I have posted these instructions a while ago on SCI. Here it goes:

While a slot car comm lathe still goes for over $100, you can get a RC lathe really cheap as RC racers are using brushless motors and no longer need the lathe. As I’m writing this I checked ebay and there’s one going for $19.99 with one hour to finish.

You will need a drill press, a couple of drill bits, a caliper, a small piece of 1/8 brass tubing, something to cut the brass tubing (hack saw or dremel), 1/32 axle spacers and a new O-ring.

The lathe has two arms (armature supports), one holds the lathe motor, the other lines up with your lathe bit. All we are doing here is moving the motor arm closer to the lathe bit arm so we can fit a slot car armature.

First thing you need to do is to flip the lathe upside down and take some measurements. You need to know the exact center of the existing holes.
Here’s what I got from mine (yours should be the same): Holes sizes – outer hole (or the recess for the screw) is 9.42mm, inner hole is 5.33 mm.

Holes distances: The one close to the edge starts at 12.75mm, the second starts at 38.10mm.

The math: outer hole divided by 2 + the starting distance from each hole should give you the center for each one. So, 4.71 + 12.75 = 17.46 (center for hole close to edge) and 4.71 + 38.10 = 42.85 (center for second hole).

Now how much should we shorten the distance between the arms? I simply guesstimated using a slot armature as a guide and came up with 56.30mm (check the pictures for reference).

I picked a 15/64″ drill bit for the inner hole and a 15/64″ for the outer hole. They are a little larger than the original sizes but this actually helps in case you drill off center.

Remove everything from the lathe base plate, both arms and lathe mechanism.

Now you can drill following those sizes and distances. Be extra careful when drilling you outer hole (recess). I don’t have any pictures of this process as I don’t own a drill press and I had a friend do it for me.

Put everything back together. Use the caliper to get the motor arm true to the lathe bit arm. Get an armature and try it on. You will notice that the axle channel for the RC armature is to large for a slot car armature.

To fix this cut a piece of 1/8 brass tubing; for size use the length of the axle channel, about 4mm.

Use 1/32 axle spacers to get the armature to fit within the arms. Armature spacers are the same width as the 1/8 brass tube, and won’t stop the armature from moving, damaging the winding — use 1/32 axle spacers.

The old O-ring is to large and won’t offer proper tension. You can buy a smaller one at home depot. I got mine from an assortment package and I don’t know the size. Check the picture for reference.

That’s it. Now all you need to do is follow the lathe directions and it should work ;-).

Note: You don’t need to change the lathe bit height. Use the picture bellow for reference.

The results are in. Our intrepid ASCC racers braved the cold and wet to turn in the results attached.

Leaderboard as of Round 1, January 15, 2011.
Position/Driver/TotalLaps/Points
1 / Ary B. / 216 / 11 **+1 point awarded for fastest race lap
2 / Shawn G. / 206 / 8
3 / Marty M. / 206 / 6
4 / Brian H. / 192 / 5
5 / Russell M. / 190 / 4
6 / Roy M. / 189 / 3
7 / Jim J. / 165 / 2

Weather was much improved for this round of the ASCC Slot.it Challenge, unfortunately, many of our racers were more under the weather than enjoying it. That didn’t stop an exciting race from taking place. Track conditions were quite different than Round 1, leaving many racers searching for grip but finding the walls.

We also welcomed a guest racer from Houston, Bruce H., who was brave enough to throw himself right into the competition on a track where he has little experience. Hope to see you again Bruce!

Round 2 Results
Position / Driver / Total Laps / Points
1 Ary B.* / 210 / 11
2 Marty M. / 208 / 8
3 Russell M. / 198 / 6
4 Roy M. / 190 / 5
5 Brian H. / 187 / 4
6 Jim J. / 170 / 3
7 Bruce H. / 167 / 2
*+1 point awarded for fastest race lap

Leader Board
Pos / Driver / Rounds Run / Total Points / Change
1 / Ary B.* / 2 / 22 / –
2 / Marty M. / 2 / 14 / +1
3 / Russell M. / 2 / 10 / +2
4 / Brian H. / 2 / 9 / –
5 / Shawn G.** / 1 / 8 / -3
6 / Roy M. / 2 / 8 / –
7 / Jim J. / 2 / 5 / –
8 / Bruce H. / 1 / 2 / –

** DNR

Racers were greeted with sunny weather for this weekend’s race, even if it was still somewhat chilly. The track surface started out a bit slippery until tires warmed up and some drivers struggled with grip for most of their heats. In spite of that we had some very close racing, especially in the middle of the pack, where after 190 laps fourth and fifth places were separated by approximately one meter. At the end of the day a new victor emerged, Shawn G. Congratulations (and happy birthday) Shawn!

This race marks the half-way point of the series, which means motor swap! All drivers turned in their motors after the race and drew a different motor from the “black sack”. Let the re-tuning begin!

