Hot Wheels Tuning Ultra Hots/Hot Ones Cars

The 1970 Hot Wheels Tune-Up Tower is an awesome piece of equipment. Actual testing and tuning of your toy cars…Amazing! However, this does raise one question today…”Which cars can be tuned on the Tune-Up Tower?”

There are 4 groups of Hot Wheels that work with the Tune-Up Tower.

1. Redlines
2. Ultra Hots
3. Hot Ones, and
4. 2002 – 2007 Hot Wheels Collectors’ Neo Classic cars.

What do these 4 groups have in common? They all have thin axles. Thin axles reduce friction at the hub of the spinning tire. This makes the cars faster.

Thick axle Super Stinger from 2015 on the left and a thin axle Custom Mustang from 1968 on the right.

Unfortunately, bending thin axles out of shape is easy, making Tune-Up Tower adjustments all the more important. Thicker axles are much sturdier and tend not to bend. Thick axles also resist manipulation efforts.

The small notch on the tune-up wrench only fits thin axle cars.

The tune-up wrench can’t accommodate thick axles.

Now for some tuning of Ultra Hots and Hot Ones cars. My test track is a Road Trials Set powered by a Super-Charger instead of a Rod Runner.

With the track ready, I’ll start by running two old Ultra Hots.

l to r: green Wind Splitter and purple Quik Trik.

Followed by 2 high mileage Hot Ones.

l to r: White Turbo Mustand and a red Front Runnin’ Fairmont.

Here’s my video for tuning Ultra Hots and Hot Ones cars:

So there you have it. Using the 1970 Tune-Up Tower to service vintage Ultra Hots and Hot Ones cars. Making thin axle vehicles still fast. Still fun.

The theme from the get go? “Go faster…roll farther”. From 1968 Collectors’ catalog. Copyright Mattel, Inc.

Quik Trik on the treadmill.

1970 Hot Wheels Hi-Performance Set

There aren’t a lot of these sets around. I never saw one as a kid. They don’t show up on eBay very often. And until a few years ago, as an adult, I didn’t even know what made up a Hi-Performance Set.

Today, we’re going to fix all that by putting together and running a complete Hi-Performance Set.

Here are the components.

Here’s the layout.

I’ll use a 2005 Ford Mustang to go through the set.

On the second floor of the Tune-Up Tower.

Taking the elevator to the top floor.

Backing out on the third floor.

Checking wheels speed and drift on the Dyno-Meter treadmill.

On the ramp, ready to go.

Lifting the ramp to launch the car.

Heading for the track below.

Taking the first curve.

On the floor and running toward the main track.

Into the bottom of the 2-way Super-Charger.

Blasting out of the Super-Charger.

Charging through the elevated section of the Figure-8 track.

Crossing the bridge and going back to the Super-Charger.

Powering out of the 2-way Super-Charger again.

Speeding past the bottom floor of the Tune-Up Tower.

Running strong, lap after lap.

Here’s my YouTube video of this track in action. I feature 4 redlines from 1969 that represent Mattel’s first in-house-designed fantasy cars.

So there you have it. The 1970 Hot Wheels Hi-Performance Set.

Making Hot Wheels still fast.  Still fun.

1970 Hot Wheels Hi-Performance Set: Instructions.

Here are the instructions for the 1970 Hi-Performance Set.

Full track layout.

So there you have it. The complete instructions for the 1970 Hot Wheels Hi-Performance Set. Making Hot Wheels still fast. Still fun.

1970 Hot Wheels Hi-Performance Set: Introduction

The Tune-Up Tower was packaged three ways in 1970:

in it’s own box,

Tune-Up Tower box art – front. Courtesy eBay

with the Road Trials Set

Box art – front.

and, most prominently, as part of the Hi-Performance Set.

Mattel described this set as a “giant freeway system”. The idea was give your car a tune up, then head out on the busy roadway. And for traffic, 4 new cars came with it. That was more cars than any other set Mattel offered in 1970.

A Custom Corvette and a Custom Volkswagen on the left side. Courtesy eBay.

A Torero and a Lola GT70 on the right side. Courtesy eBay.

Here’s an example of the rest of the contents that came in a Hi-Performance Set.

The Super-Charger and track. Courtesy eBay.

Track and Tune-Up Tower pieces. Courtesy eBay.

Collectors’ catalogue and stickers. Courtesy eBay.

Here’s what the Hi-Performance Set does.

Measure wheel speed and drift.

