Pinewood Derby Times Newsletter Volume 14 Issue 5

Pinewood Derby Times
Volume 14, Issue 5
December 3, 2014
In this Edition:

- Editor's Notes

- Feature Article - Shop Talk: "Frame and Skin" Car Construction

- Humor

- Product Showcase - Polished BSA Speed Axles - $2 Off

- Pinewood Derby Car Showcase

- Q&A

Editor's Notes New Products

Per many requests, Maximum Velocity is now offering Polished BSA Speed Axles. These axles are polished to 3,000 grit, and ready to lube and race.

We are also offering Polished Rail-Rider BSA Speed Axles. These are the same axles, but are bent for rail-riding. Two axles are bent at 2.5 deg (for rear wheels), one axle is bent at 1.5 (for front dominant wheel), and one axle is straight (for raised wheel). We have a limited supply of the Polished Rail-Rider BSA Speed Axles, so if you are interested, don't delay. (Note: the polished axles are the newsletter special.)

Reader Feedback We received this comment from Don Fish regarding the article on awards (Volume 14, Issue 3):

"I wanted to comment as to what our pack does for awards. Our pack gives awards for the top three in each den for speed and design. Once all den race winners are decided, there is a pack race and the winner gets a nice trophy. The race winner and runner up go to the district race, with third place as alternate.

Unknown to most of the scouts is that if you place in the race you don't compete in the design competition. This spreads the wealth out. Additionally, each scout gets a participation patch for their scout vest.

Recently, we added a sportsmanship award voted on by an unbiased party. Generally, the unbiased party is a group of American Heritage Girl's parents (who we share our track and derby day with).

The hot wheels are a great idea. Who doesn't like them.

Help! We Need Your Car Photos In order to continue including a Car Showcase section in this newsletter, we need your car photos. Please send us a photo of your car along with a description of any special features to: [email protected]

Please include your full name. If selected, we will include the photo and description in this newsletter.

Photos must be sent by e-mail in JPG format (minimum size of 640x480, maximum size of 1280 x 960). Please shoot photos from the front left of the car, similar to the orientation of car shown at:

For better focus, keep the camera four or five feet away from the car, and then use the camera's zoom to fill the frame with the car. Also, use a solid (preferably white) background for the photo.

Send only one photo per car, unless an additional photo is needed to adequately show a feature. Thanks.

Inventory Clearance Sale We also are clearing inventory on several items including:

Light-weight (3.2 ounces and under) plain and slotted blocks,
Most of our SuperCar kits,
The ever-popular Wedge SE,
The special edition Funny Car Kit (only 19 left), and the
Propeller Car Kit.

We don't have many left, so don't delay. Click Here to find our clearance items. Don't miss out on the great prices.

MV Basic & Wedge Car Kits

If you are planning a race and are not required to use a specific kit type, our MV Basic or Wedge Car Kit are just what you need. These attractively priced kits are equipped with:

Quality Block - Unlike the blocks provided by some organizations, our blocks are soft, northwestern pine blocks, cut precisely to 7 inches long, 1-3/4 inches wide, and 1-1/4 inches tall. These dimensions, as well as the axle slots accurately duplicate the dimensions of standard pinewood derby blocks from BSA and PineCar.
Simple Axle Preparation - Don't worry about filing off flaws, or losing hub caps. Our Speed Axles have no burrs or crimp marks, and install without hub caps. With or without polishing, they are ready to go. We supply five, so you have a spare.
Quality Wheels - Forget cheap, out of round wheels. Our MV wheels are top-quality wheels. You will not be disappointed with the quality of these wheels.

So, if your organization does not mandate a particular kit type, consider our MV Basic Car Kits or MV Wedge Car Kits

Can We Help? If we can help you in any way with your pinewood derby project, or if you have any feedback regarding this newsletter, please contact us at: info@maximum-velocity.com

Feature Article

Shop Talk: "Frame and Skin" Car Construction
By James White

I would like to share the "Frame and Skin" car construction method used by my grandson (Aaron Shain) and myself for pinewood derby car building.

We start with a normal pinewood derby block with drilled axle holes. After cutting out the profile we want, we remove all material except the frame of our car, and then we apply a rock hard varnish to the areas where the wheel hubs will rub the frame.

Figure 1 - Frame of Car
(An additional support piece was added over the front axle holes)
Next we build side extenders to be glued to the frame sides.

Figure 2 - Side Extenders
We then add a carbon fiber rod for stiffness down the car center and glue a 1/64 inch thick model plywood bottom skin onto the frame.

