DIY refurb, BBS split rims.
Discussion
I am in the process of refurbing a set of BBS RC 2 piece alloys. I have split the rims and am in the process of hand polishing the outer rim to a mirror finish.
There is some pitting to the surface on one of the alloys.
Can this be removed (ie, by a specialist polisher)??
What is the best coating to finish the rims ??
Does anyone know of somewhere that does 'clear' powder coating and have any experience to share - yellowing, etc ?? Or should I wax them only ? or should I simply get them laquered ??
Lots of questions I know.....help !!!!!!!!!
There is some pitting to the surface on one of the alloys.
Can this be removed (ie, by a specialist polisher)??
What is the best coating to finish the rims ??
Does anyone know of somewhere that does 'clear' powder coating and have any experience to share - yellowing, etc ?? Or should I wax them only ? or should I simply get them laquered ??
Lots of questions I know.....help !!!!!!!!!
Polishing and good adhesion of a protective coating don't go together.
A polished (or turned) surface is extremely regular, low surface area, and hence very pretty. And also provides a tremendously poor key for any protective coating, be it a powder coat or lacquer.
This is why it is only a (short) matter of time with these finishes before the coating separates from the alloy, moisture and corrosion set in, and the finish deteriorates rapidly.
Manufacturers are aware of this, but usually refuse to cover wheel corrosion with any warranty, and still ship loads of them to the 'ooh - pretty!' crowd.
I'm aware of one refinishing supplier who claims to sell a specialist lacquer for polished alloys. No idea of its performance though. Alternatively, don't bother coating the alloy, and regularly clean it like any other polished metal and keep it well waxed. Probably less heartache in the long run.
HTH
Tol
A polished (or turned) surface is extremely regular, low surface area, and hence very pretty. And also provides a tremendously poor key for any protective coating, be it a powder coat or lacquer.
This is why it is only a (short) matter of time with these finishes before the coating separates from the alloy, moisture and corrosion set in, and the finish deteriorates rapidly.
Manufacturers are aware of this, but usually refuse to cover wheel corrosion with any warranty, and still ship loads of them to the 'ooh - pretty!' crowd.
I'm aware of one refinishing supplier who claims to sell a specialist lacquer for polished alloys. No idea of its performance though. Alternatively, don't bother coating the alloy, and regularly clean it like any other polished metal and keep it well waxed. Probably less heartache in the long run.
HTH
Tol
You can remove the pitting, but to do so you have to remove metal with it, depending where it is depends whether you can spare the thickness.
As above laquer does not stick to polished alloy very well, hence all the cars driving round with cloudy patches on the rims, if you can cope with it don't laquer just keep them polished, but you will be polishing regularly.
As above laquer does not stick to polished alloy very well, hence all the cars driving round with cloudy patches on the rims, if you can cope with it don't laquer just keep them polished, but you will be polishing regularly.
Rub the wheels down yourself. Don't put them on a lathe ! Most I've seen have been polished and left as that. If its a daily driver, you'll be doing a lot of work to keep them looking good.I paid £15 a rim for a local place to polish them to a high standard after I sanded them down to remove all the kerbing and most of the pitting.
Dubswich,
I've just done exactly what you're about to embark on. Before you start...let me warn you...IT IS A COMPLETE NIGHTMARE!!!
It took me weeks worth of evenings and weekends to do them. The trouble was I didn't want to take the rims apart. So the nightmare was trying to get around the bolts with the polishing tools...even with Dremel type tools it proved virtually impossible for me to get right up close to them.
One of my wheels had quite a lot of the kind of 'snail-track' corrosion marks under the lacquer...I got the other three wheels looking pretty good...this fourth one tested my patience a bit too far!
If it weren't for the bolts it would be really simple to get an absolutely superb finish. I bought one of these kits from Ebay and the finish you can get with this where you can actually get good access is superb.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/26-pc-Combined-
That's before we talk about re-painting the centre portions! I guess it's up to you...but I've sworn I'll never do it again!
Good luck if you decide to have ago!
I've just done exactly what you're about to embark on. Before you start...let me warn you...IT IS A COMPLETE NIGHTMARE!!!
It took me weeks worth of evenings and weekends to do them. The trouble was I didn't want to take the rims apart. So the nightmare was trying to get around the bolts with the polishing tools...even with Dremel type tools it proved virtually impossible for me to get right up close to them.
One of my wheels had quite a lot of the kind of 'snail-track' corrosion marks under the lacquer...I got the other three wheels looking pretty good...this fourth one tested my patience a bit too far!
If it weren't for the bolts it would be really simple to get an absolutely superb finish. I bought one of these kits from Ebay and the finish you can get with this where you can actually get good access is superb.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/26-pc-Combined-
That's before we talk about re-painting the centre portions! I guess it's up to you...but I've sworn I'll never do it again!
Good luck if you decide to have ago!
Gassing Station | Bodywork & Detailing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff