This article first appeared on the original Speed Inc website in 2008, shortly after the release of the Auto World Super III. Auto World has since restyled the stock pick up shoes to address the issue fixed in this article. The steps here can still be used to improve the original style shoes found on earlier Super III releases.
Here’s a quick and easy adjustment to Auto World’s Super III pick up shoes. This change improves the connectivity between the pick up shoe hooks and the motor brush barrels. I noticed the pick up shoe hooks would lift off the motor brush barrels when the shoes engaged the track rails. As the chassis traveled around the track, bumps or rail height would cause this lift to break the electrical connection causing the car to slow or sputter.
In the picture above, you can see the stock pick up shoe (Top) and the altered version (Bottom). You can see the rounded shape of the altered shoe. This wraps around the brush barrel and gives much improved electrical contact.
In this picture you can see the stock pick up shoe hanger. The brass tubing is slightly larger than the stock brush barrel. You can see the gaps at the top of the hanger. These increase when the shoe rides on the track rail and loses electrical contact. We will use a solid brass rod of the same size, as a form to reshape the pick up shoe hook to a better configuration and improve electrical contact.
Using a pair of flat faced pliers, crimp and reshape the pick up shoe hook around the brass rod, slowing rounding out the shape to match the rod.
Here is the reshaped pick up shoe hook. You can see in the picture above, the hook surface contacts the brush barrel area completely. Electrical contact is consistent through the hinged movement of the pick up shoe as it contacts the track rail or uneven segments of a track. This fixed the issue of arcing and lost performance due to electrical loss.