Adjust axles with the Tune-Up wrench.

Move cars between floors with the elevator.

Use the 2-Way Super Charger to power your cars.

Like all images from the redline era, the box art on this set is amazing.

Box art – side (color)

Box art – side (red, black & white)

Based on the 1968 Alfa Romeo Carabo Concept car, here is Mattel’s 1970 released Carabo being launched out of the Super-Charger.

 

Maserati Mistral on the treadmill, Mercedes Benz 280 SL parked by the 2 hoists, Heavyweight Tow Truck on the launch ramp, Custom Continental Mark III on the elevator and the Custom Police Cruiser heading down to the track.

 

Custom AMX waiting for the elevator to come down and a blue Custom Nomad roaring past the Tune-Up Tower.

Box art – back

Close up of contents list.

Close up of 2-way Super-Charger.

Close up of Tune-Up Tower.

Box art – end.

So there you have it. An introduction for the 1970 Hot Wheels Hi-Performance Set.

Making Hot Wheels still fast. Still fun.

1970 Collectors’ Catalogue image of the Hi-Performance Set.

1970 Hot Wheels Road Trials Set: instructions

Here are the instructions for the Hot Wheels Road Trials Set.

Track layout for the Hi-Performance Set with 2-way Super-Charger.

So there you have it. Instructions for the 1970 Hot Wheels Road Trials Set.

It’s still fast. Still fun.

 

1970 Hot Wheels Road Trials Set: in action

Every car owner knows that regular maintenance and periodic repairs are an integral part of keeping your vehicle on the road. However, for kids, the mindset is more one of running your toy car into the ground and then getting a new one. But in 1970 Mattel took a different approach by letting the young enthusiast work on his car to keep it running “faster than ever”!

The Tune-Up Tower provided the back bone for Hot Wheels maintenance. The Road Trials Set planted the tower inside an oval track powered by a single-lane Rod Runner.

Box art – side.

That meant you could bring a slower running car in for an evaluation and adjustment, then send it out on the track for a “trial” run to see if it moved faster.

This time around I am working with 3 open wheel redline cars that Mattel released in 1969.

Indy Eagle on the left and 2 Lotus Turbines on the right.

All 3 of these machines ran in the 1968 Indy 500.

1968 Indy 500 starting grid.

Dan Gurney piloted the #48 Indy Eagle.

Dan Gurney in the #48 Indy Eagle. Courtesy http://openwheel33.com/paint-schemes/1968-paint-schemes/

He drove a spectacular race and finished second behind race winner Bobby Unser.

Joe Leonard grabbed the pole position in his #60 Lotus Turbine.

Joe Leonard and the #60 Lotus Turbine. Courtesy http://openwheel33.com/paint-schemes/1968-paint-schemes/

He was leading the race with only 9 laps to go when a fuel shaft broke and put him out of competition. He finished 12th for the day.

Every Hot Wheels Lotus Turbine car came with a #70 sticker sheet. The original #70 Lotus Turbine was driven by Graham Hill.

Gr.ham Hill and the #70 Lotus Turbine. Courtesy http://openwheel33.com/paint-schemes/1968-paint-schemes/

Hill won the Indy 500 in 1966 but finished 19th during the ’68 race.

Here’s some pictures of the Road Trials Set in action and a YouTube video to bring it all to life.

Track layout.

Another view of the layout.

Open wheel Hot Wheels parked on the 2nd floor.

Two F1 Racers parked on the 1st floor.

Lotus turbine heading up the elevator.

Purple Lotus Turbine on the Dyno-Meter treadmill.

Indy Eagle on the hoist. Tune-Up Wrench at the ready.

Lotus turbine getting a full suspension work over.

Indy Eagle on the 3rd floor ramp. Getting ready for a track run.

F1 Racer running through the lane merger and onto the race course.

Heading into the Rod Runner.

Blasting out of the Rod Runner.

Racing past the Tune-Up Tower on a fast lap.

So there you have it. The 1970 Hot Wheels Road Trials Set with Tune-up Tower and Rod Runner. Making Hot Wheels still fast. Still fun.

1968 Hot Wheels Custom Corvette Tune Up

It was 1968 when Hot Wheels introduced the world to speed and fun for diecast cars. And you know there was a lot of speed and a ton of fun just by the way some Hot Wheels looked.

1968 red Custom Corvette.

Trouble is, these heavily used cars had lost most of their get up and go!

Crashin’ in the loops.

