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1)
Involve your son -- it's his car! You'll both have more
fun if you make it together. With Tiger Cubs, the adult should
handle
the power tools, but your son can design it (sketch it out for you),
hand-sand, and decorate the car. The kids will vote on what cars
they
like the best. |
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2)
Read and follow the rules. At the Derby, each car is checked to
make sure it meets the size and weight requirements, and that the axles
supplied were used in the pre-cut axle slots. It's no fun if your
son's car is disqualified. |
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3)
Weight: The single largest factor in a "fast" car seems to be the
weight of the car. Try to get as close to 5 ounces as possible without
going over. A good kitchen scale can help you weigh it.
The Scout
store sells "derby car" weights, or you can use some heavy washers,
etc. Another tip is to design the car so that washers or other
small
weights can easily be added or removed to adjust the weight at the
Derby. At the Derby, some extra washers/weights are usually
available
to hot-glue onto cars that are slightly under-weight. Removing
weight
from too-heavy cars is harder :-) I've also noticed that having the weight on the car low to the ground, or at the rear of the car seems to help. |
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4)
Axles: While you MUST use the nail-like axles provided in the
kit,
you'll notice that inside the nail-head portion of the axle are a
couple of ridges. File these smooth before installing the axles
so
that the wheels don't rub against them. Apply some dry graphite
to the
axles to "lubricate" the wheels so they spin freely (oil and other wet
lubricants are NOT allowed). After installing the axles in the
pre-cut
slots and making sure they're level, use epoxy or some other fastener
(staples?) to secure the axles in the slots -- the older scouts who
drop the cars on the track aren't always gentle and the axles can get
knocked loose otherwise. |
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5)
Wheels: Sand the outside of the wheels to remove any ridges and,
if
desired, give them a better shape. |
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6)
The Track: The track used by Pack 80 starts the cars at the top
of
a "roller-coaster" slope. The car wheels fit into grooves in the
track
(so don't have anything hanging low underneath the car). Two cars
race
side-by-side at a time, down the straight track to an electronic finish
line. Each car is run in multiple heats, making sure it runs on
each
of the 2 tracks. The starting gate for the Pack 80 track flips
down and away from the cars. |
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7)
See #1 above -- Have fun! You'll see a few cars that the parents
obviously made for their kids, but these don't always have the best
finish. Two years ago, one of the fastest "cars" was a thin slab
of
wood with wheels and an ungainly stack of metal weight on the back
end. My son's finished fourth in his age group each year (so the
above
tips won't guarantee a win), but he's kept his cars because he designed
& decorated them, and when he raced them they were HIS cars. |