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How to Modify a HO Slot Car

HO slot car racing depends on speed and control for winning. A stock slot car straight from the package can give you high performance on the track, but unless you modify it, you're likely to find yourself one of the pack instead of racing to the lead. There's a modification available for every aspect of the car, so much so that you could easily find yourself virtually building a car from scratch. Short of that, there are a few modifications you can make to your HO slot car that provide the highest level of performance without the need for a complete rebuild.

Things You'll Need

Micro flat-head screwdriver
Sandpaper
Silicone tires
Gold-plated pickup shoes
Soldering iron
Solder
HO slot car motor
Lexan car body

Instructions

- 1
  Remove the old tires from the slot car by sliding them off the wheel rims. If the tires stick use a micro flat head screwdriver to carefully pull them away, levering the end of the screwdriver beneath the edge of the tire and applying a slight upward pressure to raise the tire from the rim as you pull the tire off.
- 2
  Use a fine-grit sandpaper to lightly sand the rim, removing any lines due to the molding of the plastic part. Wipe the rim off with a clean cloth and then place a new set of aftermarket silicone tires onto the wheels. Make sure the groove in the wheels slide over the small ridge circling the center of the rim. The new silicone wheels will grip the track more securely and spin less under acceleration.
- 3
  Unhook the copper pickup shoes that run along the rails of the track from beneath the car. Apply slight pressure to the rear of the shoes to push the hook from the bar securing them in place, and then pull the shoes from the car body. Replace the copper shoes with gold-plated pickup shoes for a more consistent electricity pickup from the track. This will keep the car from having to coast on areas of the track where the electrical connection can be spotty, which slows the slot car down.
- 4
  Remove the mounting pins from the side of the car body holding the body of the car to the chassis, and then remove the body to access the motor. Use a soldering iron to heat the connection points of the power wires and the motor to disengage the wires. Make a note of which wire was mounted to which side of the motor. Pull the motor from your slot car chassis, taking care during removal not to damage the gears on the rear wheels.
- 5
  Insert a new motor with a higher RPM rating. Make sure the pinion gear on the new motor matches with the gears on the rear wheels. Rotate the rear wheels and watch the gears interact to be sure the fit is correct and that there are no missed gears. The higher RPMs of the motor will up your car speed, but can reduce control in the process. Solder the power wires to the motor mounting each to the same side as before. Wait 10 minutes for cooling.
- 6
  Attach a new, lightweight, vacuum-molded Lexan car body onto the chassis. The Lexan body reduces the car weight, increasing the speed. Connect the new body to the car by pushing the mounting pins through the Lexan body into the pin mounts on the sides of the car.

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