and AFX cars which I race with a couple of regional clubs. Due to money and space limitations I have a four lane Tomy track mounted on two pieces of extruded styrofoam which can be set up on the kitchen bar. I also have a few Tomy magnet cars which can easily fly off the track and twice have stuck themselves to the refrigerator! (They make better "Friggie Magnets" than race cars!) He's scared of them, but I know that will pass as he gets older.

The plan is to do a similar portable track for the TCR stuff, which he can eventually take home. The four lane slot track is about the same size as a TCR oval with four 15" straights, so I just barely have the space. (You ought to see what I have to do to shoehorn portable On30 and S gauge layouts into that space!)

And so, the learning curve will continue.....Point well taken about power packs and two Jam Cars. I'll use a regular Tyco TCR pack and one jammer. (Gee, the guys who came up with the Jam Car idea must have watched a lot of Roller Derby!) I like the idea of some slight banking of the curves at each end, most oif the tracks I ran on in my Stock Car days had low banking.

Will regular TCR or wide Tyco slot car bodies fit the Jam Cars? I think they ought to look like regular race cars, so at the least there will be body and paintwork in their future.

How fast are Tyco TCR cars compared to T-jets or AFX cars? Slower than Tomy magnet cars I hope! However, I DO have a small stockpile of extruded styrofoam to make large "crash walls" to keep the TCR stuff off the floor.

The questions will continue. Thanks for the help!

Stumpy in Ahia:wave:


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## slotcardan

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## mrstumpy

I've been building models of all kinds (cars, trains, planes, ships, sci-fi) for over fifty years (I just turned 64), so customizing will not be a problem when it comes to re-bodying jammers. I could start with a repaint of their regular bodies, make them cop cars or fire cheif cars to be passed by those highway scofflaws in their race cars!:tongue:

A couple of the guys in the slot car club are around my age and model builders too. We have a great time duplicating real Stock Cars and Sport Cars from the past and creating wild new paint jobs for modern cars. We may not be the fastest on the track, but we manage to run in the top ten all the time, and do it with nice looking cars.

Since I have spending time checking out TCR stuff on the 'net, the wife is beginning to get interested too. The last time she raced any kind of slot cars, it was the Ideal TCR set we had in the late seventies. The way I see it, there's no harm in getting the wife on your side!:thumbsup:

Stumpy in Ahia:wave:


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## slotcardan

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## mrstumpy

Yes, I remember the paint jobs on those Ideal cars didn't last long. However, I made a small modification to those bodies to help. 

Back when I raced Stock Cars on dirt tracks in the sixties and seventies it was popular weld up bars or roadsign steel indide the bodies to reinforce the sheet metal during all the door banging "action" that went on. Eventually this was moved to the outside of the bodies and called "Outside Iron."

Using toothpicks, I added "Outside Iron" to the Ideal cars which caused these strips to rub the walls saving the paint jobs AND reducing the speed wasting "drag" against the track walls. Today I plan to use plastic strips to do the same thing.

I also plan to try using extra bodies with free rolling wheels under them as "wrecked" cars sitting on the track which drivers need to avoid. If they are hit, they will roll easily so as not to damage the racing cars. But they also end up stopping in a different place on the track where they will STILL need to be avoided! 

I can see all sorts of nefarious things I can think up for TCR racing! :thumbsup:

Stumpy in Ahia


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## mrstumpy

DAN...I read on your TCR site that one of the major faults of early TCR was lack of power. Since the cars run on AC power instead of the more common DC power, why not use an AC train transformer? Even the smaller ones really put out the juice since old toy trains in O and S gaughes were big and heavy and the motors were not too efficient.

One of my "too many hobbies" is toy and model trains, so I have an old AC unit that could be used. Of course the circuit breakers are real slow acting, and the power waves might not be compatible. Modern AC packs are availible with quicker breakers to protect modern electronics. I know that"overfeeding" the cars would not be good, but old train transformers have big reostats and modern ones have solid state units that would allow power to be regulated.

By the way, I wanted to e-mail direct, but your e-mail thingie on the site doesn't work. [email protected]

Stumpy in Ahia:thumbsup:


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## slotcardan

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## mrstumpy

I was thinking of the power used for Lionel and American Flyer toy trains, which run on AC track power, not DC like the scale model trains like HO and N scale. 

