Hot Wheel Race Ramp

If you have hot wheels or any smaller toy cars there is always the question of which one is the fastest. There are many ways to try and answer this continuous question, yet there are so many flaws that you try and convince yourself that there is no way that THIS car is the fastest. Either you push one car harder than the other, or one does not go in a straight line as you push it. This build is a fun project to find out which one of your cars is the fastest. There is a pulley system that is used, it controls when the lip that restricts the cars from going down, as you rotate the crank that you will build the lip goes down, and off the cars go. They are both let go at the same time and go down the ramp in a straight line. Pulleys, inclined planes and springs are all at work in this fun project.

Supplies

- Sheet of MDF (1/2 in)

-Right triangle

- Tape measure

-Drill

-Saw

- Box Cutter

-Pencil

-Jigsaw

-Sandpaper

-Clips

-Washer (x2)

-Cotter pins (x2)

-Hooks

-Molding

-String(parachute cord)

Step 1: Making the Post

The post is where the pulleys and the crank will be attached. In order to make the post, you will first need to draw out the way you would like to make your post look, you will do this on the sheet of MDF. You can make this as big or as small as you would like. For reference, I made mine 2 and a half feet tall and 16 inches long, and 3 inches wide. When drawing out your L shape be sure to add an angle between the two lines for extra support, I made mine into a lighting shape. You can be as creative as you like. After tracing out one side of your post take your saw and cut the major portions. If you made a fun design as your angle (like I did) then make holes in the empty space of your angle and sides, then take the jigsaw and make those smaller more intricate cuts. After your piece is cut out place it on the sheet of MDF and trace it, after you trace it cut out your second piece. Now that both sides are done what we want to do is create the middle part (this is for added thickness and sturdiness). Cut out two rectangles (they should be the exact size of your sides), one rectangle was 2 and a half feet tall and 3 inches wide and the other rectangle was 16 inches long and 3 inches wide. What we will now do is use our wood glue, we will glue our side and place the two rectangles (so they also form an L shape) on top of our side, then we will place glue on the two rectangles and place the final side on top. Make sure that everything is aligned and then clamp the pieces together. Set this aside to dry overnight. After the glue has dried what we will do is drill a hole on the longest part of the post, because we glue three layers together make sure to drill in the second one. We are drilling this hole so we can put our crank through, so make the hole where you would like your crank to be. The final part of making the post is drilling three more very tiny holes, these holes will be for the hooks that will hold the pulleys. The first two hooks will be on the shortest part of the post, I put my first one above the lightning bolt (in the empty space so you can see it) and the other towards the end of that side. Then you will put the third hook on the longest side of the post, place it between the first pulley and where the crank will be however place it more toward the first pulley.

Step 2: Now It's Time for the Platform the Cars Will Sit On

Now that the post is done it is time to make the part of where the cars will sit. First, we will take our molding and cut the square that the cars will be placed on. Make sure that it is big enough to hold at least two cases with a divider down the middle and two blocks on the side to prevent the car from going backward. After you have cut the platform what you want to do next is cut another part of MDF, this next rectangle will be the lip that keeps the cars from going forward and that when it goes down it allows the car to race. You may make the lip as tall as you like, however for the width make sure that it is the same width as your platform. After the piece has been cut chose one of the side (one of the ones that are the same width as your platform) and file/sand it so you have a nice curved side, so when this lip is down the cars are able to ride on it and not to jump from the lip to the ramp. In order to attach the lip and the platform, you will use a hinge on the bottom side. For the hinge to be flush on the wood for both the platform and the lip you will need to file/sand a little dip (as shown in one of the pictures) where the round part of the hinge will be. After you filled it to where the hinge is now flush drill holes where the nails will go and drill in the nails to keep the hinge in place. Be sure that the hinge allows the platform and lip to be as flat as possible. When screwing in the nails make sure that they do not go through the entire thickness of the platform. After the hinge is attached and the platform and lip are attached we will then drill four more holes and add 4 more nails. Drill these four holes on the sides of the platform (left and right), and the sides of the lip (as seen in image two). When you place the nail leave space between the wood and the head of the nail, use this space as the spot to attach your springs. The springs will allow the platform to have the lip both upright and down. Then finally we will create the base of this platform. The height and width are to your desired length, the height will need to be a little taller than the height you plan to the ramp, only tall enough for the lip to rest nicely on the ramp when it is down. First, you will make a rectangle with your wanted height and width, then you will cut the top of the rectangle at a slight downward angle. This is so the platform sits at a downward angle so the cars can go down much easier. Then create a smaller rectangle that will make a T with the larger rectangle. On this taller triangle make a 1/2 inch slit down the middle, go from the bottom up but not all the way up, only as tall as the smaller rectangle. Then place the smaller rectangle in this slit(should look like the last image). Now that the base of the platform is done you want to screw the platform down to this base. Now create small and thinner blocks that are the length of the platform and preferably 1/2 inch thick. Then glue these little blocks on the sides and in the middle, you can use wood glue or hot glue. You want to give each car its own lane.

