Thanks all, District results

Secrets, tips, tools, design considerations, materials, the "science" behind it all, and other topics related to building the cars and semi-trucks.
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davet
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Thanks all, District results

Post by davet »

Thank you all for helping us increase speed again this year. 1st Place at Districts today with Track Record set twice and a fastest time of 2.90XX on 42' Best Track. Very rough seam at last section. Many cars jumping out of lane.
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whodathunkit
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Re: Thanks all, District results

Post by whodathunkit »

Congrats davet !
What type of automobile can be spelled the same forwards & backwards?
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Vitamin K
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Re: Thanks all, District results

Post by Vitamin K »

Congrats! I hope the lights got a lot of attention, too!
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davet
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Re: Thanks all, District results

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Vitamin K wrote:Congrats! I hope the lights got a lot of attention, too!
Thanks guys. This was kind of an experimental car for us. This was different for us due to the front fenders with the LWB design. We also waited a lot longer to buff the wax out of the bores. We used much less oil and less steer. Also had awesome no glue wheel shields and used washers for the first time. We did have great records of our weighting specs front to back and side to side so we thought that if we hit those targets we would be OK. Didn't know what was going to happen.

I have to say that the car really did look awesome going down the track. It just glowed amongst the other cars at the pin. It sat real low between the other cars and just emitted a bright blue hue around it. Our best car and our last. My wife and daughter are happy about that.
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Vitamin K
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Re: Thanks all, District results

Post by Vitamin K »

davet wrote:
Vitamin K wrote:Congrats! I hope the lights got a lot of attention, too!
Thanks guys. This was kind of an experimental car for us. This was different for us due to the front fenders with the LWB design. We also waited a lot longer to buff the wax out of the bores. We used much less oil and less steer. Also had awesome no glue wheel shields and used washers for the first time. We did have great records of our weighting specs front to back and side to side so we thought that if we hit those targets we would be OK. Didn't know what was going to happen.

I have to say that the car really did look awesome going down the track. It just glowed amongst the other cars at the pin. It sat real low between the other cars and just emitted a bright blue hue around it. Our best car and our last. My wife and daughter are happy about that.
Awww, gonna miss you around the forums, man!

(Have another son!)

By less oil, how much did you use this time, and how much had you used previously?
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davet
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Re: Thanks all, District results

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Vitamin K wrote:
davet wrote:
(Have another son!)

By less oil, how much did you use this time, and how much had you used previously?
Shoot. I can't even get a hug... or a firm handshake for that matter. I think she gave me "front-door-less" long underwear for Christmas just to frustrate me and probably giggled all the way from the register to the truck when she bought them. Heck, they may not even be Men's. :thinking:

We used to put oil on like graphite. We would put axle in wheel then with point facing up we would put 2 drops down the bore. Let the axle head drop away from the wheel 1/8" or so then push back in. We would then spin the wheel. Then we would pull head away from the wheel a touch and add a drop to front hub face under the head. Spin it a few times and install.

This year we used one of these wheel bore polishers we had from DerbyEvolution http://www.derbyevolution.com/No-Scratc ... DE-NSA.htm.

We put 2 drops of oil it and slid it into the bore without spinning. Just once straight in and back out slowly so we didn't wipe off our wax. Or at least I would think too much action in the bore would clean some wax off. We swiped once around the front hub face too where the axle head rides and also the face of the back side of the hub that rides against the body.

Then we put another drop on the polisher and used it to dab oil onto the axle making sure to get some under the head too.

I never noticed this before because of how we used to do it but after swiping it on this year I looked inside and could see just about 8 very tiny droplets of oil in the bore. Same on the axle. Seemed like I couldn't even see the oil on the axle. The axle spray did it's job in repelling the oil as did the wheel wax.

We had polished our new this year body washers and also swiped oil on those. The oil shed like oil on top of water.

I'll miss the joking around on here too. These cars really kicked in my OCD. I've studied this darn car building process more than I studied during my entire college career. All for just one car a year. I like DT. I'm on another site too with awesome people but I've had people call BS on processes we use because they're not the norm. We aren't building a car every week or month for league racing so we have time to maybe work some kinks out of a process and, frankly, I don't like someone telling me I can't do what I've already been doing.
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Vitamin K
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Re: Thanks all, District results

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davet wrote: This year we used one of these wheel bore polishers we had from DerbyEvolution http://www.derbyevolution.com/No-Scratc ... DE-NSA.htm.

We put 2 drops of oil it and slid it into the bore without spinning. Just once straight in and back out slowly so we didn't wipe off our wax. Or at least I would think too much action in the bore would clean some wax off. We swiped once around the front hub face too where the axle head rides and also the face of the back side of the hub that rides against the body.

