Yes I know this is a ford forum..... but you guys seem to have the best community / project section, so I thought I'd share a little project I am doing.....
I have a 328ci with the steptronic box:
Now I've decided that I NEED an SMG wheel for flappy paddle fun!
So, first thing I needed to do was source the wheel and slip ring assembily:
So with job one complete, (and me £165 lighter) I inspected the slip ring, only to find that the lying little cumstain had removed the inner clock spring assembily, thus rendering the unit useless.
Anyway, I can sort that out, It's just frustrating that I haven't got all the parts I thought I had.
After a closer look at the bottem wheel fascia (the silver part) it was quite worn, and as I cleaned it up, the paint started wearing straight off!
So after £3 on eBay, and a couple of days wait, a nice 1m long roll of carbon effect vinyl dropped through my letterbox and I began wrapping the fascia (my first ever attempt at something like this)
Tools required: 1 x sharp craft knife, cutting board and a standard hairdryer.
As you can see, the paint has completely worn off at the bottom.
Next, roughly cut the shape of the item you wish to wrap:
Remove the backing label, and place centrally on the plastic, gently rubbing outwards to remove all bubbles:
Gently apply heat, and the vinyl becomes an extremely malleable item that wraps around the contours a dream:
Once you have done the front, tidy up at the rear with a knife, and reassemble to the buttons:
Finally reattach the wheel to the fascia and voila! Job done.
Any tiny bubbles can be easily removed with a sharp pin (not pictured)
My next step is to run wires from the gear assembily to the back of the steering column, then do a little splicing anad attatch the new wheel!
Updates will be added as I get it done.
Hope you enjoy!
Paul.