fly Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 Well it has been about 30 years since my last pine wood derby race when I was in cub scouts. Now I'm back for revenge! 30 years ago my dad took the minimal assistance approach and my car came in dead last! I still remember feeling like such a loser. My car wasn't much to look at either. All (and I mean all) the other kids had cars their dads made. My dad mentioned that the kids were supposed to make the cars, so basically they all cheated. Think that made it alright for me? Nope. I strugled with the idea of letting my 6 year old make his cub scout car by his self (for about a minute). Maybe I'm wrong?, but I'm going all out to make my sons car the fastest it can be. I'll let him do the painting and decorating. The rules state it can only weigh 5 ounces. Now who has a scale that measures in ounces???? Not me, so after I cut the basic shape out of the block of wood I took it up to Walgreens pharmacy to make sure I added enough weight (lead fishing sinkers) to make it just under 5 ounces. Yea I got some pretty wierd looks for that request. I'll post a picture of the finished product and my (err.. uh... I mean my SONS) trophy once we've won. The big race is scheduled for the 31st! Anyone else been in this boat/car? If so what did you do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kat Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 Pine wood derbys were a blast when I was in boyscouts! I made my own car and got 2nd place both years I built one. Let your boy do the work, just give him some ideas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckee Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 I agree with Kyle. Let the kids build it. You can supervise and help them out that way. They won't learn anything good, by you doing it for them. It's kind of like winning a big buck contest with a poached deer. JMHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly Posted January 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 Yea, that was my dad's approach. As a kid I tried cutting the block with a hand saw but didn't have the strength (it ended up looking pretty rough). My dad ended up cutting most of it out. What 6 year old can turn a 8x2 inch block of wood into a race car? I only have hand saws and a jigsaw. I don't know anyone that has a band saw. I'll let him hammer the nails in for the wheels and do the painting and decorating, but I went ahead and used the jigsaw to cut out the body and my drill to place the weights. Maybe that's going to far I don't know. Anyway, if the kids are supposed to do it themselves I think the cars should already be cut and they just get to pick a pre-cut design. JMHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie65 Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 The majority of the kids do not make their derby cars. When I was a kid I HELPED my dad make mine & yes I won. Also won the big district race ,was a awesome car. Well when my boy got in Boy Scouts he helped me build his car. I spent hours polishing axles & sanding wheels. Went thru several wheels & axles to find the right combos that spun just right.Yes he won the derby a couple years & finished in the top 4 in the districts. There are lots of little secrets to building winning derby cars. Yes, if you want a competitive car the dad will do it with a little help from the son. I know guys that had their sons cars professionally built. Yes, there are people that are pinewood derby car professional builders. Yes, those cars run very well. There are lots of little secrets in building the cars. I enjoyed it when I was a kid & a adult. Yes, I did help my dad with mine & yes I did make my boy help with his. Most people have their kids help but the adult does the technical stuff. Derbys are a lot of fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swohiodave Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 first place in pack one year and den another..... and first place space derby in pack one year! it was so much fun! why do you have to use lead sinkers? you should be able to buy the weights at the scout shop. the one that won my den... i hollowed out the bottom and the weight was flat and square....the one that one the pack... the car was kinda wedge shaped, the car did not come to a point though, i squared it off. well, my dad did and i cut out holes in the back of the car over the rear wheels and stuck the weights in on each side, they were round tubular weights. it is a blast.... i hope i have a son one day to get to go back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OJR Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 I helped both of my boys build their cars! They did most of the work and came in in the top 3! Neither one of them won but they were very proud of what they had done! Let the boy build his own! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straight Shooter Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 Aaaahh! the pine wood derby, I'm going to miss all that now with my son now his is in Boy Scouts. I let my son do a lot of the work on his car and choose his design he wanted. I used the sharp tools and saws to form the car but he got to finish the car. We came in first place in the den and 4th in the pack the first year and we don't want to talk about the next year. LOL Good luck to you and your son! