Wheel refinishing diary

[Majend]

I do custom wheel refinishing in my spare time here in MN and i figured i would post up a diary of some of the jobs i have been doing. I tend to buy random wheels as well and just refinish them so i'll put those here as well.

One day while on CL i saw these MK1 MR-2 wheels that i just had to have, i thought i would run these on my opel but i think i am just going to sell them.

This is how they looked when i got them



and then after a bit of work...



had a client want a set of audi wheels refinished recently they had been redone by someone in the past and the paint was flacking off so i sanded them down and gave them a quick coat of paint.





and all done



also recently did a set of RAs for someone first had them chemically stripped



he gave me free reign over what to do and a budget so i did a brushed finish on the lips



at first we were going to keep the centers raw but BBS has someone clean up casting marks with a dremel or something and it just made the wheels look unfinished so we decided to paint the centers.



and then all done



decided i didn't have enough examples of polishing work so i found a set of salad shooters on CL for a reasonable deal so i picked them up for. I have always wanted to polish a set of these wheels so needless to say it has been a fun weekend so far.

here is the shot used in the CL add


Untitled by Majend, on Flickr

the one in the upper left still had the clear coat on it, hence it looking very shiny but these wheels came from the factory with very noticeable and i would imagine intentional machine marks so they all need to be sanded down at the base level. The wheels were in pretty good condition very little rash but as a result of wheel weights being used on the case there was some good oxidation to contend with.

it felt like three didn't have clear on them anymore but i decided to just try and strip all of them


Untitled by Majend, on Flickr

then started sanding...


Untitled by Majend, on Flickr

getting there


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closer...


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there we go


Untitled by Majend, on Flickr

and then a little before and after. both wheels had oxidation of roughly equal size in the same location


Untitled by Majend, on Flickr

gonna wait till i finish polishing all of them before i paint them again. they will be coming with me to DIV if someone wants to buy them.

and sorry for the crappy pics, i need to buy a camera...

[Majend]

can't believe i forgot these...

[OP:Mazda3]

What kind of tools do you use? Do you use rattle cans/spray paint? Or HPLV guns?

[Majend]

it depended on what people want i have a small hplv gun but i don't use it that much, paint from a can will hold up really well if you take the time and do the prep work right.

for buffing i have a big stand up buffer for doing multi piece wheels and then a variety of wheels for my drill when doing single piece wheels since my back can't take holding up a wheel to the buffer anymore.

wow a feel like an old man now...

[OP:Mazda3]

I'm only 20 and I have back problems like crazy because of football.lol


My battles were the first wheels I worked on. I used high heat engine enamel, I did have trouble getting into the little nooks and crannies and now that's where they chip very easily. Any tips on gettin into those areas?

[OP:Mazda3]

Oh yea and also the curb has eaten a good chunk of the little lip it has, I was thinking of sanding the edge but I didn't know if it would leave a uneven flat edge and look totally different than the rest of the wheels.

[Majend]

for those small areas you are having trouble with you have to do LOTS of super light coats that blend into the rest of the wheel.

as for the rash you can held to but a lot of the time even if your can't get rid of it entirely without welding you can make it look a lot better than it was so don't always worry about making it perfect because a lot of the time that isn't possible

[Majend]

if there is anyone in interested in having some work done send me a PM, my prices are quite reasonable

[milano_red]

If I was in MN I would have you redo my blades. I have yet to succeed lol

[Majend]

finally some good pics were taken of the wheels i helped my friend do, it was really fun going through the whole process with someone who hadn't done it before. We split the wheels, had the centers stripped then powder coated, we polished the bolts and lips then bolted and sealed them together.

WORK Ryver 18x8 et38 18x9 et38 15mm adaptors with 225 neogens and almost NO rubbing





the car they are on is crazy... e85 + frankenturbo = 300+ whp 337. the craziest thing about is just how fast the turbo spools and yet it never really runs out of breath.

[LowN'Slow]

would you be able to fix this? oxidation even with the clear coat off. but still keep the "machined" look.

[AMGwheelwhore]

I started with AMG reps three years ago... Nice to see someone else doing something similar

[Majend]

would you be able to fix this? oxidation even with the clear coat off. but still keep the "machined" look.

yes, but i would have to take the whole face down on all four wheels in order to get a matching finish, takes a lot of work but a hand done machine/brushed finish (when done properly) looks 100x better than what comes from the factory

[Majend]

time for an update

the guy i helped with the Ryvers bought a caddy recently and we had to do something about the wheels


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stripped the crap tires off


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stripped the blue paint off and brought them home. he need the truck asap so i had to hussle to get these done but i took the time to set this photo up. 13x5.5 vs. 17x9.5 hehe


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sanded the lips down, did what i could with the rash and painted them navy blue


Untitled by Majend, on Flickr


Untitled by Majend, on Flickr

then mounted them to the truck he has a fully navy interior hence the color choice


Untitled by Majend, on Flickr

then i also picked up a set of 17x7.5,8.5 et41 BBS style 32s for my BMW from a buddy of mine so i would have something to put on the car while i worked on my DS2s. They had been sitting in his garage for at least a year and were pretty oxidized but largely rash free.


Untitled by Majend, on Flickr


Untitled by Majend, on Flickr

sanded them down and i got two of them in primer last night. They are going on the car on friday


Untitled by Majend, on Flickr


Untitled by Majend, on Flickr

going with a bright white on them and i CAN NOT WAIT to put them on. They are really just a place holder till the spring when i start putting the wheels i have planned to work on during the winter. I wouldn't be surprised if i had five different sets on the BMW next year hehe.

[Majend]

finally finished the style 32s!! did them in all white which is going to be a bitch to clean but it is going to look sharp on the bmw


All done!! by Majend, on Flickr