Tip: Be careful with weird wheelbases!

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Vitamin K
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Tip: Be careful with weird wheelbases!

Post by Vitamin K »

So my son got a chance to build ANOTHER car this season, as our church's Christian Service Brigade troop(?) is holding an overnight lock-in followed by a Shape-n-Race Derby.

Well, my son is already engaged in Trail Life, but since a lot of his friends from church are in CSB, he's gonna hang out with them, and they said he could enter a car.

Of course, we learned this with, like, 3 days to spare, and were told we had to use the slots provided with the block. These slots are a mere 3.75" apart. Oof.

Anyhow, I played kind of fast and loose with the weight, as with lead I usually just put it as far back as I can manage. Not the greatest idea when your rear axle is 1.25" away from the back of the car already.

When we put wheels and axles on the car to test the COM, the car literally did a wheelie.

Soooo...dad got to spend some time out in the shop drilling out lead weight.

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Lesson learned. ;)
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Re: Tip: Be careful with weird wheelbases!

Post by Speedster »

Is this a 7" long block that some vendor sells with that wheelbase?
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whodathunkit
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Tip: Be careful with weird wheelbases!

Post by whodathunkit »

CSB “shape n race kits!

Wood block 2-1/4w x 1-1/8 h x 6-15/16 L
Off set 7/32 inch deep axle slots..
With a wheel base of 3-11/16 inches.




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Vitamin K
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Re: Tip: Be careful with weird wheelbases!

Post by Vitamin K »

whodathunkit wrote: Fri Feb 22, 2019 1:24 pm CSB “shape n race kits!

Wood block 2-1/4w x 1-1/8 h x 6-15/16 L
Off set 7/32 inch deep axle slots..
With a wheel base of 3-11/16 inches.

From a performance perspective, that's pretty crazy.

It does make for more realistic looking cars when coupled with fenders, though.
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Darin McGrew
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Re: Tip: Be careful with weird wheelbases!

Post by Darin McGrew »

I find it interesting that they're still using the old Shape N Race Derby name rather than the new StocKar Derby name. Presumably, they're getting their kits from the Shape N Race company rather than from CSB Ministries.
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Re: Tip: Be careful with weird wheelbases!

Post by Vitamin K »

Darin McGrew wrote: Fri Feb 22, 2019 1:36 pm I find it interesting that they're still using the old Shape N Race Derby name rather than the new StocKar Derby name. Presumably, they're getting their kits from the Shape N Race company rather than from CSB Ministries.
I think they're calling it Shape 'n' Race out of tradition from when they've held the event.

The parts are the StocKar kits. (Not sure what I think of these wheels...I guess they're a step up from the old SNR wheels).
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Re: Tip: Be careful with weird wheelbases!

Post by Darin McGrew »

Vitamin K wrote: Fri Feb 22, 2019 1:40 pmThe parts are the StocKar kits. (Not sure what I think of these wheels...I guess they're a step up from the old SNR wheels).
We haven't had a derby since CSB switched from Shape N Race to StocKar, and the elementary age program at our church is now Awana, rather than CSB and/or Pioneer Clubs, so if/when we have another derby, I have no idea what kits we would use.

But the main thing I disliked about the Shape N Race kits in recent years was the shape of the blocks. When I started as a CSB Stockade leader more than 30 years ago, the "ears" were almost as thick as the wheels. Kids who wanted to build a design with fenders could use the "ears" to make the body roughly even with the outside of the wheels. Other kids would just cut the "ears" off (actually, have the adult using the bandsaw cut the "ears" off for them).

But at some point, they made the "ears" stick out less. Now, kids who want to build a design with fenders need to add wood to the "ears" to make the body roughly even with the outside of the wheels. And other kids just cut the "ears" off anyway. So the "ears" aren't really helping anyone. I'd rather just use a kit without the "ears".

We use molten weight at our workshops though, so I do like the pre-routed weight slot in the bottom. And the wheels and axles require very little work to make them serviceable. So the Shape N Race kits were still a big step up from some of the other kits I've seen.
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Re: Tip: Be careful with weird wheelbases!

Post by whodathunkit »

Darin,
Is the CSB stockar the same in kit type to the CSB Shape N Race kit with the ears and all!
Or is this just a name brand Change to there kit?




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Re: Tip: Be careful with weird wheelbases!

Post by Vitamin K »

Here's his final product. Just looking at that wheelbase hurts. Hope we tuned it right! ;)

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Re: Tip: Be careful with weird wheelbases!

Post by Darin McGrew »

whodathunkit wrote: Fri Feb 22, 2019 2:36 pmIs the CSB stockar the same in kit type to the CSB Shape N Race kit with the ears and all!
Or is this just a name brand Change to there kit?
My understanding is that StocKar Derby is the new trademark owned by CSB, replacing the old Shape N Race Derby trademark, which was apparently owned by the actual manufacturer of the kits, not by CSB.

Based on catalog photos, the StocKar Derby kits use the same blocks (with the "ears") as recent CSB Shape N Race Derby kits. The Shape N Race Derby kits sold by the actual manufacturer have always used rectangular blocks similar to all the other standard kits I've seen.
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Re: Tip: Be careful with weird wheelbases!

Post by Speedster »

Would anyone be able to show me what the "ears" are?
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Re: Tip: Be careful with weird wheelbases!

Post by whodathunkit »

Speedster wrote: Sun Feb 24, 2019 4:19 am Would anyone be able to show me what the "ears" are?
Speedster.. what Darin is calling the ears .. are the wood parts that stick out in front , between & behind the wheel notches to the kit.

To see an image of a CSB Shape N Race kit with the wheel notches and ears.
Check out Maximum -Velocity Specific car kit help page.
https://www.maximum-velocity.com/pinewo ... -kit-help/

And a link to the CSB Stockar kits where the wheel notches and ears can also be seen on the kits.
http://mentoringoutofthebox.com/stockarderby/

And a link to some Shape N Race Kits with out the wheel notches to the kit block .
https://www.shapenrace.net/

Vk ,
Did the kit type you used have the smooth sides to the block or the wheel notch cut outs ?
From the last photo of the car it shows no wheel notches or the ears as Darin call's them.
So what's up with that little bump out seen on the left rear the car?
I don't know maybe the notch in the kit was cut to deep so it had to be built back out. ( Hard to tell however!) ;)
Last edited by whodathunkit on Sun Feb 24, 2019 5:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
What type of automobile can be spelled the same forwards & backwards?
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Re: Tip: Be careful with weird wheelbases!

Post by Speedster »

Thank you. I never realized there were so many different kits.
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Re: Tip: Be careful with weird wheelbases!

Post by whodathunkit »

Same here Speedster!
I did not know that the kits changed from CSB Shape N Race to CSB Stockar as well.
What type of automobile can be spelled the same forwards & backwards?
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