Round 3 Results
Position / Driver / Laps / Points
1 / Shawn G. / 207 / 10
2 / Ary B. (+1 Fastest Lap) / 205 / 9
3 / Marty M. / 201 / 6
4 / Roy M. / 191 / 5
5 / Russell M. / 190 / 4
6 / Brian H. / 190 / 3
7 / Jim J. / 182 / 2
8 / Bruce H. / 174 / 1

Leader Board
Three rounds run, three remaining.
Position / Driver / Races Run / Points / Change
1 / Ary B. / 3 / 22 / –
2 / Marty M. / 3 / 20 / –
3 / Shawn G. / 2 / 18 / +2
4 / Russell M. / 3 / 14 / -1
5 / Roy M. / 3 / 13 / +1
6 / Brian H. / 3 / 12 / -1
7 / Jim J. / 3 / 7 / –
8 / Bruce H. / 2 / 3 / –

Overcast skies and humid weather greeted racers for Round 4 or the 2011 ASCC Slot.it Challenge. The track surface was predictable by race time, and we saw some of our best racing since the series started. Jim J. marked a heat with ZERO de-slots! Way to go Jim!

While only four laps separated the first three positions, the closest racing was between positions 5, 6, and 7. These racers finished within several feet of each other on the 197th lap!

Round 4 Results
Position / Driver / Laps / Points
1 / Ary B. / 216 / 10
2 / Shawn G. (+1 Fastest Lap) / 214 / 9
3 / Marty M. / 210 / 6
4 / Russell M. / 203 / 5
5 / Brian H. / 197 / 4
6 / Roy M. / 197 / 3
7 / Jim J. / 197 / 2

Leader Board
Four rounds run, two remaining.
Position / Driver / Races Run / Points / Change
1 / Ary B. / 4 / 41 / –
2 / Shawn G. / 3 / 27 / +1
3 / Marty M. / 4 / 26 / -1
4 / Russell M. / 4 / 19 / –
5 / Roy M. / 4 / 16 / –
6 / Brian H. / 4 / 16 / –
7 / Jim J. / 4 / 9 / –
8 / Bruce H. / 2 / 3 / –

The penultimate race of the series, Round 5 was marked by beautiful weather, great track conditions, and the screening of the Sena documentary at the SXSW festival. A great film, by all accounts, it left its mark on those who saw it.

Round 5 was, by far, one of the smoothest races we have seen with close competition and very few accidents. It was not, however, incident free, as Roy M.’s Porsche just couldn’t be dialed in today, and Ary B.’s Lancia chassis cracked at the point of an early repair.

Round 5 Results
Position / Driver / Laps / Points
1 / Shawn G. (+1 Fastest Lap) / 219 / 11
2 / Marty M. / 215 / 8
3 / Ary B. / 214 / 6
4 / Russell M. / 204 / 5
5 / Brian H. / 203 / 4
6 / Jim J. / 197 / 3
7 / Roy M. / 195 / 2

Leader Board
Five rounds run, one remaining.
Position / Driver / Races Run / Points / Change
1 / Ary B. / 5 / 47 / –
2 / Shawn G. / 4 / 38 / –
3 / Marty M. / 5 / 34 / –
4 / Russell M. / 5 / 24 / –
5 / Brian H. / 5 / 20 / +1
6 / Roy M. / 5 / 18 / -1
7 / Jim J. / 5 / 12 / –
8 / Bruce H. / 2 / 3 / –

The final race of the first quarter of the 2011 Slot.it Challenge was exciting as they come. Race day was one of the warmest we’ve seen in months, which may have contributed to track conditions that caused a mixed bag of performance for our competitors, and many deslots in places where we don’t normally experience them. In spite of the odd offs, the race for the championship remained close to very last laps. At the end of the day we found first and second place separated by a mere 5 feet!

Congratulations to our first three podium finishers in the Austin Slot Car Club: Marty M. 3rd, Ary B. 1st, and Shawn G. 2nd. Way to go guys!!
[attachment=0]ASCCSeriesFirstPodiumFinishers.jpg[/attachment]

This round marks the end of the first quarter of the 2011 Championship, which means that we swap motors again, and racers who ran in all six events get to choose one race to exclude from the final points and laps scoring. It also means that we will be starting the next quarter of the 2011 Championship soon and invite anyone who wants to join us to sign up!

Round 6 Results

Position / Driver / Laps / Points
1 / Shawn G. / (+1 Fastest Lap) / 216 / 11
2 / Ary B. / 216 / 8
3 / Marty M. / 211 / 6
4 / Brian H. / 200 / 5
5 / Jim J. / 197 / 4
6 / Russell / 193 / 3
7 / Roy M. / 187 / 2

Leader Board*
Six rounds run, zero remaining.

Position / Driver / Total Laps / Points / Change
1 / Ary B. / 1,063 / 49 / –
2 / Shawn G. / 1,062 / 49 / –
3 / Marty M. / 1,050 / 34 / –
4 / Russell M. / 988 / 23 / –
5 / Brian H. / 979 / 22 / –
6 / Roy M. / 962 / 18 / –
7 / Jim J. / 943 / 14 / –

* After dropping selected race.