Pinewood Derby car block
Precision drilled Pinewood Derby car block with standard wheel spacing

Why use our blocks?


Axle in grooved block		 Standard blocks have grooves in the bottom of the car for the axles guides. Grooves have two problems. The first is that the groove is often not at a perfect right angle with the block and the second is that it is very difficult to insert the axle in the groove so that the axle is level. The result is that your car will not go straight down the track causing the wheels to rub on the center guide and/or the wheels will constantly rub on either the car body or the axle head. Both of these conditions will slow your car down.

Why do I want this block?

  • Precision drilled holes so your car will run straight and fast every time.
  • No need to spend hours aligning your wheels. Just insert the axles in our block and you are ready to go.
  • Level axles allow the wheel to "float" between the block and the axle head for the fastest possible speed.
  • Block is easy to cut and shape. Our blocks are made from sugar pine. It is very easy to work with compared to other pines.
  • Axles won't drift out of alignment like they can in grooved blocks.
  • No shims or other adjustments needed.
  • Raised wheel (optional) for a 25% friction reduction.

The end result? You will save hours adjusting the axles and your car will consistently run straight and fast.

Wheel "floating"
on axle

We offer blocks with four different configurations:

  • Standard axle spacing
  • Standard spacing with one raised wheel
  • Extended spacing
  • Extended spacing with one raised wheel

Raised Wheel Advantage
The advantage of one raised wheel is that there is less friction with only three wheels touching the ground. The raised wheel is on the front left side of the car and is raised 1/16" - just enough to lift it off of the track. The car is still very stable with this configuration but you can increase the stability by placing the weights as far to the rear of the car as possible and slightly to the right of center.

Extended Wheel Spacing Advantage
The axles on our extended blocks are placed as close to the edge of the block as possible without exceeding the seven inch maximum car length rule.  Wheels that are far apart make the car more stable and allow placement of the weights farther toward the rear of the car giving the car more speed.

*** NEW ***

Our Wedge and Racer blocks are also available with the weights pre-installed. The cars will weigh between 4.7 and 5 oz when finished depending on the paint and accessories added. We recommend that you use our Stick-On Weights to fine tune your car's weight to 5 oz.




Standard wheel spacing

Extended wheel spacing

Which block should I use?
It depends on your rules.  Our fastest block is the Extended with one raised wheel. To use this block, your rules can't prohibit raising one wheel and should allow non-standard wheel spacing.

If your rules require that all four wheels touch the ground or that the wheel spacing not be changed then use the block configuration that satisfies your rules.  Remember - even our standard block offers significant advantages over the official block.

 
Pinewood Derby Winner

This could be you!

Jonah used our Extended Wheelbase Block with raised wheel, our lathed and matched wheels and Pro-axle press tool to make a winning car.

Here is what his dad said:
" It was a great day at the derby. Jonah's car won 1 st place in his Den, first place in the Pack and I couldn't believe it but he also won for  Best looking car! It sure beats finishing 7 th like we did last year. "

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