Re: Painting steering wheel etc.

[trnsfrma@ix.netcom.com (Shawn C. Meze)]

At 04:06 PM 2/12/97 -0800, you wrote:
>Another Mk.1 question.  I want to paint the metal spokes of my stock
>steering wheel matte black.  What's the best way to do this?  Are the
>spokes steel or aluminum and how should I prep the surface?

The BEST way is to strip the old paint off (via sand blasting or bead blasting since it does a great job in that it preps the surface for paint to be applied) and then prime/paint the steering wheel. Even beter may be to 
have it powdercoated. 



>My car seems to have almost 2 inches of space between the top of the tire
>and the bottom of the fender lip, making it look like an off-road vehicle.
>Is this the normal stance?  

Unfortunately, yes it is the normal posture of a stock VW. It was the only 
thing about my car that I hated before I put on my lowering system. The "4X4 
look" sucks on VW's, dont you think?

>  On top of this, the upper strut bearings are way worn, with
>almost 3/4" of separation from the metal plate.  Does this mean that if I
>replace them, the front end of the car will be raised another 1/2 - 3/4"?

More than likely, yes. Then again, most all strut bearings have seperation on 
them, so yours may not need to be replaced. Usually, the sound thay give off 
is the tell-tale of when they're due for replacement. 

>It already has that unsightly sagging-in-the-rear look.  Ugh.

Could be worn shocks or springs or both. Best guess is its shocks since 
springs really do last a long time and since theres not much weight in the 
rear, doubtful that the springs are weak and worn out.


Shawn
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