Turning Ordinary into Extraordinary - Customizing Hot Wheels

Turning something into SOMETHING is sometimes a hard task. As easy as it sounds, in order to complete a flawless Hot Wheels, there are multiple steps that must be taken to insure the outcome is, well, Flawless. There are many boundaries that must be over come. For example: will the wheels off Car A fit Car B and vise versa? Do you see any "hills" in the metal casting? How do you add a shaker onto a car without it? Well, hopefully I can answer those questions for you and so much more!

Beginning with "CAR A'

This is one of the most important steps and it's nothing I can write out for you on here. You must do your research. I know, I know, that's most likely how you made it to my page, but that's not the research I'm talking about now. I'm talking about picking the PERFECT casting for your project. Start by picking a Car, any car. There are TONS to choose from. We will call this "Car A." Now, when you're researching, keep in mind a couple of things: Does the casting clearly make the outline you are looking for? Are you limited to a small amount of Wheel Choices (Mud Wheels, Small Wheels, Extra Large Wheels, etc.)? Are you going to have to add a lot of accessories onto it? Is this Casting known for flaws? These are all things you have to keep in mind as you search for Car A. You don't want to get Car A home and find out it's NOTHING like what you need. The goal is to do the least amount to the casting of the car. (I will be customizing a Jeep Grand Cherokee).

Finding Wheels to take off of "CAR B"

Finding Wheels can sometimes be a daunting task. There re hundreds of thousands of hot wheels to dig through on the internet to find the PERFECT wheels for your Car. This mystery car that you are looking for will be

called Car B. Now, Car B could be anything from a Prius to a Jacked-Up Mud Truck. If you want the wheels to go right on the car, probably stick to Trucks and SUVs for my Car A. I can not stress this enough, TAKE YOUR TIME and do your research. Finding Car B may take a long time but the more research you do now, the less time you'll have to explain to people on why you would have rather of done this instead of that. Look through Google then skim through the eBay Hot Wheels section. Another option is Rubber Wheels. They come with a higher price tag but if you're wanting the best, I recommend going with Rubber (on the example, I will be using normal wheels but the Rubber works the same way). When you are searching eBay, don't forget to look through the Lots. A lot of people sell bulk, that is the best way to stock up on an assorted amount of wheels. What ever wheels you end up choosing, look at the size (will they fit in the wheel well, will they be able to spin freely?), the length of the axle (make sure they are the same, you don't want the wheel to stick out too far), and the style (are you sure this is the style you'd like to go with?).

Taking apart Hot Wheels

This is when that Power Drill comes into play. The first thing you need to do is place the 5/16 Drill Bit in the Drill and find a box or some kind of confinement piece that metal shavings can fall into. On the bottom of the car, there are two Rivets. (I usually only need the 5/16 but some people prefer to work their way up to it from 1/16) Place the Bit in the center of on of the Rivets, it is important to have it centered as much as possible. *If you are not experienced in this, you can always practice on Car B.* Once you drill it down, take a small flat head screw driver and wedge in between the plastic and the metal (some cars will just fall apart, some may require some motivation). Once apart, set the plastic (or metal, depending on car) bottom to the side, along with the inside components. We will get back to these later. Go ahead and do the same to Car B. Considering I do these a lot, I usually keep the spar parts out of Car B for, well, spare parts. For now, set the bottom of Car B to the side, we will be getting back to these momentarily.

Stripping the Paint

This is a VERY important step that I recommend not skipping. Stripping the paint allows you to find any flaws in the Metal Casting. Also, if you do not strip it, the paint you put in it may look too thick. I recommend using Jasco Premium Paint and Epoxy Remover (be careful with this product, it will burn the skin!). Let it soak for at least 5 Minutes. That way it has a chance to remove the paint in it's entirety. Once you are done letting it soak, spray it off with the (high pressure) water house to remove the paint. Your finished product should look just like the picture to the Right. Take it back inside and wash completely with Warm water and Soap (Dawn does the trick). This is when you do over it with a fine tooth comb (not literally, but you get the picture). Check for any blemishes, rises in the metal, or scratches. Anything you notice now will be 10 times more noticeable with paint. Look over the car multiple times. If there is any existing paint left in the seams or on the metal, take your pick and gently scratch it off. Be careful not to make a scratch too deep.

