25 Inventive Examples of Furniture Made From Car Parts

May 5, 2022

Old flames die hard. Turning old car parts into furniture can be an awesome way to extend the life of an old friend. While it is easy to make just about anything into a table, some of these examples are pretty creative. Ever considered making a barbecue pit out of an entire car or using the back of an old van as a tool cabinet? These inventive examples include all the things men love most: tools, car parts, and even strippers.

Tailgate Cabinet

Who says tailgates have no use? This tailgate assembly can be used from the back of any truck. Go for an old truck for a vintage look or a newer tailgate with a custom paint job for a modern feel. Slap it on a matching cabinet and throw some shelves in it for the perfect tool cabinet or even in the bathroom as a towel holder. Or make it refrigerated and throw it in the man cave to hold cold beer.

Bar

Making a cool front end of a car into a bar is a neat idea for anyone who loves cars and alcohol, but not together. This would look really cool with just about any classic car or an old Mustang. Case in point: the Mustang on the front of this bright red grille. Keep the vehicle’s license plate too and be sure to display it underneath. For bonus points, opt for a creative personalized plate.

Couch

Taking a vintage 1950’s car and reupholstering the back seat for the purpose of turning it into a couch or bench seat is awesome. This would be great when done with an old Chevrolet. Keep as much of the back end of the car intact as shown in the picture for an extra cool effect. Matching paint jobs between the car and seat is a must. How badass would this look in a car shop?

License Plate Clock

Just about anything can be turned into a clock, but this license plate clock is a must. It is one of the easier projects on the list and deserves to be in every mechanic's garage. These can be found on Etsy or made at home using a unique license plate or even welding a few license plates together. Drill a hole in the middle and insert the hands for a retro or chic design.

Wine Rack

Who knew an engine block could double as a wine rack? This is a great idea for any guy whose wife is not thrilled about refurbishing her home with old car parts. Fill that baby up with wine and no woman will ever complain, even if a car engine is sitting in the middle of her kitchen floor. Make sure it is super clean before dragging it into the house and secure a glass table top on to double as an end piece.

Table

Turning an old car roof into a table will work with just about any car top as long as it has a bike rack. This would be a great project to do with any car that has a round top as the curves make it look elegant. A bike rack can be applied to just about any rooftop, so do not let the lack of one be the deciding factor against using a cool one. Place a glass cover on top and secure it down.

Stripper Pole

As douchy as it may seem, everyone knows that one guy who would actually turn their old car into a stripper pole. To make it work, it would need to be an excellent car with a superb paint job. It could even be done with half a car like in this picture, which is practical because it saves on space. Be considerate and put steps along the back of the car leading up to the pole. Walking in heels is hard.

Display Table

It would be considered rude not to give a crashed Ferrari (or any favorite car) the send-off it deserves. While some people may think keeping urns of their loved one’s ashes is odd, others take it a step further by putting the remains of their crashed vehicle in a table where it can be remembered forever. It sounds like an excellent idea until the metal rusts and all that is left is a pile of unrecognizable parts in a glass table.

Wall Art

Although just about any part of a car could be considered hanging wall art material, there is something special about mounting the entire front end of one. It is hard to let go of some cars. By hanging it on the wall, those memories never have to fade. To make it work, this front end would need a sweet grille, paint job and headlights. While this might not be appropriate in the middle of a living room, it would look nice in a car-themed room or basement.

Tool Cabinet

There is nothing more manly than turning the rear end of a van into a tool cabinet. The great thing about this project is that the weirder the van’s butt, the better it will look holding a bunch of tools. Personalize it by adding spray paint and bumper stickers. Include the van’s original bumper or put on one that can hold additional tools. The more rust, the better. Fill the inside with cabinets, shelves, and hooks for storage.

Book Ends

Mold two connecting rods to a piece of metal for the perfect book or movie ends as a creative gift for any car lover. This could also be done using other parts of the car, such as two hubcaps, gear heads, pistons, rods, coils or springs. Even a couple of wrenches would work. It all depends on the weight or the book or movies, or in this guy’s case, the number of movies illegally burned off the internet.

Pool Table

Every man cave or basement needs a pool table made from a 1965 Ford Mustang, although any classic car would work. A small, Florida-based business specializes in hand-crafting these custom car pool tables by cutting up molds of the car, shortening them, and welding them together. Once the paint job is done, the workers install the electrical wires, add all the finishing touches, and put on real tires. Once the car is ready, it is fitted with a pool table.