Step 3: Time to Make the Crank

To create the crank you will need a large wooden pole, a very small and thin wooden pole, two nails, two washers, and two cotter pins. First, we will start by drilling a hole in the very middle of the thicker wooden pole. Then you will cut a small piece of MDF, this will be the part that connects the handle (the thicker wooden pole) to the shaft (the thinner wooden pole). After you cut your small block round all four of its corners, you can round it to your desired radius. Then drill a hole in the small block of wood so it lies up with the hole in the handle. Then screw in a screw so the handle and block are attached. Now we want to drill a small hole in the connecting block (drill the hole on the part of the block that is facing away from the handle, do not drill all the way), this hole should be as big as the shaft and in the middle of the lower part of the block. Once the hole is drilled place your shaft in. Now there are only three more small holes to create. The first two will be right next to the post when the shaft is sitting in the pole. So place the shaft in the hole created in the post and mark where the ends are (leave room for the handle to come out a little them measure). Drill the two holes after measuring. Then toward the end of the shaft drill a third hole. Next, take a small nail and hammer it to look like a hook. Finally, place the shaft in the hole of the post and place the washers so they touch the sides of the post, then put the cotter pins in the two holes close to the post, and finally place your nail in the hole toward the bottom of the shaft.

Step 4: Build Your Ramp

What you want to do first is you want to create a base that all of the parts you have made so far will sit on. Depending on how big you made your project your dimensions will vary, the base that I made was 1 foot wide and 4 feet and 1 inch long. To make the ramp you will take the molding and cut it to be as long as you would like, I made mine 10 and a half inches long. After you cut the ramp you will take MDF and create supports to hold your ramp-up. These supports will vary depending on where you place them. Make the support as tall as you need so the ramp sits on top of it and cut the top at the angle that your ramp is going down (so the ramp can rest on the supports nicely). Screw the ramp to the support from the top, then screw the supports to the base, from under the base up. After the ramp is secure add thin blocks that are 1/2 inch thick (like the ones on the platform) and as tall as the ramp, leaving some space on top so the lip of the platform can come down. Place these blocks on the right, middle, and left. Space them out the same way you spaced out the lanes on the platform, this is because these will be a continuation of the lane.

Step 5: Place Everything Else Onto the Base

Now that the base and ramp are made it is time to add all of the other components. First, we will add the platform to the base, in order to do so, we will screw from below the base up, drill as many holes that you deem necessary to make the platform stable. When placing the platform make sure that it is close enough for the lip to rest on the track, about 1/4 of the lip should rest on the track. Next place the post where you would like it to be on the base and mark the location. Then cut out small pieces of MDF, They should be as wide as the post is. Then take two pieces and stack them on top of each other, place them on the left side then take two more stacked pieces and place them on the right side (stack them flatly). Then take a piece and place it upright behind the post and another piece in front of the post. You will need help with this part, ask someone to hold the post in your desired spot (preferable at the end in the middle of the base) as you place the blocks where you need. Then while your assistant is holding the post you will drill holes where the screws will go. You will screw two acres on the left and right from the top of the blocks to the bottom of the base (so the bottom of the screw is flush with the bottom of the base). Then you will screw a screw in the middle of the blocks that are in the front and back (use the second picture for assistance on the placement of the screws). Finally, take your parachute rope or some kind of sturdy string/rope and place it through the pulleys. Then attach the bottom of the rope to the bottom nails that are on the bottom of the sides of your lip. Now you can enjoy racing your cars against each other and finding which one is the fastest.

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