Calling for a tow.

What’s needed to get some of that zip back? How about a 1970 Hot Wheels Tune-Up Tower with track…

The layout including a 1969 Double-Dare Race Action Set.

…and some wrenching that includes a little axle cleaning, straightening and lubing plus a brand new set of tires.

Up on the hoist.

Putting the Tune-Up Wrench to work.

Picking up new tires.

Hauling back to the Tune-Up Tower.

Putting it all together.

Getting that final tune up check.

Hitting the drag strip.

Running hard again!

Here’s how the 1968 Custom Corvette’s tune up turned out.

So there you have it. The 1968 Custom Corvette getting a full service job with the 1970 Hot Wheels Tune-Up Tower. Making Hot Wheels still fast. Still fun.

1970 Hot Wheels Tune-Up Tower elevator quick fix

Every Hot Wheels Tune-Up Tower fix, for the most part, simply requires a thorough cleaning of the electrical contacts, the treadmill pulley and the elevator drive belt mechanism. Although this will restore most of what ails a Tune-Up Tower, I found that the elevator mechanism can still be baulky, usually when going up and especially when carrying a car.

The problem centers on the brown staining of the plastic elevator belt.  It’s some kind of oxidation, possibly related to sunlight, moisture and dust, and this stuff is slippery. Fortunately, I’ve come up with a quick fix for this elevator problem.

The answer is friction tape applied to the rubber drive roller. (By the way, the rubber drive rollers that I have seen still seem soft and useable. So, as long as it is clean, I don’t think the rubber part itself is the issue.)

Interestingly, you don’t have to wrap the entire circumference of the drive roller to get the elevator mechanism working. I found that a little bit of friction tape covering 1/4 to 1/2 the drive pulley would fix the problem. I suspect that this is variable and you may need less or more friction tape to get your Tune-Up Tower elevator working right.

Here’s a short video on this quick fix.

So there you have it. The 1970 Hot Wheels Tune-Up Tower elevator working properly with just a little bit of friction tape.

 

1970 Hot Wheels Tune-Up Tower Drive-thru

It’s time for a tour of the 1970 Hot Wheels Tune-up Tower.

Tune-Up Tower box art – front. Courtesy eBay

We have 3 floors to drive thru.

A fully assembled Tune-Up Tower.

The first floor.

The second floor.

The top floor.

Today we’ll head into the Tune-Up Tower driving a ’73 Firebird Trans-Am.

Swinging out the merger bar lets you drive your car into the tower.

With the elevator down, the safety bar goes up and lets your car in.

Going up!

The main feature on the top floor is the dyno-meter treadmill.

Here are the stickers adjacent to the treadmill.

And on the far side of the treadmill.

Close-up of the Firestone tire section.

Close-up of the Good Year tire part.

Parked on the top floor…

…sitting on a molded hoist.

On the ramp waiting to head back to the track.

Up goes the ramp.

Off goes the Firebird.

Running through the lane merger.

On the road again!

Here’s a little bit more detail on driving thru the Tune-Up Tower.

So there you have it. A drive-thru of the 1970 Hot Wheels Tune-Up Tower.

It’s still fast. Still fun.

 

 

1970 Hot Wheels Tune-Up Tower: Elevator

The Tune-Up Tower has it’s dynamometer testing unit on the top floor. Cars come into the tower from ground floor track. To get up to the testing area the cars are lifted up by an elevator.

Problem is, the elevator is often malfunctioning or not working at all. Fortunately, Mattel engineered these towers so well that getting them to work properly again requires little more than a thorough cleaning of a couple of parts.

The most critical part is the drive roller on the top of the elevator’s back side. It pops out on the gear side.

 

The grime and debris on the rubber roller have to be completely removed otherwise the belt will just slip.

I find that a Mister Clean Magic Eraser does a great job.

The second piece that needs cleaning is the plastic drive belt itself. Again I use a Magic Eraser to gently clean the dirt and stains away.

If cleaning the drive roller and the drive belt doesn’t get your elevator working right…take it apart and clean them again. Usually the drive roller is the problem at this point. Every time my cleaning got the drive roller back to showroom condition, the elevator functioned like it was suppose to.

Here’s my YouTube video to walk you through some of my elevator fixes.

So there you have it. The 1970 Hot Wheels Tune-Up Tower with properly functioning elevator. Now we’re ready to make Hot Wheels still fast. Still fun.

Box art – front. Close-up. Courtesy eBay.