Lamps

Turning an old crankshaft and radiator filter into a lamp is not a bad idea. It is realistic and actually serves a purpose other than just taking up space. New parts would work best or else the lamp will look like a used piece of junk. On the other hand, using slightly used parts would give the lamp some character. Bonus points go to anyone who can fit a high or low beam in one of these.

Car Bed

Toy companies love making car beds for kids, so why not make an adult version? Making a bed out of a red Cadillac certainly puts a different twist on the idea of sleeping in the car. The inside would need to be completely stripped, cleaned and fitted with a bed; therefore, this project might require professional work. It would be ideal for a teenager’s room or even in a bachelor pad.

Bumper Shelf

Most car guys will not let anything or anyone sit on their bumper unless they turn it into a shelf on their wall. Then it is perfectly acceptable to set a drink down on it. For a creative project, head to the junkyard and look for a bumper that needs a bit of love. Shine it up, give it an excellent paint job and mount it on the wall for the perfect shelf.

Wrench And Socket Table

Apparently, the first step to making a wrench and socket table is to find the biggest wrench possible. The next step would be to place it in the middle of a bunch of different sized sockets and weld them together. It looks like the legs in this picture are made with steel pipes but using a crankshaft would be equally as cool. This table does not look like it has any glass over it, which would increase its functionality, but leaving it off looks pretty sweet, too.

Entertainment Stand

There is not much that cannot be done using the rear end of a car. Installing one in the living room to hold up the TV is a must for any car enthusiast. It can even hold a video game system and the entire Fast And Furious series inside the trunk. Imagine how cool watching a car movie would be on this thing. Bonus points go to anyone who includes the back tires and brake lights that work.

Radiator Table

Tables seem to be the easier piece of furniture to make out of car parts, and the possibilities are endless. This picture features two Rolls-Royce radiators, which look really cool but were probably expensive and hard to find. Any radiators would work as long as they are cleaned up and can fit a shelf or glass table between them without looking like it was just pulled from the junk yard. The authentic look is cool, but these could even be painted to achieve a desired color.

Chairs

In some cars, a car’s seats are the best part of the ride. Case in point: the Dodge Dart. Taking some really cool aftermarket seats and turning them into household chairs would be a great idea for a patio set. Put these bad boys on a recliner or give them a beer holder and it is the perfect addition to any garage. Bonus points if the creator can find a way to make them heated or vibrating.

Sink

This one might be hard to convince the wife to do in the upstairs bathroom, but making a sink out of a Volvo grille might be something she would do in the basement, which is where most guys hang out to get away from their wives anyway. The sink could even be classed up a notch by using a Rolls Royce grille or something just as flashy. It would take some work, but there are ways to make this one upstairs bathroom quality.

Outdoor Table Set

This guy made an outdoor table set entirely of tires with little use of anything else. Using all-weather tires would be great because this set could be left out year-round. It looks like some molding took place to get the tires in chair form. Making a table is as easy as fitting it with a round glass table and securing it in. Imagine how cool this would look with Nascar or big truck tires.

Drum Set

Who knew it was possible to turn old car parts into musical instruments? Some people might consider their cars to be vocal enough, but a drum set might produce sounds other than from a bad motor or exhaust. There is reportedly a guy in California who is a drummer and a car mechanic that created this concoction by using over forty scrap used car parts, including a gas tank, some old hubcaps, and a washer fluid reservoir.

Coil Springs Table

This project looks super easy and is kind of cool. It is the perfect coffee table for anywhere in the house and can be made to fit any spot by picking the right sized glass. Use four coil springs and add rubber to the bottom, so the table does not slide all over. Then secure a glass table of any size on top. It would look great on carpet or hard floors alike.

Engine Block Table

What is better than showing off a car engine under the hood? The answer is making a table out of it for all to see. Although most car enthusiasts would rather see this engine in something worthy, it makes perfect sense to use it as a table instead. This way it never gets dirty. It is proof that a table can be made out of just about anything. Just secure on a glass top and enjoy.

Barbecue

Sure, this project would take some time and a considerable amount of money, but it seems like a legitimate thing to invest in. Even if it is not possible to use the whole car, using just the front or back end would work. There are lots of places online who claim they perform this service. One Australian radio host even reportedly paid one hundred and fifty-six thousand dollars for one of these carbeques in 2012.

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