DIY Network

Show-Car Display: Velvet Ropes and Motion-Activated Sound Extra Flash for the Auto-Show Floor, Part 3 of 4 From "Tricked Out" episode DTRK-311

Andrew creates a simple but distinctive display area using color-coordinated ropes for crowd barriers.

In this project, Tricked Out host Andrew Totolos creates several accessory items to highlight a Mitsubishi Eclipse show car. In this part of the project, Andrew creates his own stanchions, which will help with crowd control at those busy car shows. Roping off the area around the car will help alleviate accidental damage to the car and give people an unobstructed view.

Commercial stanchions are pricey, but we created these for less than $100 using junk-yard flywheels, a set of table legs, spray paint, a little hardware and some upholstery bead rope.

For an added touch, Andrew installs motion-activated sound devices that play pre-recorded informational messages about the car and its features when spectators walk up to it.

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	Primed and spray-painted flywheels, procured from a junkyard, form the bases for the rope-barrier stanchions.

Materials and tools:

flywheels
wire brush
brake cleaner
rust-converting primer
table legs
handsaw
sandpaper
pliers, screwdriver
bolts
drill
eyelet screws
spray paint
rope or piping
recording devices
speakers

Figure A

Rope Barriers and Flywheel Stanchions

• Using a stiff wire brush and brake cleaner, scrub away any loose rust from the salvaged flywheels.

• After they're clean, use a rust-converting primer to prep the surface for paint. Be sure to coat both sides evenly (figure A). They'll need to dry for about thirty minutes before the next step. This is a good time to get started on the posts.
  

  	Figure B
  	Figure C

• If necessary, cut the metal feet off each table leg using a handsaw (figure B). Work slowly and use minimal pressure to avoid splintering the legs.

• When the legs are all cut, sand or grind the ends to round the cut edge. Go ahead and lightly rough up the rest of the post surface so the paint will stick better.

• The bolts in the legs aren't long enough to reach through the flywheel, so grab some pliers in one hand and the table leg firmly in the other and remove the bolt from the end of the table leg. Replace it with the longer bolt (figure C) being careful not to damage the threads.
  

  Figure D

• To pre-drill a hole for the eye screw, clamp the leg upright so you can see where to drill. Try to keep the hole as straight as possible.

• After drilling a pilot hole, attach the eyelet screws. You can use a screwdriver inserted into the eye of the screw to help turn it (figure D).

• Once the rust-converting primer on the flywheels is dry, set the first flywheel on it's edge and place the pole in position with the threaded bolt in the center. Thread the plate onto the bolt.
  

  	Figure E
  	Figure F

• When the mounting plate touches the bottom of the flywheel readjust the pole to the center and tighten the whole thing by turning the pole (figure E). Do the same thing to all the poles.

• Once you done assembling the posts take them back outside. Prime the surface with a quality primer and paint them with at least two coats of your favorite spray color (figure F).

• The paint on the stanchions will only take 30 minutes to dry, but you'll want to wait at least four hours before you attach the rope.
  

  Figure G

• When you're ready to set up everything, space the stanchions around the vehicle. Attach the rope to the first stanchion and continue to the next (figure G), letting the rope drape down about a foot off the ground.

  Once you're back to where you started you can either measure the rope and cut it or allow for some adjustment by letting a small portion of it hang down the side of the stanchion. By leaving a little extra you can compensate for those shows where you have a little more or less room.

Figure H