Homemade race car? We think yes. You might be surprised how fast these balloon powered cars go. Here’s a step-by-step guide to making one of your own.
You will need
- Drinking straws
- Plastic water bottle
- Hammer and nail
- Wooden skewers
- Tape
- Balloon
- Knife/scissors
What to do to make a balloon-powered race car
- Cut one of the straws into two pieces the width of the bottle. Tape the straw pieces to the bottle, one near the front and one near the back. These form the exiles. Make sure they are paralleled so the wheels aren’t crooked.
- Taking the hammer and nail, poke holes into the bottle caps. Cut skewers 3cm longer than the straw pieces. Thread the skewers through the straws and place the bottle caps onto each end. Check the car rolls properly.
- Create a nozzle for the balloon by taping four straws together side by side. Place into the balloon and seal with tape.
- The balloon and nozzle now needs to be attached to the car. Taking the craft knife, slice an X-shape into the top of the car about 12cm back from the mouth of the bottle. There the nozzle (four straws) through the X and out the opening of the bottle. Leave a few centimetres of the nozzle sticking out of the bottle.
- Blow up the balloon through the nozzle. Pinch the base of the balloon to keep the air in, set the car down on a flat surface. Let go of the balloon and watch it zoom.
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