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Brian, Sounds like you guys are on the way to a winning car whether it wins a heat in the race or not. I missed your first post, so may repeat some that others have already said. I have two boys who went through Tiger Cubs all the way to Boy Scouts. My youngest is 17 now and is working on his Eagle Scout project. I have helped in their den and later troop from the time they started. A super way to spend time with your son. As far as the car goes, the only thing we did with the wheels were to sand the burs off the edges and axle hubs. Polished the axles with some polish and used a liberal amount of graphite. After mounting the wheels, we would put them on a flat surface and made sure that all four wheels were running straight, true, and level, then put a touch of Elmer's glue on the axle where it goes into the slot in the wood. We made sure that the car weighed the maximum amount with most of the weight in the rear. We drilled holes in the bottom of the car and wedged fishing weights in the holes. We had one car that won third place in the local pack race and went on to the regionals. Our cars were all shapes and sizes. The boys designed the cars themselves and, like yours, did all the work except the rough cutout. Sure, the car may not win as many races as if the parent did all the work, but that is not the point. They did it themselves and were proud of their creation. When you go to your Pinewood Derby, you will probably see at least one car that the parent did, and it may well win the derby. Then again, some of the most unlikely looking candidates will blow the doors off the parent made car. Also, this is a good lesson that you don't win every time. Too many sports for the younger kids are designed to make everyone a winner. In real life, you don't win all the time, and when they are young is the time to learn this lesson, not when they get out on their own. Bottom line is to have fun, learn a little, and make memories.
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