Sanding and Molding the Car to Perfection

This is the part where patients becomes a key roll. In my experience, I like to sand the whole car down. I've been told that this helps the paint stick. I do it to check for any imperfections I may have missed. If you so have a raise, you will have to sand for a little bit to get it to go away. I usually use 60 Grit Sand Paper. If you see a dip, you will have to fill it in with Modeling Paste (I use Liquitex Modeling Paste Gel Medium, you may be able to find something different if you ask the sales clerk at your local Craft/Hobby Store). If you're not patient, I recommend finding a different product. This product can be a pain in the butt to use. It's super sticky and will stick to your fingers more than anything. I usually get some dried up Paste from previous sanding and rip my fingers in it before handling. This seems to help a lot (I do not know why and there is probably something you can buy that will make it Not-Stick to your fingers). Be sure to "OVER APPLY" the Paste. Once applied, let dry for 24 hours. **Do not Rush this step!!** Once dry, you can then sand it down to perfection. The Paste I use seems to sand down very nicely. On this specific project, I didn't use any Paste but I'm sure I'll make a post about it in the near future.

Applying Paint

First, Tape up anything you do not want to be the color of the color you are spraying, this will save you paint thickness in the long run. I follow the "Sphh, Sphh. Rotate 180°. Sphh, Sphh. Rotate 90°. Sphh, Sphh. Rotate 180°. Sphh, Sphh. Rotate to Top. Sphh." Rule, starting at the driver side (It's best explained in my YouTube video). You want to do thin coats. **This is when you will notice all the bumps and scratches in the metal and modeling paste that you may have missed. If you have to start over, don't stress it! Just dip it in the Paint and Epoxy Remover and begin again (This will also take off the molding). The key, again, is to have patients. If you rush anything in this project, it will come out looking a completely different way then you would like it to. Take your time and apply multiple thin coats of paint until you get full coverage. Once you complete the first coat, let the Car sit in the sun for about 5 minutes. This will heat up the metal and allow the paint to dry quicker. You can then continue to the next coat. If this does not cover it, let it dry over night and begin the process again. Once finished, let dry for at least 24 hours. If you still feel the paint is sticky, let dry another 24 hours. Do not rush this because you may leave finger prints in the paint (which may come out if you dab some Lacquer Thinner on it, but you may have to start over). What kind of paint do I use? Well, 97¢ paint from Walmart will work just fine as long as you spray it correctly. As long as you stick to the above "Sphh Rule" you will be able to choose any color or brand from Walmart. I always have natural colors in stock (Black, White, Grey, etc.) along with a small paint bottle (Testers or Model Masters). If I make a mistake I can usually fix it with these small bottles and a paint brush (Over Spray, too much tape, etc.). I also stock colors like Turn Signal Amber, Taillight Red, Aluminum, and Chrome. They come in handy when customizing a car. ***I also recommend getting your favorite color. If you are anything like me, you will use that color a lot. It also comes in handy when i mess up. After you finish the first color, and that color has completely dried, you can go ahead and paint the second color following the same steps. I recommend taping everything that this color is not meant to be on. Use a razor blade to make the tape perfect. Once spray painting is done, go ahead and color in the tail lights, head lights, and turn signals. I like to paint them white first, then apply the correct color.

Changing the Wheels

Usually while I watch the paint dry, I like to go ahead and work on switching the wheels out. This is going to be a lot easier if you have a plastic base instead of metal but it can be done with both. The wheels are held on by 3 notches. The side with 2 on it is the side I usually use to pry up and remove the axle. with that being said, plastic bottoms are easier to move but also easier to break. Be careful and try not to break it (if you do, don't sweat it. The wheels will still sit in there once the car is completed). Do the same to Car B. Use needle nose pliers to pull the axle out. Also, be very careful not to bend the axle.Once the axle is out the car, place into Car A and push the notches back into place. Once the wheels are in place, it;s time to put Car A back together.

Rebuilding Your Hot Wheels

This is probably the easiest task. All you do is line the pieces back up to put into the Medal casting. Start with the windows, seats (if it has some) then bottom. They should perfectly fit inside the Casting. Once they are inside and fit perfectly together, place Super Glue on the ends of the Drilled Rivets and leave the car upside down to dry over night. Flip the car back over and you should have a fully customized car that you made! Don't forget to share your finished products with me! (And don't be afraid to ask me anything or recommend a change!)