Blog For Restoring A Power Wheelchair
Update: 9-26-23 I built this Crazy Wheelchair in 2015. Burn outs from the front wheel ripped up floor tiles at Walmart and tossed them thirty feet behind me, spinning like a Frisbee. That's entertainment!
This Crazy Chair got me groceries several times a week and spent countless days in the library. It took me to art festivals and doctors appointments and movies and the mall and the zoo! It hit desert trails like a coyote chasing a roadrunner.
Check the PimpTube page for nine cool videos and some specs on the chair. It's high maintenance, but the fun and utility make it worth the effort.
I got this scissor lift to build a crazier chair. The scissor lift will let me restore the old Crazy Chair before building the Borg Chair. Expand All Blog Entries 6-19-23 - Bike Shop Road Trip Flying is easy, but a million landings is hard on the wheels. Took 3 wheels to a bike shop to replace broken spokes, true wheels, install new tires and tubes with tire liners. The hardware store is next door so it's like a whole second road trip. Got spray paint, steel wool and masking tape. Next door the other way is a grocery store. Got breakfast at the deli counter. Not great, but cheap and hot. $158.14 - Wheel Repair $35.40 - Paint and Steel Wool $3.01 - Masking Tape $196.55 - Total Spent 6-30-23 - Sanding the Frame The frame can be sanded and painted now that most of the parts are removed. Watch the video if you're really bored, or if you get excited by sanding wheelchair frames. 7-3-23 - Painting the Frame All sanded pretty... now it's time to paint the frame. I'm using Krylon spray paint. It's my all time favorite rattle can. Just regular old gloss black. 7-7-23 - Ordered Grip Tape Four years of feet slipping off slick footrests is too much! Grip tape will make it all better.
$196.55 - Total Spent $18.86 - Grip Tape $215.41 - Total Spent 7-8-23 - Fix and Paint Footrest The footrest is the lowest point. It hit concrete a thousand times which mushroomed the bottom. It took a few minutes to grind off the damage so the footrest could be taken apart. Sanding and painting makes it look nice again.
7-9-23 - Install Grip Tape Grip tape will make my Crazy Chair easier to use. I should have done this years ago, before the first time it left the garage.
7-11-23 - Ordered Battery The original battery from 2015 was working fine when the chair was parked. Four years later it's worthless.
$215.41 - Total Spent $323.07 - 20AH Lithium Battery $538.48 - Total Spent 7-17-23 - Steel Yard Road Trip Getting out of the house is great, especially when it's someplace fun. My idea of fun is different the most people's idea of fun. Sheesh! The steel yard is an amusement park for builders! Got two aluminum plates to hold the battery in position under the seat. The plates will only require a few bolt holes to hold the battery, without putting much pressure on it. * AND * I get to go to the hardware store for the nuts and bolts... $538.48 - Total Spent $32.53 - Aluminum Plate for Battery Holder $571.01 - Total Spent 7-18-23 - Hardware Road Trip Screws, all-thread rod, nylock nus and coupling nuts... from Ace Hardware.
$571.01 - Total Spent $10.49 - Battery Mounting Hardware $581.50 - Total Spent 7-21-23 - Make Battery Holder Drilled a few holes in two aluminum plates and in the wheelchair frame. This will hold the battery in place without placing a lot of pressure on it.
8-11-23 - Crazy Chair Rides Again I got the chair running today and took it for a short joyride. I was already weak from working on it, but the trip wasn't so bad. It only took an hour to recuperate. Longer trips should be possible if I'm rested at the start. Check my YouTube channel for longer videos of the chair." $581.50 - Total Spent How much does it cost to fix up an old Crazy Chair? $158.14 - Wheel Repair $35.40 - Paint and Steel Wool $3.01 - Masking Tape $18.86 - Grip Tape $323.07 - 20AH Lithium Battery $32.53 - Aluminum Plate for Battery Holder $10.49 - Battery Mounting Hardware $581.50 - Total Spent