My Formula Fun Car

I was a Cub Scout in elementary school and participated in several pinewood derby competions: I even won a third place trophy with one of my designs and constructions!

Obviously I was going to build a car for Formula Fun! It gave me the opportunity to preview and document the steps. I did not enter it in the competition but I did run it down the official track.

I started with the paper template just like the students.


I transferred the design to the wood block.



The cut design was slightly different. I was going for a 1960s Jaguar XKE look.


I used a chisel to finish the sculpting.



I used spackle and my finger to refine the hood and trunk. After it cured I sanded it and dusted.

I found a nice fender design model on Thingiverse and 3D printed them at home. I used contact cement to attach the ABS to the wood.


I painted it with three coats of purple.


I taped it off with some heavy paper. I painted the hood and trunk with an orange stripe.




After the paint dried I removed the tape and put the axles and wheels back on. I hand cut a windshield from blue vinyl with adhesive backing.It looked rad!



It was heavy and ran fast, too!

What a fun experience and a bit of nostalgia rolled into one! I can't wait to build one again next school year.






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