Reply With QuoteI would try to get access to some pneumatic grinders and buffers to get rid of the curb rash and do a polished finish. Or you could just prep them and have them powder coated. I know a place that will powder coat 4 wheels for 120 bucks.
Major Contributor
DIY- Can you cheaply refinish wheels?
I've stumbled upon a set of Borbets locally that need attention. I can get them for quite cheap, and I've always loved the 80's-riffic look of them!
They're terrible pictures, I know. I'll try to get better/more revealing pics. Not sure if there is curbing (I'm sure there is).
Basically, I'm not looking to win a Concours with these wheels, just want to VERY cheaply restore them. The point is to give me a project to undertake over Christmas break. Lots of elbow grease is fine.
Is there a special way to do this? I was hoping I could just wetsand/Simple Green/Clay/Polish but is there any more to this?
Thanks!
Atlanta, GA/Bloomington, IN, USA
I would try to get access to some pneumatic grinders and buffers to get rid of the curb rash and do a polished finish. Or you could just prep them and have them powder coated. I know a place that will powder coat 4 wheels for 120 bucks.
http://bimmer.roadfly.com/bmw/forums...postid=3148502
the first one looks "out of round"
Big Time Poster
Depends what sort of finish you want (as in painted silver as they were, or polished up)
But yes, d.i.y. refurb is easy as pie, just time consuming!
Depends how bad the kerbing is around the edges - maybe you'd have to get that fixed by a pro - although if you're going for a pianted finish you could use a bit of chemical metal, sanded smooth..
Mine were just standard old metric basketweaves, being metric I didn't care too much about taking my time/doing a perfect job etc, didn't even take the tyres off the rims, so sanding round the valves was hard work!
I started with a 120grit wet&dry paper, once the majority of paint was off I went up to 400 grit, used wet..
Once i'd got that as good as it'd get, I just used some Autoglym Cutting Polish (any rubbing compound would work I guess), that brought the shine up nicely
Masked off the outer rim, and I think I used 1 1/2 cans of black hammerite to paint the centres up - job done!
If I was doing a proper job, on a decent set of wheels etc, I'd definately laquer the polished parts - alloy goes dull very quickly, especially when combined with brake dust/road crap... To keep mine that shiny, they need cutting polish on them at least once a week!
Took perhaps 8-10 hours per wheel in my case, so yes - perfect as a winter project to do a proper job
Last edited by JerseySi; 12-11-2006 at 08:27 PM.
Major Contributor
Link didn't work...404. Could you try that again please?Originally Posted by OneBeLow
The description didn't say anything about bends, but you're right, it does look bent. If that's the only bend that would be what, $60ish to take out? Am I wrong there?
Atlanta, GA/Bloomington, IN, USA
Major Contributor
That's not a terrible idea, but the fact is that I'd like to be able to resell the wheels, and even $30/wheel to refinish makes it look like this project is not worth it. I do not want to lose a dime on this.
I also have no access to grinders and buffers, unfortunately. Well, I do have a Dremel, but not sure of an attachment for it.
Atlanta, GA/Bloomington, IN, USA
Super Moderator
Major Contributor
Wow! You refinished those yourself? Looks like they were done by a pro! Well done!Depends what sort of finish you want (as in painted silver as they were, or polished up)
But yes, d.i.y. refurb is easy as pie, just time consuming!
Depends how bad the kerbing is around the edges - maybe you'd have to get that fixed by a pro - although if you're going for a pianted finish you could use a bit of chemical metal, sanded smooth..
Mine were just standard old metric basketweaves, being metric I didn't care too much about taking my time/doing a perfect job etc, didn't even take the tyres off the rims, so sanding round the valves was hard work!
I started with a 120grit wet&dry paper, once the majority of paint was off I went up to 400 grit, used wet..
Once i'd got that as good as it'd get, I just used some Autoglym Cutting Polish (any rubbing compound would work I guess), that brought the shine up nicely
Masked off the outer rim, and I think I used 1 1/2 cans of black hammerite to paint the centres up - job done!
If I was doing a proper job, on a decent set of wheels etc, I'd definately laquer the polished parts - alloy goes dull very quickly, especially when combined with brake dust/road crap... To keep mine that shiny, they need cutting polish on them at least once a week!
Took perhaps 8-10 hours per wheel in my case, so yes - perfect as a winter project to do a proper job
I'm 99% sure the wheels are clearcoated, and I'm willing to bet the original clearcoat is done for by now, but maybe the paint underneath is fine and was hopefully protected by the clear. I'd obvously be willing to reclear, but I don't know how to do that either.
I've seen curbing "removed" with putty filled in, then sanded, then painted. Sounds fine to me, but the durability is certainly questioned here.
I'd also think that this project would be a bit easier than yours, as it is not a two-piece wheel, and it silver all around.
Atlanta, GA/Bloomington, IN, USA
Major Contributor
Thanks for the links, shogun. Reading right now!
Atlanta, GA/Bloomington, IN, USA
Big Time Poster
thanks!
Your prospective whels would most certainly be easier - although not because of the 2 piece thing - mine aren't 2 piece either! If they were, i'd have split them & done a proper job - they're just standard basketweake rims..
Yours will be easier because you only have 5 flat spokes to sand/polish etc..
Not sure if those would be clearcoated on top of the silver paint or not, either way i doubt you'd be able to remove the clear without damageing the silver to the point of needing to respray them..
As for doing fresh clearcoat, either on polished rims or painted, personally I'd just get a couple of aerosol cans of decent quality clear laquer (perhaps high temp laquer, maybe it'd be a stronger finish?) and blow it over the polished finish..
If you've never weilded a spraycan before, it's really not hard to do - although you might like to get a can or 2 of cheap colour & some scrap tin to practice on - multiple light coats are the way, not 1 or 2 thick coats..
My wheels (did) look good from a distance & in photos, although when you get up close they're not so hot - the hammerite bubbled a little on the spokes, I was in a rush to get it done & didn't follow my own advice above! :s
Close up shot reveals the not-so-hot finish, that, and they needed another polish when I took this pic! (like i said -bare alloy dulls very quickly)
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