The old transformer that I have is rated at 125 watts which produces a maximum18 VAC track power and 14 VAC accessory power. By using the reostat for the track power, this can be cut way down. But with it's slow acting breaker, I imagine that I could melt down a whole TCR set before it popped!

As you say, putting a fuse in the line between transformer and track would eliminate the "overpowering" danger, but I'd probably have to buy stock in a fuse manufacturer! I'll steer clear of that monster and get a 1990-93 "wall wart" pack.

Thanks for helping an old racer get his feet wet in TCR again.

Stumpy in Ahia:thumbsup:


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## slotcardan

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## massacre

I love the Ideal TCR system, and it is nice to read about other fans of this system. Slotcardan, you are def the most knowledgeable authority of TCR, nice to see you here and nice to read your responses.

I have over 30 cars, a left-hand jam car, some tractor trailers, a super booster, some crossfire track, etc

Does anyone know where to find some tressel pieces to elevate the track? Has anyone ever fabricated single-lane sections? I have some high/low track sections that split the two lanes and would like to fabricate some single-lane curves/straights to utilize these sections properly.

Any help that anyone could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!


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## slotcardan

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## massacre

Awesome, thanks for the response!

Dan, I noticed that you have grey track mixed with black track in a lot of your setups. I have not come across any black track sections at all, I was wondering where to find them, since it seems like the black sections have some better options such as inside lane retaining walls and better curves. And it seems like you are attaching the grey and black sections together. I search eBay pretty frequently and haven't seen any just wondering.

I will look on eBay for some tressel pieces too.

Are the black sections Tyco sections? 

I will work on some single-lane tracks, what do you find is easiest to use to cut the track? Dremel or razor saw or a hot knife? Just curious, thanks. should I glue the retaining wall from the opposite side to the single lane?
I have plenty of extra track sections to hack up.

Thanks again for your help!


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## slotcardan

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## massacre

I just bought some AFX track supports, thanks again for the info.

Is it really necessary to pop the rail out? Interesting on the radius changing, could I use a router with a jig to cut the track and then use some type of guardrail for the missing wall, or do I need to make an actual wall?
I have a band saw too that I might try, and a belt sander to try and get the radius just right.

Thanks for your info on the black track sections also, i'll be on the lookout for those.

Kinda related:

I have found that my MK3 cars are faster than my MK1&2 cars but the MK3 cars really suck at changing lanes. The steering rudder and front pinion gear system doesn't seem to work well at all, even on my brand new still in the bag chassis.
do you have any suggestions on how to get that whole steering system to work properly? I tried to shim the front wheels pivot assembly up towards the gear with some really thin copper wire, but really didn't help too much. Everyone seems to think that the MK1&2 chassis are inferior but on my track they are way more reliable and fun to race than the MK3 for whatever reason. I have 4 or 5 of these chassis and I don't run them because they don't change lanes very often if at all and are very inconsistent.

Thank you as always for sharing your knowledge!


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## slotcardan

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## massacre

Thanks so much Dan!

I'll have to look more into my MK3 cars, I was racing them a little tonight. I can tell you that the tires are new. I bought new rears and new fronts for them. The pickup shoes, where does the spring mount? Is it up near the front of the shoe? If anything my springs seem a little weak, not too tall but I will check out all the stuff you mentioned.

I really appreciate you taking the time to help me out, thanks,


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## slotcardan

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## massacre

Ok thanks I'll try and post some pics of my MK3 chassis, don't think I have any Mark4s. This might be a weird question but what if I shipped you my 4-5 MK3s and paid you to set them up for me? I totally understand you are prob busy and it's a long shot but it doesn't hurt to ask, right? lol.


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## slotcardan

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## massacre

Yeah, you're right. If you do it for me then I've kind of missed the point and then I won't know what you did so I still won't be able to fix it lol.

I'm still dialing in all my MK1&2 cars, some of the clunkers have really come around. I have used information from your site like breaking the motors in using a 9v battery underwater and a bunch of other stuff. I haven't used the rubbing compound on the gears, does it really make a huge difference? If so I will go out and get some compound. As always thank you for your response!


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## mrstumpy

massacre...I'm a fan of SlotCarDan too! He's the reigning expert in TCR and has helped me a LOT with my Tyco TCR stuff.

