Wire Car Push Toy

I'm putting this instructable together after creating my first wire car.
These are great projects for kids and adults.  They can be as simple or complex as you'd like.

Artist Chido Johnson put together the first ever wire car cruise here in Detroit along Woodward Ave.
He conducted workshops in the community on how to make these vehicles.
These toys are fairly popular in Africa, Chido's home country.
They are usually assembled from recycled wire and found objects.

This instructable will be using his build information.
Chido's pdf is attached with all the steps and drawings required to make these cars.

There are examples of finished vehicles at the end.

Here is a video of Chido and his pink caddi:

my pink caddi from chido johnson on Vimeo .

Step 1 Materials

You'll need all of the following:

Wire:
14 gauge - 9 gauge
Thick wire for making body panels and lines.
Steel wire for the undercarriage.
Aluminum or steel wire for the body.
24-28 gauge
Thin wire for lashing the heavier wire together.
3/16" - 1/4" x 6' long
Steel wire for the steering wheel push stick.

Pliers
Needle nose work well, but any kind will do.

Clippers or Snips
For cutting.
Helpful to have for cutting wire while on the car.


Optional materials:

Wheels
Inter tube rubber from bike wheels
Strips of bike tire
Foam Toilet bowl gaskets
Rolls of Electrical Tape
Wood Discs

Accessories
Figures
Stuffed Animals
Dice
Reflectors
Lights
Speakers (to add a stereo)

Comments

[iceng]

You should have been Featured !
This is high Art :-)

A