MTFCA Forum

Anyone with a New Day timer knows the value of cleaning the interior contacts from time to time. Previous posters have described devices made from plywood and the like. I'd like to suggest an additional possibility.

I purchased a 3 inch sanding disc holder from Harbor Freight. By cutting off a tiny bit around the edge it is a perfect fit for the timer. Glue a piece of sandpaper to it and you have your "re-conditioner." Just lightly clean the contacts with the device chucked in a drill, blow it clean and you're in business.

Hi Tim, Thanks for that info. I've heard that lots of Montana 500 participants use New Day Timers and use this exact method to clean their timers during the race. In fact, some carry a small battery operated hand drill with this sanding disc setup with them during the race and whenever they stop, they quickly use it on the timer to always have the best timer operation possible.

Keith

Mister Thrifty uses a thick chunk cut from a wood scrap with a hole saw to fit. Being thick it wont cut into the sides of the timer case. The price is perfect.

Steve beat me to it. You need a thick piece of wood or the sandpaper can cut right though the sides of the New Day and you end up with two pieces in your hand. Ask me how I know that.

As seen at last years MT500

What grit?

You need a thick piece of wood or the sandpaper can cut right though the sides of the New Day and you end up with two pieces in your hand. Ask me how I know that.

Good point. The HF disc is rubber so I planned to cut the sandpaper so that it was like a mm short of the edge. That way only rubber contacts the sides. Hey, whatever works

I hate to spoil the party but I see many good years of timer usage cut way short by the methods suggested. What is very important to a smooth running and long wearing timer surface is that the surface MUST be smooth of course but it also must NOT tilt nor have areas that are smooth to the feel but up and down hill wave to the surface as it spins.

I resurface them a different way and not curbside since I want to remove the absolute LEAST amount of material and get a super smooth, super flat, and super uniform distance so that the brush is not moving in and out at all if possible. I can do that. If you take off a lot off material and leave the rough grooves you have lost a lot of useful life that could have been there for the future. My method is to NOT remove any amount of surface that is not needed to be removed. Most guys I have watched will put the thing in a lathe and take off a fixed amount of .030 per resurface whether it needs that much or not but the do get it flat and square but it takes a lot of 4 jaw chuck setup time. I only take of the exact amount needed to make it smooth and I don't weaken the sides since I stop the cut inside the outer limit of the rim of the timer since the brush never rides there. What is really important is that the FACE of the timer on the inside at all points must be exactly the same distance away from the edge surface of the timer that rides against the timer groove on the front of the motor. If that face is at any angle that does not match the edge of the timer then the brush must go in and out to achieve surface contact. I don't see that addressed here. A hand sander with a piece of plywood is hardly a precision tooling device with depth controlled by anything that measures. It might work to get me home but I hate to see a very nice resurface-able Original ND timer meet such a fate since in no way does it it take off the minimum which to me is very very important since I want the timer to have many many lives. I love the ND timer.

I use an E- Timer. Haven't seen the inside of the timer in years.

HOLLY Cow if you need 60 grit you'll need a new timer almost... We carry a container with soapy water and a drill motor with Very fine paper to POLISH the contacts during the Montana last year. It's surprising how much difference it a makes the car run better after a quick polish. 600, 800 or 1200..
Of course the E or I Timer never needs to be taken off but are not allowed for racers in the 500!

Look at the terminal where the wires attach, now look inside and see how deep you have gone. The contact inside is only that thick.