Little Tikes Cozy Coupe Makeover: Volkswagen VW Bus/Bug (Non-NBC Related Post)

Cozy Coupe Makeover
Off topic / Non-NBC related post

I was on the hunt for a fun first birthday present for our daughter. I came across tons of Cozy Coupe makeovers on pinterest. I knew I had to try it. The hunt was on. I checked alleyways, garage sales & Craigslist for the perfect original 80's style Coupe (with thin front post on roof). I really prefer the older body style over the new chubby looking cars with cartoon eyeballs. I found a Coupe on Craigslist for $8. It was badly beat up, previously painted, probably 20 years ago, and every single part was bent, broken or missing... I had a vision though. My goal was to spend $30-$40 on the make over since a brand new one goes for $50.

BEFORE:

Issues: 

•Globby paint, chipped & peeling

•Hub caps brittle/cracked/missing

•Gas cap missing

•Car full of kid junk from years of kids putting pencils, rocks and dirt clots in the gas cap hole...

•Horn missing

•Front wheel wire forms bent, preventing wheels from rolling

•Center axle holes in back tires streatched/ cracked wider than axel, making back tires wobble

•All decals missing/ painted over

Solution:

First I disassembled the entire car.

 Then I wiped away dirt and spiderwebs. I used a long metal grabber to reach through the gas cap hole, into the body of the car to pull out all the rattling junk. I then sanded the cars old paint off.  I took extra time to sand the plastic at the door jamb down quite a bit, so the car and door didn't rub and scratch the paint off while opening and closing. A lot of other people who did this project complained about the paint scratching off in that area. (I ended up removing the door completely for sanding and painting.)

I then primed the car with Zinsser Bullseye 1-2-3 spray primer

I then painted the bodyof the car with Rustoleum gloss in "light turquoise". And the roof top in Rustoleum gloss white.

I let it dry a few days, then used blue painters tape and plastic to mask off the areas around where I wanted it to be white detail areas. Then sprayed it with the white Rustoleum gloss. I also masked off the area surrounding the key and painted it with Rustoleum metalic silver.

I then used thin automotive chrome trim to accent the white areas and key ignition.

The hub caps were super brittle and mostly crumbling into pieces. I broke off all the outer rims and kept the inner plastic spokes because I thought they were pretty. I made a circle, tape template and stuck it to the tires, then just spray painted new faux hub caps on with the metalic silver. I used clear shellac to make the tires look shiney and new.

The original red pushnut / axel nut caps that came from Little Tikes got destroyed when I was disassembling the car. I had to yank them off with pliers and they all cracked. Luckily they sell the same ones at Lowes, Home Depot, and my local ACE Hardware.

 •5/16" axel pushnut with plastic hub

•5/16" axel hat pushnut (for front wheel wire forms & door assembly available too. Incase they were destroyed during removal)

My grandfather used a vice and man strength to bend the front wheel wire forms back into the proper shape.

For the back wheels and the "stretched out/cracked" axel holes, we found 3/8" nylon flange bearings at our local ACE. We had to file out the axel holes a little larger and then glue the flange bearing in with "Goop". The axel fits through perfectly!

Since the horn was missing, I just found a:

•1.5" diameter pvc pipe fitting

It dropped right into the hole in the steering wheel where the horn is supposed to be. It fit so perfectly, it actually clipped into place. I spray painted it black to match the steering wheel and glued it in. I bought a second one and used it for the gas cap as well :)

PVC cap: horn replacement

PVC cap: gas cap replacement

Coupe before decals

Replacement decals were custom ordered from TheToyRestore on etsy. She has the biggest, best selection of awesome Cozy Coupe Decals & great customer service. The decals are very high quality UV resistant and waterproof! 

Hood emblem decal

Back decals

Dash decals

The Cozy Coupe turned out amazing! 

It was a great birthday gift for the baby.

Before & After:

She loves it!

I would highly recommend making over your own coupe, the end result is amazing.

What do you think?

TheToyRestore