Carrera Bronze Bushing Fix?

[Aptosc6]

Carrera racers, what are you using for replacement bushings? Every Carrera car I have has sloppy bushing (axles are 2.2mm and bushings appear to be 2.37mm) right out of the box.
I'm not big on the temporary fix using oil and super glue but I figure someone has a proper fix with some sort of skunk works bushing. Any ideas?
Thanks.

[Bal r 14]

I use Slot.it bushings, gears and axles on my Carrera cars.

[dw5555]

Swapping everything out is fine but then you also have to use different wheels. Not what most people want to do other than gluing the factory wheels onto new axles.
Dave

[Bal r 14]

That is true. But, you really don't have a lot of options.

[RichD]

If I recall correctly Carrera cars have knurled axles and the knurled parts are larger in diameter than the rest of the axle. The bearings have to be sized to fit the knurled part, so the axle would be a sloppy fit. Just using bearings with a smaller diameter hole is not going to work. The expensive fix is to replace the axle, gear, wheels and tires with aftermarket parts. The cheap fix is the Superglue trick. You would need to use Superglue that does not set instantly and flow a little between the axle and the bearings. Wait perhaps 30 seconds and roll the tires back and forth on a flat surface until the glue has set.
If the axles are not knurled you could try the Slot.it bearings or the ones that Slot Car Corner sells.
One thing to remember is that if you use replacement bearings you may need to make sure that they are aligned properly.

[Brumos RSR]

Good advice there Rich. And if you go with an aftermarket axle with the stock wheels drill a small hole in the center cap of the wheel to allow air to escape to help insure a better seal.

https://www.slotcarcorner.com

Dual flange bushings perform great especially if you do the front and rear.

[noddaz]

Hmmm. So what size drill blank would be used in able to reuse stock wheels? Is there a 2.3mm drill blank?


Scott

[Brumos RSR]

A pin vise is what you will need nothing larger.

[RichD]

Once the factory wheels have been removed from knurled axles it may not be a good idea to re-use them with plain axles. The axle holes may be too big for a start. Unlike twist drills drill blanks are available in many more diameters, but you would want to pick a diameter that matches the bearings. it would not hurt to roughen up the ends of a drill blank before you glue on the wheels. Drilling a vent hole in the wheel is very important as has already been recommended.

[Aptosc6]

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions.

[slothead]

I understand the value of all the upgrades being discussed here, but if the reason someone is buying Carrera cars is the low price ($33 analogue) does it make sense to then invest the money in aftermarket bushings, axles, gears, and wheels? What does a complete replacement Slot.It rear axles cost? Added to the base cost of the car isn't the total (with shipping) now equal to or more than a higher quality car to begin with? SCC has NSR and Thunderslot cars for $80.

If an 'upgraded' Carrera or Scalextric car still isn't the equal of an NSR or Thunderslot car is the upgrade worth it?

These comments coincide with Dave Kennedy's that once he recommends a type of car to someone as a reasonable cost way to get into the hobby he hates to then tell them there are now a bunch of upgrades needed.

[Bal r 14]

I replace motor, guide, rear axle, wheels and gears for about $30. The Carrera DTM cars I convert are $30 - $35, so $65 total. Still cheaper than NSR or Thunderslot and very competitive with them. But, the biggest reason is NSR and Thunderslot have very limited model selection, basically a few models with lots of different paint jobs. Carrera and Scalextric have lots of very nice, well detailed models. They just have crap running gear and wheels.

I do the same with the Fly and Scalextric trucks. The NSR EVO King motor makes a lot of cars competitive.

[slothead]

Thanks for the reply and info. You definitely are in Harry's mindset.

[HomeRacingWorld]

If an 'upgraded' Carrera or Scalextric car still isn't the equal of an NSR or Thunderslot car is the upgrade worth it?

Guess it all depends on the end user? IS the car in particular worth it?

Only the owner can answer. I have rebuilt many Carrera, Monogram, Scalextric NASCARS to work as I want them to on my track condition. The cost? Never cared. I want it to run like I want.

Yet, we see owners of NSR and the competition types get a new car and then? New tires, new motor, swap the guide...oh wait...get a new different color pod because we think it matters. Oh and then add "suspension". Can't forget that.

So what is the end cost of those? Seems the person who wants to make it perform doesn't care.

There are low cost fixes for some things, but the poster stated he did not WANT to go that route. OK, so the advice given has to stand. With models such as these, either accept it as it is or simply be prepared to invest in it to create the car you want.

