Schultz's Jetta aero mods thread

[metroschultz]

Some of you have seen my ability to bounce from one project to another. Well this will be done before any others are again visited.

My Daughter (Krissy) has a VW Jetta.OK I own it and fix it and insure it, but she puts gas in it.
I got extra inserts for the lower bumper cover.
I filled them with Expanding Foam. That did not work as planned.
I then filled the top (front?) with epoxy.
That hardened to a granite like surface that has proven very hard to work. I have been able to sand it to the point where I can fill the recess with "Bondo"



Lotsa sanding after this pic. and then.



BONDO!!

I use paper plates to mix in. They are disposable, rigid, & no one cares if I destroy one or two.



Now i must wait for the filler to set and back to sanding I go.

Going lurking now.
S.

[MetroMPG]

Schultz - why didn't the foam work?

I see you showed pics of the initial steps back here: http://forum.ecomodder.com/showthread.php?p=8127

But you didn't say why it didn't turn out.

[metroschultz]

my bad.
It was too soft for any real effect. i was hoping to use my glazing putty to fill in the voids and then just paint to match. I couldn't get the glazing putty to work in the foam because the foam was too resilient. had too much bounce or something. the putty would set and then a little motion or twist would flake it right off. i used the foam as a base for the epoxy resin. which in itself turned into a workout.
fwiw i will try using coroplast under fiberglass filler then topped with glazing putty. next time.
i have some regular putty on it right now, after it sets a bit i will sand and glaze. then sand and paint.
Gotta get this done. K spends most of her time on the highway. So. Aero is the way to go.
she is coming over later and i would like to be able to plug these in.
I have some racing discs for her wheels, i must drill some retaining holes in them for the screws.then no one can steal them and they won't fly off on the highway. I bought the inexpensive ones. i couldn't force myself to pay an extra $75 for someone else to drill them.
Back to work.
S.

[metroschultz]

I have completed the inserts for the Jetta. I think they look quite good.



So here they are after Glazing putty.



And here we have the finished product. They are not really this shiny it is a trick of the light. I Sanded them to the shape I wanted, then Painted with a Matte Black Lacquer.
Install will be this Friday. More pics then.



These are the wheel covers for Her car. I should have them drilled and ready by Friday also.
I will take pics after the I finsh with this car stuff and hopefully #1D will have a gas slip so I can make a log entry.
TTFN
S.

[metroschultz]

O.K.
I got nothing accomplished on Friday. I was Ill.
or Saturday, saw the Doc,
Thought it was nothing, wrong.
Feeling better, still not up to par.
or Sunday.



This is a full on front of the inserts. Since #1D spends most of her time on the highways, aero is the way to go.
I will close the gap in the very bottom of the bumper and finish with a belly pan. I have ordered VW's cover for the upper grill. It is OEM and removable if things get too hot.



This is what she looks like right now. I have expended all my energy for the day. Wife and Daughter are both Ill now also. I need to get all the way better so I can get back to work.
TTFN. S.

[SwamiSalami]

Hello metroSchultz,

i was curious, does your daughter's jetta have steel wheels or are they "rims" like most vws? I'm wondering, because if they're rims, how did you get these wheelcovers to work?

Sincerely,
me

[mcmancuso]

you can use hooks with threaded shafts, put the hooks behind the spokes, then put them through the cover(use a pizza pan) and use bolts to tighten them down, use locknuts with the built in plastic washers.

[SwamiSalami]

i would think that this would compromise the smoothness of the cover, though, right? defeating the purpose?

I wonder if I could put a single screw right through the middle?

[mcmancuso]

compared to the spokes, a couple nuts sticking out is pretty minimal. usually the middle cap doesn't have anything substantial to hook to, but that would be better.

[SwamiSalami]

I haven't seen too many threads based on people modifying their rims. It's always the people with hubcaps. I've looked, too!

Can't anything be easy?