How to Build a Pinewood Car

Pine car racing, or otherwise known as Pinewood Derby racing, is a great American pastime. Most of us remember competing at young ages for a chance to grab the gold metal in Pine Car racing events. This article shows the basic steps of building a Pine Car.

Instructions

1. 

   The first step in building a Pine Car is selecting your car materials. Visit your local hobby shop in order to buy your kit. There are two different types of kits available. You can either purchase the uncut car kit and all the parts separately; or you can buy a pre-cut beginner's kit that will include everything you will need to build the car. The advantages of the pre-cut beginner's kit, is you don't have to worry about cutting the car out and you have all the parts provided for you already.

2. 

   Create a Design... For this article, we are going to assume you are starting with a solid wooden block for your car. First, you need to create a design for your car. Pine cars come in many shapes and sizes. There is not rule that says how your car has look. Be creative, draw out your car on a sheet of paper before building it. Use some color pencils to add color graphics that you like.

3. 

   Cut Out Your Car... The best way to cut out your car, is to use a Ban Saw. If you don't have a Ban saw, then a Jig saw will work too. First, sketch a template onto the car block before cutting it. Use the design you made in step 2 to draw out your car on the wooden block. Carefully cut out your car using the saw, making sure to follow your template carefully. After it is cut out, use some heavy grain sand paper to mold the edges and shape your car how you like it.

4. 

   Add Weights To Your Car... An important piece of a Pine car is the weight. Without the weights, your car would not be able to get up to speed while racing. You can purchase weights at most hobby stores. I recommend flipping your car over and adding the weights to the bottom of the car. You can use a drill bit to carefully hollow out a small hole that the weight can slip right in to. Make sure the weights are embedded(and glued) in the car body so they aren't hanging out the bottom of the car. Also make sure to read your Pine car event rules. Some events don't allow cars over certain weights.

5. 

   Paint Your Car... Now it is time to paint your masterpiece. The best paints to use on wood are usually acrylic paints. A high gloss acrylic paint with a final coat of Clear Gloss usually make the best looking designs. You do not need to add primer usually, just sand your car and spray the acrylic paint on, adding 2-3 coats. After the acrylic paint is fully dried (about 1 hour) add a Clear Glossy coat for an extra shinny finish. Ask your hobby shop for recommendations on the best paints. If your car is two toned paint, you can use masking tap to tape the areas before you paint them.

6. 

   Add Decals, Wheels and Accessories... The last step and definitely the most satisfying part of building your car, is to add any decals you'd like, assemble the wheels, and add any accessories to the car. When assembling the wheels, make sure they spin freely and do not rub on the car itself. A little trick you can do, is to add some powered graphite to the wheel hubs, this will allow for the wheels to spin faster and more freely on the car.

7. After adding the wheels, you are ready to race your new Pine car. Hopefully you will have the fastest, best looking car that will take home the gold medal. Happy Racing!