2 and 3 piece wheel bolt restoration

[Randomofodication]

nothing bothers me more then ugly bolts on a nice wheel and I have seen a ton of DIY's for polishing lips and repainting wheels, but almost nothing for the bolts.

soooo here's my little writeup. feel free to pitch in if you have anything that works as well!

What your gonna need:
- bolts
- sos pad (optional)
- steel wool
- corded or cordless drill


STEP 1
Place the wheel bolt in the end of the drill and tighten the drill. (not too much. too tight and you can damage the thread of the bolt!)


STEP 2
OPTIONAL, Hold the sos pad in one hand and the drill in the other. use the drill to spin the bolt, apply pressure to the bolt with the sos pad in the most needed locations
(I generally only use this step if the bolt is very rusty or corroded)



STEP 3
Same as step 2 except the sos pad is replaced with the steel wool
(blue gunk on the bolt is soap from the sos pad)


STEP 4
Dry/clean the bolt off with a towel or rag and then repeat 20-40 times per wheel

before vs after:

[Bronzit]

Such a big improvement. Good to remember.

[Schultz28]

definitely good to know! never thought of that!

[Nicolaus Pro]

Right after I spend $200 on new bolts from BFI

[msheehan]

good to know but your really not recommended to re-use the same bots one the wheels have been torn apart.. as i was taking apart my rs's a decent amount of the bolts cracked before the nuts actually broke loose.. dont wnt to end up having to re do the wheels because you cheaped out on 200 dollar bolts for a 2k set of wheels.. just my .2cents

[electricalbox]

good to know but your really not recommended to re-use the same bots one the wheels have been torn apart.. as i was taking apart my rs's a decent amount of the bolts cracked before the nuts actually broke loose.. dont wnt to end up having to re do the wheels because you cheaped out on 200 dollar bolts for a 2k set of wheels.. just my .2cents

I have taken apart over 20 split wheels before and never had a cracked bolt... I understand replacing if they are stretch (torque to yield) bolts, then they definitely should be replaced. But if they are just normal bolts, make sure to lub them up prior with PB blaster or equivalent and break them by hand not an impact, they shouldn't crack.

Great idea OP, I was going to buy a rock tumbler soon for this sole purpose, but this way looks much more fun/easier/cheaper.

[Randomofodication]

Thanks, I was actually thinking of getting a rock tumbler as well haha but couldn't justify buying it for just the bolts and then having no use for it afterwords lol

[1badg35]

i use a tumbler for some of mine to clean them up. have yet to use any of the old bolts though. just the nuts.

the main issue with things like rs bolts is that they will rust if stripped and polished. ask me how i know..

[Dave_The_BMXER]

^ Yes it sucks, every time it rains my bolts rust.

Anyone have a solution? Some sort of seal I can put on them while they are still together?

[1badg35]

powdercoat clear, or seal them in some way with a sealant. personally, in my experience, new bolts are just easier then headaches.

might be able to get away with some gloss clear rattle can, but i have never done that, and doubt it would actually hold up.

[C.Johnston]

i had mine plated cadmium.. you pay flat rate for however many nuts/bolts you want to do...

[Randomofodication]

^^about how much to get them plated?

[Dave_The_BMXER]

powdercoat clear, or seal them in some way with a sealant. personally, in my experience, new bolts are just easier then headaches.

might be able to get away with some gloss clear rattle can, but i have never done that, and doubt it would actually hold up.

I've been thinking of trying zoop seal, or even touch up clear with careful masking.

I just don't want to take them apart again.

[sawatsky]

^ try Vaseline?

[D-rock]

Amazing!