First Pinewood Derby Car - er Truck

Wes Bischel

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Just the other week we made Sam's first Pinewood Derby car - actually a truck. He modeled it after an old Matchbox truck seen here:

ford transit front lg.jpg

The following are a few shots of Sam at work. He learned how to properly mark cut lines, glue up parts (and clean the glue off after clamping), use the belt sander, and sand parts with different grit paper. He sealed the truck with shellac and painted the details. I found out too late that he wasn't able to push the button on the spray can, so I ended up spraying the paint - duly noted for next year.

pinewood derby construction belt sander.jpgpinewood derby construction standing at belt sander.jpgpinewood derby construction glue clean up.jpgpinewood derby construction more hand sanding.jpgpinewood derby construction hand sanding.jpgpinewood derby construction shellac sealer.jpg

Another item for next year - check the weight as we go.:doh: I ended up making Swiss cheese out of the thing to make it race legal.:eek:

The finished truck:

pinewood derby final.jpg

Sam didn't win any races, but did win a ribbon for "Most Heavy Duty":D

sams truck and ribbon small.jpg

Oh, and Dad had to make one as well. Based on the Deora Hot Wheels car. (Which for the non motor heads was based on the Deora show truck made by the Alexander brothers in the mid 60's.)

Sam and Dads trucks.jpg

We had a great time building our trucks and learned a lot. I'm really proud of the job he did. He was very serious during the build and conducted himself well in the shop. We just might build another before next years race.

Thanks for looking,

Wes
 
VERY COOL!!

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Hey this is what I like to see. A kid in the shop and to top it all off a Cub Scout as well. Man it makes me happy. No pic of video games in sight.

The Truck is really great. Love the color. Did you guys get to enter it in the truck derby race down the track yet. Or is this just a buiding contest.

Made my day seeing this post.:thumb:
 
Wes,

Great Job on the Pine-wood Truck! :thumb:

I remember playing with the Matchbox truck that you used as your model, when I was a kid.

I have great memories of building my Pine-wood derby car with my Dad. I'm sure Sam will have alot of good memories from working on this project with you. :clap:
 
Wes, pinewood derby cars are the first projects I remember doing with my dad and I still have them. Great looking truck. :thumb:
 
Wes, very cool. Very good job Sam, I really like your truck (bet you had to help dad build his didn't ya??!!). Come on, tell us the truth!!!!!!!!

Wes, I see a derby track needing to be built in your home and get mom into this action. Could be a great family reunion race, all cousins and family bring their creations!!!!!!!!
 
Great job. And, most importantly, a dad/son bonding project.
Right now, my son is helping our twin grandsons build theirs. Looked pretty sloppy when I saw them yesterday but didn't say anything.
 
you both did a great job......I sell those models, made out of plastic, if you want it to round out your deora theme, let me know, shoot me a pm, its yours.
 

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Nice job - man does that bring back memories of building mine when i was a kid. I have to say that mine didn't turn out that good.
I know what you mean about your kid getting serious about his project in the shop. He's not mimicking his dad at all is he??? It cracks me up when i see mine doing the same. Occassionally, my son (6 years old) will call a halt to all activity in the shop and start in with "Let's take a moment to talk about shop safety . . ." reciting Norm's mantry almost word for word.
Keep up the fun.
paulh
 
Yeah, memories in the making - sigh - they grow up so fast. :( The real saving grace with the truck was being able to make a series of simple boxes. That allowed Sam to "sand to the line". I'm not sure what we would have done if he wanted to build a swoopy curvy car.

Rob, Yep, they had the races already. He didn't win any of the heats, but had a great time anyway. "But Dad, it's not supposed to be fast - it's a truck!":D Oh, and we haven't had to go down the video game route - yet. I'm sure it's coming though since Santa visited and left them for a number of his friends.

Sean, The Matchbox is an original from the 70's. Sam inherited it from our neighbor. She was cleaning out the basement and had a carrier full of her son's cars. He didn't want them!:eek:

Vaughn, The Deora has always been a favorite of mine, though I never had a model of one.

Allen, Sent you a PM! I didn't know there were any models still out there!

Frank, It is hard to know where to draw the line. I tried to have Sam do as much as possible, with the proper tools, and without boring him. Letting him say when it's good enough and not having it turn into a "Dad made" car (not as easy to do as one might think!). Next year I want him to be able to paint the whole thing - I kind of kick myself on that aspect of the build. Oh well, live and learn. You're right, the focus is on the time together. The race is just the icing on the cake.
Paul, Imitating Dad?!:rofl::rofl: Sometimes it's scary. I'm not sure I'd be able to keep a straight face if he started quoting Norm!:thumb:

Sam was happy with the truck and with the time spent in the shop. I think the most telling aspects have been that he wasn't disappointed in not winning the races, and that he wants to get back into the shop.:thumb: Thanks for the reminiscing. It's cool to hear all the different stories.

Wes
 
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Oh, and Dad had to make one as well. Based on the Deora Hot Wheels car. (Which for the non motor heads was based on the Deora show truck made by the Alexander brothers in the mid 60's.)

Where's the surf boards?

He did a great job. A pinewood was the first project I shared with my son (maybe the last :dunno:, no, but he didn't get much into the WW thing).
 
Tis that time of year, again. My youngest grandson is ready for his third try, the first year his dad helped him and was OK but then last year his older brother help and he came in dead last each time, so this year he wanted Papaw to help. So We started with planning and research. First we found a car picture on the internet, he chose a Mustang, captured the picture and blew it up to the dimensions of the wood block. Printed a copy and spray glued it to the block. Now he gets to work on his powertool badge and his safety badge.

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He has his own apron an safety glasses and is well versed on the Scroll Saw (under supervision)

This time he got to use the Drimel tool, New experience for him.

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Of course no "Stang can run fast unless it is Red...

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This weekend, the adornment and the weights and the Wheels...
 
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