Need help with design!

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Chipper
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Need help with design!

Post by Chipper »

Next month is our boy Scout pinewood derby fundraiser. The scouts ask businesses to sponsor them in building a car to race at the derby. A local radio station is sponsoring my son in building a car. It is up to him to decide on how to make it. He had an idea of a radio car. He was searching google and found images of car radios which he thought would look cool on top of a low profile car. So, we were just wondering for any ideas. I told him if we could find some old radio and take the knobs off and use them. Or, does anyone know of any graphics of a car radio (kind of like the ones that the face can be detached) that we could somehow edit to put in the local station's call numbers?

Thanks for any advice on this.

Chipper
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Darin McGrew
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Re: Need help with design!

Post by Darin McGrew »

I'd check with a car stereo shop to see if they have any scrap radios that they've pulled from cars while installing new ones. You might be able to cannibalize controls or other bits for the car, or perhaps even an entire faceplate.
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whodathunkit
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Re: Need help with design!

Post by whodathunkit »

Chipper,
I dont belive I'v ever seen a pinewood derby car that was built to look like a car radio
(while searching google pinewood derby car images for myself.)

So I really like the radio car idea your son has in mind. ;)

Darin's idea to check with car stereo shops for any scrap radio parts is a good start.

If your son is into haveing light effects or perhaps even music playing out of his radio car.
There is a topic posted here on DT ..
Where I had a crazy idea of useing the Hallmark music cards inter workings to play music
if this is something your son might like to try.

Just type in Hallmark music cards in the advanced search (seen in the uper right side of screen)
And view topic: 2012 pack champion & most original design

Best of luck to you guys
Whoda.
What type of automobile can be spelled the same forwards & backwards?
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davet
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Re: Need help with design!

Post by davet »

Use Google images and type in radio or stereo or car stereo and you'll see a bunch you could use. Size it to roughly 2 1/2 x 7 3/4" depending on size of the block of wood. You want it to drape over the sides a bit. Print it out onto photopaper and lay it onto the car where you want it. Turn it over and mark around the block so u can get it back where u want it. Mix up some 60 min (so u have time to move it around) epoxy and spread over the car and lay it on to then line up the marks on the bottom. Just get it onto the top of the car first. Lay it on a table with a board on top so it dries flat. After a couple hours fold the sides down and let them dry. When it's dry it will make a very thin car very strong. Clear coat it with automotive glossy clear and you can then buff it with car wax and it will really shine.

** When you print the first copy on the photo paper try your clear coat on it before applying to car so you know if the ink will react with the clear coat. Print another one then for the car. We had no problem with ours.

Image
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davet
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Re: Need help with design!

Post by davet »

Also, when you find knobs, you might want to recess them down into the block so they have less wind resistance. You could also just shave the backs down to make them thinner. You could cut out small wood discs, paint them black and then glue a pic of a knob to the top.
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