Introducing, Project Grave Digger

From project cars to project cars for kids.

This is a story about a power wheel toy named Grave Digger (I realize Power Wheels is a brand name but so is q-tip and tissue, we all know what I’m talking about). Grave Digger came into my life in November 2023 when I saw someone put it to the curb in our neighborhood because they no longer wanted it. I know value when I see it and this was not something I was going to let someone else scoop up, especially because you can no longer buy them.

It turns out, Grave Digger was abandoned because its batteries would no longer hold a charge, but that was nothing a few 18V power tools batteries couldn’t resolve. Adding two 18V Ryobi batteries in series had the added benefit of bumping the power up to 36V (compared to the stock 24V) which gave Grave Digger a little more speed and the ability to hot swap batteries so my kids could drive for as long as they wanted. Or until the batteries overheated and blew internal resistors (true story).

Grave Digger quickly joined the fleet of reclaimed power wheels for my kids.

And quickly became my son’s favorite. However, the constant use had a sad side effect which is that the decals on Grave Digger are shit. They fade in the sun and are cheap paper stickers that rip and peel. I’ve got long term plans for a better vinyl set but that pot is still cooking on the stove.

Fast forward to Spring 2024 and Grave Digger got put to use. On any good weather day my son would happily ask “Dad, can I drive a vehicle?” and I was usually happy to oblige.

And like me, my son would work on Grave Digger in the driveway. I had some vintage motorcycle license plates from my Grandpa that we added at my son’s request.

One afternoon we decided to build a replacement rear bumper to match the look of the front. Some ½” PVC pipe, 6 elbows and 2 tees from home depot and we had a suitable replacement. The bumper got painted black eventually. And then it got snapped off when my son backed into the play house…

The more we drove Grave Digger the more we wore down its wheels (which is the destined fate of any of these plastic-wheeled toys) and that’s ultimately what triggered the need for some drastic transformations.