More on the Dalek Car

Cars Energy & Sustainability
More on the Dalek Car

We got an enthusiastic response to our Dalek Car at Burning Man post, both here on MAKE and the original post on CRAFT. Rachel was contacted by the builder who shared some details of the vehicle. Here’s Rachel’s post. Thanks, Rach! -Gareth

When I posted the awesome giant Dalek art car yesterday, I mentioned that I hadn’t been able to find much information on the project or its creator. Thankfully I heard from Cory who, along with his wife, brought this Dr. Who dream to life. I loved hearing about their process for the project, and seeing their great build pictures and am glad we can now share them with you. Enjoy!

This all started because my wife Hannah and I wanted to do an art car for Burning Man. We couldn’t decide on what to do and were quickly approaching the deadline for Mutant Vehicle application. She’s English and her parents recommended that we watch Dr. Who, especially since I’m a huge fan of Sci-fi and Brits. I thought a Dalek would be perfect for Burning Man, but like most of our previous thoughts, I suspected that someone had already done one. Much to our surprise, no one had brought a Dalek to Burning Man, let alone building a large scale-ish version. The idea was planted, and there was no going back.

The first job was to get the golf cart running, and since I had almost zero experience working on an engine, it was a trial. Then the wood frame was built. Luckily we had a partial 1:12 scale model in the form of a clock, and with the aid of some calipers, the project was relatively smooth sailing. Unfortunately, the golf cart wouldn’t let us build it to the right proportions, so I had to make up a couple of weird angles. The mid section and dome were fiber-glassed expanding foam. The bubbles were made via a MAKE article on vacuum forming. Unfortunately, I had to waste some material learning to vac form .06 polycarbonate, but it proved to be a great material for driving down the freeway at 65.

One disaster was when our clay mold broke apart, but luckily we had a couple of good pulls already and made a new one out of plaster that really held up to some abuse. The other disaster was having the cart die on Saturday (I think it’s just a blocked carb). I ran into the auto parts store on the way out of town and grabbed a lawn mower air filter that was not even close to fitting, but hey, nothing a little craftyness a X-Acto knife can’t fix.

The best part of the build was seeing all the awesome Dr. Who fans and fellow art car builders, a lot of whom I have an even greater respect for now. And, of course, the faces on the little kids was pretty cool.

Thanks so much for sharing your story, Cory!

12 thoughts on “More on the Dalek Car

  1. Betaboxx says:

    All the hard work was worth it, especially seeing the faces of all the whovians on the playa.  We even met an amazing Tardis and Doctor!!  Great Pics! 

    I forgot to add that We also had live modulation via a ring modulator with matched germanium diodes.  Next year wee need 300 watts of exterminate though…

  2. Golf Car Parts says:

    Dalek car has many advantages. It does have a ring modulator for live voice modulation. It is so awesome. I am glad that I do not have a pic of my air filter.

  3. Golf Car Parts says:

    Dalek car has many advantages. It does have a ring modulator for live voice modulation. It is so awesome. I am glad that I do not have a pic of my air filter.

  4. Golf Car Parts says:

    Dalek car has many advantages. It does have a ring modulator for live voice modulation. It is so awesome. I am glad that I do not have a pic of my air filter.

  5. Golf Car Parts says:

    Dalek car has many advantages. It does have a ring modulator for live voice modulation. It is so awesome. I am glad that I do not have a pic of my air filter.

  6. Golf Car Parts says:

    Dalek car has many advantages. It does have a ring modulator for live voice modulation. It is so awesome. I am glad that I do not have a pic of my air filter.

Comments are closed.

Discuss this article with the rest of the community on our Discord server!
Tagged

Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.

View more articles by Gareth Branwyn

ADVERTISEMENT

Maker Faire Bay Area 2023 - Mare Island, CA

Escape to an island of imagination + innovation as Maker Faire Bay Area returns for its 15th iteration!

Buy Tickets today! SAVE 15% and lock-in your preferred date(s).

FEEDBACK