DIY Wheel Refurb

Muncher · 22 Jul 2006 at 16:55

I have 3 sets of alloys so have spent the last few weeks refurbishing 2 sets of them.

One set was the origianl NA wheels, no kerbing, 2 wheels which were 5 years old were pretty faded, the other 2 were only a year old as I had to buy two new ones.

The other set was from Casino, the wheels were pretty badly kerbed deep gashes at 3/4 of the way round the rims and across the centres, but straight. I don't have any decent photos of the damage beforehand, but you can see from the photos just how much filling was required!

The basic steps are:

Remove tyres, valves, balancing weights and centres.
Wash with fairl liquid thoroughly
Wash with Cillit Bang, they need to be spotless really
Fill with Isopon P38 filler
Sand with electric sander and wet and dry
Prime then with 3 cans of acid etch grey primer
Fill a bit more
Sand, wet and dry, clean
Spray with a few coats of halfords alloy paint (2 cans needed)
Do some final touching up and filling, spray again
Spray with Halfords clear lacquer (1 can)

It's fairly straight forward, but time consuming, I also did the insides of the wheels, but not the spokes.

I'm not looking to sell the turbo ones and maybe the NA ones too, I might paint them in black if that's what someone wants.

paradigm · 22 Jul 2006 at 16:58

Pretty much exactly what I did during the week

Looks good

scousegit · 22 Jul 2006 at 17:02

done a good job there, Don't think I would have had the patience for all that work involved tho.

Spanker · 22 Jul 2006 at 17:06

3 cans of acid based etch primer :confused:

Thats a lotta etch!

scousegit · 22 Jul 2006 at 17:09

muncher, all you have to do now is watch out for when you get the tyres fitted back on the rims. Hopefully not scratch the rim etc, some tyre fitters fit the damn balance weights to the outside of the alloy wheels nowadays, looks so damn ugly..

Amps · 22 Jul 2006 at 17:15

How much did this cost you all in for materials

Removing and refitting tyres ?

Doonhamer · 22 Jul 2006 at 17:17

scousegit said:
some tyre fitters fit the damn balance weights to the outside of the alloy wheels nowadays, looks so damn ugly..

Not if the owner asks for them to be fitted on the inside only, its whats known as a win for communication.

scousegit · 22 Jul 2006 at 17:18

Doonhamer said:
Not if the owner asks for them to be fitted on the inside only, its whats known as a win for communication.

you just gotta remember to ask.. before it's 2 late lol

Doonhamer · 22 Jul 2006 at 17:21

True, but if you dont tell the guy what you want then how will he know

scousegit · 22 Jul 2006 at 17:21

true true, unless hes mystic meg haha

Muncher · 22 Jul 2006 at 17:23

Isopon P38 filler = £5
Removing 8 tyres = £20
Primer for 8 alloys = £15
Silver paint for 4 alloys = £14
Lacquer for 4 alloys = £12

Probably £35-40 per set of alloys, to do them thoroughly.

Nozzer · 22 Jul 2006 at 18:28

Good job

Agent_Smith357 · 22 Jul 2006 at 20:25

Wont normal body filler crack at the first pot hole you go over?

Chemical metal would have made a better choice.

MrMatteh · 22 Jul 2006 at 20:36

getting quite a trend on here!

I did mine a while ago using a similar method (used nitromors and wirewool)

Love the result

Firestar_3x · 22 Jul 2006 at 20:44

Exactly what i've just done to my wheels yesterday / today, they now look spot on and much better colour now

Muncher · 23 Jul 2006 at 13:00

Agent_Smith357 said:
Wont normal body filler crack at the first pot hole you go over?

Chemical metal would have made a better choice.

No

Oracle · 23 Jul 2006 at 13:09

Agent_Smith357 said:
Wont normal body filler crack at the first pot hole you go over?

Chemical metal would have made a better choice.

Actually....yes it will, but it won't happen immediately. After a few knocks and with the temperature of tyres (fluctuating) being transferred through the alloy (as with brake heat, etc) the filler will eventually fail. Whats worse is, that if you do kerb it, you wont just knock a bit of alloy out. All the filler you put in that spot will crumble and fall out too.

The other worse thing you could do is clean you car with cold water immediately after a hard run. When the water hits the wheels (which will be warmer than normal) the filler will go.........crack!

If using normal filler you need to mix it with a bonding agent so it mates to alloy better. Something you do not need to do with flexi filler or Chem metal.

Professional wheel refurbs use chemical metal of flexi bond which will not crack even over time.

I've refurbished more sets of alloys than I care to remember over the last 8 years and I would never use normal filler again. Flexi for the win.

You've done a stunning job there. They look fantastic and as has been said, make sure you keep your eyes peeled when those tyres go back on.

Spanker · 23 Jul 2006 at 16:33

Refurbed many, many wheels in my time, never used filler, any filler actually. They do look good in the photo Muncher.

dilated · 23 Jul 2006 at 16:41

thats a lot of hard work paying off!

i have a few small kerbing scratches, do i need to go to the same effort or are there any products that will do the trick.

thebrasso · 23 Jul 2006 at 16:49

I'd best get my finger out a bit...I'm working on a set of Honda 15" wheels. The surface is stripped with nitromors but I need to use a bit of filler and get to work...