Cars, trucks, and RVs have been a lifelong passion of mine. I own too many cars and motorcycles as well as hoard literally hundreds of diecast cars. Yet, despite my love for all things with engines, I don’t really show it, or at least, not in the way I want to. That’s where I need your help, readers. I want to wear a car part on a necklace, but I don’t know what will work!
In the years before I started writing about cars, I was an IT drone. I started off by fixing desktops and graduated to writing SQL and Java. I tell you what, that career path wasn’t as fun as I thought it was. Still, I loved computers. I still love computers! Back in 2018 or so, I tried to make a budget super gaming computer out of a giant cluster of server CPUs. It didn’t work out, so I ended up reselling almost all of the parts I bought. I kept around one of the server CPUs, an AMD Opteron, for another project. I drilled a hole straight through it to turn it into a necklace charm.
I’ve been wearing this thing regularly ever since. Honestly, it’s always a talking point no matter where I go. Everyone wants to know what the heck is hanging from my neck. Only some people make the connection and ask if it’s a computer processor. Behold! The face of just 3 hours of sleep before a flight…
But here’s the thing, I write about vehicles, not computers! I need a new kind of fun necklace accessory. This came up thanks to Lady Gaga wearing a bumper cover on the red carpet. I don’t want to go that extreme, but a comment from Jb996 got me thinking. The context is that getstonyII thought the Lady Gaga post was probably sponsored (it’s not), which led readers to joke about who the sponsor would be:
Uh, sponsored by who?? I certainly missed it.
By SELVA? I’m not sure we’re the target demographic.
By a Junk Yard? Pushing people to buy old car parts for fashion excessories! Yes!I still think it’s the Junk-Yard Lobby. They’re trying to get me to wear old brake rotors for a necklace, like some kind of Auto-FlavorFlav
I won’t do it!!
For a brief detour, I will give a second COTD nomination today. California wants to annoy speeders with in-car alerts that cannot be turned off. This has upset a lot of folks, but I think Sid Bridge clearly has the better plan, here:
I have long held that the best cure for speeding isn’t technology based. Speeders should just be sentenced to having to drive a 1986 Dodge Aries for a month in order to really feel how horrifying 80 miles per hour can be.
Okay, so with COTD out of the way, I need your help. What’s a car part I can wear? My wife bought me a piece of Fordite, which is awesome, but I have that on display rather than wearing it. Besides, that’s not exactly what I’m looking for. I want to wear a car part as jewelry, not turn car parts into jewelry, if you get what I’m saying.
But here’s the thing: It needs to be small, preferably roughly the size of that big server CPU. I don’t want to walk around with a clutch disk hanging from my neck. I also think wearing a badge would be cheating. However, now I’m stuck. What’s a car part that’s small, still identifiable as a car part, and presumably won’t tear up my skin? Maybe you can help!
Otherwise, have a great weekend, everyone!
The lazy answer is a lug nut. I have one from a NASCAR Cup race somewhere in the house I’m happy to donate to your cause. If you are willing to put a little effort into it perhaps the gear map insert of a stick shift nob could be fashioned into a nice pendant. If you are really ambitious cut out the “Check Engine Light” indicator from the dash of a junked car and back it with something shiny in place of a light. If you’re gonna’ go that far, might as well accessorize and commission a driver’s cap made from “rich Corinthian leather.”
The seat belt pretensioner system in VW products from 1995-2005 contain a miniature rotary engine. It is fascinating and has a mini rotor that could be used for a nicely sized necklace.
Someone else already suggested ‘hazard switch’, but let me elaborate on that idea. Take something like this: https://pbase.com/9146gt/image/150931182 – then remove the
delicous nougattranslucent plastic center, trim and polish the back smooth, then either set it like a gem or drill a small hole in the top like a lucky coin.A string of rad clamps
I rebuilt the engine and gearbox on my postie bike (Honda Trail Cub CT110) a while ago, there’s all sorts of nifty little gears in there. The timing chain gears are thinner but there’s a few good candidates in the gearbox too. Might want to file the corners of the teeth off but it could work. The little oil pump on there might be good too, more rounded and a little more interesting shape than a cog.
Emblems are part of the car right? So find an old Audi Fox (if that is even possible), and pry off the little fox emblem. You can drill holes at the top of the ears to connect a chain.
Had a friend who did this for his girlfriend long time ago, it got a lot of comments.
Could you turn a Phaeton trunk hinge into something? The base for a wild industrial necklace/statement piece? A pendant?
Dodge Aries! That was hilarious…one of the worst cars ever made…my brother and I have been making fun of it for decades now
Oh, I like the Mercedes Benz hood ornament idea as mentioned already
I have seen people who wear motor bike chain necklaces. Get one gold plated to sort from the swamp…
Intake valve
Chrome 10mm socket on a chain.
She’d lose it almost immediately. Better get 5.
Ideas. . .
1) hood ordiment (thinks early 80’s Detroit fabulousness)
2) Cut the gas gauge out of an old car ( paint the needle to fuel or empty, your choice, and cover with lacquer)
3) radio knob. . .would have to find a cool one
4) shift knob. . .thinking off an older car, when they were smaller ortherwise it will be too heavy.
5). Lug Nut. . .and polish the crap out of it
6) Light lens. . .thinking maybe a dome light, small directional or marker light (prisms may look cool)
Certain BMW motors run the oil pump from a secondary chain. A thin nut hold the gear on to the pump shaft, and they can spin off if you hoon regularly. This gets expensive.
Point is, you can buy a thin nut already drilled to safety wire it. You could use a safety wire tool to make a sweet little triangular hanger for your necklace. I got mine from BimmerBum for around $15 (tool not included).
The key to the car you used on your first date with your wife. People will believe they know what it is and you can correct them that it is actually the key to your heart.
Second!
An array of drum brake return springs.
Is this the one occasion regarding car questions where the answer is actually not (full size) Miata?
The obvious would be a Mercedes hood ornament,but the holding clip in a Toyota Tercel cv joint is also quite ornate actually.
The face of an MR2 boost gauge. And maybe with the pointer
I’m late to the party, but I’m glad my comment prompted all of these great suggestions for you!
You could still go full FlavorFlav, but I think there are better suggestions here…
I’ve got a couple of ideas.
A roller cam follower. Many even have an oil hole in the HLA side.
The knob for window crank, not sure if they still offer them but they used to be on the shelf in every FLAPS in the HELP! section. They include a press in rivet so just make a small piece with a hole sized for the rivet and one sized for the chain.
Also in the old school knob family the Column shifter knob from a 60’s-80’s Saginaw steering column. Available in Black plastic, Chrome and rubber. Again those used to be available new. Just get an eye bolt for the chain and epoxy it in place.
For something smaller from the same steering column the knob on the end of the turn signal lever. Those are actually threaded on in some applications.
Some crank, cam, speed or ABS sensors could work.
A lug nut, again select a nice eye bolt and epoxy it into a closed in nut. Available in a number of different colors and even aluminum. Come to think of it that is the good use for those cheapo aluminum lug nuts.
Mercedes, I submit my (also the) best idea: a gerotor pump. Elegant shapes, precision machined, about the right size, recognizable to those in the know, and an interesting little conversation piece. You can use just the inner rotor, just the outer, or both together. If you want to be cute about it, give the matching ring to your best friend or partner.
You’re welcome.
That’s neat, I thought that was a typo, had no idea before today!
How about a spark plug?
Conrod cap. Preferably titanium. Can be machined to be thinned.
The needles from analog instruments would make some serious earrings