Fun Project for the Force RS

                                                            By: GTX_SlotCar

    The Hybrid wheel project is still ongoing, but I thought I'd try something that might be a little easier for some people who want to change the look of their Force RS. I didn't take pictures as I went along because I wasn't sure where the project was headed. At first I painted only the spokes, the hub and the horn (POV switch). It looked good with the brown rim, but the brown didn't match most of my shifter knobs, and I like things to match.

    It didn't take long to pull the wheel off the base and take out all the electronics. Then I removed the Act Labs sticker on the bottom spoke and masked the wheel rim with regular masking tape and painted the spokes with a silver automotive touch-up spray paint. I used three coats of paint. When it was thoroughly dry, I masked off the spokes and painted the rim with black bumper paint. The hub is also painted with bumper paint and the horn is regular gold spray paint that my wife had used for painting pine cones on Christmas wreaths. My kids picked the gold color. I was going to use red or yellow, but the gold really sets it off nicely and it's easy enough to change if I tire of the color.

    When putting the wheel back together, you have to remember that the buttons have a particular home. In other words, there are right and left side buttons and they can't be put in upside down. As a finishing touch, I replaced the stock hub screws with Allen head screws for a more authentic look. The black on the rim really makes it look like leather and the whole wheel looks more expensive to me. All in all, an easy enough project that I'm very pleased with.  Hop on over to the forum and let me know what you think.

October 31, 2000

Gary DeRoy