Scrap Mechanic Survival mode is packed with creative locations, strange robots, and plenty of loot to discover. The only problem? Getting around the massive map on foot can take forever. Fortunately, Scrap Mechanic lets you build vehicles, and creating your first car is one of the most exciting milestones in the game.
At first, building a vehicle might seem overwhelming. There are parts to craft, materials to gather, and connections to figure out. But don’t worry, building a simple starter car is much easier than it looks. In this guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know to build your very first Scrap Mechanic vehicle.
Finding the Right Starting Location
Before you can build anything, you’ll need access to the right crafting stations. There are two possible places where you can start your vehicle-building journey:
Mechanic Station
This is the best place to begin. The mechanic station provides access to crafting tools and the Craft Bot, which you'll need to create vehicle parts.
Crash Site Ship
You can technically start here, but it’s not ideal. The crashed ship is often damaged, sometimes on fire, and usually located far from useful resources. If possible, try to locate the mechanic station instead.
Before you move on, take a quick detour inside the nearby buildings with the three-cylinder stations where the beds are located. In Room 2, you’ll find a battery. Grab it and bring it to the mechanic station.
To power the mechanic station, hold right click and place the battery into the battery slot. Once powered, you’ll have access to crafting stations that will help you build your car.
Using the Craft Bot
The Craft Bot is your best friend when building vehicles. It shows you exactly what materials you need for each part, helping you plan your resource gathering.
For a simple starter car, you’ll need to craft a few key components.
Parts Needed for Your First Car
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Engine
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Driver Seat
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6 Bearings
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4 Wheels
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Connect Tool
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Passenger Seat (optional)
Once you know what parts you need, it’s time to head out into the world and gather the materials required to craft them.
Gathering Materials
Building a vehicle requires several types of resources. Some are easy to find, while others require a little bit of fighting or exploration.
Wood
Wood will be used for many of your crafting recipes and also works perfectly as the frame for your starter car. Grab your hammer and start chopping trees, you’ll need quite a bit.
Scrap
Scrap is dropped when you destroy Scrap Bots. These little robots patrol farmland areas and will attack on sight, so be ready for a fight.
Circuit Boards
Circuit boards can be found in loot crates scattered throughout the world. You can also obtain them by destroying Scrap Bots.
Component Kits
Component kits are valuable crafting items found inside loot crates in abandoned buildings and farms. Keep an eye out for these whenever you're exploring.
Fuel
Every vehicle needs fuel to run. You can find fuel in loot crates, but another reliable method is collecting crude oil from lakes and refining it into usable fuel.
Once you’ve gathered enough resources, head back to the Craft Bot and craft all the necessary parts.
Building Your First Car
Now for the fun part, actually building the vehicle.
Building the Frame
Start by placing your jack in an open area. The jack acts as a stand that holds your vehicle while you build it.
You can adjust the height of the jack using the arrow keys, which makes it easier to work on your vehicle.
Next, begin placing wood blocks to create a simple rectangular frame for your car. Don’t worry about making it fancy this is just a starter vehicle.
At each corner of the frame, place small wooden stubs where the wheels will attach.
Before placing the front wheel stubs, add bearings to the two front corners. These bearings allow the front wheels to turn, which lets you steer the vehicle.
Installing the Parts
Now it's time to add the main components.
Place the driver’s seat facing the front of the vehicle. If the seat is facing the wrong direction, press Q or Shift + Q to rotate it.
Behind the driver’s seat, place the engine. If you want, you can also add an optional passenger seat behind or beside the driver.
Next, attach bearings to all four wheel stubs, then place the wheels onto the bearings.
Your vehicle should now start looking like an actual car.
Connecting the Parts
Take out your Connect Tool, which links everything together so the vehicle works properly.
First, connect the driver’s seat to the engine by holding left click and dragging from the seat to the engine.
Next, connect the engine to the two rear bearings. The basic scrap engine can only power two wheels, so these will be your drive wheels.
Finally, connect the driver’s seat to the two front bearings, which will allow steering.
Adjusting the Wheel Rotation
With the connect tool equipped, hover over the front bearings and right-click to rotate them. This sets up the steering direction.
You should also rotate the back left bearing so the wheel spins correctly when powered.
Add Fuel and Start Driving
Your car is almost ready to go. All that’s left is to add fuel to the engine.
Once fuel is added, adjust the engine power level to medium. Too little power will make your car slow, while too much can make it unstable.
Now hop into the driver’s seat and take your new creation for a spin.
What Happens If Your Car Flips?
Early vehicles in Scrap Mechanic aren’t exactly known for their stability. If your engine power is set too high or you hit uneven terrain, your car might flip over.
Luckily, fixing it is easy.
Pull out your jack, place it next to the flipped vehicle, and right-click twice. This will reset the car back onto its wheels.
After that, hold right click to pick up your jack and continue driving.
Your First Vehicle is Complete
Building your first car in Scrap Mechanic Survival is a huge step forward. It makes exploring faster, gathering resources easier, and escaping angry Scrap Bots much more manageable.
Once you get comfortable with this basic design, you can start experimenting with bigger engines, suspension systems, and even crazy custom vehicles.
But for now, enjoy your new ride, you’ve officially built your first Scrap Mechanic car.
