# Cleaning up a dirty slot car.



## Shadowracer

Howdy all.

So the slot race season has almost wound down for us. The full size cars are coming out and the little ones go in the closet till Sept it seems.

I was taking a good look at a bunch of my Xtractions last night. I'd always kept them as runners, till the guys decided they liked them and we ended up racing them every week. (same 4 or 5 cars) Of course, now they're all gucked up with old lube/dust sludge, carpet fiber, cat hair and whatall. They look like they're about 50 years old underneath.

Has anyone ever posted tips or a tutorial on giving these things a good and proper top-to-bottom, make-it-shine-like-new cleaning? 

Is there a good way to go about it....what kind of solvents to use, or not to use? I was thinking of taking it all apart and sorta hosing the chassis out with WD 40, but I'm thinking there might be a better way, especially with plastic.

Any takers?


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## alpink

an ultra sonic cleaner is good at removing gunk from disassembled chassis.
pledge no wax furniture cleaner is good for cleaning bodies.


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## clydeomite

I heard someo" them there drag racers use " orangeglow" never tried it myself but s'posed to work darn good. Takes the glue and tire dust offem real nice.
But it's all conjecture untuil proven.....
Clyde-0-Mite


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## SuperFist

*Simple Cleaning*

Naptha with q-tips and gun patches.
It evaporates and leaves no residue.
Some compressed air for the areas you cant get to.
Clean the commutator with a pink pearl eraser and wipe it off with a q-tip.
Roll the motor brushes on some masking tape to clean them and polish them on a sheet of printer paper.

* Don't get naptha on silicone coated sponge tires, it will melt the glue.

__________________


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## beast1624

Like Fist said, naptha works good and I use the eraser on the brushes. I use a clean pick up shoe sander for the dremel (available from One Stop Slot Shop and Paul Kniffen) on the com plate. I have used electrical contact cleaner to clean the chassis and gearplate (Gun Scrubber spray works good too) then spray with air and wipe everything down with Hoppe's gun patches (they leave less lint than other brands) and re-lube.


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## Grandcheapskate

I did the following on all my T-Jets, AFX and Magna-Tractions. The chassis now look like new and if you spend a little time tuning them up, they go much faster than when you started. I'm no guru and only run the cars in my basement, but I like the results.

Although I mention using a silver cleaner on the AFX electricals, I have since decided to use the Noxon for silver as well. I found the silver cleaner to be a little too thick and it is tough to get it out of every nook and cranny. It sometimes leaves a little behind which can interfere with electrical contact.

You need: Noxon (or another brass/copper cleaner), a silver cleaning creme (for AFX), Q-Tips (get the cheapies at the dollar store), a toothbrush and Simple Green.

1. Dismantle the chassis (leave the axles and wheels on). Brush the Noxon (silver cleaner for AFX) on the chassis electricals and let sit for a minute. Get some into the brush holes and on top of the brush springs. Then wipe down with a Q-Tip. The electricals will shine. You may have to scrap the top of the brush springs a little to remove all the built up crud.

2. Put Simple Green on a toothbrush and scrub down the (somewhat) bare chassis. Rinse off in water and dry (using an air compressor). Not only clean, but a fresh pine scent!

3. Take a very, very small bit of Noxon on a Q-Tip and spread on the comm. Use the dry side of the Q-Tip to wipe off the Noxon and it will remove all the gunk from the bottom of the comm. The comm will look new.

4. Clean the brushes. I did this by wiping them on a cloth and then taking a very small screwdriver and scraping the top and bottom. Some will use a soldering iron to boil off any oil on the brushes, or simply wipe them on a piece of cardboard.

5. Clean the pickup shoes, especially the hook. I used a woman's nail file (again, a dollar store purchase).

6. At this point, you could throw the brushes, shoes, springs, gear plate (with comm) into an untrasonic cleaner with plain water or your own concoction (Simple Green, detergent, etc.). I don't throw the bare chassis in there because my understanding is that the ultrasonic cleaner will strip the chrome off the wheels.

7. Reassemble and test.

I would sometimes have a car not move at all after doing this. I discovered that the problem was always too much junk on the brushes. I'd clean the brushes and springs again and usually the car would run much better than before.

The entire process takes about 30 minutes per car.

Joe


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## cwbam

CRC electronic cleaner spray at autostores

Features & Benefits
A petroleum distillate / alcohol based precision cleaner designed as an alternative to CFC based cleaners. Ideal for applications where lower flash point materials can be tolerated.

Plastic safe & residue free.

For use on circuit breakers, circuits, coin mechanisms, computer components, contacts, electronics, fiberglass, flux removal, sockets, lighting, plastics, nylon, plugs, relay switches, PVC, FPT, tape heads, and terminals
Use as alternative to CFC based cleaners

Safe on plastics
Does not leave residue


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## 1976Cordoba

If your Xtracs are filthy why not just buy new ones? Rollers are $10 thru Bud's.


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## tjd241

:thumbsup:


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## JordanZ870

1976Cordoba said:


> If your Xtracs are filthy why not just buy new ones? Rollers are $10 thru Bud's.


and I will take the dirty ones off your hands for you.
We would hate to see them get the new ones dirty!


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## 1976Cordoba

joez870 said:


> and I will take the dirty ones off your hands for you.
> We would hate to see them get the new ones dirty!


Kinda like Freecycle.


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## slotking

go with alpink! the ultra sonic get both the plastic and the metal clean in spots it that hard to do with any other stuff
then just spray down with safe on plastic brake or electronic cleaner, to displace any water and dries super fast


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## brownie374

1976Cordoba said:


> If your Xtracs are filthy why not just buy new ones? Rollers are $10 thru Bud's.


