Hot rod craft projects needed for kids

I have the job of program director at our local cub scout camp, myself being a hot rod fan am petitioning on doing a theme with a hot rod theme, problem is our crafts need to be theme based, keep in mind they have to be simple and ,really cheap to build. I have come up with three so far but need a slug more, keep in mind this will be the majorities first connection with hot rods, our staffs present plans are to end our camp with a actual cruise in while serving hotdogs and milk shakes our planning starts this week for camp next spring. Any suggestions could help future rodders as we will have over 140 kids. Here are my ideas so far. 1.) Shrunken heads out of apples, like we made in the late 60's. 2.) Old license plate cut into 3rds and sections of piano hinge rivited to them to make a photo album out of old license plates. 3.) Could do fuzzy dice, though that's pretty cheese. Thanks matthyj

 

Model cars - individual or a group project/contest.
Resources for ideas, etc: Hagerty Insurance and AACA are both into promoting the old car hobby with kids.

Have fun,
Larry

 

You could always do the traditional thing by building pine wood derby cars.

 

Key rings?

 

Shrunken heads are a bit of a stretch to make kids with no counter-culture connect with. Although popular with the hot rod crowd, there is no immediate connection with cars.
The license plate album would also show a creative way to reuse/recycle. Usually a necessary requirement toward rank advancement.
Fuzzy dice are a little cheesey to those of us who have been into this for years, but to a kid with no experience it would be new. I think this is a much better choice than the shrunken heads.
Hard to beat a pinewood derby build up for hot rod excitement. $4 a kit, and have some volunteers preshape the wood blocks so the kids just have to paint and assemble the tires/wheels. Then they get to race them. No parental assistance to add weight, 'clean' the wheels or axles etc... Just let the kids do it.
I can rough shape a block into a highboy roadster in about 10 mins with an air diegrinder and sanding disc. You must have a couple of parents who are somewhat talented that could help out.

 

Hot rods made from empty toilet paper rolls.

 

Maybe some wood block racers that are larger than the pinewood cars allowing for more creativity in design.

Have the base body be something like a 16 inch long piece of 2x4 and an assortment of blocks for the top part .

Wheels would have to be something that was inexpensive or free. Axles would all be the same and the wheelbase would be the same with pre drilled holes for the axles in each body block.
It would take a few hours of basic design work and a few more of prep work to get things ready but that could be done over the winter. If there are saw mills in the area you might be able to get load of softwood mill ends for the body parts.

It would take a box of small hand tools such as coping saws, files and rasps along with sand paper but you should be able to have them do it in groups and not need a large number of tools.

 

Model cars....

 

Great Ideas, We do the Pinewood Derby at a different time so I think the larger scale would be neat, all the ideas are great and any others I appreciate, I never thought of the model cars (duh?) but I remember one manufacturer did donate a ton of them for a contest before, I think a piston shaped neckerchief slide would be cool too, the kids probably wouldn't know what it was though. Its an opprotunity to get them started off or seeded in a great hobby. thanks Matthyj

 

In the early 50's, when I was 8-9 years old, I built a model 32 roadster, it was a kit, but not like todays kits. At that time the kit consisted of blocks and sheet pieces of Balsa Wood, and 4 wheels and wire axles. You carved the shape of the car, and added the accessories that you wanted. I had read a book at the time about a young hotrodder that inspired my build.
Gluing todays plastic kits together really doesn't do much for initiative.

 

If dirt cheap is the goal...mass produce parts from scrap/cheap lumber.
Hole saw into a board will make wheels already center drill for a nail axle as fast as you can pull the lever...
Cut 2X2 or 2X4 or whatever is right size into a variety of small rectangular blocks
Cut plywood into a bunch of rectangles of suitable sizes to be chassis under blocks
Toss in some short tapered pieces cut from strips of molding, get a box of nails, see what happes

 

In school we have made CO 2 dragsters. You need a band saw and drill press to construct. Plans are available from Pitsco . We used 2X4 blanks and made fixture to cut the 2X4 , drill CO2 engine hole and painting. We used to have a track with computer starting &timing. Good Luck, Bill

 

Hello!

I have seen an argentinan TV show were people make valve covers races over an inclined wood board.

I hope you get the idea, you can use roller blade wheels or something like this and old valve covers to make the cars.

Regards, Luis