# restoring the center caps



## 2925 (Dec 11, 2007)

I'm looking to get my center caps cleaned up and pretty again. What am I going to need for this?
Car pictured here, all of the center caps are missing paint and crap like that.


----------



## where_2 (Jul 21, 2003)

*Re: restoring the center caps (2925)*

A light scuffing with a 400 grit sand paper, then a couple of light coats of Rustoleum silver... 
Been there, done that. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
Eventually, I bought a set of Borbet type-E wheels in 2001 to replace my soft-as-butter factory sebring's. (yes, those wheels are known as VW Sebrings). http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
Kudo's for keeping it stock, and for finding a car with 4 straight Sebrings. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## 2925 (Dec 11, 2007)

*Re: restoring the center caps (where_2)*

Those borbets are pretty clean looking, but I'm trying to avoid the 5 lug conversion. 
The Rustoleum is going to match the rest of the rims?


----------



## where_2 (Jul 21, 2003)

*Re: restoring the center caps (2925)*

hehehe, I got 4x100 Borbets. I wish I'd gotten the 16" version.








As for the rustoleum matching the wheels, it's a pretty close match for an off the shelf spray paint in a can... It was certainly better than the brown plastic color that was showing through. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
If you really want to go to town, you could strip and respray the wheels. Before you do that, I would like to point out that one of the reasons I went to the Borbet Type E was that I was thoroughly sick of having to stick my finger in every nook and cranny on the factory Sebring wheels to get them clean when I washed the car. When you Daily Drive the Corrado with factory Sebrings, you will soon hate the fact that there are so many spokes to them... 
Even my wife learned this fact and now knows enough to look at a set of wheels with this in mind before buying wheels. (she's got 5-spoke Audi wheels on her TDI to replace the factory 10 spoke wheels on her MkV).


----------



## 2925 (Dec 11, 2007)

I guess I sort of cheat when I clean my wheels then. I just use the pressure washer at work, turn it to 150 degrees and the grim slides away.
Also, I should be redoing the centers caps soon, hit them with the p. washer at 290 to knock off as much paint as possible to avoid as much sanding as possible.


----------



## where_2 (Jul 21, 2003)

*Re: (2925)*

That's OK, I picked up another G60 rolling on Sebrings so I have four more caps to refinish and join you in this project...


----------



## 2925 (Dec 11, 2007)

now you have two g60's? That's almost more than one man can handle. hope it's in good condition?


----------



## where_2 (Jul 21, 2003)

*Re: (2925)*


_Quote, originally posted by *2925* »_now you have two g60's? That's almost more than one man can handle. hope it's in good condition?

No Joke, that's why I told my wife this one is her's once I get it above a 5/10 shape... Right now, it's a 2/10 with electrical nightmares and missing parts. The fact that it's not actually running lowers it's score even more...


----------



## 2925 (Dec 11, 2007)

*Re: (where_2)*

Get her under the hood! the only way she'll truly appreciate it if she's the one replacing lines and getting her hands dirty


----------



## where_2 (Jul 21, 2003)

*Re: (2925)*

She's got her hands plenty dirty, she's working on 2 Master's Degrees at the moment. Hence, all my free time... 
Considering one of my wife's hobbies is Decorative Colonial Blacksmithing, I can assure you she knows full well how to get covered in dirt and grime.







She was doing that before I met her, and still enjoys it.


----------



## 2925 (Dec 11, 2007)

*Re: (where_2)*

hah! well that shut me up!!


----------



## where_2 (Jul 21, 2003)

*Re: (2925)*


_Quote, originally posted by *2925* »_hah! well that shut me up!!

My wife got into decorative colonial blacksmithing because someone "male" said within ear shot of her that he didn't think a woman could do blacksmithing. After hearing that, my wife walked over to the guys in the blacksmith booth and said "I'd like to learn to smith, would one of you be willing to teach me?". 
The head blacksmith, a fifty-something year old machinist by day, looked her over, took the cigarette from his mouth, and with a gruff voice said "Ok, I'll teach you. Be here at 8am tomorrow, and don't wear that!" (referring to the long colonial skirt and white button-up blouse she had on at the time). 
That particular hobby of her's tends to surprise lots of people when she mentions it. She's got a tool bag full of hand made tongs and pliers she has made over the years to do various things around the forge, and 7-10 different styles and weights of hammers. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
I no longer return brake disc cores to the auto parts stores. My wife takes them to the forge, gets them red hot, and pounds them into something else... They come back as tools, tongs, decorative hooks, or whatever fits her fancy for the day.








Yes, there's an 85lbs anvil in my dining room, and it belongs to my wife.


----------



## randyvr6 (Aug 17, 1999)

*Re: (where_2)*

Too bad no one (male) said loudly in her direction "No woman could ever refurbish and repair Corrado's". Than you would really be set!


----------



## 2925 (Dec 11, 2007)

Picked up some sand paper and rustoleum silver.
sanded down the caps, tied em up to my ghetto paint booth.
did a couple coats and they look great, maybe not an exact match, but they look so much better than before, thanks for the info.


----------



## where_2 (Jul 21, 2003)

*Re: (2925)*


_Quote, originally posted by *2925* »_Picked up some sand paper and rustoleum silver.
sanded down the caps, tied em up to my ghetto paint booth.
did a couple coats and they look great, maybe not an exact match, but they look so much better than before, thanks for the info.

You're welcome... It's one of the few Corrado things that was affordable, besides the plastic clip to hold down the hood prop rod. 


_Quote, originally posted by *randyvr6* »_Too bad no one (male) said loudly in her direction "No woman could ever refurbish and repair Corrado's". Then you would really be set!









Not necessarily. My wife tends to be very competitive, so the reality is that I'd have to watch my Corrado to make sure she wasn't stripping mine to build her's up...








Knowing all the free time my wife has, since she's unemployed and just finished two master's degrees, having her work on her own Corrado would mean a HUGE hole in the family bank account.


----------