Then we put another drop on the polisher and used it to dab oil onto the axle making sure to get some under the head too.
Interesting! Maybe I haven't been paying attention, but that's the first I've seen of using an applicator to apply the oil, as opposed to just applying it directly to the axle and inserting it.
davet wrote: I'll miss the joking around on here too. These cars really kicked in my OCD. I've studied this darn car building process more than I studied during my entire college career. All for just one car a year. I like DT. I'm on another site too with awesome people but I've had people call BS on processes we use because they're not the norm. We aren't building a car every week or month for league racing so we have time to maybe work some kinks out of a process and, frankly, I don't like someone telling me I can't do what I've already been doing.
Hahahaha, I have totally been in your shoes. Very different mindset "over there." Folks have a lot of experience, but are extremely jaundiced towards certain techniques, especially if it seems to be something they've tried and had poor luck with. I imagine they are correct most of the time, but the attitude stifles experimentation and innovation, IMO.

Are you guys going on to race at your Council race?
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davet
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Re: Thanks all, District results

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microbrush uses the brush in his avatar pic to apply oil. 2 drops and it lasts for all 3 wheels. I couldn't find those anywhere on one days notice so I used what we had. He said Hobby Lobby has them. I think his probably works better because it isn't as tight of a fit. This seemed to work though.

Yes, we'll be at Council and racing against big, fast names here. We don't stand a chance but we really enjoy the new venue at Fort Snelling Base Camp.
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LightninBoy
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Re: Thanks all, District results

Post by LightninBoy »

Awesome looking car and great job at districts! You've added even more to the legend of your last name.
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davet
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Re: Thanks all, District results

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Speaking of big, fast names. Someone from our District asked me what our speed secrets were. I said we spend the entire 2 months building this one car each year. I also said that they need to look up your video on rear wheel alignment. LB, you spent 20 minutes on the phone with me a year or 2 ago explaining your alignment process. I was at work at the time and my boss was literally standing over my shoulder. I thought that this certainly was not the ideal situation to be taking this call but I had you on the line and wasn't going to miss the wisdom you were passing along. I got off the phone and the boss says, "pinewood derby?". I said, "yup". He walked away.
Last edited by davet on Wed Mar 16, 2016 9:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Thanks all, District results

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So I get an e-mail the other day from someone at our District level. He tells me our car should've been DQ'd due to the lights and that 4 parents had asked that it be pulled. I said he should've told us and we would've removed the battery. The battery may actually be slowing us down anyways due to it's weight and placement. I forwarded him a copy of an e-mail exchange I had with Best Track ( maker of track used at Districts ) on 12-05-15 where I asked if LED's would interfere with timers. They replied that no matter how our LED's were positioned or where they pointed they would not interfere with the timers. I told him we even checked with the LED supplier to find out what kind they were before we even purchased any. The District guy replies back that I pulled this info out of my "a*!" He asked if I had tested these theories out and I said we had actually tested it with lights on at a track run by the author of the rules we use. We had no problems and the author of the rules said they were fine. The District guy goes on to tell me that a "girl" (didn't know girls raced in Cub Scouts) racing an ice cream cone car in our race had more fun than the boy racing the fast, "parent-engineered" car.

He's not at my house watching my boy grind and polish 30 mins on each axle with my guidance or to see the 30 mins he spends on each wheel polishing even the entire outside so it shines bright. He didn't hear the phone call I got at work from boy who says he messed up the car and we need to start over. He isn't there when my boy zips the router right through the side of the car while making a weight pocket.

He told me to look up the term "helicopter parent" as it would be enlightening for me. I have no idea what that term means and haven't looked it up but I'm sure it's some kind of dig on how I parent my own kids. I'm glad this is our last year.
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Re: Thanks all, District results

Post by Speedster »

davet, don't let it get to you. In 1988 we hooked up a computer to my track. This was the system where the car would knock down a little steel hinge, the hinge would strike a machine screw and send the time to the computer. After the race my wife heard a Boy Scout leader say, "You don't need a computer to run a Pinewood Derby". The leader is no longer involved with Boy Scouts but he is still alive and I know him well. I wonder if he has attended a Pinewood Derby Race recently.

Your Team's car is beautiful and I know Lots of Folks enjoyed the lights. We had a car with lights run in our OUTLAW race this year and the crowd loved it.
Remember all the Good Times.
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davet
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Re: Thanks all, District results

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clever timer Speedster. No way the naked eye would catch the .0008 sec difference between 1st and 2nd after combining 4 heats like a race were we in last year.
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Re: Thanks all, District results

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There's something both infuriating and satisfying about butthurt individuals making a fuss when a car does well. It's a dang shame that he's not taking you at face value, but it's his problem and not yours. I know your son enjoyed himself, and so you do, and that's what matters at the end.

Next year is my son's last year of cub racing, and I will probably let him do lights on his car.
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Re: Thanks all, District results

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Screw that guy, as he's a complete [censored]. As I've said before, and say every year, "A 100% Scout built car is just as sad as a 100% Dad built car". IMO, anyone who thinks different, has no concept of what the pwd is all about. A Dad knows his Scouts abilities and short-comings. With that info, he can help grow his Scouts abilities, year by year. Every child is different/has different abilities and skill-sets, and to put them all in the same box, is beyond ridiculous. That guy at the "district level", should not be involved in Scouting if he truly believes that pulling all Scouts down to the lowest level, is the way to learn to be successful in life. "On my honor, I will do my best"....
I wish I was the man that my dog thinks I am.
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