mungi mods Posted March 15, 2009 Report Share Posted March 15, 2009 ok got a set of rims that have seen better days? want to restore the shine and lustre? this is how i do it the rim in question anodizing is milky and there are some scratches and not really shiny also centres need a refinish step 1 remove wheel off the car step 2 if it is a 2 /3 piece rim unbolt the centre i will be getting my centre sandblasted and powder coated (cost approx $30 per centre ) step 3 dependant on the surface condition sand back with sand paper for badly corroded / scratched rims I start with 40 grit to remove all damage ALWAYS SAND AROUND THE RIM >>>NEVER ACROSS and use long strokes keep rotating wheel if your rims are not that bad start with like a 400 grit once the surface looks smooth and uniform use progressively finer grades of sandpaper 40 to 60 to 80 to 120 to 240 to 320 to 400 to 600 to 800 to 1200 to 2000 should get to a finish like this.. I also sand the inside clean with 800 grit and remove old balance weight adhesives etc next step is to buff the now smooth but not very shiny surface usung a buffing wheel on a power drill using a cutting compound grey first on a stitched wheel to make surface shiny and remove very slight scratches left from sanding take your time and don't load the buff up with too much compound then once the rim looks shiny wipe over with turps to remove excess compund. swap over to the rag buff with white compound and continue to polish to a high lustre will end up looking like this.. :laff: mmmmmmm shiny... :lolcry: then it's a matter of using a metal polish regularly to keep shiny and clean the above photo has not had any polish on it yet... but it will ( will be even shinier ) the compound and buffs and powerdrill to do this are available at bunnings total cost is like $60 - 70 but a worthwhile investment as you can polish pretty much anything alloy following the same steps above depending on condition will take anywhere from 1 hr to 4 hrs will update with more info and pics later along with a few short cuts and tips i have discovered to speed up the process.. :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
love ke70 Posted March 15, 2009 Report Share Posted March 15, 2009 nice write up and you did a good job. what compound did you use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ella Posted March 15, 2009 Report Share Posted March 15, 2009 Hey tip from the trade ( i work in alloy bullbar building ) when your sanding, use a mouse sander, and lubricate the sander with lard, thats right good old fashioned pig fat. or even with hand sanding, if you sand fast enough to get the surface a bit hot, youll need to get a rag and rub out all the excess lard after, but itll make the job faster, and the finish just off the sander is pretty good, usually can go straight to a soft buffer and light cutting compound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungi mods Posted March 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 tip 1 to remove anodizing quickly without effort.. use Mr Muscle oven cleaner leave on for 1 hr wash off and sand lightly with 800 grit then reapply Tip 2 need a lathe to spin your rims as you polish ? what i do is jack up my car, put it on jack stands, wind up the drum brake on one side to "lock the wheel ', then bolt the wheel to be polished on the other side start the engine and wind up the idle to around 4000 rpm, put car into 4th gear and hey presto wheel spins at 60-70 km/h and makes it easy to sand and polish CARE MUST BE TAKEN DOING THIS Tip 3 take your time................ results like this are achievable at home for minimal outlay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tas_ae71 Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 (edited) you can skip some of those sand paper grit.. just buy 3-4 grits.. 40grit is super coarse, i start off at 80-120 usually then go to 400 then 1200 and if you want a super shiney shine 2000 also if using some sort of electric buffing wheel (bench grinder or drill powered) be careful not to move it too slowly keep the contact area moving even if you use movements like your still sanding it. if you keep buffing in the one spot you will heat the surface of the alloy up and you will make it go dull then no matter how much you buff it it wont come up as shiney as i was unless you sand it over again (with a fine grit).. but you have just wasted a heap of time and effort. also take your time, the more time you put into them the better they will look! Edited March 19, 2009 by tas_ae71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungi mods Posted March 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 (edited) MINTY FRESH 4 hrs and $120... cheap for a massive difference Edited April 8, 2009 by mungi mods Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungi mods Posted October 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 these.. mk2 r SSR 15 x7 before multiple layers of paint sandblasted to remove all paint sanded and "first polish " centre have been sandblasted and powdercoated more pics soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungi mods Posted November 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ke30 driver Posted November 2, 2009 Report Share Posted November 2, 2009 hey mate, love the work on your rims. but i got a question i got a set of 15' watanabes these are what i believe to be 2 piece rims i have removed the allen key bolts but still can't remove the centre any tips on how to remove them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungi mods Posted November 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2009 (edited) youve got RS-8's..... watanabe with bolts :( yep :yes: turn upside down ,place on matt or something "soft" :hmm: grab a hammer and a piece of wood and hit the timber with the hammer around the inner edge of the centre they are press fitted from the factory hit around until it falls out :) when you want to put it back in grab a file and give the face side edge a chamfer so the centre will locate and go back in be careful when filing edge as you need to not touch the face surface :bash: when reinstalling centre i normally put 1 bolt n nut in it and using an extension on n allen key socket i will put a bolt in opposite side and tap in with a hammer then put on a nut and continue in a cross pattern until centre is in and seated then bolt em up tight :) 2 days driving then retighten all nuts n bolts again... :D hope this helps................ :hmm: Edited November 2, 2009 by mungi mods Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungi mods Posted December 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 (edited) . Edited March 21, 2011 by mungi mods Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungi mods Posted December 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 more pics coming.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts