Pinewood Derby Car Construction Workshops

For those of you who might need a little help in building your Pinewood Derby car, I am planning to host two construction workshop afternoons in January (dates TBD). I could also use some extra workshop helpers so if you enjoy building and are interested, please let me know. I will help with the rough cutting and the boys can sand and detail their cars, plus I'll have a bunch of random fins and parts they can use.

 

Please note that the Pinewood Derby car construction is meant to be a SPECIAL scout/parent bonding experience and the helpers are at your disposal for help as needed but we will NOT build your car for you. Ask any former Scout what their most memorable scouting experience was, and I will bet they will say building and racing their derby cars with their mom or dad’s help!!

  

Each session will start with a safety briefing and instructions for the tools we will be using. I will personally run the saws to do the rough cutting, but scouts can use various belt sanders, drills, and other fairly safe power and hand tools with ADULT permission and very close ADULT supervision. Most importantly, the Den leaders or a delegate will be responsible for crowd control and for helping us in making sure that everyone is following the safety rules.

 

Derby Car Design

Derby cars will handed out at the December Pack Meeting. If you miss the meeting, check with your den leader to get your derby car kit. The Pack provides derby car kits for all scouts, but all racers in the all-comers race must purchase their own from the Scout Shop (or Michael’s or hobby shops).

 

Car Weight Tips

Cars will run faster if they are at or very near to the 5 ounce limit. Note that the race day scale is the official and final ruling on the weight. We always get a lot of questions on weights so here is some guidance: the easiest weights to use are the screw-on under-body weights available at the scout shop or Michael’s. These have segments which you can break off with pliers to adjust the weight prior to the race. Just remember that he under-car weights are very close to the under-car clearance requirements so be careful (can’t be lower than 1/8” from car bottom).
 

The cheapest option is to use big washers mounted in holes under the car, which makes it easy to adjust the weight by adding/removing washers. Mid-range choices are cylindrical alloy tubes which you can buy at Michael’s or the Scout Shop and insert into a hole in the car. The top-of-the-line (and most expensive) weights are tungsten alloy cylinders and spheres (see http://www.pinewoodpro.com/pinewood-derby-tungsten-weights.htm) which run about $5 per ounce. These are super-pricey but give the most design flexibility since they have the highest weight per volume and are easy to stick in a hole or weight compartment in the car.

If you don’t plan to use an under-body weight, the use of a weight compartment with a screw-on cover is highly recommended and the best location (for both speed and construction convenience) is usually at the rear of the car, where you also have enough space to fill the compartment with weights (BBs, washers, etc.) and then attach a wood cover (drilling templates and covers available at the workshops). Again this makes it easy to adjust the weight by adding/removing weights on race day.

 

Although it is not officially prohibited, note that we do NOT recommend the use of lead (fishing weights, shotgun shot, etc) due to its toxic properties (and certainly please don’t try to melt lead). If you plan to attend one of the construction workshops, please be sure to bring your weights so that they can be incorporated into the car design. Remember to secure all your weights so they will not fall out during the race.

HINT: Your car will go faster if the weights are placed as far to the rear as possible – just make sure the rear is not so heavy that the front wheels lift off the track.
 

 

Pinewood Derby Car Painting Tips (do not put wheels on before painting !!)

The best paint to use is spray paint. The trick to a smooth finish is to use a SANDABLE primer first – I get mine from Home Depot –

Rustoleum Painter’s Touch Ultra Cover Primer (white) for about $3. You can lightly sand the 1st coat before applying the 2nd coat of primer and then lightly sand it again before the color coat of spray paint. My favorite finish spray paint is Krylon gloss spray paint which is cheapest at Walmart (around $3).

If you apply more than one finish color or a clear gloss coat, sometimes it will wrinkle the paint. I usually stay away from the clear gloss coats for this reason, and when you apply colors make sure they hit primer and not an underlying color. You can use masking tape to mask off the areas for the different finish colors (e.g. like a stripe down the middle, etc.).

Here are the recommended steps for painting your car:

1. If needed, sand your finished car with 150 grit sandpaper, and then vacuum and/or wipe off dust with a tack cloth.

2. Apply two coats of primer paint (a sandable spray primer or even drywall primer paint like Kilz), allow to dry 1 hour between coats and a couple hours after the 2nd coat. You can attach a stick or paint the car up on blocks or small lids so you don’t have to touch it.

3. Sand lightly with 320 grit sandpaper, then vacuum and/or wipe off dust with a tack cloth.

4. Apply two or more light coats of spray paint of your choice. Again, use a stick or blocks so you don’t have to touch it during

spraying. Spray paint looks the best and is easiest to do, but you can also paint with a brush if you don’t have spray paint.

Note that a cool alternative to painting is the body wraps available at the Scout Shop and at hobby shops. This is essentially a full-body sticker (available in tons of cool graphic styles) that you apply to the car.

Remember that the main goal of the Pinewood Derby is to have fun. Please stress the importance of good sportsmanship with your scout. It doesn’t matter who wins or loses, the idea is for everyone to have an enjoyable and memorable race day. Good luck to all !!