Sudbury Pack Pinewood Derby Car Construction Rules (held on Saturday, Jan 20, 2018 from 1-4pm Loring Gym, Sudbury, MA)

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1 Our Goal for the Pinewood Derby: 1. To have your Cub Scout Do His Best (i.e. the Scout s best, not the adult!) 2. To bring your Cub Scout and his adult together in creating the car as a team. 3. To learn about woodworking and to accomplish a simple project together. 4. To have fun in a healthy, competitive environment. The Pack s intent is to have all Cub Scouts complete the race fairly, with good sportsmanship, and with a car designed and made by the Scout (as much as possible). Please read these rules carefully to ensure that your Scout s car meets all requirements to be able to race. These rules were developed to help prevent any confusion or disqualifications at the Derby. The top 4 finishers and top Tiger from the Pack 62 Pinewood Derby will be eligible to participate in the Knox Trail Council District Finals, if there is sufficient interest. The top 3 Tigers and top 3 non-tigers will be eligible to race in the annual Sudbury Cup, pitting the top racers from all four Sudbury Cub Scout Packs for the ultimate in bragging rights! Details to be announced. These car construction rules were developed in conjunction with the Mayflower Trail Council rules from 2017, to ensure that Scout s cars meet requirements and specifications all races. Since the 2018 rules have yet to be posted, the rules may be modified, with any changes being communicated to the Pack prior to the Derby. Car Construction Rules: General Information: Your Scout s Pinewood Derby car must be built using the current year s official BSA Pinewood Derby kit and must meet all of the specifications and requirements in order to race. Only official BSA wheels and axles from the kit are permitted. This includes any wheels or axles purchased from another source, such as solid axles, axles that have been machined, wheels with spokes, or wheels that have been altered. Only gravity can propel the car. While adults are encouraged to help, each Scout is required to participate in the building of his Pinewood Derby car. Your Scout must be present at the time of checkin or registration on race day. Each Scout will be asked at registration to answer, on their honor, if they were involved in the building of their Pinewood Derby car. Any Scout who indicates he was not involved in the building of his Pinewood Derby car will still be allowed to participate in the race, but his scores will not be counted in the final tally of results, and therefore he will be ineligible to win the competition. Page 1

2 Each car will be inspected by the Pinewood Derby registration check-in team on race day and must meet the following specifications and requirements. Cars that do not meet these specifications and requirements at inspection will not be allowed to race. If a car fails inspection, your Scout will have an opportunity to modify the car and repeat inspection until registration closes. After passing inspection, a sticker with a unique number will be placed on the bottom of the car and the car can no longer be handled except by track officials. The Scout s car is then taken to the staging area to await the races. After registration closes, no more cars will be accepted. Overall Car Specifications: 1. Weight: Total car weight cannot exceed five (5.00) ounces as determined by the official registration check-in table scale. The closer to five ounces, the faster the car! No liquids may be used to add weight. Due to the toxicity of lead, we ask that you avoid using lead weights to add weight to your car. 2. Length: Car length must be at least 4 3/8 inches (4.375 ), and may not exceed seven (7) inches (7.00 ) in length. It must fit on the starting area of the track. 3. Width: Car width must not exceed 2 3/4 inches (2.75") as measured from the outside of the wheels. 4. Height: Car height must not exceed 4 inches (4.00 ), including attachments. (This is to ensure that the car can pass beneath the finish line.) 5. Clearances: a. Distance between Wheels: 1 3/4 inches (1.75 ) or greater, to clear center guide rails. b. Ground (Bottom): 3/8 inches (0.375 ) or greater between bottom of car and ground (bottom of wheels). c. Other: Fender flairs with less clearance are acceptable as long as the center rail width clearance is maintained. Weights are preferred to be inset in the body or on top of the car to aid in a safe stop at the end of the track. No part of the car or attachment to any car, which is metal, pointed, sharp, and/or jagged, may come into contact with any part of the track. Page 2

