Tom Watson writes:
My son, a new Cub Scout, has told me that he wants to participate in a
Cub Scout wooden model car race.

You want to google "pinewood derby"

When I asked my wife for the specs, I was told:

"It has to be five ounces."

General rules:

Maximum weight 5.0 oz (FYI: heavier cars do better)
Wheel spacing can't change
under-car clearance minimum (i.e. don't add things underneath)
Can't extend beyond wheels sideways
some tracks have a height max too.
Must be at least partly built by the scout.
length maximum too

Each pack chooses which of the official rules they'll follow, but
there is a common set of rules most follow, which should be easy to
find now that you know what to google for.


Oh - tip for the little ones. Disk sander. In our house, that's the
tool of choice (and usually the scroll saw for roughing) for pinewood
derby car carving. Once you get your kit, make a few extra wooden
blanks for them to experiment with (save the official blank for the
official car).

Adding weights: forstner bit into the bottom, use a flat head screw to
attach washers. Easy to adjust this way. Or you could do what my
daughter did, and build a truck - and fill the bed with big hex nuts :-)