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Login to post Forums » Off-topic discussion » Pinewood Derby cars - GRM style

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Jan. 5, 2012 1:48 p.m. 93EXCivic SuperDork

SVreX wrote:

Klayfish wrote:

My son's kit has a rectangular block of wood which has two slits cut across the bottom. The slits are pretty narrow.

The pack/den (I dunno) leader did tell them that store bought kits wouldn't be allowed to enter the official races, only home made ones from the kits they were given. I'm glad to hear that.

I've heard that every year for over twenty years from 4 different packs in 2 different states.

Never seen it enforced. That's the frustration.

What will happen is that someone will show up on the day of the race with a kit they bought from an "official BSA site", but it won't be identical. The leadership will not have the huevos to disqualify the kid because "it wouldn't be fair to the boy", or "It's just for fun anyway". This car will win, and then no one can do anything about it.

I'm not trying to be "that guy", just trying to prepare you for what VERY FREQUENTLY happens.

Are you talking about the templates that are sold? I used those several in my years in scouts simply because I SUCKED at wood working and my dad was not better but I did love painting the cars.
Jan. 5, 2012 1:51 p.m. Brett_Murphy Dork

Would bearings be allowed in either the nail to wheel contact or the nail to body contact?
Jan. 5, 2012 1:57 p.m. SVreX SuperDork

No bearings. No moving parts. No shifting weights.
Jan. 5, 2012 2:00 p.m. SVreX SuperDork

93EXCivic wrote:

SVreX wrote:

Klayfish wrote:

My son's kit has a rectangular block of wood which has two slits cut across the bottom. The slits are pretty narrow.

The pack/den (I dunno) leader did tell them that store bought kits wouldn't be allowed to enter the official races, only home made ones from the kits they were given. I'm glad to hear that.

I've heard that every year for over twenty years from 4 different packs in 2 different states.

Never seen it enforced. That's the frustration.

What will happen is that someone will show up on the day of the race with a kit they bought from an "official BSA site", but it won't be identical. The leadership will not have the huevos to disqualify the kid because "it wouldn't be fair to the boy", or "It's just for fun anyway". This car will win, and then no one can do anything about it.

I'm not trying to be "that guy", just trying to prepare you for what VERY FREQUENTLY happens.

Are you talking about the templates that are sold? I used those several in my years in scouts simply because I SUCKED at wood working and my dad was not better but I did love painting the cars.

Yes. But there are multiple levels of how this works.

There are actually websites where people can be hired that will build them for you.

I don't have a problem buying kit, if the local rules permit that. I think the rules should be developed at the local level, then followed. If the rules say "no store bought kits", or "you must use the kit furnished", that should be the end of it.

It rarely is.
Jan. 5, 2012 7:09 p.m. Quasimo1 New Reader

When I was in scouts the quickest cars looked like the below image.

If you want to have a quick car do the following:

Make sure the car is at the max weight allowance with straight axles. Use graphite power on the axles to help reduce friction. Drill out the front of the car and add lead to the rear. This helps to adjust the center of gravity back towards the rear axles. When you cut the front nose cut it at an upwards angle. This will help the car get off the line quicker than cars with a downward cut nose, due to how the retaining pin drops at the top of the ramp. Lastly don't forget to have fun
Jan. 5, 2012 8:04 p.m. ronholm Reader

Wouldn't mouse trap cars... Racing for distance... or a drag race of a certain distance... fit the GRM crowd better?

just use the approved trap and off we go..

Oh.. and there was this guy selling Pinewood cars which he pretty much guaranteed a win had troops stirred up for a while.
Jan. 5, 2012 8:38 p.m. Quasimo1 New Reader

I'm convinced that people on this board will race anything they can get their hands on. Not that this is a bad thing...
Jan. 5, 2012 9:44 p.m. mndsm SuperDork

Of course. Gotta have something to do between racing.
Jan. 5, 2012 9:51 p.m. EastCoastMojo SuperDork

I have in fact, raced two pieces of steerer tube cut off of bicycle forks.

Someone in the bike shop exclaimed within earshot of me, "Aluminum is faster than steel!" So I took an aluminum bit of steerer and a steel bit of steerer and placed them on a ramp. Guess which one won?
Jan. 6, 2012 6:40 a.m. Klayfish HalfDork

SVreX wrote:

I do this on a drill press BEFORE making any body modifications. That way the drill press drills a clean hole perpendicular to the center line of the car. It's harder to be accurate once the body has been shaped.

