crazy project ideas

[jcbanner]

this might be because I'm just that eccentric when planning projects, or it might be because its almost 2:30 am, but chatting with a friend right now, I'm trying to figure out how to turn a car into a dragon.

first thoughts are, don't think it will be street legal, so it would have to be detachable, and I'm not sure I want to do all that to my car.

which led to thinking about finding an old junker and rebuilding it then hauling it to a destination and using it there.  and with an old junker, I could do MAJOR reconstructive "surgery" to it to really make it look like a dragon. or atleast a dragons head.

how about this, do this with an old truck so I can pull a tailor with it to finish up the body, once doing that, why not put seating in it to ride in?  dragon shuttle from the parking lot anyone?


I know a few tricks, like making the exhaust of a car shoot flames, would I be getting carried away if I re-routed the exhaust back to the front so I can have a fire breathing dragon car?

[Cobaltblu]

Here are a few thoughts:

-You could do much of the dragon as a paint job and have certain things like claws or the head or the end of the tail as physical things.  If you don't want to do a paint job you could paint much of the car one color like green and print some large decals for details like scales or etc.  You could have a dragon "fin" sticking up along the roof of the car kind of like a dragon "mohawk".

-An open mouth near the front grill would allow proper airflow and you could put teeth there.

-If you rerouted the exhaust to the front of the car and drove the car you better not open the windows...and depending on how old the car is you might obscure your vision with black smoke.

-If the car has black smoke out the end exhaust pipe maybe you could make a small "village" and paint some flames on it and the exhaust could be the smoke from the flames.  Maybe the dragon claw would be around the village like it was looting and burning it.

-If you want to drive the car you need to worry about air resistance and what speed would blow whatever modifications off the car if they were detachable (or not intended to be detachable).  I would think this would be one of the major obstacles to making it street legal since a car has to be constructed so as not to blow apart at a certain speed.

Regards,

CB

[Pascal]

If you reroute the exhaust so as to blow flames, make it switchable with a cutout you can control from inside the vehicle.  That way, you keep the exhaust where it needs to be most of the time and only route it forward when you run your effect.

[jcbanner]

If you reroute the exhaust so as to blow flames, make it switchable with a cutout you can control from inside the vehicle.  That way, you keep the exhaust where it needs to be most of the time and only route it forward when you run your effect.

I think thats more of what I was thinking. the re-rout would be only for when in "dragon mode"  regulare driving the exhaust would come out from the normal spot.

Part of the design for the flames is a switch inside the car.

[somefinfishy]

money?
first two roads here #1 try to make it look real with massive bodywork/effects-VERY expensive lots O time.basically a parade float #2 a simple representation to resemble imitate one.-cheaper more art car.
DONT go 1/2 way a fin or head will look stupid with out the chest,wings and tail this puts us back to a full fiberglass parade float.
I think something simple like a large older car painted with scales or the decal Idea was good to.
if you have 4 headlights change 2 out for red bulbs maybe cut some small vents/gills on the front fenders install a good fog machine in the engine compartment. a good subwoofer system so you can feel it breath snarl .A gullwing door modification would make nice wings!
This would be driveable and much cooler IMHO
i have a leather pattern chain that could be made like a table cloth to drape the car and look like scales. would even hide the tires. DIY $1.50-$2 a square foot take it off roll it up carry it in the trunk.

no leather skills REQ just two pliers and a razor knife.
It was my in head to make a oriental dragon that covered 4-5 people.

How about a motorcycle with war horse armour  and learn to ride a wheelie with one hand while sporting your sword with the other charge!

[Lady Christina de Pond]

and idea it's simple and not a huge expense i wouldn't think but make the car look like a dragon's head and make the windshield your eyes and make two Nostrals on the hood near the grill for the nose

[somefinfishy]

http://blog.makezine.com/_images_dragon_car_1.jpg

http://media.ebaumsworld.com/mediaFiles/picture/374924/701568.jpg

http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-1990-1999/1998-Honda-Civic-dragon-fa-nf.jpg

Lots of dragon cars out there I guess search google images

[Angelhood]

Not exactly the same, but in the early 1990's I went to the SCA's Estrella War. There I saw a lady who was in a wheel chair and who apparently was quite the seamstress. She camped in her mini van, which would have been emensely un-period, as it was it turned out to be simply fantasy, as she had sewn a dragon car cover for it. Complete with a big red tongue that was in excess of 6 feet long. I've got a picture somewhere...I'll hunt it down and post it soon.

[jcbanner]

It's definitely not the Dragon car idea, but I get lots of crazy, "how in the world are you ever going to do that" ideas. 

Anyone here remember me posting about a project plan to build a house using traditional building methods?  It must have been a year and a half ago when I mentioned it while we were still at the old forums.  Well, turns out I've been making some progress!  I have the back half of the building roughly framed in so far and with out ANY of the supports yet and only two "nails" in the entire structure, It's already solid as a stone.

I've only made a little bit of progress so far, but when I'm in charge of the renfaire site development and maintenance, I only get so much time to work on this.

so far I've got in (about) 60 % of the total heavy frame work done, the 2 heaviest posts are set, and 2 of the 4 heaviest beams are set. (though one of those 4 will be pine and not oak so it will be much lighter) and the floor joists for the loft in the back half all in place.  If I wanted, I could potentially roof in the back half before even building the frame for the front half.   

I loved my ax, but now, ropes and pulleys are fast becoming my best friends