I painted the hex screws black for realism.

 

                                                                              by   GTX_SlotCar

Let’s get this out of the way first. I am not recommending that anyone performs the following procedures.  If you try this yourself and damage your wheel, yourself, your computer or your warranty, I am not responsible. 

There are two reasons to perform this modification. Foremost, it will alleviate a pressure point on the paddle shifters and stop the point from flexing. Some people have had a problem with the paddles breaking here and this will hopefully stop that from happening.  The other reason is that the paddles will no longer have a spongy feel and the throw will be much shorter. It's an easy modification and the only parts you really need are a pair of rubber self-stick feet or something similar to use as bumpers (stoppers).

3/8" bumpers by National, available at most hardware stores.  Socket with screwdriver bit on left, bit with extension on right.  Shows breaking point and O-ring.

 Getting Started:

I had the wheel unmounted to remove the silver wheel cover, and mounted it on my table for all the other work. The first thing you have to do is remove the silver wheel cover. Pull out the two thumb buttons, the 8-way and 4-way switches. They will pull straight out. (Actually, when I replaced them I reversed their positions because I felt I got a better grip on the 8-way switch when using the 4-way button.) There are 4 screws to remove on the back side of the wheel, one on each side of the vertical spokes, and two on the bottom spoke. I used a screwdriver bit  to get at these, but a short screwdriver should also work. Rotate the wheel to a position that gives you the most  room to get at the screws, probably just off top center for the vertical spokes and just off bottom center for the bottom spoke. The top of the plate is hooked to the wheel. Pry it up there with your fingertips and it will pop right off revealing the printed circuit board.  Remove  the silver screws that hold in the PC board, pry it off it's stands and rest the board on top of the wheel. 

The thumb buttons pull right out.  Screws are hard to reach. Use screwdriver tools shown above.  Remove the 8 silver screws from the large PC board.

Inside the Wheel:

Now you can see the inside where the wheel mounted gas and brake levers and the shift paddles are mounted. Don't worry, it's not as bad as it looks. To get at the paddles, we have to remove the gas and brake assembly boxes and then the small PC boards that hold the shifter buttons. The gas and brake assembly boxes are held in with 2 black screws each, one on the top and one on the bottom of each box. After you remove the screws, the box can be popped out of position, but it cannot be removed entirely. Next remove the 2 silver screws on each small PC board and gently pull the boards out of the way. Now you can get at the 2 silver screws holding the paddles in place. If you look closely, you'll also see the rubber O-rings being used as  springs and wrapped around each paddle. These O-rings will probably end up being a regular maintenance item. Many slot cars use them as front tires and it's been my experience that they dry out and crack in under 2 years, even when they're not raced.. Who knows, maybe these will last longer. If they don't, they are easy to find at most hardware stores. Remove the screws holding the paddles, pull up the O-rings and pull the paddles out.

First loosen the brake and gas assemblies, then the small PC board, then the paddles.  See the 2 silver screws by the O-ring? Make sure they are loose when you re-install the paddle.  

The O-ring will come off easily with your fingertips.  Shows all the parts inside.

 

Simple Modifications:

To stop the paddles from flexing, we're going to enlarge the holes, making them oval, and then mount the paddles loosely. This way they'll pivot, not bend. There isn't much plastic on the top and bottom of the holes, so be careful or don't enlarge them. If  you don't feel comfortable doing it, you can skip it and still get some benefit from the modification.

Be careful. Don't take off too much.  

Now we want to put some stoppers, or bumpers, on the back of the wheel to limit the paddle travel. The easy way is to use self-sticking rubber feet available at hardware stores. Mount them as high up on the wheel spoke as possible so they'll be nearer to the center of the paddle. If you use small 'feet', you may not have to trim them. I used large ones and beveled them. Leave the paper backing on your new bumper, stick a pin in it to make a handle, and put it in place and try the lever. Of course, you'll have to slip the paddle back in place and hold the small PC board in place to try the bumper. Make sure it doesn't stop the paddle before the switch clicks. When you're satisfied with the fit, peel the backing off the rubber, hold it in place and squeeze the paddle to set it.

Use the pin as a handle. Once you've tested the location, peel the back off and squeeze the bumper in place with the paddle.    Using the tack bumpers leaves a professional finish, but the rubber is easier and does as good a job. 

Instead of self-stick feet,  you can use tack  type bumpers. I used a pin vise and #51 drill bit to drill through the stand-off through to the back of the wheel. I got some 3/8" bumpers made by National, bent the stem and beveled the end. I needed 2 pair of pliers to make the bend, and be sure you bevel the correct side, according to the bend. Insert the bumpers through the holes in the back of the wheel and you'll see what I mean.

Shaped bumpers.  A pin vise can be bought at hobby shops. Used extensively in model railroading.

Again, you'll have to slip the paddle in place and hold the little PC board in place to try the bumper and make sure they stop the paddles just after you hear the click of the switch. Before you can leave the bumpers in place, you'll have to nip a little off the stem so the screws won't hit it from the other side.

 

Close it up:

Okay, with your bumpers installed, slip the paddles back in place. Place the O-rings over each paddle and back into place. I used a screwdriver to stretch them over the the paddle stand-offs. When you screw the paddles back in, LEAVE THEM LOOSE. Three or four turns should be enough. Make sure the little PC boards with the switches on them are screwed in tight, but don't over tighten anything.

 Pulling the O-ring over the screw holes. I thought it would be easier without the screws getting in the way.         See, if the paddle screws are too tight, the paddle will flex instead of pivot.

While I had the wheel (spoke) cover off, I couldn't resist painting the fake hex screws that surround the Ferrari emblem. Now that you've done the modification, you're paddle shifters should feel better and last longer.

I painted the hex scews for contrast.

Ferrari

 

 

Regards,

Slot

(Gary DeRoy )

Mar 12, 2000