Creating a unique and playful ride for your children can be a rewarding DIY project. Inspired by the iconic Flintstones car, this guide details the construction of a fun car top, perfect for imaginative play. This project focuses on crafting the wooden frame and cover, ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience for your little ones, just like Pebbles and Bambam enjoying their prehistoric adventures.
The first step involves shaping the wooden supports for the car top. Using a 2×4 plank and a table saw, carefully create rounded poles. This is achieved by running the wood through the saw multiple times, slightly rotating it with each pass. This technique gives the poles a hand-whittled appearance, adding a rustic charm to your Flintstones car. Once shaped, cut the poles to the desired length, keeping in mind the size appropriate for your children. It’s always a great idea to involve your kids in the process, letting them “test drive” the evolving frame to ensure it’s just the right size, and perhaps even inspire them to lend a hand with simpler tasks, fostering a sense of ownership and excitement for their new ride.
With the dimensions confirmed by your young co-designers, and ensuring they are safely away from power tools, proceed to create openings on the sides of the car base. Employ a hole saw and an electric drill to make these openings – these will house the upright support poles. Next, securely mount the shaped wooden poles to the plywood base. For robust attachment, use Gorilla Glue in combination with screws. Pay special attention to the stability of these poles as they will not only form part of the car top structure but also serve as handles for pushing the car, making them a crucial structural element and push handles for the Flintstones car.
An ingenious aspect of working with the car’s fiberglass coating is its forgiving nature. Whenever screws need to be attached to the sides, simply drill through the fiberglass. After securing the screws, the hole can be easily concealed with a touch of bondo. The existing texture of the sides effectively hides any evidence of repair, maintaining the seamless look of the Flintstones car.
Once the upright supports are firmly in place, you can proceed to add the remaining wooden pieces to complete the car top frame. Utilize 3-inch screws and glue for these additions, ensuring a strong and durable structure. Remember to pre-drill pilot holes before inserting screws. This crucial step prevents the wood from splitting, ensuring the integrity of your Flintstones car top frame. After assembling the wooden structure, painting the wooden parts in your desired colors will enhance the visual appeal. To further enhance the rustic aesthetic and secure the joints, lash the painted wooden parts with natural fiber twine. After lashing, apply glue to all knots and cross joints. This prevents the twine from loosening or unraveling over time, ensuring both the look and longevity of your Flintstones car top.
The final touch is creating the car top cover. Cut the cover from white vinyl canvas, choosing a durable and weather-resistant material. To attach the cover seamlessly yet allow for easy removal, use heavy-duty Velcro strips. Affix the Velcro strips to both the vinyl canvas and the wooden crossbeams using contact cement. This method provides a tight and secure fit for the cover, completing your DIY Flintstones car top while maintaining ease of access and removal as needed. Now your Flintstones car is ready for prehistoric adventures!
