How to Design a CO2 Car
A CO2 car is a fun project for boys to take part in because they can design their dream car and actually see how it would perform in real life. A CO2 car places a CO2 cartridge in the back of the car to act as the engine. Once the CO2 cartridge is punctured, the car will take off. It's a good car to set up for racing because the CO2 cartridges all give off an equal amount of power. The fastest car will be based on the best design.
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Things You'll Need
- Block of wood
- Paper
- Pencil
- Sandpaper
- Table reciprocating saw
- CO2 cartridge
- Safety goggles
- Gloves
- Metal rods made for building model cars
- Model car wheels
- Paint
- Punch driver
Instructions
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Designing a CO2 Car
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1
Draw out a design of a car on a piece of paper. The best cars will be aerodynamic and will withstand the pressure of the CO2 cartridge without flipping over. An aerodynamic design is more or less shaped like a sideways triangle, with the tip being the front of the car (>). This will ensure the the air flows over the top of the car smoothly. So when you're drawing your design, make the front low to the ground and have the back rise up a little.
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2
Trace your design onto the block of wood. Make sure the back of the car is large enough to punch a hole into it to fit the CO2 cartridge.
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3
Saw the block of wood so it resembles the design you drew using a table reciprocating saw. Hold your block of wood on the table and push it through the saw, tracing the outline you drew onto the wood. If you want to make any changes to your design, you should get away from the saw and draw your new design changes onto the wood before making the cut. Don't cut your wood without following a pattern; if you mess up, there's no going back.
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4
Put two holes all the way through the width of the car with a punch driver; one hole in the front and one hole in the back. The hole go from left to right or right to left; it doesn't matter. Just make sure the hole goes clear through the width of the car and are positioned where a normal pair of tire would be. The size of the holes will depend on the metal rods you're using as wheel rods. They are typically about half the circumference of a pencil, but if you're making a bigger car, the rods may be bigger than that.
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5
Punch a hole into the back of your car, using the punch driver. The hole has to be big enough to hold the CO2 cartridge, but small enough to make sure it doesn't fly out when punctured.
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6
Sand down any rough areas on your car. The smoother your car is, the more aerodynamic it will be.
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7
Paint your car with a design or color that you like.
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8
Slip a metal rod through each one of the holes you previously made in the car.
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9
Attach the wheels to the end of the metal rods.
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10
Place the CO2 cartridge into the back of your car. Using a punch driver, you will be able to puncture the cartridge and you car will take off. It will only be able to move once for each CO2 cartridge. To get it to move again, you will need a new CO2 cartridge.
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Tips & Warnings
Using saws and CO2 can cause painful injuries if used incorrectly.
Make sure this project is supervised by an adult experienced in wood working.
