Pinewood derby & Chti Chit Bang Bang

If I remember correctly the Cub Scouts has a booklet of patterns you could use. Maybe you could start there and modify the base car. There is quite of bit stuff, if you Google or visit a hobbie shop. Some people are insane about it. Remember you have to stay within the limits of size and weight.

At the start of the race, the cars are weighed, so be sure that the car is NOT OVER WEIGHT!

That being said, the car rolls down an inclinded plane and the one which goes the farthest wins.

If I remenber, the Cub Scouts sell a car kit which is a block of wood, wheels, etc. Your local pack may sell the kit, or you might buy one at the local boy scout headquarters. You may shape the wooden block to be aerodynamic, etc. The key to a good car is the wheels and weight.

The front and back wheels must be aligned (with graphite if that is permissible) so the car rolls with minimal friction.

The basic wood block is under the weight limit. Add as much weight as you can and still be under the weight limit. The more the weight the farther the car will roll.

George

Nope, not the one that goes the farthest, the one that goes the fastest...

A lot of this is going to depend on how the rules are interpreted by your troop. You're stuck with the kit wheels and axles. The block of wood can be modified so long as the dimension limits are met. I've seen cars will all sorts of glued on bits, but if you're going to do the chitty chitty "wings" then you've got a lot of work to do. Of course the strict interpretation of the rules wouldn't allow you to get a model car and glue on the wings, but maybe the troop rules would. You have to ask somebody.

If you're worried about speed you have to have the weight to the max. I drill holes in the bottom of the car for BBs to be used to bring the weight up to the max allowed at the weigh in. Get the flashing off the axles and wheels. Use graphite like crazy. I wouldn't worry about aerodynamics and stuff like that, it's a third order factor at best.

So I think your best approach is to get the block of wood carved down to the basic shape and then add some parts from a plastic model to finish the look.

Good luck!

http://www.pinewoodpro.com/ http://home.simplyweb.net/bosworth/howto.htm

They usually give you the base kit at the pack meetings. Wood with axle groove pre-cut, nails for axle and wheels are included. Weights are also supplied. Most packs will weigh the car and add OR subtract within a preset limit. The tracks can have 5,6 or more lanes to race on. They straddle a thin piece of wood to keep them from hitting other cars during the race. It is important to make sure the bottom of the car and inside of the wheels do not catch on the wood. Graphite is allowed on the axles.

A good track will have photosensors to time each car. We have each car run three races and add up the times to determine the overall winner and fastest car. Each car runs once on tracks 1,3,and 5. laptop records times from sensors.

I tried to do some research and found that the movie was based on a real car. I don't know if your son would enjoy the info or not. We have very good friends with a son with Asbergers so we're somewhat familiar with the idiosyncrasies you deal with.

Also for dimensions try and find a Corgi brand toy car of the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. You don't want the junior. They are pretty close to the scale you want for a pinewood derby car. They seem to be available on ebay. I don't think you will find a set of plans for your purpose, you will likely have to produce your own or go by the model.

Good luck!

If the rules allow, don't forget to graphite powder your axles. Also it is better to come in underweight and insert a ball bearing of known weight into a set of pre-drilled holes. Just make sure you know the rules.

We should have a race here on CR4. We could build our own and video the time trials and such. On the honor system.

A virtual Pinewood Derby!

cr3

Yeah, right, I can see it now!

There would be rocket powered, solar powered, harmonically adjusted, spring loaded pinewood derby cars with the gadgetry located in a remotely operated secret panel behind the front axle and with one press on your James Bond Multi function spy watch zoom down the ramp at break neck speed! Then again, that sounds like fun as well! AS LONG AS WE ALL PLAY BY THE SAME RULES! WHAT RULES? THE RULES ARE THERE AINT NO RULES.

We all make our car's and send 'em to Chris Leonard where he and his noble outfit run the races.

how do we make sure the magnets and gas assist work properly via proxy? Or do we use a proximity switch on the release bar and preload for x number of runs?

Is that your tongue bulging out your cheek there? Seriously though, a couple of years ago, a facility for the research and design of automotive airbags, in an effort to build employee morale tried several creative ideas. One was to have a pinewood derby. The kits were distributed to the engineers, technicians, etc. And a derby was held with prizes, food, and fun. These were some of the best engineers in the world just having good clean fun.

It really improved morale.

I must agree, I remember having the best time as a cub scout building and running pinewood derby cars. Then again as a father with my own son enjoying the experience all over again.

These little "race cars" can be a whole lot of enjoyment for very little expense. One of the interesting things to me as a cub scout was that one of the fastest cars was the block of wood simply glued together and painted! Aerodynamics obviously didn't make much if any difference. Weight, axles, wheels and graphite seemed to be where the trick is.

By the way. The more runs you can let the kids have the better, even if they "don't" count.

I'm ready!

Do I see the gauntlet getting thrown down here or what? Bring it on Charlie boy!

Honest Truemans, The Bookies Brain is open for takers!

On the card is The CR4 World Pinewood Derby Championship!

Do we have any takers please?

There has been quite a strong following for 'soap box' derbys among vintage enthusiast circles in the UK lately, even having a race during the Goodwood Festival. These have become quite sophisticated, even covered bodywork! I think that went under the Bentley badge if I remember.

Count Zborowski - http://www.britishmm.co.uk/history.asp?id=221 (sorry, link no longer available) - built several 'specials' but I didn't realise until reading this that 'Babs' was originally one of his.

What it says on the tickets about motor racing being dangerous we might think true today, but in which case it was down right lethal then.

As a Cubmaster from 1982 to 1997, I presided over more than a few Pinewood derbies.
With more than half of the fathers being Rocket Scientists working on the Space shuttle, we had some serious designs. In order to keep the playing field somewhat level we tried many different variations. We did use distance as the goal a couple of times. We tried creative vehicles and ended up with pickup trucks, buses, and tractors. Stressing safety we even rolled the cars down a hill with a raw egg in the drivers seat. The winner was the one that rolled down the most times without breaking the egg. Talk with the Cubmaster and let him know your concerns, the rules can be modified. Most Packs are more than willing to adjust to create positive experiences for boys with special needs. This can be a great learning experience for all participants. Since these boys are 8 - 10 make sure EVERY boy wins an award or certificate for something. P.S. The biggest trophy was for sportsmanship.

have you had any success?

Can we get a progress report?

I have really enjoyed all the postings. Especially finding out where the name came from! I bought a standard Pinewood derby kit. I told Alex we probably could not exactly reproduce Chitty. He sat down and drew up the basics of what he wanted, which included the number 3, the grill, and a model of him driving. I plan to draw it out to scale from the pictures I got from the DVD. I'm fairly certain I can sand the block into the basic shape. I might use cardboard or Balsa for wheel covers and go from there. Thanks all for your comments, it's been fun.

Joe T.

Or go to the hardware shop and buy a bit of copper pipe (like a joint sleeve!! Can't remember what it is in English! sorry) that is bigger than the wheels, cut it to shape and gain a few oz!

OK I admit it, I built one too! My Dad showed me a few tricks with graphite and Plasticene which if it hadn't been for those pesky kids, I'd av got away with it! (Only because he had more Plasticene, cheat!)

I think if you built it along the lines that the original was built, with half an eye on proportions, it would work out pretty well. We have re-created lost hitoric cars from photos to pretty good effect (talking the collective 'we' here). If you bulild a frame out of rectangular timber which is supported above the axles, you could even have leaf springs (how about layered ply?), with a 'radiator' of suitable proportions you're assured something that fits the bill. It's probably more in details rather than fundamentals to make it convincing, like giant exhaust pipes and huge sprockets (decorative naturally, unless you're going to develop it for lawn mower or scooter power!).