Thanks. We were really happy about how the paint turned out. It added ~0.3 ounces though.And yes on the alignment tweaks. We set up a little ramp at home. This is just the first frame of a video, but you get the idea. Downhill for about three feet, then leveled off for another two.Way go to the Disco Stu family. Nice job. The paint job looks great. I noticed you had marks on the axle heads so I assume you guys spent time checking/tweeking alignment. Nice. That's great the 'lil Stu put a note on his car warning everyone to not 'help' him by putting on more graphite. The stuff definitely needs to be broken in and then not messed with.
Friggin' AWESOME Stu!! Congrats to you and your son!At the weigh-in Friday, I happened to see one car from a new scout that looked really good. My assumption was proven correct in the first set of races Saturday, as it smoked the rest of the Tigers. At that point we figured we were playing for second overall (at best).But then my son's first heat happened. His car flew down the track, winning all four heats by at least a car length each. That made us feel like we could give the Tiger a run for his money.Woo hoo! Did he win a trophy?On a side note, I've had almost a dozen kids use my shop to build their cars so far this year. Two of them have had their race; one took 2nd overall and the other placed 3rd in his Den level. Both of them move on to Districts.This car was fast.Our weigh-in is tonight. I think we're probably a little over but can easily remove putty to get down to 5.0.
I forgot to take a picture showing the easy access to putty holes, but here's one of the finished product.
After all the dens were done, the boys voted on the cars... "Most Creative", "Silliest", and "Best in Show". To our surprise, his got Best in Show. I'm pretty sure the fact they just saw it dominate four races swayed some voters.
Then came the finals. All 15 trophy winners advanced, which was a third of all entries. Last year only the 5 first place winners advanced. This was probably more fair, since you could potentially have two or three of the best cars in one den. But watering down the field did have the undesirable effect of limiting the "marquee" matchups.
My son's first heat may have included the Tiger threat, but we weren't sure... eventually deciding the relatively easy win meant he wasn't one of the other three. We started paying attention after that, as heat after heat featured one of the two running away from the pack. Only in the final heat did a car come within a car length of ours.
At that point the only question was "1st or 2nd". Then it was announced the combined times had us in first by 4 hundredths of a second.
Since they apparently didn't go head-to-head, the top two cars were then run in two exhibition races. We edged him both times, thereby removing any doubt.
His haul.
I also brought three old cars to use in testing out the track after we got them setup. So during the open races after the real races were complete, we put them up against his new car. These were his past two cars, plus one from when I was a kid. All were trophy winners. I even added graphite to them the night before. But they got their doors blown off. :shocked: Really illustrated the improvements we made.
Thanks for the help here guys. Also, I strongly recommend Max-V-Lube graphite. Much better than the standard graphite we used in the past. Side note: we were the only ones not applying additional graphite right before the first race. My son even put a sticky note next to his car to make sure no one "helped" by adding some like they did last year. I'm guessing others may follow our lead next year.
Nice.I was just offered access to the machine shop at work for making next year's car.I thought it was fun to build and race the car the past couple years. We had great time. But you know what's really fun--completely crushing it by winning every heat on the way to the pack championship. Caught lightning in a bottle this year.
Thanks GB.Not messing with you at all. I think it looks great. Hope your son finished well.
I don't if you guys are busting my balls but thanks. We nailed the 141 grams too.Awesome job.after I glued another quarter on it/Oh and got the following e-mail today:
We are supposed to get freezing raing until midnight.The forecast for this afternoon and evening is calling for some ice and maybe a little snow.Pinewood Derby will happen, no matter the weather. Please be careful as you make your way out this evening.We hope to see you tonight! We have 57 Scout cars entered and ready to race. They look awesome!
I wouldn't consider slightly making the grooves big enough to comfortably fit the nail "messing with them". Without knowing the exact wording, I'd assume the intent is that they want everyone to use the existing axle slots... ie no extended wheelbases.Meh, notsogood. We finished 5th every race. Congrats on your win. You sir, are a madman. Also, according to the rules, we weren't supposed to mess with the groves for the wheels and I had to hammer them in. Now that I know what to expect, I hope we do better next year.
That sucks.I just got the rules for the District race and am now concerned about a similar rule.We got an updated set of rules (our races are this weekend) and, for the first time, it said that all four wheels have to touch the track.While it was OK for me as we were putting on the wheels that night, I know a bunch of people are upset because they already built their cars using a 3-wheel strategy.It would've been one thing if they had that in the rules from Day One, but this is a new edition after months of prep and prior rules.Crazy stuff.
There's definitely some grey area there. I'm not sure what they consider "obvious".Cars must have 4 wheels. The car should be built with the intention that all 4 wheelsare touching the racing surface. This is a visual test: Any obvious attempt at havingone wheel off the ground or tilted to gain a competitive advantage will be closelyexamined and may disqualify the car.
