Search found 62 matches

by PeterT
Thu Mar 01, 2012 1:12 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Photos
Topic: 2012 Pinewood Derby Cars
Replies: 28
Views: 23488

Re: 2012 Pinewood Derby Cars

We started pointing our design judges to the Revell website so that they know what the current kit cars look like. We make it clear that this should NOT disqualify the car, but does allow the judges to get a feel for what the kid did do (decorations, painting, sading and reshaping the kit), versus w...
by PeterT
Thu Mar 01, 2012 12:42 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Photos
Topic: 2012 Pinewood Derby Cars
Replies: 28
Views: 23488

Re: 2012 Pinewood Derby Cars

Very sorry to hear this. We had a disgruntled parent two years ago during checkin/registration and it really soured the evening. By the time racing started the incident was luckily largely forgotten. Accusations were made that certain cars cheated (ie had shiny wheels), others had too good of a pain...
by PeterT
Wed Feb 15, 2012 6:34 am
Forum: Planning, Preps & Running the Race
Topic: Check-in of a BUNCH of Cars?
Replies: 8
Views: 8610

Re: Check-in of a BUNCH of Cars?

HOW MANY? ... this is truly the big question. We registered 72 cubs easily in a two hour period; our districts registered 71 (all but four different) cubs in a two hour period. Both had periods of longish lines - ten people or so, and both had periods of no one in line. We thought about multiple lin...
by PeterT
Tue Feb 14, 2012 4:27 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Crash Strength.
Replies: 9
Views: 7435

Re: Crash Strength.

How about axles? My feeling is that bent axles for camber and tuning are much less abuse resistant than drilling at an angle and shimming for fine tuning. Since we have to use the stock slots, and I don't trust shimming, we've had bent axles every year for five years running. Son just took #1 at di...
by PeterT
Tue Feb 14, 2012 3:08 pm
Forum: General Car/Truck Racer Topics
Topic: How many cars have you built?
Replies: 30
Views: 26445

Re: How many cars have you built?

3 when I was a cub 5 helped my son with all five of his 1 we did following a book's suggestion to make two each year 1 I made as a wireless camera car 1 pack filler car - no longer needed due to GPRM not using fillers 2 half built cars so... 11 to 13, depending on how you count the two unfinished ca...
by PeterT
Tue Feb 14, 2012 3:04 pm
Forum: General Topics
Topic: How much success is best?
Replies: 9
Views: 9684

Re: How much success is best?

This year was our fifth year at districts, and the first and only year where our Cub won first place, made all the sweeter by being at the end of a four year journey. The experience of being in the bottom half in the first year, then every year doing a little better, was truly worth it. I don't thin...
by PeterT
Tue Feb 14, 2012 2:49 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Photos
Topic: Granite Cars
Replies: 5
Views: 5671

Re: Granite Cars

or the car breaking a Cub or other onlooker's foot if they're standing too close when it flys off the track... we had an open race three years ago, and before I could stop them an older sibling sent a 1lb+ car down the track. this might not have been so bad, except that it was also over the maximum ...
by PeterT
Tue Feb 14, 2012 2:48 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Photos
Topic: 2012 Pack winner
Replies: 21
Views: 16743

District Results

For those tracking this article: Over this past weekend the Orange car took first place at our local District finals! It was a nailbiter all the way to the end - son thought he was in 6th or 7th place, though we felt he was easily in the top 3 or 4. Not until they announced first place did it start ...
by PeterT
Thu Feb 02, 2012 10:25 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Arrrrrrrg! Why do we do it!
Replies: 12
Views: 11636

Re: Arrrrrrrg! Why do we do it!

Our pack track is stored in my house. It is SO tempting to set it up a month ahead of time and use it for testing and tuning. So far I have resisted the urge. This is why I am quite happy that our pack track is stored at our sponsoring organizations facility. EXCEPT all of the electronics are at my...
by PeterT
Thu Feb 02, 2012 10:20 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Wheel question
Replies: 23
Views: 16346

Re: Wheel question

rpcarpe wrote:So it looks like you can polish the bore, but not much else besides truing up the wheels.
Boring. (pun intended)
It's still pretty easy to burn a couple of hours tweaking the wheels and axles. Then again we get faster every year, so ymmv.
by PeterT
Thu Feb 02, 2012 10:18 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Wheel question
Replies: 23
Views: 16346

Re: Wheel question

I second drathburn; we have rules of this sort at both pack and district levels, so there is not much choice anyway. This means that a team must be far more subtle in what they do to make a car faster: polishing, alignment, COM and mass distribution, aerodynamics, hey there is still a lot to do! We ...
by PeterT
Thu Feb 02, 2012 10:11 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Inserting nails for 3-wheel rail-rider in existing slots
Replies: 9
Views: 7696

Re: Inserting nails for 3-wheel rail-rider in existing slots

we've used the pro axle tool to drill holes at the *top of the slots* for five years running. Technically the nails are in the slots, and are fully visible, etc. however: we get the benefit of a more solid/straight axle since the drilled hole acts as a pilot we use a #44 drill bit which is slightly ...
by PeterT
Thu Feb 02, 2012 9:59 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Photos
Topic: This year and last years derby car pics.
Replies: 10
Views: 9981

Re: This year and last years derby car pics.

Nice set of cars, thanks for sharing!
by PeterT
Wed Jan 25, 2012 11:35 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: What is most challenging PWD project you have yet to start?
Replies: 15
Views: 12856

Re: What is most challenging PWD project you have yet to sta

So what projects do you have on your drawing table that you just haven’t worked out the details yet to make? Darin's comment reminded me that I have always wanted to attempt a "racing block"; a body that looks just like the original raw block with 4 nails stuck in it (as it was assembled ...
by PeterT
Wed Jan 25, 2012 10:16 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: What is most challenging PWD project you have yet to start?
Replies: 15
Views: 12856

Re: What is most challenging PWD project you have yet to sta

ohhhhhhhhhhhh. Someone you know probably has a band saw, if not, might just be time to buy one! I don't think they are that expensive at the lower end. I have three friends who own them, so for my once a year needs I'm all set. Since this would be (I assume) an outlaw car, you could just saw down a ...