3 Wheelbase: All cars must have a wheel base of exactly 4 3/8 inches (4.375 ) and must use the slots provided in the wood blocks, with the two rear wheels being positioned directly across the body from one another and the two front wheels being positioned directly across the body from one another. 7. Front End: a. Height: The front of the car must contact the starting pin no more than 1.5 inches (1.50 ) above the track, due to the length of the pins on the starting mechanism. b. Width: The front end of the car must be at least 1/2 inch wide and straight in the middle for stable contact with the starting post. c. No part of the car body, wheels or attachments may protrude in front of the starting peg. The center of the front of the car may not be set back from the sides of the front, in order to gain advantage on the starting peg. Please ensure your Scout s car is dry. Wet paint or glue can damage the track. Body: The main body structure must be made of wood and must meet the other specifications. If the Scout and adult partner lack the resources to cut out a car from a stock block of wood, it is suggested that you ask your Cub Scout leaders for help. Additionally, many Page 3

4 Scouts have gone to Bob s Wooden Toys in Marlborough, MA for assistance with cutting the car body. Alternately, a pre-shaped block may be purchased for use with the official BSA wheels and axles from the kit. Wheels: Most wheels, out of the box, measure to inches. Minimum wheel diameter allowable is inches. Wheels must be full width as provided in the kit. Wheels must not be tapered or re-formed to reduce the footprint of the wheel on the track. 1. Use only the official Scout Grand Prix wheels from your kit. All lettering/ numbering, both inside and outside, must remain complete and be visible. The fluting and other BSA markings on the outside wheel area must remain visible. Outer wheel surface may be lightly sanded, shaved, or polished to remove surface imperfections, mold casting burrs, and correct off center wheel bores. Outer wheel surface must not be reshaped in any way in an attempt to lighten the wheel, minimize tread contact or alter aerodynamics. Tread surface must be flat and parallel to the wheel bore. Coning the hubs and truing the inside tread edge is allowed. Tread width may not be less than ¼ inch (.25 ). No material may be removed from or added to the inside wheel surfaces. 2. Wheel bore treatment is allowed including polishing and/or truing. Wheel bores may not be filled and re-drilled to alter bore diameter or to achieve better fit with the axle. 3. The following wheel modifications are PROHIBITED: a. Rounding of tread surface/wheel edges b. Grooving, H-cutting or V-cutting c. Altering of wheel profile d. Narrowing the tread surface, other than truing inside tread edge. Most of the original tread marks on the edges of the wheel must remain intact and be visible. e. Drilling sidewalls f. Hollowing, sanding, or otherwise removing or modifying material from inside the wheel, such as on a lathe g. Filling of any wheel surface with any type of material The following figures show examples of acceptable and un-acceptable wheels: 4. Wheels must meet these dimensions: Page 4

5 a. Wheel must be inches or larger in diameter. b. Tread must be inches or thicker. c. Tread width must be 0.25 inches or wider. d. Measurements must not exceed a standard unaltered BSA wheel. 5. There must be at least four wheels on the car, however, it is not required that all four wheels make contact with the track surface. 6. Each wheel must be mounted on an axle, on the outside of the car, in the vertical position. Each wheel must be attached directly to the wood car body by an axle and spin freely. No part of the wheel may overlap the center guide rail by more than 1/8 inch. The two rear wheels and the two front wheels must be positioned directly across the body from each another. 7. Staggered wheelbases are not allowed. 8. Hubcaps, wheel caps, or wheel coverings or fillers of any kind are NOT permitted. 9. Wheels must weigh no less than grams. No part of the car or any attachment to the car may be capable of coming into contact with the track other than the wheels. Axles: 1. Use only the official Scout Grand Prix axles from your kit. Nail type axles from the kit are required with an overall diameter of no less than.084 inches or larger than.089 inches for each wheel. 2. Axles may be sanded and polished. Sanding the axles to remove the die seams that are a result of the manufacturing process is recommended. Polishing the axles with a polishing compound is also a good idea. 3. Slotting, grooving, chroming, plating or any other type of special technical alterations of the axles is not allowed. Axles must retain their original shape and nail point. An example of a slotted axle is shown below. 4.One piece axles that extend the entire width of the car or any other substitute axles are not allowed. 5. Bushings (bushings include pads between wheel and car), wheel bearings, wheel springs, custom wheels or any other suspension components are not allowed. 6. Reducing the diameter of the head of the nail, in order to minimize friction is not allowed. 7. Axles must not be connected to any device that mechanically alters rotation or spin. 8. Axles must be mounted into the wood sections of the car using the slots provided. You may not drill new axle holes. 9. You cannot bend your axles! They must remain straight. Lubricant: A dry lubricant such as graphite, or the BSA white dry lubricant (powered Teflon) is allowed. All wet or oil-based lubricants are prohibited and, if detected, will disqualify Page 5

