My custom center caps are finally DONE!!
07-06-2005, 05:39 PM
#1
AudiWorld Super User
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 2,740
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My custom center caps are finally DONE!!
As some of you know one of my Keskin center caps were stolen and a replacement was sent. But the insert was in silver text and not black like my other three.
<img src="http://members.shaw.ca/mchammered/audi%20pics/DSCF1416.JPG">
I emailed Keskin to see if I can get replacement inserts since they were just metal stickers and received no reply.
So off on a suggestion I went ahead and got some Audi caps and had them modified to work the Keskin ones.
Believe me.. this was not an easy customization. My take on R&D is "Redo and Damage" as trying things that have never been done do tend to make your 100% perfect starting product only look 95% as good when you are done.
As you can see in the picture above the center cap is perfect with no flaws. The Audi A6 caps were perfect as well.
The modification required lathing out the inside of the Keskin cap and the outside of the Audi cap to make them fit into each other like so:
<img src="http://members.shaw.ca/mchammered/audi%20pics/caps/DSCF1424.JPG">
Some of the Audi caps fit better than others so I used some toothpicks to fill in the gap so the Audi cap won't move or rotate by itself:
<img src="http://members.shaw.ca/mchammered/audi%20pics/caps/DSCF1423.JPG">
After polishing up the outside I see nicks and dings on the Keskin caps.
After polishing up the outside I see nicks and dings on the Keskin caps but they are CNC machined so there is no way to fix them.
I had to send the Audi caps to Panther (wheel refinishing company) to help me polish the faces as they were marked up during the lathing process and the metal used to make the caps oxidizes quickly. The aluminum clearcoat that is on the faces now won't flake off like normal Tremclad clearcoat would.
So this is the final result:
<img src="http://members.shaw.ca/mchammered/audi%20pics/caps/DSCF1418.JPG">
<img src="http://members.shaw.ca/mchammered/audi%20pics/caps/DSCF1419.JPG">
<img src="http://members.shaw.ca/mchammered/audi%20pics/caps/DSCF1421.JPG">
<img src="http://members.shaw.ca/mchammered/audi%20pics/caps/DSCF1422.JPG">
Now here is more "bad luck" added to my streak... I get the call to pick up my finished Audi caps and just when that happens I get an email from Keskin saying they would be happy to send me replacement inserts for the center caps.
All I could do was laugh at myself.
I'm happy with the end result so now off I go to wash my wheels and put them on. I'll post pics of them on my car later
<img src="http://members.shaw.ca/mchammered/audi%20pics/DSCF1416.JPG">
I emailed Keskin to see if I can get replacement inserts since they were just metal stickers and received no reply.
So off on a suggestion I went ahead and got some Audi caps and had them modified to work the Keskin ones.
Believe me.. this was not an easy customization. My take on R&D is "Redo and Damage" as trying things that have never been done do tend to make your 100% perfect starting product only look 95% as good when you are done.
As you can see in the picture above the center cap is perfect with no flaws. The Audi A6 caps were perfect as well.
The modification required lathing out the inside of the Keskin cap and the outside of the Audi cap to make them fit into each other like so:
<img src="http://members.shaw.ca/mchammered/audi%20pics/caps/DSCF1424.JPG">
Some of the Audi caps fit better than others so I used some toothpicks to fill in the gap so the Audi cap won't move or rotate by itself:
<img src="http://members.shaw.ca/mchammered/audi%20pics/caps/DSCF1423.JPG">
After polishing up the outside I see nicks and dings on the Keskin caps.
After polishing up the outside I see nicks and dings on the Keskin caps but they are CNC machined so there is no way to fix them.
I had to send the Audi caps to Panther (wheel refinishing company) to help me polish the faces as they were marked up during the lathing process and the metal used to make the caps oxidizes quickly. The aluminum clearcoat that is on the faces now won't flake off like normal Tremclad clearcoat would.
So this is the final result:
<img src="http://members.shaw.ca/mchammered/audi%20pics/caps/DSCF1418.JPG">
<img src="http://members.shaw.ca/mchammered/audi%20pics/caps/DSCF1419.JPG">
<img src="http://members.shaw.ca/mchammered/audi%20pics/caps/DSCF1421.JPG">
<img src="http://members.shaw.ca/mchammered/audi%20pics/caps/DSCF1422.JPG">
Now here is more "bad luck" added to my streak... I get the call to pick up my finished Audi caps and just when that happens I get an email from Keskin saying they would be happy to send me replacement inserts for the center caps.
All I could do was laugh at myself.
I'm happy with the end result so now off I go to wash my wheels and put them on. I'll post pics of them on my car later
