http://www.think3d.biz Tell Thomas that Danny sent ya!

-danny

 

Whoa... The MakeitDigital site has just what I wanted, but Mozilla flags the site as "untrustworthy" and "dangerous" with no explanation. What gives? Can anyone else vouch for the site's authenticity and quality. I sure would like to order from them! Thanks!

 

What size is the emblem used on the steering wheel

 

I measured my original steering wheel center cap at 2 3/8". Make it Digital offers the caps in a range of diameters and colors.

 

Ok, I'll be the guinea pig. I ordered a single cap in 2 3/8" and got an immediate automated email response thanking me for my order. I'll report back with pictures on quality if/when I get it.

 

hey, I've bought quite a few things from make it digital. quality is good, shipping takes about 10 day. I'd order from them again. Lee

 

Thanks for the feedback, Lee. I feel better about having ordered now. Do you know if their custom stuff is very expensive? I'd kinda like the CS logo italicized instead of vertical like the one they offer.

 

Please post pics when you are able

I am somewhat interested in their cobra (red, white and blue) logo

 

Ok, my feedback on MakingItDigital. I ordered a single 2 3/8" CS emblem online on Dec. 19th. It had arrived by the time I checked the mail on Dec. 26th (I had been out of town), but had been postmarked the 23rd, so they get thumbs up on speed of delivery! I got two surprises in that the envelope not only contained a piece of candy, but two CS emblems. My wife suggested that the candy might have been to prevent the post office from damaging the emblems by putting the envelope through certain machines, which is certainly possible. Why I got two emblems, I'm not sure, but I was only charged for one, $10.29 including shipping. The emblems are chrome mylar with nice, crisp black printing, leaving the CS in chrome. They then are epoxy coated in clear, and coated with adhesive on back. The downsides are: 1) At certain angles, you can see slight a waviness to the chrome, revealing that it is only foil thick and not made of actual stamped or etched metal. It's not bad, but probably not something that Shelby would produce, either. 2) The epoxy coating is very clear and smooth, but feels as if it will scratch very easily. I don't particularly want to find out how easily, but I'm sure I will soon anyway. I would assume that with normal wear and tear, it will become dull, but it may also buff out with a polishing compound. (just guessing). I am glad they sent two so I have a replacement if the first gets bad looking. Overall, I'd say it looks great, but will not have the durability that a Shelby or Ford produced product would have. Then again, Shelby and Ford don't make these, do they? And that factory pony scratches fairly easily, too....

I havent' installed it yet because it will involve surgery. I'll have to pry off the original pony, which makes me a bit nervous, and then deal with the ribbed plastic that I know is underneath. This new badge is semi-flexible, and I wonder if I shoudn't attach it to something smooth and rigid first, then secure to the steering wheel to prevent it from showing any imperfections through. I'll post again when I get it attached. As far as recommending this route to others, we do have limited choices, and MakingItDigital was cheap and quick. I'd still pay 3X the price for a Shelby produced piece, however. I sent an email asking about custom work, but they never replied.

 

Update: I was concerned about the flexibility of the emblem and the rubber "fins" I knew were under the pony emblem, so I sacrificed a CD jewel case to make a backer plate. I searched the pantry for a template that was exactly 2 3/8", and found a jar of alfredo sauce that worked perfectly. I cut the plastic exactly the same size as the new emblem, (score it several times with the back side of an exacto knife blade), then removed the pony emblem. (I wanted to test fit everything before I attached anything.) I used a couple of tiny screwdrivers to remove the pony. Note to purists who wish to fiddle with as little as possible: I can't imagine removing the pony without at least some bending/damage. It's tight. (See pics) If you're thinking you might reattach the pony someday, it may take some work to get it to look nice again, and I don't think you can buy them separately. I was hoping to not shave off the rubber fins underneath, but the surface of the fins is convex to match the inside of the concave pony cap. The new CS emblem might bend to fit, but would surely show the fins right through it. The CD case plastic will definitely not match the curve.

So now I'm just thinking what to do next. I could go ahead and shave off the fins, hoping that the smooth surface underneath isn't convex as well. My luck, soon as I do, Shelby will come out with a much better piece that needs the fins to fit properly. My only other choice is to cease and desist, massage the pony back into shape, glue it back into place, and be glad the new emblem was only $10. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks.

 

Ok, the final result. Overall, it looks nice, but the epoxy is soft and rubbery. I'll have to be careful not to scratch it. I think the plastic backer plate I made was essential to keep it smooth. I painted the edges of the plastic a gloss black to make it disappear. I hated cutting the rubber fins off the wheel, but that was the only way to make it work. Use a new blade so you don't have to push too hard. Pushing hard will increase the chances of slippage and doing damage elsewhere, and the horn honks. Incidentally, I can't seem to find a source for the Saleen caps anymore, even from Saleen. Did they quit making them? Still no reply from MakingItDigital on creating a custom emblem. I'd still buy one from Shelby if they would just make one...

 

Nice job ...

 

Anyone who has removed their stock steering wheel emblem & it's still in great shape want to sell? Mine is damaged & I'd like to replace.
PM me if you're interested in parting with you stock emblem.
Thanks in advance.

 

If you still have a warranty take it to ford. Mine had some bubbling on the pony and they replaced the airbag.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SALEE...spagenameZWDVW

 

Backafter, how did you get the ridges down? Xacto blade? Dremmel? Did you happend to take any snapshots of the steering wheel from the side after the emblem was off? Sorry, I too am suffering from this type of center cap cancer and hope to remedy this spring.

Any more detailed shots greatly appreciated! Great work.

 

Thanks Retro. The shot in post #110 is the best one I have. The only other one was more of a direct-on shot, not from the side. I used an exacto blade. I would think one of those chisel type blades would be easiest, but I didn't have one. You just need to take your time so you don't slip and cut someplace that you don't want cut. I did have a period of regret halfway through the process, but at the time I couldn't find the Saleen cap anywhere. If you want to make something yourself, I'd recommend the Saleen cap as a base, if you can find one, and the route I took as a second choice. It was cheap, though.

 

No warranty left,37K & change on mine. The silver has flaked under the clear.

 

Willie, do you have one of these nice Pony Steering Wheel centers available for sale? I need one... mine has a big scratch on it. I'm just looking for the standard pony with the stripes behind it like in your posting here (#17)

 

leemo,i just found this thread,i want to do this but with the Ford Racing emblem.Do you still have them on? How is the quality from Making it? What kind of glue or epoxy did you use ? Sorry about all the questions,but you know how Mustang lovers are.Thank you.