How to: Polish your wheels
ragenasian
Moderator
Okay so here it is. Too many people ask how to do this and it is very simple so I figured I would take some quick pics and do a quick write-up.
Things you will need:
Polish (I used MAG Aluminum Polish)
Drill with polishing/buffing pad
Zip Strip
Paint brush
I used the drill since I figured everyone would have one of these. Something that spins much faster will work much better but this will show you that this can be done very easily.
I am using a 2 piece rim but it will be the same process for any other rim.
Here is the rim with the center removed. Clear coat is not the greatest with some corrosion starting behind the clear. THe rims are probably about 15 years old now.
So I went and bought some Zip STrip from base since this is the only paint remover they sell. Got a used paint brush and brushed it on. Don't be skimpy with it as it isn't expensive. Once it goes on it works quick and the clear will start to bubble up right away.
Here is the rim with no clear anymore. I got a bad sponge and soapy water to clean the residue off.
I then used 1000grit sandpaper to clean it up. My wheels had machined grooves on the lip and I wanted to sand those down as best I could.
I then took the polish and slopped it on the rims. Again don't skimp here let the polish do the work for you. I spent about a 45 minutes on this rim. I got the drill out with the pad on it and just started running it around.
Here is a side by side with the other rim that was in the same shape.
Super easy to do and doesn't cost a lot. Just requires a lot of your time. Just like everything else, the better you prep, the nicer you sand, the better your end product will be.
I know this isn't the greatest write up/how to, but it is the basics of how to get this done at home cheap and simple.
Things you will need:
Polish (I used MAG Aluminum Polish)
Drill with polishing/buffing pad
Zip Strip
Paint brush
I used the drill since I figured everyone would have one of these. Something that spins much faster will work much better but this will show you that this can be done very easily.
I am using a 2 piece rim but it will be the same process for any other rim.
Here is the rim with the center removed. Clear coat is not the greatest with some corrosion starting behind the clear. THe rims are probably about 15 years old now.
So I went and bought some Zip STrip from base since this is the only paint remover they sell. Got a used paint brush and brushed it on. Don't be skimpy with it as it isn't expensive. Once it goes on it works quick and the clear will start to bubble up right away.
Here is the rim with no clear anymore. I got a bad sponge and soapy water to clean the residue off.
I then used 1000grit sandpaper to clean it up. My wheels had machined grooves on the lip and I wanted to sand those down as best I could.
I then took the polish and slopped it on the rims. Again don't skimp here let the polish do the work for you. I spent about a 45 minutes on this rim. I got the drill out with the pad on it and just started running it around.
Here is a side by side with the other rim that was in the same shape.
Super easy to do and doesn't cost a lot. Just requires a lot of your time. Just like everything else, the better you prep, the nicer you sand, the better your end product will be.
I know this isn't the greatest write up/how to, but it is the basics of how to get this done at home cheap and simple.
Comments
I have done this with one piece wheels also just a little harder to get the polishing pad in there on some wheels.
stock civic wheels?
picz any ?
: )
My friends use a wheel balancer to polish their one piece wheels. Of course this is only good for the lip. Throw it on the machine, get something you can stick in there and polish with. When it stops, fire it up again and start it all over.
If you have a wheel with a nice flat surface (fat five like the ones that "nex episode wagon alaska" has just redone) then this should work pretty good.
So when are you going to do mine ?
nahhh..
: )
OK, so I didn't use his method at all.
I didn't want to go too in depth with this as it doesn't take much, but I am all for others throwing in their polished wheels to show what can be done with a little time.
i ll get some pics on car this weekend.
The wheels will also have to be cleaned of the polish residue also. Some kind of cleaner will probably be required to make sure that the clear adheres to the rim properly.
I will also be testing out this soon. So if anybody else has done this lets add to this thread.
im doing that to my blades hope the come out this good.
i need to clean the tires they still have polish on them.
mattyj