Figure 3 - Carbon Fiber Rod, and Bottom Skin
Tungsten weight is then added into the two rear pockets (not shown in photos). We target 4.85 ounces with all parts included. Tungsten putty is used as trim weight after the car is complete. The putty is placed into 1/8 inch holes drilled into the bottom of the car between the two rear axles.

Next, a 1/64 inch thick top body skin is cut out and glued to the frame.

Figure 4 - Top Skin

Figure 5 - Top Skin Installed
Fender tops are placed over the wheel wells (if desired). At this point, we install the prepped wheels and axles to do some tuning and testing.

Figure 6 - Fender Tops
After a paint job is applied, we are ready to race!

Figure 7 - Finished Car
(Photo is of a sister car, so the wheels are different)
More of James' frame and skin cars are shown in the car showcase.

Humor

Are you the Weakest Link?

Below are four (4) questions. You have to answer them instantly. You can't take your time, answer all of them immediately.

OK, let's find out just how clever you really are.

Ready?

GO!!! (scroll down)

First Question: You are participating in a race. You overtake the second person. What position are you in?

Answer: If you answered that you are first, then you are absolutely wrong! If you overtake the second person, you take his place, you are second!

Try not to mess up in the next question.

To answer the second question, don't take as much time as you took for the first question.

Second Question: If you overtake the last person, then you are...?

Answer: If you answered that you are second to last, then you are wrong again. Tell me, how is it possible to overtake the LAST person?

You're not very good at this are you?

Third Question: Very tricky math! Note: This must be done in your head only. Do NOT use paper and pencil or a calculator. Try it.

Take 1000 and add 40 to it. Now add another 1000. Now add 30. Add another 1000. Now add 20. Now add another 1000. Now add 10. What's the total?

Scroll down for answer.

Did you get 5000? The correct answer is actually 4100. Don't believe it? Check with your calculator.

Today is definitely not your day. Maybe you will get the last question right?

Fourth Question: Mary's father has five daughters: 1. Nana, 2. Nene, 3. Nini, 4. Nono. What is the name of the fifth daughter?

Answer: Nunu? NO! Of course not. Her name is Mary. Read the question again.

If you got them all wrong, you ARE the WEAKEST LINK!

Product Showcase

Polished BSA Speed Axles
$2 Off

Don't have time to prep axles? Our Polished BSA Speed Axles are polished to 3,000 grit, and are ready to lube and race.

Through December 16, 2014, you can get a set of Polished BSA Speed Axles for $2.00 off. To take advantage of this limited time offer, Click Here, and use coupon code DEC03NL during checkout.

Pinewood Derby Car Showcase

Here are a few more of James White's frame and skin cars.

Share Your Car With Our Readers
Do you have a car you would like to "show off" to our readers? If so, send us a photo of your car along with a brief description of any special features. Please include your full name. If selected, we will include the photo and description in this newsletter. Please e-mail photos to:
info@maximum-velocity.com.

Photos must be sent by e-mail in JPG format (minimum size of 640x480, maximum size of 1280 x 960). Please shoot photos from the front left of the car, similar to the orientation of this car:

Q&A

Is it best to bend the rear axles or drill angled holes in the block?

The pros and cons of this question were covered in the previous article on Rail-Riding.

There are proponents of both methods. Personally, I favor using bent axles. This allows the builder to tune the rear wheels for best alignment.

Do You Have Questions that Need Answers? Do you have a pinewood derby-related question? If so, send your question to: info.maximum-velocity@com. We answer all questions by e-mail, but not every question will appear in the Q&A section of the newsletter.

Back Issues

Are you a new subscriber, or have you missed some of the previous newsletters? Don't miss out! All of the issues for Volume 5 through Volume 14 are posted on our web site and can be found using our Newsletter Index.

Issues from Volumes 1 to 4 are available in four formatted documents, ready for immediate download. To find out more, Click Here.

Newsletter Contributions

We welcome your contributions! If you would like to contribute an article, a web site review, or a speed tip, please send it to: [email protected].

Please read our submission policy.

Subscription Information

The Pinewood Derby Times is a free e-newsletter focused on the Pinewood Derby. It is published biweekly from October through March.

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Randy Davis, Editor, Pinewood Derby Times
E-Mail: [email protected]
Copyright ©2014, Randy Davis. All rights reserved. Please do not reprint or place this newsletter on your web site without explicit permission. However, if you like this newsletter we grant permission, and encourage you to e-mail it to a friend.

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