Before and after Wheels

[halfgut]

Okay - so now that I've learned to upload pictures I thought I might share a picture of my Thing after my wheel refurbishment. Ever since I purchased my Thing I've wanted to upgrade the wheels. However, being very frugal I never wanted to spend the money on new hub caps. So, one night I took a can of rubbing compound and a buffing wheel and went at them. After they were polished I took a body hammer and dolly and straightened the dents and creases (as best I could). Then I painted the wheels. Here are the results: Total cost under $10.

[markie61]

Ahhhh! MUCH better!
They look great and you have the satisfaction of doing it yourself!
Mark
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Whut is that-there Thang!?
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Chicks dig my Thing - so what if it's little and yellow...!?

[norcalmike]

good job halfgut.

ive been meaning to get to that myself

[kubelmann]

Kubel-Panzer goes off to have her two new pans halves welded in place on Saturday. She will enjoy a few other resto massages at the same time. She already has Porsche 944 front and rear disc brakes including cookie cutter wheels. Your post inspires me to buff out her wheels in prep for the copper finish to match the copper body paint...

[oasis]

How did you get the "before" and "after" in the same shot?

Looks very nice ... good job!
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Now: 2003 New Beetle Turbo S / 1990 Single Cab Transporter / 2014 Tiguan R-Line 4motion / 2013 Tiguan S / 2002 Golf GLS TDI
Past: 1974 Thing Acapulco / 2009 Eos Komfort / 1997 Jetta GT / 2002 Cabrio GLX / 2002 Passat GLS / 1971 Super Beetle / 1993 EuroVan MV Westfalia / 1981 Pickup LX / 1985 Vanagon / 1986 Jetta GLI

[halfgut]

They say necessity is the mother of invention. I say being po' folk is the mother of "let's try this and see if it works." I was please with how well it turned out. It's definitely not show quality but it looks nice as I drive down the road. The next step is taking the blow dryer to the orange "racing" stripes. I bought it with the stripes so they've been on for years - we'll see how well they come off. It's a good thing I have kids with time on their hands!

[oasis]

Good luck with the blow dryer. My wife's Golf came with ugly pinstripes and the blow dryer trick worked wonderfully.
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Now: 2003 New Beetle Turbo S / 1990 Single Cab Transporter / 2014 Tiguan R-Line 4motion / 2013 Tiguan S / 2002 Golf GLS TDI
Past: 1974 Thing Acapulco / 2009 Eos Komfort / 1997 Jetta GT / 2002 Cabrio GLX / 2002 Passat GLS / 1971 Super Beetle / 1993 EuroVan MV Westfalia / 1981 Pickup LX / 1985 Vanagon / 1986 Jetta GLI

[lowsquare]

I worked in the sign industry for years. We did a lot or "re-branding" of banks. We used a product from 3M that was manufactured for the car industry. It's ment to help remove adhesieve tapes, stripes, woodgrain, etc. This stuff is wonderful. Spary on let stand a few minutes...and off comes the sticker. Doesn't hurt or discolor the paint...now you might be surprised and find the paint under the sticker brighter. The paint on your car may have faded...but the paint under the stickers are unaffected from UV rays... Anyway here is a picture and link...
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/3MAuto...BFJ2PRL5bl

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PRAISE THE LOWERED.
1973 THING

[halfgut]

Any idea if any of the big box stores or auto parts places carry the remover? I will order on line if I have to but I would rather have it in hand today.

[lowsquare]

I was able to buy it from my local auto paint supply store. They had it on the shelf. Make a few calls.
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PRAISE THE LOWERED.
1973 THING

[halfgut]

Found it at a shop in town I didn't know existed. They carry a lot of automotive paint supplies locally. Definitely a good find on both accounts.