Our derby commish said they will use a credit card to measure. So if it's more than a credit card away from the ground, it could get whacked.That sucks.I just got the rules for the District race and am now concerned about a similar rule.We got an updated set of rules (our races are this weekend) and, for the first time, it said that all four wheels have to touch the track.While it was OK for me as we were putting on the wheels that night, I know a bunch of people are upset because they already built their cars using a 3-wheel strategy.It would've been one thing if they had that in the rules from Day One, but this is a new edition after months of prep and prior rules.Crazy stuff.There's definitely some grey area there. I'm not sure what they consider "obvious".Cars must have 4 wheels. The car should be built with the intention that all 4 wheelsare touching the racing surface. This is a visual test: Any obvious attempt at havingone wheel off the ground or tilted to gain a competitive advantage will be closelyexamined and may disqualify the car.
Jeebus! You have Carrol Shelby whip that up for you?My link
Assuming tonight's predicted two inches of snow doesn't result in Armageddon for the Cincinnati area, my son races tomorrow at noon. They get to name their cars for the timing software this year. He wants to go with "fus-ro-dah".
I couldn't be prouder.
That's a beaut! Quick question, though. Will the track have electronic timing or are they doing it visually. If it's electronic, the photocell is generally mounted right in the center of the track. Since the front of your car has a cutout, it's quite likely it will pass the photocell by an inch or so before it registers. Just something to keep in mind for next year. Good luck.My link
Assuming tonight's predicted two inches of snow doesn't result in Armageddon for the Cincinnati area, my son races tomorrow at noon. They get to name their cars for the timing software this year. He wants to go with "fus-ro-dah".
I couldn't be prouder.
Much like a woman's Facebook profile pic, the photo is taken at an angle to hide its flaws. The kid drew a pretty nice design and I almost cut it symmetrically. He sanded until he got bored so there are some lumps, but overall we're pretty happy with it. It was sheer luck that the weights we bought at Michaels made it look like a canopy on the back.Jeebus! You have Carrol Shelby whip that up for you?My link
Assuming tonight's predicted two inches of snow doesn't result in Armageddon for the Cincinnati area, my son races tomorrow at noon. They get to name their cars for the timing software this year. He wants to go with "fus-ro-dah".
I couldn't be prouder.
It will be electronic and I didn't think of that. We are gunning for third place though ( see earlier in the thread) so all for the better.Maybe we can stick a thin strip of wood or something across the front to catch the sensors. I'll check with my son and see what he wants to do. I can only imagine the drama if he visibly beats another car but ends up with a worse time in a heat.That's a beaut! Quick question, though. Will the track have electronic timing or are they doing it visually. If it's electronic, the photocell is generally mounted right in the center of the track. Since the front of your car has a cutout, it's quite likely it will pass the photocell by an inch or so before it registers. Just something to keep in mind for next year. Good luck.My link
Assuming tonight's predicted two inches of snow doesn't result in Armageddon for the Cincinnati area, my son races tomorrow at noon. They get to name their cars for the timing software this year. He wants to go with "fus-ro-dah".
I couldn't be prouder.
That's the ticket. My son had to do that 2 years ago and it worked well. He actually used a very thin piece of plastic that he glued to the underside of the car.It will be electronic and I didn't think of that. We are gunning for third place though ( see earlier in the thread) so all for the better.Maybe we can stick a thin strip of wood or something across the front to catch the sensors. I'll check with my son and see what he wants to do. I can only imagine the drama if he visibly beats another car but ends up with a worse time in a heat.That's a beaut! Quick question, though. Will the track have electronic timing or are they doing it visually. If it's electronic, the photocell is generally mounted right in the center of the track. Since the front of your car has a cutout, it's quite likely it will pass the photocell by an inch or so before it registers. Just something to keep in mind for next year. Good luck.My link
Assuming tonight's predicted two inches of snow doesn't result in Armageddon for the Cincinnati area, my son races tomorrow at noon. They get to name their cars for the timing software this year. He wants to go with "fus-ro-dah".
I couldn't be prouder.
Thanks for the tip!
Ours is 8:00-4:00.So we finally got details on the district races.9:00-4:00 on a Saturday.9:00 to ####ing 4:00.
We hit the jackpot and managed to score a trophy and avoid qualifying for district. Since they lump the Webelos I's and II's together and both dens were of decent size, there were two other cars that were clearly faster. It probably didn't help that the lady that did the car checkins brought in a scale that went to hundredths of a gram instead of the tenths that everyone had been using before. Pretty sure using the dremel to take 0.05 grams off the bottom resulted in some sawdust in the wheels. This was like having the Russian judge for figureskating. People were hacking away at cars left and right to get them to qualify. She tried to tell us our car was too long, even though we hadn't added anything to the original block. I was going to hit it with the dremel too, but the Cubmaster intervened and said it was close enough and didn't want him to ruin his paintjob, but we would want to probably shave it a little if we went to districts. I assured him it wouldn't be a problem.Anyway, we had a good time.Congrats to all the FBG Pinewood racers!Ours is 8:00-4:00.So we finally got details on the district races.9:00-4:00 on a Saturday.9:00 to ####ing 4:00.
