HOTRODS FOR BOY SCOUTS!

You've got aluminum??? All we got was wood.

* the Pinewood Derby was the only reason I stayed in scouts as long as I did.

 

I did this with my youngest son (he's now 33) when he was in cub scouts. I still have my car, #69, though I think it's missing a wheel. I agree, what a great way to get fathers and sons working together and it's about CARS!
Great artwork Brush.
Mine didn't look as good as yours in your artwork but it did look like an old hotrod.

 

Oh yea!
I remember the old perverbial Pinewood derby.....
Helped my sons build them for race day.
The problem being..... After looking at the work on the wooden cars. I realized the build was really for the adults and the kids were just the racers. Still a great father/son exercise. Great that you did this for them...and a fenderless 37 to boot.

 

Heres my sons from last spring

 

Are you kidding??? My son and I did it for the first time last January. He's a Tiger Cub (the youngest group).

In HAMB tradition, we kicked butt and took names. He finished 2nd in his first heat and won the next 5 heats in a row including setting the fastest time and the pack championship.

 

Hell yeah I did that, Im a genuine Eagle Scout!! later tonight if the thread hasn't died maybe ill post some pics, my cars kicked ass!

 

my nephew does this now as i did decades ago, i was amazed to find that they use digital timing devices and computers now!
they even way the cars on a digital scale to within a few 10ths of an ounce or something.

just goes to show ya technology doesn't ruin everything, some things remain the same

tred.

 

Dad and I made a 57 fairlane, painted it seafoam green, it was fast too.
The next year I won best of show with a fendered model A
Made the fenders with an old band saw and painted it a candy marron.
Last year I raced I made a Sherman Tank.
Wish I still had them.
Pine wood derbys where a bast!

 

the pinewood derby was it man! i got beat every fuckin time but i still had blast building it. shit, i even raced in the cub crate derby a few years too, kinda like the soap box derby, of which i raced in that for about 3 or 4 years too, in indianapolis at the wilber shaw memorial track, i was lucky enough to win a couple free trips to akron to see the championship too, but i never raced over there. racin and scouts???? yeah they go together! ahhhhh, the memories last forever! later, mike

 

GREAT POSTER Jeff!Here's a pic of one that I lettered for a friend of mine's son.Painted with Chameleon.I think he took second in the runoff with it.

 

Oh man, now THIS takes me back.

My Dad and I made it to the Northern California state championships back in the 70's. If you want any tips on how to make these cars fast, I still remember most of our tricks. I still have the cars up in a box at my Mom's house...

Mike

 

I shattered the cam drive gear in my Model A at Scout Camp.

It was kinda fun going camping in the roadster when everyone else is in pickups and 'burbans. Sorta like drive to camp in a tent, live in a tent for the weekend and drive home in a tent.

There are 35 year old Kub Kars in our house as well as some that are less than a decade old. Helping the pack build those racers was one of the most fun series of evenings when I was a leader.
In Canada the cars are raced in Cub Packs by the 9 to 12 year old set. Scouts don't "officially" participate.

I left Scouting a couple years ago, when my kids became marching band geeks, sure enjoyed the experience though.

mike

 

[ QUOTE ]
All we got was wood.

[/ QUOTE ]

Uhhh, Are you sure that was really the boy scouts? maybe a NAMBLA meeting?

 

"I left Scouting a couple years ago, when my kids became marching band geeks, sure enjoyed the experience though."

Thats too funny, its great to see you can poke fun at your kids..

Derby rules, I wish I had my old cars. My dad and I had a blast building them. Of course he took over on the build being a professional wood worker, but I still had a blast doing something with my dad. I hope to get my son involved, but Boy Scouts here in Utah, I am affraid is a little diiferent then in any other states. I have a strong feeling that if your not Morman here you will be the scout left out, so I am not sure I want to put my son thru that. Its just a social thing your a kid and your friends are the kids you go to church with and such. god I hate that. Now he will prob. be the kid (like I was only I was in Ca.) who raises hell and drops out of scouts to smoke pot..

 

Scouting was a highlight in my childhood as was building a derby car with my dad, we didn't place too high but we had fun. Glad to see it is still going strong. Don't try to sneek on some lead tape - you'll get caught, but Pam Cooking spray works as a damn good lube

I was in it all the way to 17yrs old and it taught me a lot about managing people.

On a side note, United Way pissed me off when they quit supporting them last year (gay rights) - that was when my donations went straight to the Scouts.

 

Heres a couplea of mine from a few years back




Thanks dad

 

I remember doing the pinewood derby with my son. It had the electric feeling of a real race. One of the pack leaders commented on this and I said "You're right, it's just like a real race. It's not whether you win or lose, it's whether I win or lose."

 

I remember that the fastest car in my troop was the one built by the kid alone. Square block of wood- almost painted- crooked wheels- and pennies taped on at the last minute at weigh in. Somehow it was always fast.

Graphite, silicone spray, 3-in-1 oil... tried it all. The best thing we did was polish the nails. Placed in a drill, then emory cloth used to remove the burrs from under the head area. That was back in the day when kits came with 2 wooden axles and thin metal wheels.

There are a few of us Eagles on this board. Fordiac posted on this a year or so ago. Still got mine somewhere.

Ovrdive- those are killer.
Bil

 

My Dad was real active in the Pinewood Derby races when I was in cub scouts. I am 55 so that has been a while. He built the track (all wood) and for a lot of years after my brother and I were out of school it hung in the barn. Someone revived the derby in our hometown so we donated the track to the scout troop. The cars then had hard plastic wheels and sheetrock nails as axles. We would chuck the nails in a drill and smooth the shanks with emery paper. A little powdered graphite helped as well. Since they didn't have a straight through axle we would glue the nail in the slot and wrap them with thread and glue for strength. Lots of good memories, Dad passed away about ten years ago. Thanks for the post.

 

The other thing I like to do apart from polishing the nails is I chuck up the wheels on a drill and make sure they're smooth & round.

 

[ QUOTE ]
The other thing I like to do apart from polishing the nails is I chuck up the wheels on a drill and make sure they're smooth & round.

[/ QUOTE ]

That and a little powder lube like graphite worked for me.

 

Closest I got was builing a Hood Ornament Racer,about 6 years ago,
to race against Safariknut and friends at a Panel Jam in Dayton Ohio.
Luckily,there were no rules.

 

I remember I left my pinewood derby car as it was when they gave it to me, just a block of wood. All I did was paint it black, grease up the inside of the wheels and put 12ga slugs inside holes I drilled in the bottom.

 

Hooligan I know what you mean. I hauled up some wood & stuff to the scout camp at Driggs with a friend a few years ago. We get there on a beautiful afternoon and they've got the kids all gathered around scripture chasing instead of out hiking or doing something. We threw the wood and stuff out of the truck and left. Never went back.

My little brother was a cub scout. He came home crying the other kids "excommunicated" him because he didn't go to services at the church before the scout meeting. That was back in the 60's and it STILL pisses me off.

With the right scout leaders, scouting can be a great thing. My best friend was an eagle. But I think the churches should stay out of it.

 

Kub Kars are Kool..........built 4 with my son and he still has them proudly displayed in his bedroom. The last few years we sponsor a Kub Kar night at our shop for friends and customers! It's a blast to see the craftmanship of these wooden hot rods that grown men will build to win one of our custom piston trophies! We even have camera's set up for instant reply's on the big screen! We also have drag race engine recordings blarring over speakers on each run, overall it's a fab time!

Nice work Brush!! .......sounds like your up to your arm pits with work these days!! Certainly helps to pay for all those kool parts for the hot rod!!