Recent content by DR650SE

Agreed. It's not the best track. Plus where it's put together, it wreaks havoc on rail riding. I'll be taking more active role next year and will be figuring out how to optimize our track. The starting switch was wonky and ultimately led to inaccurate run times which negatively impacted...

Hey guys! We just wrapped up this year's Pinewood derby races. One thing I noticed as that while my families cars road the rail well, and did great overall, I'm getting some wheel wobble. I'd like to tighten that up. Admittedly, my wheels were gapped to large. I didn't get them as tight as I...

Thanks guys! We had a successful day! Son was 1st in his den and 4th in the pack. Daughter was 1st in the family race. My car did well, I think 3rd but I had them scratch me from the results. Wanted somone else to get the trophy/medal. For me it was just for the fun of it. I tried to close the...

Damn, lol. Now that you put it like that, I'm going to close up those gaps. They'll just eat away the kinetic energy. Plus I share all the tips too with the other dads. Tomorrow I'm helping setup the track and make sure it's all working well. Test it with a few runs too and I'm taking...

No real idea. I figured thy were a bit large as well but figured it'd be OK, and at worst narrow the competition gap a bit. Probably would be a good lesson if my son lost a race or two. I already feel a tad guilty and think all cars will probably be undefeated. I don't think anyone else in...

My son and I got his car done over the last week. I also built a car for my daughter and myself to race in the siblings and family races. Part of me feels bad. I think we're going to dominate. Cars seem alighted well. Currently all weigh 138g/139g (4.9oz). Axles are all polished to 5k grit...

Just sand smooth, then spray primer. Sand lightly, and prime again. Sand lightly, then thin layers of spray paint, maybe sand a bit if desired. Then finish with s few thin light coats of clear coat. don't get impatient and keep spraying, take your time. Getting heavy handed with the paint...

So working with my kids on a few cars. We've already polished the axles. We used the following, 400, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, 2000 Grint sand paper. I then used a 3000 grit cloth, a 5000 grit cloth, and finally a wet leather strap. All sanding was wet. Now while we were getting colored wheels...

Unfortunately I don't have access to a band saw or scroll saw. The play in it is just the tiniest amount. Adding electrical tape to the rear axle on one side is enough to make it tight. The front requires one layer of electrical tape on both sides. This is definitely a lesson learned for next...

I had thought of that, like just wrapping it, but was wondering if it would introduce some play in it. Might have some play/flex, but at the least it's better than nothing and will minimize it. would a bent axle help correct for the tiny angle of the axles?

Hey guys, my sons derby is coming up and I'm assisting him. He wants to drill the axle holes and move the wheels further back. So we go a basic jig. The problem is he cut the car out and sanded it, and in sanding the car to round all the corners, with a belt sander, the sides lost a bit of...

I agree I'm leaning towards the 5 hole setup, but probably won't use it (5th hole) . Nice to have for simplicity though for my son if he'd like to use it.

When you drill axle holes, how do you add graphite? Do you shave channels near the axle as show here? https://www.derbydust.com/how-to-glue-axles-in-place-after-tuning-you-pinewood-derby-car/ And do you drill access holes in order to glue the axles in place? Is there a reputable jig that also...

I'm in the same boat, the jigs are expensive. With any of the jigs, I plan to use a pin vise because I don't want my hand drill to bore out the jigs holes. I am in a townhouse and don't have room for a drill press. The hardened steel is what draws me to the higher priced blocks to prevent...

Any one have experience with this jig? Really curious but man are these quality jigs expensive. Starcars Clear 5 bushing jig. https://starcarsderby.com/products?olsPage=products/the-clear-drill-jig-for-perfect-axle-alignment-9aba05b4-e063-4a94-8112-acb0efe16dbe