Pinewood Derby

[abigtroutt]

Anyone else out there with their boy scouts getting ready for the pinewood derby races?

I have started to make three cars this year.....looking for some helpful hints...

[Loverotties]

Like to see final pic when done!

[abigtroutt]

Last year my oldest took 1st in his troop and third over all and my youngest took 2nd in his troop.

This year looking for 1st place over all!

Plus I get to build a car for me....in the parent group. I get to beat all the leaders.....lol

[dobejazz]

Cool Bill!!

[Big B]

Wheels are where the races are won. Thiat is providing you are at the max weight. Make sure the tires are perfectly round and smooth. Graphite is also a must. My son and I won several trophies when he/we were in scouting.

[salt-rookie]

Making sure the nails (axels) are all aligned straight are also key. A trick that I always used is filling the wheel with graphite and puting an adhesive round dot over the wheel ( like a hub cap). This allows the graphite to continuously work between the axel and the wheel. Once you hand the car to the officials, you cannot touch it again. No chance to reapply graphite. This is the way I overcame this hurdle.

[FishDaddy]

The Pinewood Derby is one of my all time favorite memories of the time my son was in Cub Scouts! We had a thin, surboard-looking car with lead weight glued underneath in a hollowed out area to reduce drag and keep weight to the max. Painted bright yellow with a Chiquita banana sticker on the 'hood'! As mentioned, powdered graphite is the best for wheel lube. Good luck and have fun!

Dick