Do you have a visit planned to the classic car parts store or auto graveyard to get items for a vintage model you're rebuilding? While you're there, don't overlook other cheap parts that you can use to design a car-themed man cave or rec room. Here are tips for how to turn those parts you'd normally pass by into furniture and accessories that help save waste and make your place look unique.
Tables
Need a table for your hangout but don't want to spend a fortune on "real" furniture? Stack two tires on top of each other and add a glass round on top--easily purchased at a home decorating store along with sticky disks for attachment. You'll have an instant side table. Swap out the glass for a piece of sheet metal from the hardware store, and you've got the perfect place to store remotes, gaming accessories, and power cords.
You could also purchase a beat up coffee table at any garage sale for a few dollars and cover the top with vintage license plates from around the US or around the globe. You'll have no worries about spills or dings.
Do you like to indulge in pizza, nachos, or wings while you watch the game? An old spring placed on its side is the perfect item to hold napkins for those messy meals.
Key Racks and Coat Hooks
When your buddies come over, they want to unload their gear and be comfortable. A line of spark plugs mounted to a two-by-four on the wall makes a great key rack.
One item you can always find where there are classic car parts for sale is old crank-style window levers. Mounted on the wall, like the spark plugs, you can use them to hang coats. Another wonderful hanger device is a row of gear shift knobs.
Bathroom Fixtures
If you have an extra gear shift knob left, you can swap it out for your toilet flush lever to give your man cave powder room an automotive feel. A steering wheel hung on the wall or side of the vanity doubles as a perfect towel hanger, and you can do the same thing by your bar or refreshment area for towels there.
Bench or Bar
Do you pass by those old pickup trucks at the junk yard and wish you could put them to use? Try using a tailgate as a bench in your rec room by suspending it with seat belt straps from the wall. Mounted a bit higher, the same part makes an ideal bar or buffet.
Outdoor Living
Finally, if you have an outdoor space you'd like to get more use out of, even in cold weather, you can make your own fire pit from two old tire rims stacked on top of each other. Add a light fixture made from a headlamp (it's beautifully weather resistant by nature), and you'll have a spot where everyone wants to go when they get together.
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