Afx or the aw junk?


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## Shadowracer

Hey thanks for all the replies gents. Grandcheapskate, thanks for taking the time to write that all out. That was exactly what I was looking for and I appreciate that.

I have one follow up question. (pardon my ignorance) but what do you guys mean by "ultrasonic" cleaner? What does that mean?

And [email protected] Doba....nope not throwing these guys out. I lucked into a small group of these cars that really scream around the track and I wanna take care of them. (It looks like I've inadvertently converted my gang of lifelike and gplus fans into mag-X traction fans.) 

And Joez....thanks for offering to take that bullet for me


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## alpink

http://www.dogpile.com/search/web?q=ultrasonic+cleaner

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sacat=See-All-Categories&_from=R40&_nkw=ultrasonic cleaner&_sop=10

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrasonic_cleaning

An ultrasonic cleaner is a cleaning device that uses ultrasound (usually from 20–400 kHz) and an appropriate cleaning solvent (sometimes ordinary tap water) to clean delicate items. The ultrasound can be used with only water but use of a solvent appropriate for the item to be cleaned and the soiling enhances the effect. Cleaning normally lasts between three and six minutes.[1]

Ultrasonic cleaners are used to clean many different types of objects, including jewellery, lenses and other optical parts, watches, dental and surgical instruments, tools, coins, fountain pens, golf clubs, window blinds, firearms,industrial parts and electronic equipment. They are used in many jewellery workshops, watchmakers' establishments, and electronic repair workshops


.


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## Shadowracer

AH ok. Didn't realize it was a tool. Here I am thinking ultrasonic cleaner was some kind of product that came in a bottle. 

One of those little ones like you use for dentures or jewellry would likely be perfect.


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## slotking

basically take the brushes out of the car and the tires off!
drop in clean
it the not only the easiest way to clean the car, but may be the best way.

save me a ton of time


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## helivaguy

ultrasonic cleaner is the way to go,i use it all the time when rebuilding rc heli motors.
i drop my bodies in there with a 50/50 mix of dawn dish soap and water,
for my bare copper t-jet chassis's,springs and shoes i use straight distilled vinegar,yes i also throw the armatures in there as well.
if you have a faded/yellowed white plastic bodies drop them in a glass filled with hydrogen peroxide and leave it in the sun for a day or 2 and they will look brand new.


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## Grandcheapskate

helivaguy said:


> ultrasonic cleaner is the way to go,i use it all the time when rebuilding rc heli motors.
> i drop my bodies in there with a 50/50 mix of dawn dish soap and water,
> for my bare copper t-jet chassis's,springs and shoes i use straight distilled vinegar,yes i also throw the armatures in there as well.
> if you have a faded/yellowed white plastic bodies drop them in a glass filled with hydrogen peroxide and leave it in the sun for a day or 2 and they will look brand new.


Be careful when using the peroxide. While it will whiten a yellowed body, it will also fade/remove other colors on the car. It may also make the plastic more brittle. I have done it with two Tyco bodies and both have subsequently cracked.

Question - does the ultrasonic cleaner remove the chrome from the wheels? I do not throw the chassis into the ultrasonic cleaner because I don't remove the axles and wheels when doing a cleaning.

Joe


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## bobhch

tjd241 said:


> :thumbsup:



LOL...mR. bUBble..hahahahaahahhaahahahaha:lol:

Many years ago (during my young adult days) I sent away for a Mr. Bubble T-Shirt. Not this Re-pRO crap...ORIGINAL..yEAH BABY! 
Wore it out...those were the days. Young and Dumb. 

I was thinking ORBIT with the cleaning up a dirty mouth.

1 year with no smokes but, I do chew alot now...ORBIT.

Bob...chewer of ORBIT...zilla


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## KEW1964

I have some charcoal lighter fluid in an old pickle jar...I remove the body and tires and then submerge the chassis for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the chassis from the jar, wipe it off with paper towel, reassemble, oil and run.

This seems to work really well for t-jets and so far there seems to be no chrome removal...Again, I only soak them for 30 minutes max. and the cars run quicker.


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## TJETDRAGRACER

*Reconditioned Aurora Truck Chassis*

I got an Aurora t-jet chassis lot with a truck chassis in the mix as you will see by the pictures the chassis's where fairly corroded. 
I combined some of them together to make one nice collectible condition chassis. 
A simple method that works for me.
I dip the bare chassis and all the parts in Worcestershire Sauce for around 45 minutes.
Clean them all off with a tooth brush, Then in warm soapy water for a few minutes clean them with the tooth brush again. 
Shoot the arms with a little WD-40 
And reassemble them. 
Before and after pictures below, Even all the green oxidized ones came out real nice.


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## alpink

why waste the money on Worcestershire?
Ketchup has more acid and vinegar is even more acidic!
LOL


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## TJETDRAGRACER

*I just went with the first method*

When looking up how to clean cooper that was the first method listed. lol
I will try Ketchup & Vinegar next time.


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## sethndaddy

TJET.........you call those corroded, lol. I won a lot a few months ago that had about 18 chassis, all had rust completely covering the undersides. Use of a dremel got me down to where I could see copper. I had to use a small screwdriver to pop the gearplate off, dremeled that a bit. took off the rims and dropped them in greased lightning auto de-greaser over night. Came out better than new. All where solid rivet, all ran great after their bath.
A few years ago, I would never have even thought of trying, but it takes alot to keep these little buggers down.


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## Bill Hall

Duuuuuh....I just let all a you guys clean them up! :thumbsup:


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