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Pinewood Derby Car Accessories: Display Stand, Windshield, Lubricants And Custom Parts

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Published: November 21, 2007

Pinewood derby is an exciting annual Cub Scout event popular even among non-Scouts. It involves mini race cars crafted by Cub Scouts out of pinewood blocks that have two notches where plastic wheels are placed. Making a winning pinewood derby car can be very challenging, but it is possible to make a stylish and swift car with the right accessories and parts.

The first pinewood derby event was organized by Cubmaster Don Murphy, and the race took place in Manhattan Beach, California on May 15, 1953. Murphy's idea was to create a wholesome activity that would encourage a closer and stronger relationship between fathers and sons, and to promote sportsmanship and craftsmanship through friendly and fun competition.

Cub Scouts used to build their pinewood derby cars from scratch, crafting the pine block to take the shape of mini race cars. Today, pre-cut car bodies with aerodynamic features are now available, and Scouts only have to jazz them up with some accessories.

Choosing the right car accessories is the key to building a fast and eye-catching pinewood derby car. Although there are many complete pinewood derby car kits for starters, Scouts can use many kinds of accessories and custom parts to enhance the design and performance of their pinewood derby cars.

When it comes to customizing and designing pinewood derby cars, beautiful decals can effortlessly turn a plain car into a stunning mini race car with more personality. There are many decal designs to choose from, ranging from animal prints like tigers, cheetahs and bears, to race car prints like checkered flags, flames and flaming flags.

Aside from these decals, racers can jazz their cars further by using other parts such as windshields, bumper sets and spoilers. There are many ready-made custom parts available in online shops, but for those who want to make their own parts, they may find windshield kits very helpful. These kits have molds with six different shapes that can be used to make a windshield, canopies and spoilers.

A display stand for pinewood derby cars is also important since it serves as the purpose of displaying cars in style and keeping beautiful pinewood derby cars in order. A beautiful and functional stand does not have to be costly, since there are many discounted display stands available in many online pinewood derby car shops. Another option is to build a display stand using plans and tutorials available online.

Pinewood derby cars also need lubricants to help them speed up and enhance their performance during a race. Graphite lubricants are the only accepted types for pinewood derby car races. Racers can use Hob-E-Lube dry lubes for races that allow dry graphite lubes only, while racers can use Tube-O-Lube pure graphite lubricants for races that allow conventional graphite lubes only.

These are just some of the popular car accessories available in most hobby shops and online pinewood derby custom parts shops. Only the best car accessories can effectively enhance performance during races while being stylish at the same time. As such, it is important to shop around and do some research on discounted items and best deals for affordable and high-quality accessories for a pinewood derby car.


Sources:
"Pinewood Derby." Wikipedia.org. 4 Nov. 2007. 21 Nov. 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinewood_derby.

"Pinewood Derby pre-cut car designs." pinewoodpro.com. 21 Nov. 2007. http://www.pinewoodpro.com/pinewood-derby-pre-cut- car-designs.htm.

"Pinewood Derby Stand." scoutingthenet.com. 21 Nov. 2007. http://www.scoutingthenet.com/pinewood/.

"Pinewood Derby Dry Graphite Lubricants." abc-pinewood-derby.com. 21 Nov. 2007. http://www.abc-pinewood-derby.com/graphite-nyoil.h tm.

"Pinepro Competition Components." pinewoodderby.com. 21 Nov. 2007. http://www.pinewoodderby.com/products_parts.shtml.
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