I ignore the pre-cut grooves in the block, and drill my own holes. Sometimes I turn the block upside down to accomplish this. I make the holes snug, and generally don't need glue. I roll the block a few times to check the tracking, then remove the wheels/ axles, and let the boys go crazy with saws, sanders, etc.

Awesome, I appreciate the advice. I don't have a drill press, have to figure out a way with some basic stuff.
Jan. 6, 2012 10:43 a.m. slantvaliant Dork

Again, check the local rules. Some districts do not allow drilling the axle holes or using altered wheelbases, making you use the cruddy slots. If you glue the axles in place, do not cover the tips. Some districts want to see the tips, to verify that they are unmodified BSA nail axles.

Many districts put disqualified cars in an Unlimited Class (with adult-built cars), so they still get to participate to some degree.

I built PWD cars as a Cub, and a few as a Den/Pack leader. It's an effective way of teaching. Demonstrate, then let them do it. One was made as a test mule, with changeable weighting. Others were just Display-only or Unlimited Class cars,

I've thought of building a shapely one with pretty or exotic wood - zebrawood, goncalo alves, birdseye maple, or a fancy laminate.

But maybe I should finish the PWD Lotus Seven I started ...
Jan. 6, 2012 12:22 p.m. minimac SuperDork

My 82 y.o. dad ' helped' my nephew with his. They also had an adult division. He got into it and shaped his to resemble an old Indy Roadster. Drilled out and added some weight up front, knife edged the wheels, coated the axle/wheels with super slippery goo, sanded until slippery and then urethaned the whole thing-3 times! My nephew (7 y.o.) carved and cut his chunk of wood to look sort of like a truck. Grampa helped him mounting his wheels and some tech advice. Neither one won but they had fun!
Jan. 6, 2012 5:10 p.m. donalson SuperDork

my sisters and I did these in AWANA and I also did em in the cub scouts...

for speed we never did more then make sure they made weight (which involved dad melting fishing luers and dumping them into drilled holes lol)... graphite on the axle, sand the wheels smooth and made sure they tracked straight...

the 1st year my dad was on TDY and out of the country and mom didn't trust us with tools (I was the oldest at 7) so a friend of ours cut the block to look like a car... we got to paint them... was fun but nothing amazing...

the next year I built a "limo" which looks more like a station wagon... I came up with the idea... dad drew the "cut lines" and I spent a bit of time with a coping saw and a file and that was the extent of my body work... it won 2nd or 3rd fastest... I used it the next year and placed again... I still have it...

that year one sister had a school bus (right angle cut at the front for the engine)... the other had a fire truck (light angle cut at the front for the windsheild a "step" glued onto the back and some dowl ends for the sirens up top... both where slow but placed for the design contest or something along those lines and the following years there where TONS of school buses and fire trucks to show up lol...

the last one i did was with some church group... we built them during wed night service... basic hand tools only... I cut a very tight wedge and then another wedge from the back tip to just behind the axle... then I cut a U shape though the center length wise so the rear had fins... I spent TONS of time with a file getting it perfect... the front end was super sharp, the main body was super thin (router was used on the bottom to fill with lead... was so thin the paint bubbled from the heat lol... the other kids dubbed it "the Batmobile"

ended up winning 1st place with that one and coming in top 3 for looks... I also still have this one... it's the one i'm most proud of... the only thing I didn't do on it was the lead filling

so all that being said... make it it something memorable... ask him what he wants to build... only do what you have to for him... reach him it's easier to remove material then it is add it back... basic wood working stuff :) make it fun :)...
Jan. 6, 2012 6:29 p.m. RX Reven' HalfDork

I did one with my step son years ago…I cut the block down to about 1/2" to minimize frontal area and used some of the removed material to make wheel fairings. Basically, it unintentionally wound up looking like a Porsche Spider with a longitudinal channel down the middle.

It got second place which is pretty good but first place went to a poorly sanded wedge shaped car that used ballast screws that weren’t even flush. I’ll never know if the wedge dad, opps, I mean kid knew to focus on alignment or if it was just randomly well aligned.

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