Downhill Racing...

[EJRocky]

For when I'm not Gran Turisming...

I reckon it's seriously cool...

 

[Slick Rick]

Woah!! I wouldn't even sit in it let alone go down a hill. That thing looks like its going to fall apart. Wheres the brakes at?

 

[Boz Mon]

Its funny this post popped up, my dad has been pretty into downhill racing lately. He built me a car when I was in like 6th grade which I won with, now its passed down to cousins who are able to race. He also built my sister a car which she pretty much dominates with. And now he is building a 3rd car which isnt done yet let me see if I can find some pics.....
Heres my old one...


Heres my sisters car....


And finally, some pics of his So-Cal belly tank roadster tribute (in progress).




He basically took a bunch of foam, stuck it together with great stuff, and sanded it down on his home made lathe type think. We then covered it with packaging tape then fiberglass. THe whole project is on hold now till summer.

 

[EJRocky]

Slick Rick - It's not gonna fall apart any time soon, I hope! Seriously, it's really really sturdy and it goes like stink... it truly does. The brakes... you see that wooden lever? That's connected to a linkage rod and that's connected to a pad which pushes onto the back wheels. It came with the pram (or baby carriage to all you Americans) I built it from. I'm yet to lengthen the chassis and mount a steering wheel system I designed myself, and also get seatbelts and new wheels.

Boz Mon - Those are some seriously nice racers there! Your dad's a great builder alright.👍 How fast do they go with those microscopic wheels?

I'm entering my rickety little sod into the local Annual Soapbox Derby in a village near us, plus there are some serious hills to practise on... should be good for about 20-30mph maybe? Either way, she totally rocks and I should dominate the track.

 

[Slick Rick]

Maybe a lick of paint and go faster stripes will make yours look more like Boz Mon's

Where do you put your feet? Do you rest them on that plank holding the two front wheels? If so, wouldn't that interfere with the steering?
Extremely cool if you made it yourself seeing as your only 12.

 

[EJRocky]

1. Paint... I don't think I'll paint it, because it may damage the wood (I've experienced it before... not nice).
2. The plank holding the two front wheels is how I steer. The wheels are fixed to the plank and the plank pivots in the middle. However, when it's finished, the chassis will be lengthened (so the 'wheel won't make it look like a Mario Kart or something ) and my feet will be out of the way. I would feel more confident with a 'wheel on it, because A: there's something for me to hold on to, and B: I wouldn't have to steer with my feet anymore because my feet are liable to twitch on that thing (the adrenaline pumping at high speed) when it's going really fast. I'd just go faster generally (it's a mental thing. Right now I'm afraid to drive it really fast because I have no 'wheel and no seatbelts) if I had a 'wheel and seatbelts.
3. Thanks... my Dad got the wood and stuff (and put some of it together since I was only about 10 back then), but it recieved the seat about April (I did it all myself) and the footstep just last weekend. Totally DIY... you will not see another like it.

 

[Boz Mon]

My sister goes like 25mph. and as far as paint goes, my dad just smears bondo on it, sands it smooth and sprays them with his gravity gun for painting cars.

 

[jammyozzy]

Aah, that looks familiar. A few years ago a couple of friends and I really got into making fun ways of getting down a hill near where we live. We came up with street luge/street bob skeleton on skateboards (I was too tall to lie on my back comfortably, so I ended up riding headfirst, using the ends of my shoes as brakes. ), a 'snow scooter' and finally home made go karts. They looked almost exactly like EJ's, right down to the pram wheels and brakes and the slightly wobbly steering mechanism. 👍

 

[EJRocky]

Wobbly? There's nothing wobbly about it, it's just my feet twitching at high speed.