As far as the gears, YES it makes a difference. The smoither the gears are, the better. I also race T-jets and we have a few guys whose cars you can barely hear when they run! Those are the FAST cars!

Using a compound to speed up the break in of gears is aclled "lapping." I use polishing compound (as in polishing all kinds of metal, or the chrome on real cars.) I have used it for years in slot cars to "lap" the gears and also in model railroading for similar purposes.

Many years ago, we used a courser compound made to grind the engine valves in automobile engines on HO model locomotives, but I think Valve Grinding Compound is too course for slot cars, and is hard to find today.

Best of luck on your Ideal TCR adventure!

Stumpy in Ahia:thumbsup:


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## massacre

Ahhh yes, I m familiar with valve lapping, now it makes sense. What kind of compound do you suggest? I am familiar with automotive rubbing compound, comes in two different grits. Should I use the coarse one (red IIRC) or the fine one (white IIRC)?

Also as an update, I think I had the MK3 springs mounted in the wrong place lol.
Out of the 3 chassis I messed with tonight, I was able to get one running pretty good. I can see what you mean about the steering of the MK3 being more dynamic. The other two? One I broke the skinny little tab in the center rear of one of the pickup shoes off, so that ended that. I stopped buying MK3 consumables like shoes and tires a while ago because I was having such a hard time getting them to run right. I have spare stuff for my MK1&2 cars but not for my 3s. Here's a quick question:
Do the MK1&2 use the same springs as the MK3? I put MK1&2 springs in the MK3 chassis and it seems like the shoes are too stiff. 

I spent quite a bit of time tonight running all the cars, taking them apart and cleaning them up. What a difference it makes they are all running pretty good for the most part. A couple of them don't like to turn left on my crossfire track sections for some reason. But I think I have about ten A cars and ten B cars plus like five jammers. One of the jammers is a left hand jam car which really is great to have and it works great.

Yes, I feel like I owe a debt to Dan for all of his generosity regarding these cars. It's nice to have such a knowledgeable guy around and he's friendly too lol.


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## slotcardan

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## massacre

Awesome, great info as usual.
I had a quick question regarding wheels: how do you remove them? On a couple cars it seems the rear wheels have become loose and possibly not making full contact with the little spur gear that transmit power from the motor to each wheel. I tried to remove the rear wheels but I am afraid of breaking something. Is there something in particular that you use for this? Also on a couple MK1 cars it seems that the front wheels slide side to side too much possibly affecting lane changes. I do see new wheels/axles come up for sale every so often, I wouldn't mind trying some new parts to see if this improves anything.

Thanks!


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## slotcardan

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## massacre

Wow, I'm disappointed to learn that the MK1&2 cars are not serviceable and basically disposable. I like the MK2 because it's simple and you can use the snap on bodies or the screw on bodies and they seem to run pretty well. The MK1 car's steering system doesn't really work as well IMHO.

It's not that I don't like the MK3 cars, they are OK it just seems like they need a lot more stuff to be done to make them race ready. I noticed yesterday that the MK3 car actually slows down when lane changing using the super booster, not sure why that would be.


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## slotcardan

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## massacre

I read on your website about using the jammer with the booster. I did run it for just a couple laps one time with no ill effects but never again because I was afraid of damaging the booster.
I also know what you mean about flipping the motor over, if the motor is wrong the lane change boost changes from outside to inside, to inside to outside and the switch on the controller is reversed. I can tell right away if the motor is wrong and they are all correct right now. 

Some of the cars are super fast but they don't turn so well. Some turn excellent but aren't too fast. Kind of a mixed bag lol.
Some of the cars seem to kind of jump up and down rapidly while accelerating and I changed tires to no avail.

I received my AFX track tressel pieces today they look great, thanks for pointing me in the right direction Dan!


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## slotcardan

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## massacre

slotcardan said:


> now in both cases with a mk1 mk2 you could have an issue with too much or too little spring tension or shoe angle.


What is a good angle for the shoes? Should they be relatively flat? 

And thanks for the info I'm going to try and tweak the chassis. What's the best way to do that? 

Thanks


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## slotcardan

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## mrstumpy

Warpage of plastic components has been a curse in every hobby I have been involved in, be it cars, trains, airplanes, ships, etc. It's is an even bigger problem with resin parts which will warp are much lower temperatures!