[Disco Denny]

So all the above information is very correct. But now you are entering the dilemma of a few different types of slot cars. And I know Dave doesn't want to scare anyone away with the suggestion of more costly slot cars. A big separator of slot cars are the ones with plastic wheels ( I dislike them very much, but that is just my opinion ) and the ones with metal wheels and set screws. It is no fun during a race to have your plastic wheel come off. If you are going to test and tune, the plastic wheels make it very difficult to do. It is doable, but a big pain in the arse. With metal wheels and set screws, you can dismantle the rear axle assembly many , many times put it all back together, and everything will be good. So I basically stay away as much as possible from slot cars with plastic rear wheels. I can't always avoid it as some of our club members like slot cars that come with plastic wheels and our rules prohibit the replacement of the rear axle assembly for cost reasons. So I tend to focus on racing at events, even when they are out of town and in other states, that use cars with metal rear wheels. Slot it, NSR, Racer Sideways, Revo Slot, Scale Auto, Black Arrow in Europe, etc. are great "racing" slot cars, as opposed to the "toy" slot cars with plastic wheels. IMHO, the $33 slot car is designed for kids, especially if it comes with magnets for traction. But that may not be the case. So if you continue to run cars with much axle to bearing clearance ( which will produce bouncing coming out of corners with no magnets ) your best alternative is the super glue trick. It's a great alternative, but takes some practice to get use to . There is no shame in using this technic. Just know that after about 2-4 hours of running you might need to do it again as the super glue will slowly wear away. I would not want to spend that much money to convert the rear axle assembly on a toy slot car. So your first instinct is a sound one.

[slothead]

Aptosc6 hadn't indicated if they are willing to go for the full Slot.It upgrade which got me thinking about those members of the slot car world who are in for cars below $50, but don't see themselves spending $80 - $100 for cars. An inexpensive car when upgraded becomes an expensive car. As Harry stated, when the specific body style (such as classic NASCAR) is what attracts someone to a car numerous upgrades in search of better performance make sense. The hobbyists who populate HRW (and other such sites) don't typically count pennies when working on a car. In fact I don't remember anyone posting the total cost of a completed 'performance' build. That simply doesn't matter.

I was thinking about those in the hobby at the Carrera cost level that wouldn't be in the hobby at the NSR or Thunderslot cost level, and therefore might not see the value in investing more in an upgrade and still not have as good of a car.

[Rastas]

Like this, only way to go.
LOL.

[slothead]

I wanted to add that Carrera Can Am car to my series but couldn't justify what it was going for on Electric Dreams when I wanted it. I eventually added a few Policar and Slot.It cars to fill out the series composed of mostly Fly, Monogram, HSRR, and Carrera cars. The Policar and Slot.It cars were less than I could get that Carrera Can Am car for due to limited availability. The final piece of the puzzle for my Can Am series was a $130 CG Slotcars Shadow DN4 which I went for because it was the only one available.

If you don't mind sharing, how much do you have invested in the car you show above?

[Rastas]

Hi slot head, the Lola cost $64AUD and the red Plafit chassis and motor was around $130AUD I think it was awhile ago now, it's a little twitchy but handles 100% better than the standard set-up . I originally brought the chassis for a 3dp body but the Carrera chassis was terrible ,

[Disco Denny]

If our club allowed it, I would convert as many slot cars to metal chassis as possible. D

[Bluevista]

How do you primarily use the car? I'm not spending a couple of hundred bucks on a slot car to be victorious over my grandkids at home in the basement. Urethane tires and some wheel and tire truing and I'm happy with my Carrera cars. I just let everybody use C7 corvettes on the digital two light speed level with full braking and all is good, the kids use Lightning McQueens and blow the doors off the 'Vettes. I spend my money on more slot cars, I know my family will sell them for 5 bucks each at the estate yard sale someday but I won't care, I told them list them here and you can get 6 dollars woof each .

[slothead]

I have a letter attached to my road course telling my family NOT to sell my slot car stuff (200+ cars, controllers, power supplies, etc.) at a yard sale, but rather to use the money that will be available to box it all up and ship to HRW where Harry can do with it as he pleases. I'm imagining the guys who visit the skunkworks being able to help themselves to whatever they can use, or stuff being given away a prizes or denoted to community members.

I'm still concerned at least 1 family member will wonder why give it away when they could get at least $5 each for the cars at a yard sale.

[dw5555]

I was thinking about those in the hobby at the Carrera cost level that wouldn't be in the hobby at the NSR or Thunderslot cost level, and therefore might not see the value in investing more in an upgrade and still not have as good of a car.

Ya know I don't think I would be as involved as I am without Carrera level cars. When I started with the Carrera home track scene I naturally gravitated to running competitively with slot-it's and even bought an NSR . After several years of trying to keep up with the Joneses I got out of it and when back to my lowly Carrera's and my home track. I still tune em as best I can, plastic wheels and all and it is what it is. I happy with em. That's all that matters.
Dave

[slothead]

One of the hazards of any type of racing is the 'arms race' it often leads to chasing speed. I'm from a Ford family and have always rooted for Fords and fully understand it was the 'blank check' they gave Shelby that led to the Ford vs Ferrari sweeps in the 60's. But even that didn't persist because it just didn't make sense.

Plastic wheeled cars run just fine against each other, and leave more $ for more cars.