How to Make Wheels for a Fake Car

Wheels for a fake car can be made from bottle lids, foam or cardboard.

Making wheels for a fake car isn't a complicated task. Depending on the size of your fake car, the materials used to create wheels range from products retrieved from the recycling bin to purchased black craft foam. If using recycled products, you'll need four identical items. Wheels can be attached with adhesives or onto axles if your car has them. Attach wheels to the fake car in the manner that best suits your car's construction.

Things You'll Need

• Newspaper
• 4 plastic lids from water bottles
• Craft foam - ½-1-inch thickness
• Cardboard
• Foam meat tray
• Compass or jar lid
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Hand drill or metal skewer
• Acrylic paint - black, white
• Paintbrushes
• Glue gun, epoxy or double-sided tape
• Measuring tape
• Foam board

Instructions

Small or Medium Fake Car Wheels

1. Cover your work area with newspaper. Place four identical plastic lids from water bottles onto the newspaper. Or use a compass or jar lid to draw four circles onto a clean foam meat tray, cardboard, or craft foam. Cut the circles from the material. According to Big Learning, you can use "circles cut from the meat tray" or " bottle tops. You can use any round object. I even made wheels from craft foam...."

2. Use a hand drill or metal skewer to poke a hole in the center of each circle or plastic lid. If you plan to adhere your wheel to your fake car with glue or tape, skip this step and proceed to Step 3.

3. 

   Paint the wheels with acrylic paints unless you're using black craft foam.

   Paint the wheels black. Allow paint to dry. Paint a white circle in the center of each wheel. Allow paint to dry. If using black craft foam, skip this step and proceed to Step 5.

4. Glue or tape the wheels to the car with a glue gun, epoxy (recommended for plastic), or double-sided tape. Or, attach wheels by means of an axle according to your car's construction by inserting the end of each axle through the hole in each wheel.

Large Fake Car Wheels

1. Measure the length of your car and divide that number by four. You want each wheel to measure approximately ¼ the length of your car. Use this measurement to determine the diameter of your wheel. For example: your car measures 12-inches long. Twelve inches divided by four equals three inches. Your wheels will measure 3-inches in diameter.

2. 

   Use a compass to draw circles for your car's wheels.

   Use a compass to measure and draw circles according to your required diameter from Section 2 Step 1. Cut the circles from 1-inch or thicker black craft foam, cardboard, or foam board. Because your wheels are for a larger fake car, the material chosen for the wheels should be thicker and sturdier than for a smaller car.

3. Paint the wheels black with acrylic paint if necessary. Allow paint to dry. Paint a small white circle in the center of each wheel. Allow paint to dry. If you've used black craft foam you can proceed to Section 2 Step 4.

4. Attach the wheels to your fake car in the manner best suited to your car's construction.

Tips & Warnings

• Use caution if using epoxies. Epoxy adhesives can glue flesh to flesh and flesh to other materials. Have an adult create the hole in each wheel with a drill or metal skewer to avoid serious injury of a minor.

References

• Big Learning: Balloon Car
• NASA Quest: How to Build a Rocket Car
• Science Squad Questacon: Balloon Powered Car