Very nice. Congrats to little 'oleum. I agree that grinding off a bit of weight probably resulted in getting some grit on the axles/wheels. It's almost unavoidable. Out of curiosity, what was the exact limit in grams that Olga was enforcing? The equivalent of 5 ounces is 141.745 grams. I generally see 142 grams as the enforced limit.We hit the jackpot and managed to score a trophy and avoid qualifying for district. Since they lump the Webelos I's and II's together and both dens were of decent size, there were two other cars that were clearly faster. It probably didn't help that the lady that did the car checkins brought in a scale that went to hundredths of a gram instead of the tenths that everyone had been using before. Pretty sure using the dremel to take 0.05 grams off the bottom resulted in some sawdust in the wheels. This was like having the Russian judge for figureskating. People were hacking away at cars left and right to get them to qualify. She tried to tell us our car was too long, even though we hadn't added anything to the original block. I was going to hit it with the dremel too, but the Cubmaster intervened and said it was close enough and didn't want him to ruin his paintjob, but we would want to probably shave it a little if we went to districts. I assured him it wouldn't be a problem.Anyway, we had a good time.Congrats to all the FBG Pinewood racers!Ours is 8:00-4:00.So we finally got details on the district races.9:00-4:00 on a Saturday.9:00 to ####ing 4:00.
My bad, my mind went all metric for a minute. Most of us had used scales that went to tenths of an oz., hers went down to hundredths, but in increments of 0.05. So, 5.0 ounces on the postage scale I used came up as 5.05 on the one they brought in to be the "official" scale.Very nice. Congrats to little 'oleum. I agree that grinding off a bit of weight probably resulted in getting some grit on the axles/wheels. It's almost unavoidable. Out of curiosity, what was the exact limit in grams that Olga was enforcing? The equivalent of 5 ounces is 141.745 grams. I generally see 142 grams as the enforced limit.We hit the jackpot and managed to score a trophy and avoid qualifying for district. Since they lump the Webelos I's and II's together and both dens were of decent size, there were two other cars that were clearly faster. It probably didn't help that the lady that did the car checkins brought in a scale that went to hundredths of a gram instead of the tenths that everyone had been using before. Pretty sure using the dremel to take 0.05 grams off the bottom resulted in some sawdust in the wheels. This was like having the Russian judge for figureskating. People were hacking away at cars left and right to get them to qualify. She tried to tell us our car was too long, even though we hadn't added anything to the original block. I was going to hit it with the dremel too, but the Cubmaster intervened and said it was close enough and didn't want him to ruin his paintjob, but we would want to probably shave it a little if we went to districts. I assured him it wouldn't be a problem.Anyway, we had a good time.Congrats to all the FBG Pinewood racers!Ours is 8:00-4:00.So we finally got details on the district races.9:00-4:00 on a Saturday.9:00 to ####ing 4:00.
I need to check on this soon. District is this Saturday. I'm guessing it would fail the credit card measurement.Our derby commish said they will use a credit card to measure. So if it's more than a credit card away from the ground, it could get whacked.That sucks.I just got the rules for the District race and am now concerned about a similar rule.We got an updated set of rules (our races are this weekend) and, for the first time, it said that all four wheels have to touch the track.While it was OK for me as we were putting on the wheels that night, I know a bunch of people are upset because they already built their cars using a 3-wheel strategy.It would've been one thing if they had that in the rules from Day One, but this is a new edition after months of prep and prior rules.Crazy stuff.There's definitely some grey area there. I'm not sure what they consider "obvious".Cars must have 4 wheels. The car should be built with the intention that all 4 wheelsare touching the racing surface. This is a visual test: Any obvious attempt at havingone wheel off the ground or tilted to gain a competitive advantage will be closelyexamined and may disqualify the car.
Follow some of the tips in this thread, and you'll be fine.God, this thread scares me. I have a kid that might be in boy scouts and would have no idea how to build anything like this. I remember literally doing everything myself growing up, coming in last, and being disappointed losing to all the fathers' cars.
Gameday hit most of the key points on page 1 (post #45). There is a picture of our simple "test track" in post 205.My kids are past this stage. We did ok. Reading briefly through this thread I am recalling some of the stuff we did but could've done more. But it always seems like someone around me is doing this (especially in Utah).What is a good summation of tips from this thread? One thing I notice a lot is it seems like you need a test track. Not necessarily an actual track but a way to see how straight your car runs.
