Christmas Comes to the Wheel Hub

I have to say I never much liked the brown vinyl of the steering wheel hub, especially since figuring out that the hub color had originally been black. Actually, a lot of the car's black vinyl had been placed with brown.

So I bought some acrylic paint and a small brush and set to rights this particular item.

I also discovered that the plastic pins which secure the hub in place can be removed and re-inserted, in order to more firmly hold the hub (it had been loose) to the wheel. So now the hub is more solidly secured than before, an unexpectd bonus.

New Windshield Gasket, Decoratively Framed

I've had these lying around for ages - a new windshield gakset and the solid chrome decorative frame that fits inside it. First item on the list was to remove the old gasket. I believe it came originally from a different car, as it had been cut down the middle, presumably to aid in fitment.

We found no rust on the frame, unlike the horrors that other people have been known to encounter there. However the many faults of the dash top became easier to see.

The new gasket and the chrome insert went on without a hitch. The car sits quietly, much happier with its lot in life.

One Down, Four to Go

Krylon Dull Aluminum paint gave the spare tire a rejuvenated look but I'm not sure I want to repeat the process for the other four tires on the car.

Stripping a Wheel by Hand

My wheels are painted black, miniature black hole approximations:

In a fit of experimental play I thought, why not take the spare tire and strip the paint off it. How hard could that be. Well, it appears that the tire was originally painted silver before it was black, and as a result I had to spray the paint stripper three times in total, an hour for each application, to remove the layers. Here's the first attempt, followed by the second. Someone mentioned I may have the rare factory silver paint on my wheels but I don't see any way to save it.

Now what? I suppose I have to buy some spray paint. Good thing no one ever sees this wheel. I wouldn't want to spend five or six hours on a project that's publicly visible. Looks kind of cool, at least.

Finally, for the moment, here's how it looks with a couple of coats of Krylon gray primer. The camera seems to give the color a bluish tint, not that it matters since I still have to paint it.

Never Mind the Windshield. What About the Container?

I finally got around to degreasing the windshield fluid container. Again, the miracle of brake cleaner fluid.

A Dubious Gas Cap

A couple years ago, as previously recounted, I purchased an "original" BMW locking gas cap for the car. In fact, this item is still for sale here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-BMW-E3-E9-Chrome-Tankdeckel-gas-cap-2-key-2000CS-CA-2-8-3-0-CS-CSi-CSL-/150927852942?pt=DE_Autoteile&hash=item232400458e. (The price is now considerably higher.) It seemed fine but as time went by the cap became more difficult to remove from the filler hole. Not a good sign, since I could imagine getting to a gas station and being unable to remove the device and having to resort to drastic measures to get fuel into the tank. I also went as far as to polish the old, stock cap, with thoughts of using it once more. It looked good when re-installed on the car. However, since I had gone to the trouble and expense of buying the locking cap I did prefer to keep using that version. Finally a squirt of graphite in the lock did the trick and freed the mechanism. So once again the locking cap is on the car and the tank is protected from the predations of vandalizing strangers.

More Cleaning

When the mood strikes I get a rag, spray some brake cleaner on it and wipe yet another part of the engine bay, slowly relieving it of accumulated oil and grime. The process is time-consuming but rewarding. Then, naturally, the camera shows areas I've missed.