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I have been looking for a S197 Power Wheels that I could fix up to look like mine for my granddaughter. I have been seeing nothing but worn and out badly abused cars but came across one new in the box! It is even the same color body and interior. It was a 9 hour drive, but worth it! Now I just need to put it together, add the stripes and hope the battery survived a 12 year sleep.
If The Battery is Fubar and You Have Trouble Getting a Replacement I'm Sure There Are Some Will Work and Can Be Adapted! Maybe Some Hotter Ones For a Bit of Extra Grunt!
I was planning on stashing it in the basement and begin working on it next spring with the intent to give it to her on her 2nd birthday next summer, but She Who Must Be Obeyed won't let the box in the house because it smells like the musty basement it was pulled out of, and has a bit of mold on the bottom. It might have to winter in the garage.
Thanks for the battery info, I just noticed it is stamped on the box "Battery must be charged before Jan 2011".
Last edited by backin15; Sep 26, 2025 at 01:01 PM.
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From: Western NC
Originally Posted by backin15
I was planning on stashing it in the basement and begin working on it next spring with the intent to give it to her on her 2nd birthday next summer, but She Who Must Be Obeyed won't let the box in the house because it smells like the musty basement it was pulled out of, and has a bit of mold on the bottom. It might have to winter in the garage.
Thanks for the battery info, I just noticed it is stamped on the box "Battery must be charged before Jan 2011".
We all hope it works out in the long run. Your heart is certainly in the right place.
Let us know please, sometime down the road.
A Thought Popped Into My Head on That Old Battery. If You Try & Charge it I Would advise You Don't Do it in The House or Garage as Who Know How an Old, I Assume Lithium Ion Will Behave. Perhaps Outside Away From Anything it Could Ignite if It Blew! Maybe I'm Being Over Cautious But Felt it Was Worth a Mention!
Hey that is a great find! I felt fortunate to get the one I got when Toys-R-Us bit the dust back in 2018. So you have someone looking out for you. My grand kids all love the little 302 Boss I have. They love it so much they wore out the original tires and I had to replace them a couple years back. I have a long sloped driveway and they love to power slide to turn around. Just happened to take this pic last week when I was cleaning out the garage.
Would have loved to find a Gray one, but don't think that is an option. Congrats on the Red Find!
Last edited by shaneyusa; Oct 2, 2025 at 08:45 PM.
FYI I did find a few places to get parts besides the Powerwheels site.. Got my official powerwheels tires and a replacement shifter from the first site.
Those are a couple of good looking rides, shaneyusa! I appreciate the parts links. Since all I was finding was beat up bodies, my original plan was to remove the body, sand it down and paint it to match. You could do the same, the hard part would be to mask off around the stickers, I have not been able to find a source for those.
The build has begun! With my granddaughter's 2nd birthday a few weeks away I decided I better get going on this. It has been so long since I brought this home that we now have a second granddaughter, good thing this is a 2 seater! As expected, the battery did not survive so a replacement is on its way.
I found some cheap striping tape and have been laying out stripes to match my car. The body was in surprisingly poor shape, covered with little scratches and some sort of film. It was probably moved around a lot and one fender has a mark like it was dropped. I decided to try my favorite wax, Turtle Wax Hybrid ceramic. If you haven't tried this stuff it is fantastic! It took a lot of rubbing but came out well. My wife is already shaking her head in disbelief so I resisted the urge to bring out the power buffer.
I am struggling on beginning to apply the stickers, the sticker sheet is no longer available and the only sheet I could find online was close but the taillights looked like they are from a 2015, so I am thinking of running to a print shop and seeing if they can duplicate them so I have a spare set. Since they are unavailable I have scanned them in case anyone else is doing a similar project. Admin - if this is a copyright issue please delete the files.
Those are a couple of good looking rides, shaneyusa! I appreciate the parts links. Since all I was finding was beat up bodies, my original plan was to remove the body, sand it down and paint it to match. You could do the same, the hard part would be to mask off around the stickers, I have not been able to find a source for those.
Hey thanks for the complement. Missed this some how back when you orignally posted it.
Project looks like a fun one, and I think you hit the jackpot with your sticker find!
My little Boss has gotten lots of use. All 6 of my grandkids have loved! So much so that I had to replace the original rear tires, once they learned how to powerslide the turns. The second set is now starting to show some wear. The two oldest (15 &13) are really having a tough time now that they just can’t squeeze in anymore. Sad to say that I only have one left who really can comfortably fit in the car. All my others are getting too big to fit in it comfortably. The two that live nearby will still painfully squeeze in just to get drive it. They are 9 & 1/2 and 10 & 1/2 years old.
I dread the day that I have to let mine go to a new home. Would hate to have it just stilling around without any use. It think that day is coming in the near future. My youngest grandson will turn 8 this month. He is the only one that i believe has a chance to still fit in the car. He lives a long distance away, so does not get to drive it much. He does frequently ask if I can show it to him on our FaceTime calls. We will see how he does with it when he and his family make their next summer visit….
Good look with you paint project. Keep us updated on you progress and results. I am sure your two granddaughters will have a blast with it!
Last edited by shaneyusa; Jun 11, 2026 at 06:01 PM.
Just hang onto it for the great grandkids, shaneyUSA, or include it if/when you sell the Roush. I have no idea where I am going to store this thing, hoping it will live at my kids house but I doubt that will happen.
The project is close to completion, the new battery arrived today and is on charge. I had a couple tribar emblems from another project that fit almost perfectly, due to the curvature of the body I had to gently bend an arc in them. I still need to get a can of chrome paint and paint the tailpipes, the grey isnt doing it for me. I need opinions, door handle stickers on or off? Third brake light and rear license plate stickers on or off?
We all hope it works out in the long run. Your heart is certainly in the right place. 
