Do you hold back info locally?

General discussions for car and semi-truck racers.
shags72
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Location: Groveland, IL

Re: Do you hold back info locally?

Post by shags72 »

A friend helped us out the first year and the boy won Tiger and grand champion. I learned a lot and we kept making improvements and he won district the next year. Again we made improvements and he won den and Grand Champ and den at district. Web 1 and he won den cna grand champ again and 6th at district after he messed up a wheel while repolishing the bore. I knew he had done it but it was 11 pm the night before the race so ah well.

His second year we started helping out at the workshops and I answered questions from anyone who would ask. We got some good competitions from some of those askers too.

We had one especially fast competitor for the last 4 years and it has always been friendly and fun. We have traded tips along the way too. We both helped a scout that had lost every race and was really bummed about it. This year he took second to my son and the other boy whose dad had helped came in 3rd. My son was actually happier about that than his own winning. That makes a Dad proud.

I always tell what I can but if too technical or I am not sure if something helps or not I send em here! I won't do all their work but I definitely will help anyone who asks and let them know where to get the info.

My son has ran scroll saw, router table, belt and disc sander, and of course the good ole drill press to do the wheels and axles. This year I was able to completely let him take the reins on the saw and router on the second car we made. Hands on his for the first and off for the second. I am going to have him make an impound stand now and a display case for all the cars we have raced in the past. I do want to give a shout out to those who helped with info and insight into some things like Stan and Sporty. They helped imensely. If you helped and I forgot I am truly sorry and you are appreciated too. Thanks everyone. District in a few weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TXDerbyDad
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Re: Do you hold back info locally?

Post by TXDerbyDad »

Like others, I'm glad to help, but I'm not going to do anything for someone who is too lazy to do the work. I do, however, hold some stuff closer to the vest than others, because some of it is stuff we learned through trial and error. I go to our Pack's Pit Day where we help the Scouts build their cars, and at the races I bring my derby toolbox and help out with people who need to do last-minute adjustments or repair.

My sons have always done well in the Pack and District races. My now Boy Scout always took first place from Bears through Webelos II. Last year my Wolf took first in Pack and District with his car, and my Bear took second in Pack and First in district with two different cars (first car actually warped!). And I always offer advice when asked, but in all the years we've done it, only one Scout family has ever specifically asked for help and it wasn't even someone from our Pack. We talked about what makes a car fast and the best/easiest designs to achieve that. We talked about weight placement, wheel and axle prep, and so on. Then I made the little boy do all the work that was safe for him to do. I ran his block through the tablesaw to cut him a wedge and used my router and jig to cut him a weight pocket, but beyond that he did everything else. The only things we didn't do, but discussed, was wheel and axle prep, and before he left I showed him how to straighten his axles with the pro axle press and then let him do the rest of them. Since we had run out of time, I told them what they needed to do next. I even gave them some leftover lead weight from the cars my boys and I had already built for our Pack race, and then told them that the only thing they had left to do was to polish the axles and the wheel bores and tread surface. I even gave them a tube of graphite.

I heard back from them 2 weeks later that the Scout had taken 2nd place in both his den and overall in the Pack! Apparently they waited and didn't have enough time to polish the axles and tires, and still did extremely well. They were thankful and I felt good about helping.
Ickabod Crane
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Re: Do you hold back info locally?

Post by Ickabod Crane »

I too will share if asked. Sporty was a great help to our family and have pack and district wins to show for it. There are a few boys in our pack that either do not have the resources or family support. Love helping them out.
Speedster
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Re: Do you hold back info locally?

Post by Speedster »

I don't hold back anything. However, because of DT I know a lot and I think I bore people. I think I'm making mistakes in the workshops. In my presentations I have a display of a car being built from start to finish and it is weighted with lead rod from Max-V. I offer the rod for sale for $3.00 so the folks can complete their car. Bondo is free and since it dries so quickly the body can be completed. That part is probably OK. I display all the Derby Worx tools to show them what's available to help them and I think that might be a mistake. They seem to shut down at that point. I talk about tungsten and display all the different shapes and no one is interested in that either. I inspect cars for our Pack and no one used tungsten of any shape. Many cars came through the inspection line with dry wheels. 24 Tigers this year and cars were coming through weighing 98 grams. We had 3 workshops prior to our Pack race. I've got 2 great guys from other packs helping with the workshops that don't know how to build a car and don't want to learn. Their idea is, "What do you want your car to look like? Let's add some weight someplace to bring it to 5 oz. and go buy some graphite and squirt it on the wheels." One single Mom and her son showed a lot of interest and were there the entire 7 1/2 hours. He took 1st place.
A DT'er suggested doing a basic workshop and an advanced workshop. I'm going to try that idea. A scout could take his car home and paint it. The second workshop would concentrate on wheels and axles. We could install them and do a little tuning. Our rules are fairly strict so I don't teach railriding. Everyone would be required to bring their own cordless drill.
So, where do you stop with teaching? Do you start the workshops with a detailed lecture?
How much time do you spend on a big bulky car? Are there those adult helpers who don't want a fast car so they don't have to go to a District race? I simply don't know.
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FatSebastian
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Re: Do you hold back info locally?

Post by FatSebastian »

At the risk of going off topic (this topic was primarily established for Dads of competitive sons to disclose how much/little they share, and why, rather than the development of construction workshops)...
Speedster wrote:I display all the Derby Worx tools to show them what's available to help them and I think that might be a mistake. They seem to shut down at that point. I talk about tungsten and display all the different shapes and no one is interested in that either.
These are likely the more expensive aspects of the project (either in price and/or time to learn). From my experience, most people simply do not want to make a significant investment, and that may contribute to the apparent lack of interest.
Speedster wrote:I've got 2 great guys from other packs helping with the workshops that don't know how to build a car and don't want to learn.
Rather, they know how to build a car, just not a fast one. ;)
Speedster wrote:The second workshop would concentrate on wheels and axles.
That is a good idea IMO.
Speedster wrote:Do you start the workshops with a detailed lecture?
In workshops that I've run, we've used them as a platform for teaching some basic physics (gravity, air resistance, friction, etc.). However, this is less of a "lecture" and more of a series of demonstrations in which we try to involve the kids.
Speedster wrote:So, where do you stop with teaching?
In our experience, alignment instruction is something for which most parents don't seem to have patience, never mind their kids.
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