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adjam5 Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 Cool Dad:cool: My Dad helped me with my Car, and I won 1st place and best engineered car in 1972. I remember that day very well. He marked out where I needed to drill for the weights and let me cut some of the wood until I was hacking it up and he took over:rolleyes: I did most of the finish work sanding, painting and decals. Dad put on the car while I was sleeping a small clear plastic windshield. I think it helped with the aerodynamics. We used Rosin on the nails/axles for the wheels. I wish I could find that car, but I still have the trophy's! Good Luck to your son and you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly Posted January 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 I didn't even know about weights at the scout store. If any of you have any "secrets" I'd sure like to hear them. In addition if anyone has any pictures of you or your sons pine wood derby car I'd love to see them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie65 Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 you can get mandrels(that go in a drill) to hold your wheels to sand them down. Can get kits that have nails & polish. Need to get the nails polished nice & smooth. I have also done a few things to the inside of the wheels, helped hold some extra graphite in. Wheels & axles are themost important part I think. How they put on also affect how it runs. Some people have all 4 touching, some make it where one front wheel doesn't touch or just slightly touches. I have done it both ways. I also think weight placement has a affect. Can determine if car is fast out of gate or faster in last half. need to get weight as close to max as possible. I used the post office scales. They used to have a preweigh in. One car was slightly over , that is where the flat weights on the bottom come in handy. If you have them screwed in you can remove it & snap off a piece. I have put the weights on & then covered them up so they couldn't be seen. Be sure you are good on weight before doing this. I always drilled 2 holes in the back of the car towards the front & put a long round weight in each hole then balanced it out with the bottom weight. Do a internet search, you will find lots of sites about tips/tricks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okiedog Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 I didn't even know about weights at the scout store. If any of you have any "secrets" I'd sure like to hear them. In addition if anyone has any pictures of you or your sons pine wood derby car I'd love to see them. There is a thread over on AT that has been running about 2 years on pine wood derby cars. I have got a kick out of it. Sure brought back alot of memories. http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=442860&highlight=pine+wood+derby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebeilgard Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 this race is not about winning a trophy. it's about you and your son working together, spending time together. even if you come in dead last together, so be it. someone has to come in last. all kids want is your time as parents. don't build the car for your son, and don't put your son out there alone. build it together, sharing ideas. don't dictate to him what he must do, just talk about everything that is what this race is all about. i would say good luck, but you will make your own luck here. also, by spending those hours with your son, you're already won. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okiedog Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 I totally agree Steve. I still have two of my cars. Best I remember one is white with red flames that my dad painted and the other is blue with a red strip down the middle. You can sure tell the difference between the two:D. I got alot of comments on the white one, but I had alot of pride in the blue one:). I think I know where they are. I'll dig them up and get some pictures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 My dad carved my pine wood derby car. It was the sweetest looking thing at the whole race. It was also the slowest thing at the whole race. I put mine together and painted it, all dad did was carve it. My sons didn't get involved in scouts, but if they did, I think I'd make them do their projects. I'd help of course, but the way I see it is that it's a kid's race and they should build the cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elkoholic Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 The pine wood derby thing really brings back a mixture of memories. The kids who never put a finger on the car until they showed up with it at the race and the kids who did all the work themselves should not even be in the same competition. Maybe there should not be a competition. The idea of child working together with a parent to complete a project, is lost in the name of competition and win at any cost mentality. My car of 50 years ago, built with minimal help from my dad, finished in the middle of the pack as did my son's car of 25 years ago. Could I have made a faster car for my son? Maybe, but then it would have been my car. As a cub scout leader I realized that scouting has some good points and some bad points and it all depends on the individual child what it is that gets taken to the bank. A child will learn more about life from doing on their own and not finishing first than they will from having someone do most, if not all, of the work for them and taking home the trophy, they did not earn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okiedog Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 I'd help of course, but the way I see it is that it's a kid's race and they should build the cars. I think there should be two tracks... one for the scouts and one for the Dads:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTPROFamily Posted January 24, 2009 Report Share Posted January 24, 2009 Richard Childress(Nascar owner) was on the speed channel the other day talking about helping to make his grandsons pine derby car the best. He told how he was souping it up and called on Jimmy Spencer to help get the right wheels for it. That is one pine derby car I would have liked to have seen. Randy won best in show with his rocket but had to quit scouts before the pine derby. He was traveling to tournaments and couldn't make all of the meetings. I think that 6 year olds need help with the cutting and sawing but decorating and painting the kids really enjoy. Doing things together with their dad is what is important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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