Our district races were yesterday and went much better.Their scale went out to the hundredth, so we were not surprisingly a little over (5.05). Looked like almost everyone was having to make adjustments to make weight. Simply removing a little tungsten putty was much easier than the sanding/cutting that others were doing.Never gave an update on the districts. It was ####ing brutal. I don't think they had started a race until about 3 hours in. Then of course, technical difficulties were abundant. I thought the way they had the cars set up for voting was done horribly. I knew my son's car didn't have a chance in the races but was hoping he'd win one of the voting awards.
Luckily we were able to leave after about 5 hours because he didn't qualify for the later races. He was pretty bored by that time.
Wow, nice!Our district races were yesterday and went much better.Their scale went out to the hundredth, so we were not surprisingly a little over (5.05). Looked like almost everyone was having to make adjustments to make weight. Simply removing a little tungsten putty was much easier than the sanding/cutting that others were doing.Never gave an update on the districts. It was ####ing brutal. I don't think they had started a race until about 3 hours in. Then of course, technical difficulties were abundant. I thought the way they had the cars set up for voting was done horribly. I knew my son's car didn't have a chance in the races but was hoping he'd win one of the voting awards.
Luckily we were able to leave after about 5 hours because he didn't qualify for the later races. He was pretty bored by that time.
Registration from 8-9, first race started by 9:30. Final race at noon.
And who's the big winner? This guy!
Gee, how'd I miss this. Big congrats to your boy. That's quite a trophy.This year my son couldn't go to Districts because we were on Spring Break. But the boy that finished 2nd to him at Pack came by my shop before Districts and we fine-tuned/aligned his car. I could tell it was a screamer (I helped him build it a few weeks earlier). After we returned I had an email waiting for me from his dad saying he took 1st place . . . by a long shot. He said not even a single race was close. Five of the past six District winners were built in my shop.Our district races were yesterday and went much better.Their scale went out to the hundredth, so we were not surprisingly a little over (5.05). Looked like almost everyone was having to make adjustments to make weight. Simply removing a little tungsten putty was much easier than the sanding/cutting that others were doing.Never gave an update on the districts. It was ####ing brutal. I don't think they had started a race until about 3 hours in. Then of course, technical difficulties were abundant. I thought the way they had the cars set up for voting was done horribly. I knew my son's car didn't have a chance in the races but was hoping he'd win one of the voting awards.
Luckily we were able to leave after about 5 hours because he didn't qualify for the later races. He was pretty bored by that time.
Registration from 8-9, first race started by 9:30. Final race at noon.
And who's the big winner? This guy!
Yes, that is one of them. If it doesn't roll straight, and if the axles aren't perfectly aligned, nothing else much matters. On the other hand, if the axles are poor, the wheels are poor, or if the weight isn't in the right spot, it doesn't matter if it rolls straight.From what I've read and done one of the big factors is just getting it to roll straight.
You can pick up a wheel set with the same nails from Lowes pretty cheaply.Crap, one of the nails has gone mysteriously missing. Do I have to buy a whole new set now? Damn it.
Thanks man.You can pick up a wheel set with the same nails from Lowes pretty cheaply.Crap, one of the nails has gone mysteriously missing. Do I have to buy a whole new set now? Damn it.
Picked some of these up, they are MUCH smoother than the one that came with the kit. There isn't a barb on the things. This I'll have to remember this for next year.'walnutz said:You can pick up a wheel set with the same nails from Lowes pretty cheaply.Crap, one of the nails has gone mysteriously missing. Do I have to buy a whole new set now? Damn it.
You can easily polish the ones from the kit.Picked some of these up, they are MUCH smoother than the one that came with the kit. There isn't a barb on the things. This I'll have to remember this for next year.'walnutz said:You can pick up a wheel set with the same nails from Lowes pretty cheaply.Crap, one of the nails has gone mysteriously missing. Do I have to buy a whole new set now? Damn it.
Big fan of shooting for third.We ran our PWD this past week end. Being the terrible parent that i am i almost forgot about the whole damn thing. Got an email reminder form the Pack Leader last Wednesday and was not sure we would even get a car built in time. Went to a friends house who has a bansaw. Got the car cut. First coat of paint went on Thursday morning. Dried it with a hair dryer once it got dry to touch. Second coat that night. Friday was the clear gloss coat. I put the dust stuff in the wheels first thing Wed night and spent a bunch of time spinning them. Kept applying the graphite for the next couple of days. Got the wheels on Saturday morning. Race at 2:00. Surprisingly our car was fast. Everything was going well. I actually thought he had a chance to win and freak me i thought we were going to have to go to districts. Fortunately, a weight fell off the back of the car during the second race. Evidently Super Glue is not as strong as i was lead to believe. Ended up taking 3rd place in his pack which made him happy as he received a certificate for placing. Whew, another PWD down.