Thread: Grandkids Coaster Car build.

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Here’s the build thread for my grandkids Tot Rod. I figured this would be a good project for my oldest grandson and me and with any luck we will end up with something all three of the grandkids can enjoy for quite a while and it should let me spend some quality time working with my grandson.

I recently came across a few pictures of wheelbarrow based coaster car and that got the gears spinning. Looking at all the stuff I had laying around in the iron pile, I figured we should be able to do this for very little out of pocket so I raised the idea with my grandson and we got started on it last weekend.

The first order of business was to settle on a design and getting the raw materials together. At first it was going to be a basic T Bucket design, but it has kind of evolved into a roadster pickup. The plan is to do the basic body first which will dictate how the frame and suspension will be laid out. The plan is to initially use it as a coaster car but build it so that at some point it can be motorized (either with a gas engine or possible electric).



We laid out the wheelbarrow and gas tank to get an idea of proportions last week. I had Cade do most of the measuring and math to figure centerlines etc. He’s still a little young yet to turn him loose with the cutoff tools and welder so during the week I spent a few hours making the cuts bending and welding.







I had originally wanted to make a rounded nose for the front of the hood (using a curved section from the galvanized blower housing) but that didn’t work out too well. For now I just built a flat plate and may leave it like that.

That left what to do for the pickup bed, so another trip to the iron pile where I pulled the case off an old air conditioned.





After trimming the case down, both in height and width, it was set up next to the rest of the body. We ended up with the open side down and the closed side up and it being a little taller than the seat area for a couple of reasons. The height was dictated by the engine we may use, and if I’d turned it over the louvers would have been upside down and funneled water into the bed rather than keeping it out.


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I’ve had this old 2 cycle engine sitting on the shelf for several years always figuring it would make a good project to start teaching Cade about engines. At some point we will try to get it running (it has good compression and spark) and see if it has enough steam to move the car under its own power.