HAHAHAHA That is frickin' AWESOME. That kid looks like he's having so much fun and what a cool dad.

 

that video had me lmao at work.. i couldnt resist....

this stuff is great.. im def going to do this is i have a son

 

A helmet probably wouldn't be a bad idea, considering the new capabilities of the car. Those hard plastic wheels make a pretty impressive drifter out of it too. The kid seems to handle it pretty well and has a good grasp of the concept of counter steer. Wonder how many other kids his age have that kind of experience?

My Dad scratch-built an electric Jeep for me when I was about that age, and it was my favorite toy of all time. with a 6V automotive battery under the hood and a starter motor for power, it was capable of about 6 mph, but that 0-6 came really quickly, considering the torque available. A big industrial switch under the seat reversed the motor polarity to give you 6 mph in reverse as well. Brakes were provided by a hand lever that tightened a segment of v-belt running over a pulley on the solid rear axle. Outfitted with head, tail, and brake lights, it was not just a faithful 1/2 scale model with full (plywood) bodywork, it was almost street legal.

After a couple of years constrained to the slow lane of the driveway, we hooked an old lawnmower engine up to the drive axle and boosted the speed up to near 20. I played with that thing until my mid teens when I could no longer squeeze into the seat. I don't think I've had as much fun with a "car" since. My Dad was not just a great engineer and handyman, he was forever my hero.

Talking to one of my customers a while back, he started his son in junior drag racing. The cars can be pretty professional and run on a 1/8 mile track with all of the skill and strategy you'd find at any NHRA meet. It is a real family sport, and now that his son has hit the age limit, his two younger sisters are following in his rather large footsteps with championship cars of their own. My friend says it's an expensive sport - compared to little league - but they work at it almost year 'round, the family travels together to races, each with their own pit assignments, and the kids are learning responsibility, sportsmanship, teamwork, and not a few automotive skills along the way.

I'm sure these kids and their dads are not just having fun, but building a wonderful relationship too.

 

There's a whole forum on it, with how to instructions. Crazy ...

http://www.modifiedpowerwheels.com/

One of the guys is allegedly hooking up a 60V battery..LMAO
http://www.modifiedpowerwheels.com/f...?TOPIC_ID=2509