Some plastics remain pliable enough to be "unwarped" by slowly working it with your fingers, but these are also pliable enough to be rewarped by heat or twisted by impacts. 

In HO slot cars, a lot of the old Aurora T-jet chassis are warped from being popped out of the molds too soon or years of storage in a hot warehouse in Hong Kong. The problem is SO widespread that some slot car tool makers have created "boiling jigs" which you clamp the bare chassis into and litterally place them in boiling water.

I've had some success straightening plastic items out using a heat gun (mine was supposed to be used for applying model airplane coverings) but many times a good hair dryer will work, it just takes longer because the heat is lower. Another way to de-warp plastic is as simple as placing the warped item close under a 100 watt light bulb and letting that do the heating. Even simpler still is to place the item on a window sill in the sun.

The keys to all of these methods is watching the process so that you don't heat the item too quickly or too much, and some sort of jig or plate for the item to warp to. Such a "tool" keeps the part from going too far, and will hold the part in the correct position as it cools. (Always allow the item to cool at it's own pace and completely.)

Unfortunately, some plastics will only remain "unwarped" for a while, and will eventually return to their original warped condition. This is especially true for the old T-jet chassis which came out of the mold too quickly. If the item comes out of a mold too warm, it acts as if it was molded in the condition it sets up in.

In any process where you try to change the solid form of a plastic component, CARE must be taken because just as the part was originally warped or damaged, you are "rewarping" or "redamging" it to straighten it out!

Stumpy in Ahia:thumbsup:


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## slotcardan

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## massacre

Dan, do those other types of cars you mentioned work on my ideal track?
I would be interested in trying some new chassis if they work better.


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## slotcardan

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## massacre

I got 2 more crossfire track sections today, and they came with the two small inserts (1 square and 1 wedge shaped) which was nice. Also with that I got 9 BNIB MK2 pickup shoes & springs which I have never seen for sale before. Got 3 MK2 cars 2 of which are junk might try swapping in new motors for those. 
Then I have 10 or so light bulbs coming and then I am holding off on buying slot car stuff for a while. At first I was getting some decent cars and parts but it seems like lately the stuff isn't that great. I need to draw a line I think, because I doubt I will find perfect cars so the return on money spent is getting a little out of hand. I need to get these Ideal cars running better or just stop buying them and just keep the best ones, sell the rest and think about trying out some different chassis.
The reality is that these cars are pretty old at this point and I have found that even brand new cars don't run that great. I really like these simple cars but the novelty is wearing off.


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## slotcardan

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## massacre

Yes Dan, I did get the clip for the jam car, now I have two. It was a Chevelle body and the car doesn't work lol. 

It definitely is frustrating, I might need to take a little time off from slots for a while, thanks for the suggestion!


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## slotcardan

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## mrstumpy

Dan is right on the money about "walking away when stressed out." Usually once you calm down, a solution to any problem seems to pop up because you're not semi-blinded by frustration.

And yes, the novelty of anything new will wear off eventually. If you come back to a hobby later and still enjoy it, then that's a hobby to stick with. If you never return to that hobby, sell it to make a few bucks for the hobbies you DO stay with.

Becoming aware of what you are spending during the initial excitement is not really a bad thing. We ALL tend to go overboard at some point! Just pace yourself and think about how fast you're buying. If you "have it all" too soon, you might "burn out." "There must always be a future."

I had a couple of the Ideal sets years ago and really enjoyed them, but eventually the cars wore out and the sets became useless as Ideal had stopped making TCR stuff. When I rediscovered TCR back in November, I was at first mildly interested, but did some reseaerch to find out more, and eventually started to dabble with the Tyco stuff. Dan has helped me a LOT to get things up and running and point me in directions to explore.

I know that with summer coming, I will have to set TCR aside more and more. But so far the interest remains quite strong. 

Stumpy in Ahia:thumbsup:


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## massacre

Thanks for the response Stumpy!

I have a ton of work to do in my yard so I can just focus on that. Plus I have car projects and bike projects and guitar projects lmao so I'll get back to it later.


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## massacre

Hello Dan,

I was wondering whether this power supply would be a good investment for my Ideal TCR track:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ideal-TCR-3...121335240661?pt=Slot_Cars&hash=item1c4024d7d5

It says 30V but not sure how many Amps it is. Or am I better off using an aftermarket power supply to make my own?
Thanks for any advice.


