Pinewood 2015

IPACA9

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Feb 2, 2015
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Thought I'd share my two boys cars for this year. This was my first year making fenders and a full body. It was a learning lesson. I didn't even think about the sides hitting on the track due to them being a little narrower than the wheels on the inside. They weren't the slowest but they could have been so much faster.

My 8yr olds Lamborghini Gallardo
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My 5yr old's (Siblings Division) Hot Wheels Prototype H-24.
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They both took top honors for Finest Workmanship and Judges Favorite
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Those are beautiful!

This past Derby was our first year building with fenders, and, boy howdy, was it a learning lesson. Fortunately, I'd been schooled on the need to trim the fenders under the body, but I had not anticipated how many hours I'd spend with the dremel, getting those wheels to fit right without making contact.

I don't know if I'll ever let my kids have fenders again. /images/boards/smilies/smile.gif
 
My son's Batman with my Robin's Town & Recovery from last year. The bed was removable for racing.
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For my son's 1st pinewood derby

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Vitamin K said:
Those are beautiful!

This past Derby was our first year building with fenders, and, boy howdy, was it a learning lesson. Fortunately, I'd been schooled on the need to trim the fenders under the body, but I had not anticipated how many hours I'd spend with the dremel, getting those wheels to fit right without making contact.

I don't know if I'll ever let my kids have fenders again. /images/boards/smilies/smile.gif

For the fenders I bought 3"x24" strips of pinewood from the ace hardware down the street that were the perfect width. I then marked where the wheels were going to be and then used the forester bit and my drill press to make the wheel cutouts. Even after doing so I must have been slightly off when gluing because when I went to put the back wheel onto my my younger son's car it wouldn't fit. I had to put a sanding bit on my dremel and make the opening a little higher to clear. I should have taken that sanding bit and tapered the inside lips of the car sides where they hung down to get them past the wheels. It would have just been awesome to see the two fastest looking cars actually be fast. Still beating myself up over it. That red indy car from our first year was the second fastest racer that year for us. I didn't even do much to the wheels and axels other than graphite and it was smoking down the track.

On the Lamborghini I had to shed almost a full ounce off the car when done. I basically hollowed out the underside with my forester bit and dremel until I could get to the 5oz. That sucked.

My pinewood derby workshop in the driveway. Let that sawdust blow away /images/boards/smilies/smile.gif
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Starting raw
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Cut out and sanded
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Bondo. 1st time ever really using it. It's another learning process
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Prepping for paint
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Just a minor suggestion. I built several cars like this for my grandchildren, my favorite being an AC Cobra. Like yours, mine turned out beautiful, but couldn't compete speed wise.
Although it took a lot of time, I carefully hollowed out the body from the bottom, leaving the outer look and dimensions exactly as before. The biggest challenge was getting the walls as thin as possible without poking a hole through the body.
1. I then put compensating weight as far to the rear as possible.
2. I was able to find a way to stop using the old axle holes, drilled the rears with a 3 degree cant, and put a bent nail on the DFW.
3. I prepared both the axles and 2.0 G wheels per DD4H's video.
4. I covered the bottom with a piece of EkonoKote.

The car was finally able to turn 2.999 on the PWDRL track. That is not good enough to win anything in an SS class, and won't qualify in SR because it is a convertible. But it would take the FTD honors at most BSA events.

After this experience, if I were ever to do this again, I would do it as follows:
1. Fashion the major portion of the body out of thin 1/16" balsa (on top of a thin normal PW block)
2. I would make the top and fenders out of balsa of the proper thickness.

IPACA9 said:
Thought I'd share my two boys cars for this year. This was my first year making fenders and a full body. It was a learning lesson. I didn't even think about the sides hitting on the track due to them being a little narrower than the wheels on the inside. They weren't the slowest but they could have been so much faster.

10347783_10203752700399429_4470476549836939391_n_zps2db8b734.jpg

1922405_10203752700239425_319452782499227476_n_zps41ae30ca.jpg
 
Very Cool Cars.. Your boys will remember the time spent building with dad... /images/boards/smilies/thumb.gif/images/boards/smilies/thumb.gif/images/boards/smilies/thumb.gif