Need carry case for PWD cars

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MarkD
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Need carry case for PWD cars

Post by MarkD »

The week before our PWD we have checkins and take scout photos with car. We take the car and hold it for 1 week while we make licenses and such. I am looking for a better solution in holding the cars. Currently we have a 1/2 inch plywood board where the cars are placed. Very large and heavy to transport. Does anyone know of a PWD carrying case for multiple cars? Where can it be purchase and such? I will have 100 cars or so to transport so the case needs to be large and light. Also did I mention cheap priced too...
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FRANKLIN WHALEY
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Re: Need carry case for PWD cars

Post by FRANKLIN WHALEY »

Mark, I took an old briefcase,bought some egg crate foam rubber like the hosp. uses for bed ridden patients and cut out where the wheels go on the bottom piece. Then cut the 2 inch by 7 inch hole for the car bodies. The wheels are suspended and the cars fit snug when the case is closed. Up to six cars can fit in this small case. I bet if you were to use a large suite case with multiple layers, you could put at least fifty cars in one case. I have left my cars in this case for months with no damage to the hubs or any other parts. It is also looks cool when you enter the big race and your cars are in a nice case instead of a shoe box.
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Stan Pope
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Re: Need carry case for PWD cars

Post by Stan Pope »

MarkD, I've heard of groups that feel the need to impound cars for several days but I've never understood the motivation behind it. Can you explain why this is worth the effort and risk?
Stan
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Darin McGrew
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Re: Need carry case for PWD cars

Post by Darin McGrew »

MarkD wrote:Does anyone know of a PWD carrying case for multiple cars? Where can it be purchase and such? I will have 100 cars or so to transport so the case needs to be large and light. Also did I mention cheap priced too...
We built plywood display racks that stack. They're pretty simple and easy to build.

The platform is plywood, with two short legs in the back to tilt it forward. The cars are arranged in rows, nose pointing downhill, with the wheels against strips of wood attached to the plywood.

To stack them, add a matching set of legs in the front, pointed up. Then you can stack the rear legs of the top rack on the back of the bottom rack, and the front of the top rack on the front upward-pointing legs of the bottom rack. It helps to attach those rubber saucer-like things designed to protect floors from furniture legs, and to keep furniture from sliding around.

The only hard part is getting the angles of the legs right.

When you bring them out for the derby, take the front legs off the racks and display the cars on the racks. You want the legs tall enough that any legal car can fit, without being threatened by the rack above it. You want the racks narrow enough to fit easily through a standard door, and to fit on standard tables with enough room around them that you aren't worried about them falling off.
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Darin McGrew
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Re: Need carry case for PWD cars

Post by Darin McGrew »

Stan Pope wrote:MarkD, I've heard of groups that feel the need to impound cars for several days but I've never understood the motivation behind it. Can you explain why this is worth the effort and risk?
In our case, it isn't that we want to impound the cars for several days. It's that we need to impound the cars between registration and the derby, and we wanted to eliminate the chaos and work of registration from derby night. Therefore, we register the cars the Wednesday before the derby, which is three days later on Saturday night.

We run the derby for the younger kids, have a potluck, and then run the derby for the older kids and adults. Families without cars in the first derby can arrive later, families without cars in the second derby can leave earlier, and the whole event runs more smoothly.

It also helps with judging the designs. We have two days to arrange for impartial judges to view the cars, and they all don't even have to be there at the same time. Before, they had to judge the cars between registration and the derby, which meant they were judging the cars during the potluck.
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Da Graphite Kid
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Re: Need carry case for PWD cars

Post by Da Graphite Kid »

MarkD,

Look in the camping section of your local department store for some of the camp sleeping pads. These have the same egg crate shape as the matreses that the hospitals use although they are of different material. Should be cheaper.

We were discussing building trays / racks this year to use in the check in area. We were thinking of using this stuff to line the trays with.

At our Pack Committee Meeting this week, we were asked why we did not have registration the week before and race the next. The two main issues that came up with doing this were:
- There would be boys/parents that wouldn't start building their cars until the day/night before the actual race.
- We did not want to have to wade through any accusations that the cars were tampered with during 'lock-up'.

So instead we will (if we get some more volunteer helpers) stagger the start of each rank's races as well as have two inspection lines to speed registration up.

Da Graphite Kid
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