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The 1962 AMC Metropolitan

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Pinewood Derby Times Index

The Most Complete Collection of Pinewood Derby Writings Anywhere!

All of the issues for Volumes 5 through 13 are posted on our web site. Click on the title of the article to access that article.

The Pinewood ClassicJanuary 9, 2019188

Article Name Date Volume Issue
Aerodynamics
Aerodynamics - Front Cross Section Testing January 25, 2017 16 9
Cover Up Those Wheels With Fenders October 2, 2013 13 1
Open Weight Pockets - Do They Affect Speed? November 30, 2016 16 5
Turbulators February 23, 2011 10 11
Use Air Guides to Improve Aerodynamics November 1, 2017 17 3
Wind Tunnel Testing January 25, 2006 5 9
Aesthetics
Decals Etc. - How to Spiff Up Your Car March 6, 2013 12 12
Don't Forget the Car Parts February 6, 2013 12 10
How to Put an Automobile Quality Finish on Your Pinewood Derby Car December 14, 2016 16 6
Let's Light it Up January 8, 2014 13 8
Looking Good! Techniques for Finishing Your Car November 30, 2011 11 5
The Ultimate Finish - How to Create a Beautiful Paint Job - by Kevin Baugher February 19, 2014 13 11
Axles
Axle Installation Made Easy November 16, 2005 5 4
Canted Axles Revisited January 7, 2009 8 8
Grooved Axles December 10, 2008 8 6
Preparing Nail Axles January 12, 2013 12 8
Working with Needle Axles January 13, 2010 9 8
Upgrading Needle Axles November 13, 2012 12 4
Car Body
Car Build Progression December 26, 2007 7 7
The 1962 AMC Metropolitan March 20, 2019 18 13
Creating "The King" January 27, 2010 9 9
Designing a Car From Scratch October 05, 2005 5 1
Designing the Car Body for Performance November 15, 2017 17 4
Drilling - Use your Drill for Maximum Benefit November 15, 2017 17 6
Scaling Up: Design a Pinewood Derby Car from a Toy Car March 07, 2007 6 12
Scaling Up Part 2: Design a Pinewood Derby Car from a Toy Car February 20, 2008 7 11
Transforming that Block into the Ultimate Derby Car February 10, 2016 15 10
Whoops! Fixing damaged cars March 31, 2009 8 14
Using a Scale Plastic Model for a Pinewood Derby Car March 11, 2015 14 12
General Interest
21st Century Changes Pinewood Derby Racing January 25, 2012 11 9
Car Collection on the Move - by Todd Paxson April 04, 2007 6 14
Days of Thunder November 13, 2013 13 4
Derby Teaches Lessons On Gracious Winning, Noble Losing December 16, 2015 15 6
Did Tom and Ray Give Good Pinewood Derby Car Advice? October 31, 2018 18 3
Displaying Your Pinewood Derby Car November 18, 2015 15 4
Finally Located - My Vintage Pinewood Derby Cars February 24, 2016 15 11
Google and the Pinewood Derby February 8, 2010 9 10
How to (almost) Win the Pinewood Derby November 16, 2011 11 4
Lisano Enterprises Company Profile December 14, 2011 11 6
Maximum Velocity History and Photo Tour December 12, 2007 7 6
New Directions Company Profile December 29, 2010 10 7
Now, How Did We Build That Car Last Year? October 15, 2016 16 1
Pinewood Derby Kit History March 19, 2007 7 13
Pinewood Derby Glossary Part 1 October 19, 2005 5 2
Pinewood Derby Glossary Part 2 November 30, 2005 5 5
Pinewood Derby Myths March 4, 2009 8 12
Pinewood Derby Time April 16, 2008 7 15
Revell Enters the Pinewood Derby Market March 10, 2010 9 12
Sintering Tungsten March 5, 2014 13 12
Ten Commandments of Pinewood Derby Racing - Updated October 06, 2010 10 1
The Big Rig Kit March 9, 2011 10 12
The Derby Worx Story - by Bill Launius January 21, 2009 8 9
The Making of the MV Wheel January 11, 2012 11 8
The Pinewood Derby Bling-Mobile March 7, 2012 11 12
