Since the top two Tiger and the top two Cub Scouts/Webelos finishers advance to the District Pinewood Derby, we will follow the rules of the District which follow, except for one item. The District is allowing liquid lubrication but we would like to keep our race dry lubrication only. We want to eliminate the possibility of any "goopiness" that might occur if some liquid lube mixes with some dry lube.
Special notes: The colored BSA wheels that are sold at the Scout Shop are allowed. Please pay close attention to requirement of all 4 wheels must be in contact with a flat surface and all four wheels must turn as a car is rolled over the surface. It is usually hard to do a quick fix for this during check in so do yourself a favor, and really check those wheels beforehand!
Also, just to remind you, the four cars that will advance to the District Pinewood Derby will be impounded at the end of our race day, as per the District rules. Once the District race is over, then your Scout will get his car back. As a precaution, we will also impound the 3rd place finishers just in case one of other Scouts ends up not being able to participate in the District Pinewood Derby, which is February 5, 2011.
Each of the Scout ranks will race against each other and each Scout will race at least 4 heats. Once again, we are having the Scout place his car onto the track before each heat. This is how the District race operates and it helps keep each Scout actively involved with the race. There will be Boy Scouts to take the cars back to the pits after each heat. The top two finishers in the Wolf, Bear, Webelos I and Webelos II will advance to the finals race where the top two Cub Scout/Weblos finishers for the district race. The top two Tiger finishers are determined after their race.
There is a siblings race and these cars will be subject to the same rules as the Scouts.
There is also an open class and the only rules for these cars is there must be at least some wood present (sawdust doesn't count) and there is a height limit of, well quite a bit, but it should be no wider than the sizes listed in the rules below. The size limits are so the cars can safely pass thru the timer gate. If your car is going to be larger than 3" wide, 7" long, and 3" high, let us know. Maybe the track can accommodate a larger size and we can measure just to make sure. Just as a tip, as we found out last year, once the car gets to be a certain weight, it actually slows down with all the friction so please, no 30 pound cars this year!
Complete district flyer can be found here:
Car Building Rules
INTENT –The purpose of this event is for the scout to build and race a wooden car. The scout should do as much of the work as is appropriate for his age. It is expected that a Tiger Cub will have quite a bit of help, but a Webelos 2 should be doing almost all of the work himself. Buying premade parts is NOT the goal of this event! Each scout is expected to build a new car each year.
THE KIT - The car shall be built from the official Cub Scout “Grand Prix Pinewood Derby Kit." The Kit is a one piece wood block for the car body with plated nails for wheel axles and wide tread plastic wheels. Only official BSA wheels and axles may be used as replacements. Unofficial kits, bodies, wheels or axles will not be accepted. The "PineCar" or any other pre-cut bodies WILL NOT be allowed to enter the District Race.
THE CAR BODY - You must start with the wood block provided in the kit and, as a minimum, the axle slots and some amount of continuous wood between the slots must remain from the original block. THE AXLES MUST BE INSERTED IN THE PRE-CUT GROOVES THAT ARE ALREADY CUT IN THE CAR BODY. The wheel base (distance between the axles) must not be changed. You may add weights and other decorations if you wish. Decorative parts may be from any source.
WHEELS - All cars must have four (4) wheels. You must use official BSA wheels THE SHAPE AND FORM OF THE WHEELS CANNOT BE MODIFIED OR RESHAPED, however wheels may be cleaned up to remove molding burrs. Only a minimal amount of material may be removed. The embossed “tread” marks on the outer rim must still be visible. You may not remove material from the inside of the wheel. The molded lettering on the inside and outside of the wheel must be intact and visible to the judges. The wheels may be polished if desired. All four wheels MUST be in contact with a flat surface when the car is placed on it. (Roll the car on a flat surface and all 4 wheels MUST turn)
AXLES - The official kit provides nails for the axles, and you must use the official BSA axles. Wheel bearings, washers, bushings, axle sleeves, and wheel covers are prohibited. The axles may be smoothed and polished if desired. The axles may be glued or clamped to hold them in place in the slots.
PHYSICAL DIMENSIONS - Overall dimensions are: 3" wide by 7" long by 3" high. Some kits come with blocks longer than 7" and must be trimmed. Note that these rules allow a 3" width vs. the 2 3⁄4" width specified in the kits. The width between the wheels must be greater than 1-3/4", inside measurement. No part of the car can extend forward of the starting post.
TRACK CLEARANCE - Track clearance is specified at 3/8" to clear the lane strips that are 1/4" high.
WEIGHT - The car weight shall not exceed 5.000 ounces (141.75 grams). No loose material of any kind is permitted in or on the car. The car may be hollowed out and built up to the maximum weight by the addition of solid materials such as wood or metal provided it is securely attached or built into the body chassis. The weight MUST NOT be taped on. No liquid weights are permitted inside or attached to the outside of the car body. No weights may be added after the car has raced in the Pack race. Lead weights should be avoided due to the toxicity of lead. The premade metal weights, or steel, brass or tungsten should be used instead. If lead is used it must be under the surface, sealed from touch. Note that many low cost scales and most post office scales are not very accurate and your car may be overweight if you rely on them. At the district race, an official BSA 5 oz weight is used as the reference, and all cars must not weigh more than it does.
SPRINGS - The car shall not run on any type of springs. The car must be freewheeling with no starting devices.
LUBRICATION - The wheels and axles may be lubricated with any lubricant desired. However, a car that is dripping any oil or excessive amounts of graphite on the track will be disqualified. No additional lubricant may be added after the race starts. If wheel or axle repairs are necessary during the race, the replacement part may be lubricated under the supervision of a race official.
The Most Important Hints
o Carefully trim all flash from the sides, hubs, and contact surfaces of the wheels. Remember that you cannot change the profile (shape) of the wheel.
o Remove the sharp edges on the axel nails by first filing, then placing in the chuck of a drill and using sand paper to make smooth. After you can use pumice, or polishing compound to polish the axles. Pay special attention to the heads of the nails that will contact the outside hub of the wheel.
o When mounting the wheels leave between 1/16th and 1/8th inch of play (total) on the axle. This prevents binding and makes it easier to lubricate the wheels.
o Make sure that the car rolls straight when placed on a level surface and that all four wheels touch the ground; adjust the axle nails as needed.
o After the axles are perfect, use two-part epoxy or hot glue gun to set the axles in position. The BSA axle clamps may also be used.