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## slotcardan

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## massacre

I just purchased a Ideal lap counter, does anyone know where I can find directions for its use? The one I have only works on one side?
Thanks!


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## slotcardan

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## massacre

Thanks Dan.
I'm finding out how bad the counter is, the problem is mechanical, and inside the "tower" itself.
I took it apart and there are the 2 arms that hang over the track, each arm making contact with an arm which ratchets against a wheel. The wheel is what makes the numbers change, there are 2 wheels, one for each lane, or car, I haven't figured that out yet lol.

One of the arm/ratchet/wheel mechanisms works fine, the other it seems like it might be a weak spring, or a worn plastic ratchet piece I'm not sure yet.
I'll find out more when I have more time.

I have never seen one in action, nor have I seen the plastic sticks on any cars.


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## slotcardan

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## massacre

Wow Dan you never cease to amaze me with your talent. 
The analog counter is more my speed lmao I could never build a lap counter like that, good for you!

I swapped the weak, worn spring over to the other side and the problem followed so I'm pretty sure it's just the spring. I have to see if I can find a replacement.

For the "sticks" to trigger the lap counter, at first I was stuck on how to accomplish this. I felt like anything that wouldn't look terrible, would snap off after repeated use. My fix was to use 2 Mark2 COE truck bodies, since they are already pretty tall. I was able to super glue 2 pieces of plastic to the roofs of the COE truck bodies, which seems to work great. 
I just need to paint the two trucks different colors to better differentiate between the two while racing. I can leave the lap counter in place while racing the other cars, since they are low they can simply drive under the triggers.
There's no way I'm outfitting 25 cars with devices to trigger the lap counter, if I want to use the lap counter I'll have to race the COE trucks which is fine with me.


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## slotcardan

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## massacre

Do you have any of this stuff for sale Dan?
Have you thought about writing a book with all of your knowledge and maybe some plans to build this stuff?

I'd certainly buy it lol


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## slotcardan

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## carlosnseattle

Hi "Massacre" I have to disagree with Dan on one point...He is NOT lazy. He is the farthest thing from lazy!!!

That stuff he made is incredible!!!! And if you wan/need anything let me know. I am thinning the herd but not selling anything close to everything. Sounds like you have Ideal TCR, right? Unfortunately I never had much Ideal TCR, and just sold off what I think is my last Ideal car earlier this week on the auction site.

Your best option would be to get a Speed steer Lap computer and modify that for Ideal TCR. It should be fairly a straightforward modification. I always loved the look of the Ideal cars, they looked more "racey" than the AFX versions to me. But the earlier versions of Ideal TCR, the MK1 & MK2, were absolutely atrocious. it was impossible to NOT stall the cars. They and plastic front wheels/tires, they were slow, the planetary gear rear axle was cumbersome and sloppy, and the lane spacing caused one car to jump lanes frequently. But if you get MK3 or MK4 cars you are in business. They are awesome; that chassis is based on the CC-02 chassis with some major improvements including much more speed.

And Dan is brilliant, he's done an amazing job of dissecting the problems with all the slotless systems and finding and/or creating workarounds and modifications to make them work better. But I don't know anyone who can keep up with his mind 

We are lucky to have him around.


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## massacre

I was recently able to make some single-lane straight sections out of regular straight track. I've been trying to build my collection slowly buying quality chassis/cars/parts as they become available. I now have a couple More Mark3 chassis that run pretty good I am warming up to them lol but still prefer Mark2 for simplicity.


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## slotcardan

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## massacre

Wow that matchbox rps video is neat, thanks I might think about that setup.
So do these other cars work on my ideal track or do I have to get different track too?

Thanks


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## slotcardan

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## carlosnseattle

Tasman, you should try one of these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/191441028458?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Or these and see if you like them: http://www.ebay.com/itm/191447187704?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649


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## massacre

I got a couple cars in a lot that I bought from an auction site. They are really fast, seem to have rack & pinion steering I think they might be tyco?
They wouldn't change lanes on my ideal track though. 
Any way to run these on my track?
Thanks!