The Valuable Lesson My Father Taught Me November 4, 2015 15 3
Tidbits of Wisdom - by Michelle Mitchell February 6, 2008 7 10
Think Safety while Building Your Car October 3 2007 7 1
Thumbs Up December 28, 2016 16 7
'Twas the Night Before Pinewood December 30, 2015 15 7
Unusual Tracks November 26, 2008 8 5
Vintage Autoweek Article November 2, 2016 16 3
What is Maximum Velocity? - by Michael Lastufka (mathematical treatise on top performance) April 05, 2006 5 14
Your First Taste of Victory or Defeat - By Rob Krider April 07, 2010 9 14
Lubrication
Graphite on the Tread October 15, 2008 8 2
Graphite Questions: The Two Most Popular Questions of the 2013-14 Season January 28, 2015 14 9
Liquid Lube Testing November 17, 2009 9 4
Lube for Performance February 22, 2017 16 11
Lubricant Testing February 4, 2009 8 10
Lubricant Testing - Part 2 March 21, 2012 11 13
Lubrication: Slicker is Better February 08, 2012 11 10
Outlaw Racing
Top Fuel Cars: CO2 Car March 18, 2009 8 13
Top Fuel Cars: Direct Drive October 29, 2008 8 3
Top Fuel Cars: Improved Propeller Car December 1, 2010 10 5
Top Fuel Cars: Propeller Car April 18, 2007 6 15
Top Fuel Cars: Propeller Car Evolution December 26, 2013 12 7
Top Fuel Cars: My CO2 Car November 4, 2009 9 3
Top Fuel Cars: Rocket, Rubber Band, and More January 10, 2007 6 8
Top Fuel Cars: Two-Wheeled Cars April 2, 2008 7 14
Top Fuel Cars: Two-Wheeled Cars Revisited April 6, 2011 10 14
Top Fuel Cars: Wheel Bearings November 01, 2006 6 3
Performance
Advice to the Beginner - Keep it Simple! October 7, 2009 9 1
Cheater Bars - Do They Work? October 20, 2010 10 2
Don't Do That! Avoiding Pinewood Derby Pitfalls December 16, 2009 9 6
Effect of Track Configuration on Car Performance January 24, 2007 6 9
Eliminating Race Variation February 20, 2013 12 11
Feelers: Do they Work? December 27, 2006 6 7
Five Keys to Performance October 03, 2018 18 1
Grading on the Curve February 24, 2010 9 11
I Bought Stuff From You and I Didn't Win November 28, 2018 18 5
Rail-Riding November 12, 2008 8 4
Rail-Rider Alignment Walk-through February 8, 2017 16 10
Rail-Riding - Getting that Extra Speed November 18, 2014 14 4
Setting the Gap for Performance January 23, 2008 7 9
Modifying the Wheelbase March 23,2011 10 13
Troubleshooting March 08, 2006 5 12
Wax Those Wheel Bores for Top Performance November 27, 2013 13 5
Wheel Alignment: Make it Straight! December 14, 2005 5 6
Product Review
Aluminum 'Freedom Series' Track from Piantedosi October 18, 2006 6 2
DVD Review: An American Race March 21, 2007 6 13
Race Equipment
Buying a New Track? Let's Consider Some Factors January 11, 2017 16 8
Derby Kits - Many Choices for Buyers April 15, 2009 8 15
Is Your Finish Line Providing Accurate Results? October 17, 2007 7 2
Light Trees - Rev Up Your Pinewood Derby Race November 16, 2016 16 4
Pinewood Derby Car Kits January 24, 2018 17 9
Pinewood Derby Timer Considerations - by Stu Ferguson February 22, 2006 5 11
Pining for a Derby Track - by Steve Smith December 15, 2010 10 6
Remote Control Race Management - by John Shreffler November 15, 2006 6 4
Solenoid Start Gate: Are Races More Consistent? November 2, 2011 11 3
Solenoid Start Gates - Get One for Your Track November 29, 2017 17 5
Timer Features and Comparisons October 18, 2017 17 2
Utilizing Video Systems in Your Race - by Randy Lisano February 07, 2007 6 10
Race Logistics
The Big Event - Staging a Pinewood Derby Race February 5, 2014 13 10
Handle Those Cars Carefully December 11, 2013 13 6
Pre-Race Events Add Excitement February 11, 2014 14 10
Raising the Performance Bar (improving the competitive level of your group) February 18, 2008 8 11
