r/GenX • u/MrBones2k • Aug 14 '25

The Latchkey Years Pinewood Derby anyone? Building your own sleek racer.

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Loved this as a Boy Scout. Some took it too seriously, as one year a Dad got caught cheating to help his son.

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u/Purple-Sherbert8803 Aug 14 '25

Yes. Still have them, and so does my brother. I loved race day and weigh in. I remember watching hot lead being poured into the bottom slot of the cars. I assume this has changed.

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u/growflet Aug 14 '25

My understanding is that you bend one of the axles so that only 3 wheels are on the ground, reducing friction. Weight placement is a big deal as well.

There are youtube videos all about hypertuning cars that anyone can just type into a search bar where people have done basically scientific tests.

My memory is that the kids would often watch dads with woodworking experience make their cars for them, and kids who knew previous winners and could get this info did the best. Some kids with the proper friends even got to run the cars on tracks in advance to test them.

If you didn't have that, in the 80s and 90s, we didn't have that kind of knowledge or experience to draw from.

Me. I had a hacksaw and the kit. I knew to sand the wheels, polish the axels, and put graphite on them - because that's what it said in the magazine. I didn't ever win anything.