Photograph by Sam Murphy
WINDUP CAR
Mod a cute convertible with a big rotating key.
When my pickup truck broke down, a friend lent me her Geo Metro convertible for 2 weeks. Well, I’m a good-sized guy, and at first I felt a bit silly driving this tiny car, but I quickly fell in love with it. It’s easy to park, great on gas, and a blast to drive. I decided to buy my own, and I thought that if I’m willing to be seen driving this toy-sized car, why not go all the way and put a big windup key on the back?
I called my metal sculptor friend Paul LeDuc for his help and ideas, and we talked about the project. I knew I wanted a big key that would turn slowly, to make the car look as toy-like as possible. I also wanted the key to be easily removable and fit in the trunk to prevent people from trying to rip it off, and to keep the option of driving a little more low-profile. Also, I had just had the car painted, so I wanted to be careful that any mods would not damage the nice new finish.
We decided that the key should be about 16" across. For the flat part, we drew a template and used a plasma cutter to cut the shape out of ¼"-thick steel plate. The harder part was the center tube, which needed to mount neatly through the trunk of the car. For this, Paul strolled through the hardware store and found a nice chrome mounting ring for finishing bathroom sink drains. The threaded, 1½" inside-diameter ring had some height that would help guide the key, and included a rubber gasket, washer, and nut to secure it around both sides of an aperture.
Paul used a grinder to remove the strainer from the bottom of the sink mounting ring, then cut a hole in the center of the trunk deck (lid) with a drill and a hole saw. He slid in the drain ring, and fitted the washer and nut on the back. Then he found some steel tubing in his shop that fit perfectly into the sink ring, cut a length of that to be the key’s center tube, and welded it to the flat key shape.
Fig. A: To turn the key, a windshield wiper motor is mounted under the trunk deck. Power comes from the dashboard cigarette lighter, via wires that run under the carpet and out the same hole as the brake light wires.
Fig. B: The key to making a cute little car even cuter.
Fig. C: Friction mount made from a foam bicycle handle grip makes the key easily removable, and lets you twist it and stop it without harming the motor.
Photography by Paul Spinrad
To turn the key, we used a spare windshield wiper motor that I had. These run off a 12VDC car battery, of course, and they turn slowly with a lot of torque. To connect the key to the motor and make it removable, we made a friction mount out of a foam bicycle handle grip. We welded a 2½"×⅛" disk to the shaft of the motor, and welded that to a 5" steel rod that’s the same diameter as bike handlebars (7/8"). The shaft protrudes from the middle of the hole in the trunk, and with the foam grip over it, the key slides over it snugly.
The great thing about the foam connection is that it lets the motor run freely if the key’s movement is impaired, like if someone grabs it, and it also lets you turn the key when the motor is off. This means that little kids can turn the key before the car starts, and imagine that they’re helping the car go!
To attach the motor, Paul removed the trunk deck, laid it upside down, and welded together a framework that would hold it securely and keep it aligned straight up. He made the framework out of 1"- and 2"-square tubing, welded to the deck’s ribbing with minimal damage to the paint, and tapped screw holes in to serve as motor mounts.
The motor is powered from the car’s cigarette lighter. To do this, I ran wires under the carpet, starting in front near the dash, between the seats, and threading them back into the trunk through the same hole that the brake light wires run out of.
To connect the wires to power, I cut the fan off an old cigarette-lighter-powered fan, and ran the circuit through an old VW bus light switch, which I mounted next to the car’s gearshift. I positioned the switch so that when I shift between neutral and first, my thumb can easily turn the key motor off and on. That way, when I stop the car, the key stops, and when the car starts moving, the key starts up again — bringing smiles to all, or at least to most.
Sunny Armas lives in San Jose and enjoys bringing smiles to others. He has helped Paul LeDuc with many other art projects, including parade floats and metal waterfalls.