Sorry, We Will Not Be Participating Because ... October 3, 2012 12 1
Staging Cars - Don't Lose Speed with Bad Staging October 21, 2015 15 2
Streamlining the Weigh-In October 31, 2012 12 3
Weigh-in Problems (how to avoid them) December 12, 2012 12 6
Why Do You Have a Pinewood Derby? (organize your race to meet your goals) December 13, 2006 6 6
Race Management
Pinewood Derby Race Organization March 5, 2008 7 12
Points or Times: Which Method Should I Use? March 6, 2019 18 12
Runoffs - When and Why to Run Them December 17, 2014 14 6
Race Philosophy
A Winning Philosophy (do your best vs. win at all cost) October 1, 2008 8 1
Pinewood Derby Awards November 05, 2014 14 3
Credibility of the Race (eliminating race bias) November 14, 2007 7 4
Finding the Right Level of Parental Involvement January 23, 2019 18 9
Is it Cheating? November 14, 2018 18 4
Leader Help - How Much is Too Much? February 9, 2011 10 10
Pinewood Derby for Boy Scouts January 9, 2008 7 8
Pinewood Derby Car Design Award Judging February 20, 2019 18 11
The Dark Side: eBay Cars November 02, 2005 5 3
Rules
Do's and Don'ts for Race Leaders October 5, 2011 11 1
Rules - Post Them and Follow Them October 16, 2013 13 2
Rule Pet Peeves November 17, 2010 10 4
Understand Your Local Race Before Building Your Car October 04, 2017 17 1
Shop Talk
Bench Top Power Sanders February 22, 2012 11 11
Choose the Right Band Saw October 17, 2012 12 2
Choosing the Right Hand Saw January 26, 2011 10 9
Drilling Axle Holes With Precision January 23, 2013 12 9
Drilling Small Holes October 19, 2011 11 2
Drilling With Accuracy December 30, 2009 9 7
How to Tune a Band Saw December 26, 2013 13 7
Frame and Skin Car Construction December 3, 2014 14 5
Hand Sanding November 28, 2012 12 5
Keep It Square December 16, 2009 9 6
Making Weight Pockets November 3, 2010 10 3
Measuring for Success October 21, 2009 9 2
Shaping Wood with Hand Tools December 28, 2011 11 7
The Best Pinewood Derby Rule January 14, 2015 14 8
The Right Stuff - Choosing the Best Adhesive February 10, 2010 9 10
Shop Talk - Woodworking Tips October 30, 2013 13 3
You Can Never Have Too Many Clamps March 10, 2010 9 12
Tools
Creating Accurate Axle Slots October 22, 2014 14 2
Tools of the Trade (tools and how to use them) January 13, 2016 15 8
Using a Mini-Lathe March 24, 2010 9 13
Using The Pro-Axle Bender January 10, 2018 17 8
Weighting
Height of Ballast Weight Vs. Performance January 22, 2014 13 9
Height of Ballast Weight Vs. Performance: Part 2 December 31, 2014 14 7
Last Minute Weighting - Consider Steel Hardware October 17, 2018 18 2
Maximum Weight for Performance November 28, 2007 7 5
Moment of Inertia Revisited December 2, 2009 9 5
Offset Weight Placement January 12, 2011 10 8
Offset Weight Placement - Part 2 December 2, 2015 15 5
Revisiting the Balance Point October 8, 2014 14 1
Shifting the Wheelbase February 25, 2015 14 11
Shifted Wheelbase with Outlaw Wheels January 27, 2016 15 9
Wedge Bodies – Where to Drill the Weight Holes February 6, 2019 18 10
Weight Distribution: Concentrated or Distributed? November 29, 2006 6 5
Weight: Place it Carefully February 08, 2006 5 10
Weighting Materials: So many choices! April 19, 2006 5 15
Weighting - How Heavy is Too Heavy? October 19, 2016 16 2
Weighting with Tungsten Rod February 7, 2018 17 10
Wheels
Effect of Wheel Weight on Performance October 31, 2007 7 3
New Cub Scout Pinewood Derby Wheels October 19, 2009 9 2
Testing Wheel Trueness December 12, 2018 18 6
The Wheels Go Round and Round - or Do They? (wheel inspection and treatment) February 21, 2017 17 11