Polishing your wheels!

[gumbie]

Okay before i post this is taken from another forum so i do not take any credit for it!

Enjoy!

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

http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/dcimages/1/2/0/3/51298.jpg

anodizing is milky and there are some scratches and not really shiny also centres need a refinish

http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/dcimages/1/2/0/3/51299.jpg

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..

http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/dcimages/1/2/0/3/51300.jpg

I also sand the inside clean with 800 grit and remove old balance weight adhesives etc

http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/dcimages/1/2/0/3/51301.jpg

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.. :hmm:

http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/dcimages/1/2/0/3/51302.jpg
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

to remove anodizing and clear coats use mr muscle oven cleaner, leave on for 30 mins then sand with 1200 grit sand paper

P.S Autosol is shit.. BRITESHINE FTMFW

[keiichi]

nice - comes up like new

[Sam-Q]

who sells this BRITESHINE? auto stores?

[gumbie]

Yeah, I've noticed it at burson and super cheap auto, it's about $15, it's cotton wadding polish, works a treat!

[djscheppy]

awesome!

my meshies were starting to look a little sad :(

thanks !

[AE71GZE]

What you can also do is chuck your beast on stands, with rear in the air and get your mrs on the accelerator while you sand (or vice versa where possible)

[Hachi_Tom]

LOL win idea!

[Slimer86]

I bought mine from Big W.


Yeah, I've noticed it at burson and super cheap auto, it's about $15, it's cotton wadding polish, works a treat!

[TUFPUP]

I wouldn't say Autosol is shit. Quite the opposite

[evil86]

um.. can u take pics of your buffing pads please

[evil86]

also. did you replace your bolts on your centre? if so, where did you get them

[gumbie]

Yeah, I did replace the bolts, just got them from my local wheel repair shop, $2.50 ea Inc nuts and washers, buffing pads are just cheapies from bunnings :p

[coupekiwi]

Here is one I whacked together.

http://coupekiwi.wordpress.com/2010/05/04/wheel-polishing-guide/

[evil86]

sick stuff :)