Search found 1812 matches

by Darin McGrew
Mon Jan 21, 2019 10:24 am
Forum: General Car/Truck Racer Topics
Topic: McDonald's French Fry Car
Replies: 8
Views: 13402

Re: McDonald's French Fry Car

If I were making a "McDonald's Fries" car, then I would cut the block down to a thin slab, and then attach decorations to it. I'd make the box from thin basswood from the craft store. I'd carve a couple rows of fries into the rear of the car, and then add additional fries cut from individ...
by Darin McGrew
Sat Jan 19, 2019 12:02 am
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Hello brand new here.
Replies: 122
Views: 152633

Re: Hello brand new here.

I've heard of rail riders where the front of the car is a little narrower. The idea is to give the rear wheels a little extra room so they don't rub the guide rail at all. But you can do the same thing by leaving extra room between the rear wheel and the car body, assuming that you've aligned the re...
by Darin McGrew
Wed Jan 16, 2019 5:18 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Hello brand new here.
Replies: 122
Views: 152633

Re: Hello brand new here.

I was assuming I'm going to bend the front passenger axel downward so the tire ride on its outside edge leaning towards the rail and then bend the axel AGAIN somehow??? The point of bent axles is that it is easy to change the alignment by simply rotating the axle head with a pair of pliers. It's ju...
by Darin McGrew
Wed Jan 16, 2019 1:08 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Hello brand new here.
Replies: 122
Views: 152633

Re: Hello brand new here.

Ok. Just watches a youtube video that scared me. The man in the video explains rail runner cars are faster as long as whoever installed the track knew what they were doing. And he said most local boy scout and girl scout troops do not take the time to aline the track perfectly. He said any part of ...
by Darin McGrew
Tue Jan 15, 2019 7:15 am
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Hello brand new here.
Replies: 122
Views: 152633

Re: Hello brand new here.

Ah, thanks. I get it now.

Yeah, he was one of the memorable kids. He was quite a handful that first year. But the last time I saw him, he'd grown into a fine young man.

But I digress...
by Darin McGrew
Tue Jan 15, 2019 12:22 am
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Hello brand new here.
Replies: 122
Views: 152633

Re: Hello brand new here.

Are "They" the same ones who showed him how to apply graphite and install wheels? No. I was the one who showed him how to apply graphite and install wheels. Someone else was working the weigh-in table. After the race, I noticed that he had pennies taped to the bottom of the car. The weigh...
by Darin McGrew
Mon Jan 14, 2019 2:33 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Hello brand new here.
Replies: 122
Views: 152633

Re: Hello brand new here.

Be careful of those Sweet Young Ladies they call Girl Scouts. They build FAST cars and they know what it takes to make them go FAST. And sometimes, kids just get lucky. One year, one of the age-group winners in our derby spent about 30 minutes total working on his car. And most of that time was usi...
by Darin McGrew
Mon Jan 14, 2019 2:24 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Hello brand new here.
Replies: 122
Views: 152633

Re: Hello brand new here.

Sleestak wrote: Mon Jan 14, 2019 9:15 amWe just need to beat some 5 year okld girls and their dads who arw not putting the work or money in to it I am.
Why?

And have you considered what the conversations (between you and the other dads, between your daughter and her friends) are going to be like after you've won?
by Darin McGrew
Mon Jan 14, 2019 2:17 pm
Forum: General Car/Truck Racer Topics
Topic: McDonald's French Fry Car
Replies: 8
Views: 13402

Re: McDonald's French Fry Car

I ended up not winning a prize for that car(cause it wasn't creative enough :( ) Yeah, we've created separate design awards for "Automobile" and "Unusual" designs, because when we just have one design category, the only cars that win are the unusual designs. Creating an "Au...
by Darin McGrew
Sat Jan 12, 2019 4:20 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Hello brand new here.
Replies: 122
Views: 152633

Re: Hello brand new here.

Question....also this guy in the video drilled many holes in the bottom of his car to make lighter. Who recomends this? It will make it lighter but will also be ugly and add more air drag? I haven't seen anyone hollow out the wooden block by drilling holes like that video shows, but I have seen peo...
by Darin McGrew
Fri Jan 11, 2019 5:57 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Hello brand new here.
Replies: 122
Views: 152633

Re: Hello brand new here.

Still don't understand how to make the car ride the rail by angling a tire but I have time and alot of youtube videos to watch. Here's one that I like, because it does a good job of explaining the science behind everything: EASY Pinewood Derby Car WINS using Science!!! The rail riding explanation s...
by Darin McGrew
Fri Jan 11, 2019 5:32 pm
Forum: Pinewood Derby Times
Topic: Pinewood Derby Times, Volume 18, Issue 8 - January 9, 2019
Replies: 7
Views: 16079

Re: Pinewood Derby Times, Volume 18, Issue 8 - January 9, 2019

Wow, that's a brutal stop section.

It was cool to see some unusual designs though. And it was good to see you and your son Tim.
by Darin McGrew
Fri Jan 11, 2019 10:22 am
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Hello brand new here.
Replies: 122
Views: 152633

Re: Hello brand new here.

My question is.......should I use oil at a derby most every other car is full of graphite? I hear mixing the 2 is a big no no. I except the track to have some dust on it. Thinking outside the box, what would happen if you provided Krytox (or some other derby-appropriate oil) at your group's worksho...
by Darin McGrew
Thu Jan 10, 2019 11:28 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Hello brand new here.
Replies: 122
Views: 152633

Re: Hello brand new here.

1. Rules state oil is allowed. My question is should I use oil on a track where most of the other cars will be using graphite? If the car makes several runs I dont want graphite dust getting in my oil tires. Should I just use graphite? My experience is that most cars use whatever is provided at the...
by Darin McGrew
Thu Jan 10, 2019 7:25 pm
Forum: Car & Semi-Truck Construction
Topic: Hello brand new here.
Replies: 122
Views: 152633

Re: Hello brand new here.

With all the talk and effort to remove friction I'm stumped why one would want the cars tires to grind against the rail the whole way down to reduce wobble. Well, for one thing, the goal of rail riding is not to have the wheels "grind against the rail the whole way down". The goal of rail...