By
eHow Hobbies, Games & Toys Editor
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Step1
Read the rules written up by the Soap Box Derby organization.
Step2
Qualify for the race if you are 9 to 16 years old by August 1 of the current racing season. The divisions are: Stock and Super Stock for 9- through 16-year-olds, and Masters for 11- through 16-year-olds.
Step3
Study the rules for any special division you want to enter: Stock, Super Stock, Masters, Scottie Special, or Rally.
Step4
Understand that you must build the car, drive the racer you build and prove your ability to do the work required to build the racer.
Step5
Look for potential sponsors and sign up for the race with All-American Soap Box Derby (AASBD) through the local or regional derby director.
Step6
Design the car based on your height, weight, foot length, hip width and shoulder width. The shoulder width determines what frontal-view and top-view shapes you can use.
Step7
Draw the frontal view, using the specifications in the rules.
Step8
Determine the top-view shape - its distance from the nose, the nose's shape, the tail's shape.
Step9
Figure out the side-view shape, matching it up to the top view.
Step10
Design the car body formers (section views). You will need to learn how to calculate the coordinates for individual cross sections.
Step11
Refer to helpful books and Web sites that describe methods used by other racers.
Step12
Order parts from All-American Soap Box Derby. No car parts may be used that would cause injury in the event of loss of control. Order a car kit if you'd rather do that than start from scratch.
Step13
Have fun designing and building the racer.
Comments
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 98% of racers are now kits. Stock and Super Stock can be built in a day or less. You don't have to design a car. They go together with normal household tools. Everything is predrilled. The only thing one has to provide is ballast to bring up the weight.