How to Make a Fast Pinewood Car

Design a low-to-the-ground, streamlined car shape. You want a nose which is as narrow as possible, and a smooth top to the car. Draw this design on a piece of paper, so you can try several designs. You want to make the car look like it will cut through the air. Transfer the final design to your pine block.

Cut out the shape of your car. Make the cut as smooth and flat as possible.

Sand the vehicle body as smooth as possible. Use low-grit sandpaper first, then work your way down to higher and higher-grit papers. This makes the car smoother. Smoother cars will run slightly faster because of a lower air resistance.

Paint the car, if you intend to do so. After painting, you may want to sand it again to smooth the vehicle again.

Examine the axle nail and look for a burr under the head of the nail. The nails aren't made very precisely and may have bumps or burrs right under the head where the wheel rests. Sand this burr off nail to make smoother and the wheel turn more freely.

Smooth the back of the wheel, and as much of the interior of the wheel as you can.

Drill a hole in the bottom of the car, and add lead weights to it. Paint and varnish over the gap between the lead and the drilled hole to keep that as smooth as possible.

Spray lubricant on the axles and wheels before attaching them to the car. Refresh the lubricant between races to minimize friction and keep the car rolling faster.