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## carlosnseattle

massacre said:


> I got a couple cars in a lot that I bought from an auction site. They are really fast, seem to have rack & pinion steering I think they might be tyco?
> They wouldn't change lanes on my ideal track though.
> Any way to run these on my track?
> Thanks!



If they are Tyco they will absolutely run. The common rail might be opposite of the Tyco system, which might be causing that. But the most of the time cars not changing lanes is caused by the pickup shoes and/or front tires.

First check to be sure the front tires are actually changing direction when you flip the switch on the controller. This is how the Ideal MK3 & MK4 cars worked, so it should look just like that. If you have Ideal MK1 or MK2 cars then you might not be familiar with how this works. But on Tyco cars with the "R&P" unit as you referred to the front wheels definitely change direction.

If they don't, but you know the armature is changing direction then you want to look at the steering sleeve. That't the short length of silicone that sits at the very tip of the armature right behind the R&P crossbar. More than likely it has either flown off somewhere or hardened to the point to where it doesn't make contact with the R&P crossbar. That will need replacing. Let me know and I can set you up with a Tyco TCR tune up kit.

OK, if the wheels are turning as they should then it would either be the pickup shoes or the tires. If the shoes have grooves worn in them then they act as a hook to the rails and the cars won't change lanes. Lastly, the tires. If they are hard or seem like they have no traction then you have your answer. If they are hard then they will need to be replaced, some guys use O-rings. I don't like the look of them, but they work fine. If the pickup shoes are worn they will need to be replaced. You can however melt some solder into the grooves to make them flat and smooth again. Its a temporary fix as the soldered surface only last about 1/10th the time of the normal pickup shoe. But it could be enough for you to troubleshoot any other chassis problems.

Worst case scenario is all the problems mentioned above are present, except the polarity thing. Then you will need tune up kits or buy the separate parts from your favorite auction site or SCC.

Slotcardan's site is the definitive go to place for slotless answers. Use the search function at the bottom left for quick answers. Or reach out to him or me and we'll get you going. http://www.tycotcrracing.com/

Good luck.


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## massacre

Thanks so much for the response!

I've been collecting more Ideal stuff but not really racing too much, work has been insanely busy. 
I have managed to get tons (30+ pieces) of track and even more cars lol. 

I need to make the track bigger, what do you guys do for layouts that are big enough to make it interesting, but also be accessible to spun-out cars, adding new track etc.?
Should I make it in an "L" shape? Cut a section out of the middle?

Just wondering what people are doing, pics would be sweet but not totally necessary.
Thanks!


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## slotcardan

...........


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## Dale Grospitch

Hi
I have a old ideal tcr collection which my kids wanted to play with.
With the ideal tcr super booster
and yes they smoked it
Do you repair them or know somebody that can?

thanks
Dale


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## wyatt641

not a TCR guy but the power packs for those sets are cheap on ebay...what is a super booster btw?


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## Illinislotfan

Build your own?

:: How to build a Electronic Super Booster


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## TomNJ

*tycotcrracing website gone?*

Anyone know what happened to the TCR website site, it seems to have been deleted. All of the posts from Dan were too. What gives?


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## carlosnseattle

TomNJ said:


> Anyone know what happened to the TCR website site, it seems to have been deleted. All of the posts from Dan were too. What gives?


Just noticed the same thing.

What happened to TycoDan??? What happened to his TCR website? Even though I helped him with a bunch of the slotless ideas and product he had much much more information than I could have ever compiled. Anybody know what happened to Dan???


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## Milton Fox Racing

I reached out to him via his available contact information. It is of course his perogative to delete any message he chooses, but normally people do not delete all of them at the same time. If anyone else hears from him or knows the back story - shoot me a pm if you can. Hopefully his account was not high jacked. :willy_nilly:

:lurk5:


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## Dbrownjr937

Slotcardan....I'm trying to get info on upgrading tcr power supply. Any info welcome.


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## massacre1

I miss Dan, he was the most knowledgeable Ideal TCR dude on the planet AFAIK.


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## Milton Fox Racing

massacre1 said:


> I miss Dan, he was the most knowledgeable Ideal TCR dude on the planet AFAIK.


Welcome to HobbyTalk! Sometimes people have saved some of their information in the innerwebz archives or their own pc. If anyone has them they can be added back to any remaining threads or posts they made. Just quote the OP or previous post for continuity.


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