went from this, to this
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 875
Likes: 0
From: Los Angeles CA
went from this, to this
i have the MRR GT1 rims.. they come with a "polished lip" as advertised by the manufacturer.. i think its more of a machined surface with clear. I didnt like the look too much since you can actually see the wavy clear coat.. i also had some curb rash on the front and rear wheels of the passenger side...
so what i did was:
1) Thoroughly wash the wheels with Dawn soap. Then dry fully.
2) mask off the centers with blue painters tape
3) Hit the lips with Aircraft paint remover (aerosol can; purchased from Autozone)
4) wait 10-20 minutes
5) take a rag and wipe off area. some spots might be tough as hell to remove the clear, so use a flat edge plastic or chizel wrapped in a cloth and go over the area. for some reason, the rear wheels were a LOT harder to do than the front. the clear seemed to be a lot thicker too.
6) sand off any curb damage
7) sand entire lip lightly with 600, 1000, 1500 sandpaper to smoothen out the machined surface
8) take a Mother's powerball and some Mother's Mag wheel cleaner and start polishing
In the end you get nice polished lips. Im not 100% satisfied with the end result. I need to find a wheel polish that brings out more shine!!!
Before and after:
Here you can see the wavy lip
After:
pics dont do it justice due to glare and my crappy camera. Overall I am pleased with the outcome.
so what i did was:
1) Thoroughly wash the wheels with Dawn soap. Then dry fully.
2) mask off the centers with blue painters tape
3) Hit the lips with Aircraft paint remover (aerosol can; purchased from Autozone)
4) wait 10-20 minutes
5) take a rag and wipe off area. some spots might be tough as hell to remove the clear, so use a flat edge plastic or chizel wrapped in a cloth and go over the area. for some reason, the rear wheels were a LOT harder to do than the front. the clear seemed to be a lot thicker too.
6) sand off any curb damage
7) sand entire lip lightly with 600, 1000, 1500 sandpaper to smoothen out the machined surface
8) take a Mother's powerball and some Mother's Mag wheel cleaner and start polishing
In the end you get nice polished lips. Im not 100% satisfied with the end result. I need to find a wheel polish that brings out more shine!!!
Before and after:
Here you can see the wavy lip
After:
pics dont do it justice due to glare and my crappy camera. Overall I am pleased with the outcome.
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 10,347
Likes: 673
From: Beverly Hills (Pine Ridge) Florida
Great job!
I just can't understand why these companies insist on clear coating a poorly finished surface (just got through doing basically the same thing on an aftermarket aluminum air cleaner lid for the 62 Vette).
I found the Adams 2 step metal polish leaves the aluminum a tad brighter than what I normally use (Blue Magic), but it does not last anywhere near as long before needing a touch up.
Plasticman
I just can't understand why these companies insist on clear coating a poorly finished surface (just got through doing basically the same thing on an aftermarket aluminum air cleaner lid for the 62 Vette).
I found the Adams 2 step metal polish leaves the aluminum a tad brighter than what I normally use (Blue Magic), but it does not last anywhere near as long before needing a touch up.
Plasticman
Last edited by Plasticman; Jan 30, 2009 at 06:33 PM.
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Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 875
Likes: 0
From: Los Angeles CA
Great job!
I just can't understand why these companies insist on clear coating a poorly finished surface (just got through doing basically the same thing on an aftermarket aluminum air cleaner lid for the 62 Vette).
I found the Adams 2 step metal polish leaves the aluminum a tad brighter than what I normally use (Blue Magic), but it does not last anywhere near as long before needing a touch up.
Plasticman
I just can't understand why these companies insist on clear coating a poorly finished surface (just got through doing basically the same thing on an aftermarket aluminum air cleaner lid for the 62 Vette).
I found the Adams 2 step metal polish leaves the aluminum a tad brighter than what I normally use (Blue Magic), but it does not last anywhere near as long before needing a touch up.
Plasticman
thanks man
