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| The cars are made for play and we play. We race the cars we buy and the cars we create. And you can easily make a derby track with simple parts and a weekend. | From simple paint jobs to complete chop shop modifications, we create new cars that can only be found in one place - our shelf. You can do the same easily and affordably. | Our own collection has over 200 cars and you can share your own showcase shots to show off and impress. It’s easy. |
Remember the Pinewood Derby when you were a kid? Diecast derby racing is the same thing but with Hot Wheels, Matchbox, and any other 1/64 scale toy cars. While playsets are good for flying, crashing, and loops, when it comes to straight up car performance there's nothing better than a flat out head-to-head race. With a few simple materials from your local home store and a free weekend, you can build your own derby track that is made to order and expandable.
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We put our Hot Wheels to the test on the official Redline Racing derby track, a two-lane, 15-foot gravity track. We race for fun, race for reward, and race for pinks. From stock class to modified racers, we let them drop to see who has the fastest car of the night. But the track is only half the of the challenge. The other half is the cars! Not every car makes a good racer, so you have to choose (or build) your cars carefully to take advantage of the track. Thankfully the Mythbusters have done a lot of the testing for us and have even shared the answers. But in short, wheel base size, weight, and roll quality will effect your race performance the most. You don't want your car to wobble when it's going down the track. |
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With a few planks of wood and some race track, and you can have a derby track up and running in a weekend.
All these materials for the basic track are available at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. Learn how to build your own |
Customizing and modifying Hot Wheels can be fun and challenging whether you're trying to make a one-of-a-kind hot rod or a barn burner racer. Eitherway, you're sure to get a car you can be proud of.
But getting the car ready for customization is a little more tedius than when you were little - when all it required was a good toss against a wall. Now that we can be armed with the proper tools, we can carefully disect a car, make our changes, and put it back together and it can look like it came right from the store.
Taking Apart the Car
We've found a simple Dremel tool to be the best thing to use for getting your car apart evenly and safely.
Flip the car over and find the two rivets that keep the body connected to the chassis. Take the Dremel and hold it so the flat end of the cutting bit is even with the chassis. You only need to go low speed and then apply force to the rivet and the surrounding plastic (or metal) chassis. Don't drill too far into the chassis. You'll have to keep pushing until the head of the rivet is cut away leaving the shaft.
Once the rivet heads have been cleared, you should be able to lightly pry the body off of the chassis, and notice how the body shafts are smooth and level, making it easy to put it back together. Now you'll typically have four parts: the body, the chassis, the windows, and the interior.
Custom Paint Job
NEW! Check out our tutorial for stripping your car's paint entirely and getting it ready for paint.
The No-Strip Method
With the body now separate you can easily paint it. But first you have to prime the body with primer. You can get model primer at the hobby store and it will adhere to the glossy coat already on the car. Let it dry and you can paint it as you like. We recommend using spray paint or an air brush. Once you have your paint job done, if your paint wasn't gloss enamel, be sure to add a coat or two of clear coat enamel. This will not only protect the paint job, but it will give your car that off-the-shelf shine.
Removing the Decals
Another simple technique you can use is with normal nail polish remover. Just use a Q-tip with the remover and wipe it over your car with a little bit of pressure. The remover will take off any screen printed decals and stickers, leaving just the base coat of paint.
Modifications and Add-ons
While you have the car apart you can also make custom alterations that will result in a new car. Just grab your Dremel tool again and try your cutting and grinding bits to cut into the body to create wheel wells, remove fenders, turn a hardtop into a convertible...or even just grind down a few low spots to make it roll better.
The car shown is an example of a complete modification. Not only were their body mods done, but it was repainted with decals. You will also notice the back wheels are somewhat custom too. The base car for this was a Matchbox car, but the back wheels are from a Hot Wheels. With the chassis free, you can easily - though gently - remove the wheels and axles from the car, allowing you to switch out wheels on just about any car.
Putting the Car Back Together
Once you have your car painted and customized to your liking, put the body back on the chassis and the bottom of the shaft should line up nicely with the whole in the chassis you made. With the body and chassis held tightly together (or use tape) put a few drops of super glue in the hole you created by drilling. Let it dry and you're done!
We're just one corner for Hot Wheels and diecast cars. There are tons of sites out there for racing, collecting, customizing, and more. Below are a few sites we enjoy.
- Building a Hot Wheels track, Part 1
- Building a Hot Wheels track, Part 2
- Modifying Hot Wheels
- Customizing Hot Wheels
- Suggested rules for derby racing
- Seventen Pounds of Hot Wheels
If you manage or visit a site that is dedicated to Hot Wheels or diecast cars, please send a link to brian[at]morningtoast.com