6 the car from racing. The lubricant should be applied to the wheel hubs, axles (nails) shafts/heads, and all other contact points where the wheel touches the body of the car. Lubrication cannot be applied after the car has been registered. Dry graphite is a messy material. When spilled, it is impossible to remove from the floor, and is a potentially dangerous substance if ingested. Please apply the lubricant at home under adult supervision, in the designated tune-up area, or outside in the parking lot. It is helpful to work in the dry lubricant by spinning the wheels often. Over-application of lubricant which results in excessive shedding onto the track is not allowed. Anyone found using lubricant in between races will be disqualified from further racing. Attachments to Car: 1. Attachments Allowed: Details such as drivers, side pipes, roll bars, steering wheels, air spoilers, decals, (regardless of who makes them), open fenders and additional weights are allowed. Attachments must be securely attached and without moving parts. Attachments must meet all car specifications rules stated in OVERALL CAR SPECIFICATIONS above. Be sure any weights that may be added do not interfere with the ground clearance as stated in OVERALL CAR SPECIFICATIONS above, and do not move. Weights should be put in the car, not on the car. 2. Attachments Not Allowed: Items such as washers between the wheels and the body, wheel bearings, bushings, springs, starting devices, hubcaps, full wheel covers, full fenders covering the nails, any type of suspension, be it a device or a body design element, or anything that will impede the inspection process are not allowed. If additional weights are added, they must be securely attached and have no loose or moving internal parts. Cars with any sticky substance on the front will be disqualified. General Suggestions and Tips: You may want to search the Internet for information related to Pinewood Derby cars. You ll find many sites offering advice on creativity and construction. However, make sure you stay within the Pack 62 car construction rules! Help your Scout to understand how friction and gravity all play a part in how fast his car may travel. (Weight and weight location play a crucial role along with friction. Maximize your car weight and minimize friction points for a fast car!) Be as creative as possible, but remember the construction rules related to size and weight. We have seen trees, bananas, ice cream bars, Duracell batteries, pencils, Swiss cheese wedges, and limousines all work in past races. We have also seen your standard Indy type cars race, too. It s all up to your Scout! In addition to the top 3 fastest finishers in each rank, there will be a trophy for the most artistic and creative car in each rank, as judged by Mr. Caravaggio, Peter Noyes Art Teacher, after the Derby. Simple tools such as a coping saw, hand file, and sandpaper are better for learning. If you do decide to use a power tool for the rough cuts, it should be done by an adult. Encourage your Scout to do as much of the work as possible, with coaching and support. Any assistance given should be explained to your Scout so that he can use that knowledge on future projects. Page 6

7 Pre-hammer the nails into the axle slots of the pine block and remove before cutting block. This will prevent chipping of the axle slot (and lots of frustration) when you put the wheels on your car at the end. If any Scout does not have access to the tools you need, or an available adult partner, ask your Cub Scout Leaders for help. Additionally, many Scouts have gone to Bob s Wooden Toys and Crafts ( in Marlborough, MA for assistance cutting the car block. No Scout should feel left out because of lack of tools. If you have any questions, please don t hesitate to contact the Pack 62 Pinewood Derby Chairperson, Todd Jewett at or jewett.todd@gmail.com Page 7