2001 Pine Wood Derby Car

1. Buy Pine Wood kit from Scout store

2. Cut car out of the block of wood to desired look and size.

3. The Best shape is a Wedge.

4. Turn car so that the wheels are farther from the front than the back.

5. Sand the car so that it is as Smooth as possible.

6. Do not sand the Axle area at all.

7. Cut out the bottom of car between the front and rear wheels for weights, A Dremel tool is great for this. Cut deep enough so the weights do not stick out past the bottom of the car.

8. Secure the weights to the bottom of the car with Dry Wall mud.

9. If at all possible put some weights in front of the front wheels.

10. If more weight is needed add some to the rear of the car.

11. Now you can paint the car. Do not paint in the axle area.

12. The Axles are the critical parts.

13. You will want or need to put your Drill in a vise to hold it steady.

14. Put the axles in a drill one at a time and sand with metal sand paper, the cleats off of the shaft at the head of the axle; It may take a file to get the worst of it and then sand with 600 grit metal sand paper soaked in water.

15. After sanding use white pumice and a strip of cloth, put the pumice in a small cup and add water, make it like a paste and apply to the cloth. Then use like sandpaper for about 30- 45 sec.

16. The wheels.

17. Put the wheel on a turning mandrel and use Rubbing compound or Tooth Paste to smooth the edges of the wheels, Do not apply much pressure cause the heat from this could mess the roundness of the wheels. Then take a clean cloth and clean the wheels. You may need to use a file or sand paper to remove the molded edge of the wheels before using the rubbing compound.

18. When putting the axle and the wheel together put some Graphite on the axles and spin them.

19. Put the axle into the car at the axle slot

20. Make sure the wheels spin very freely and do not stop spinning when they rub against the side of the car. If this happens put more Graphite on that part and push the wheel into the side of the car so the graphite helps to smooth that area.

21. Put graphite on the axle from both sides of the wheels

22. To help the wheels spin better you can use a fine paintbrush and help force some graphite along the axle in the wheel.

23. If you can get to your track and test the car it would be best to do the test run before glueing the axles in place.

24. After you are sure of your wheel placement you can Glue the axles in place with Elmers Wood glue or any other glue. Use a toothpick to push the glue around the axle, DO NOT get any glue to close to the wheels.

25. After the glue has dried and before the race put Rain-X on the wheels and let dry, then wipe off the rain-x. This helps keep any debris from the race track or any other dirt to stick to the wheels.

26. Before turning your car in for the race , put some more graphite in those axles and spin the wheels a few times. You Can’t use too much Graphite.

27. Storing the car.

28. Put the car in a shoebox and put it so the wheels are not touching the bottom of the box. Turn the car upside down or wrap the car in a cloth or small towel.

NOTE:

Using the drill is not a good thing for the child to do. You can get a bad cut if you are not careful .

Also Please wear safety goggles when using the drill.

Making your car weigh as close to 5 oz is best.

Have a Safe and Fun Race !!!