My kingdom for Panasport C8-17! (G7-C8S)

[lamsv]

That is really nice. Shoes with lots of rubber make me happy.

[BenFenner]

This is what I have for you guys right now. Expect way more pics as the months roll on.

Obviously I'm polishing those butt-ugly headlights next.

Thanks to Rajeet Dalal at Apt. 9 Wheels for making this dream a reality.

[BenFenner]

Applying the wheel sealant in sections and working faster made all the difference today.
They are all set now to cure for 24 hours.

[BenFenner]

After wiping the wheels with purple power to degrease, wiping them down with water to remove the purple power, then wiping them down with alcohol to remove the water spots and anything else, it was time to seal them with this CarPro CQuartz DLUX stuff.

I've learned this is some fussy stuff and I may have applied it a little thick, and certainly left it to dry too long (out of the sun, but still on a hot day). By the time I was done applying it to the wheel, maybe 8 minutes had passed and it probably should have been wiped off after about 2. It was like wiping off half-dried Elmer's glue, leaving a haze on the wheel that made the polished part look brushed and even pulling off bits of the suede towel as I tried to remove it.

After consulting with my detailer friend he said I'd messed it up and would probably have to polish it off. If I was lucky an alcohol rag would take it off.

I was lucky, and was able to remove the stuff with alcohol.

By this time I'd washed/wiped each wheel 3 times a piece, and this first wheel an additional three times. I'm doing all of this prep because I despise washing wheels!
I gave up for the night and will give it another go soon. This time with cooler wheels if possible for a longer cure time, and working on the wheel in sections so I can wipe the DLUX off before it dries too much.

[BenFenner]

Scorchers?
Way to scrape the barrel and leave no rice left for anyone else.

[Oh Damn, it's Sam]

You know you want a set of these to go with that time attack stripe:

[BenFenner]

Flat black Plastidip?

And those damn red time attack stripes won't stripe themselves!

[KyleAnderson]

I finished applying the rice tonight. Jesus, being a ricer is hard work.

Flat black Plastidip?



Can't wait to see these on!

[BenFenner]

Be sure to give us a review on the aluminum sealant you're using. I'm researching everything I can for an upcoming project where completely raw aluminum will not be acceptable, but neither will clear coat or clear powder. Been wracking my brain trying to come up with something good, aside from just going and buying like 50 gallons of sulfuric acid and anodizing.

I'll give a review of the sealant, but I probably won't have much info for another year on that, you know?
Everyone I trust in the detailing business uses it for wheels and plastic. I don't know if it's actually meant for raw aluminum though. It's probably designed to go onto paint, but I could be wrong. I think my polished rims are clear-coated anyway... Whatever. We'll see.

Really looking forward to seeing these beauts bolted on to a car. Can't wait

Not just any car.




I finished applying the rice tonight. Jesus, being a ricer is hard work.
I'll coat them tomorrow and let it set for a day, and then I'll have those pics come this weekend.

[Rally]

Really looking forward to seeing these beauts bolted on to a car. Can't wait

[Oh Damn, it's Sam]

Be sure to give us a review on the aluminum sealant you're using. I'm researching everything I can for an upcoming project where completely raw aluminum will not be acceptable, but neither will clear coat or clear powder. Been wracking my brain trying to come up with something good, aside from just going and buying like 50 gallons of sulfuric acid and anodizing.

[BenFenner]

Wheel sealant came yesterday. I guess I better get my ass in gear. No more excuses.

[BenFenner]

The tires went on the wheels two days ago as planned. I was sweating bullets while that happened but stayed occupied running trips back and forth (needed to bring wheels and tires in two trips, then another trip to bring the wheel boxes back, then another trip to bring the wheel/tire combos back) which helps prevent me from hovering over the tire guys and generally making everyone nervous at the tire shop.

The mounting went just fine and I tipped the tire guy.

Normally a nice set of tires on the wheels make them look even better, but this time the tires didn't seem to add to the look which really surprised me. The wheels look worse with tires on them, and maybe even a little small. I'm not worried though, as I'm sure they will look great once they are on the car. The tire sizes are perfect for the wheels though, with that square sidewall shoulder I love and absolutely zero stretch.


I have a bit of rice to apply before I can mount them... But the real hold-up is the bottle of CarPro DLUX wheel (and plastic) sealant that I ordered (highly recommended by most good detailers) which isn't scheduled to arrive until Wednesday. I will go a loooooong time between washing the car or the wheels, so the more prep I can do the better.

If all goes well, I'll likely have them on the car by the end of the week, and some real pictures to post this weekend.

[BenFenner]

No update yet, sorry. Just got back from a week vacation in MA. The plan is to get the tires mounted this Saturday, but the wife is pushing hard to find a new car (Mazdaspeed 3 or similar) so that took up our time yesterday and may steal the weekend away from me.

We'll see. I will try my best to get them mounted Saturday. I also need to coordinate with the tire place so their best installer is on hand that day.

[rice4life]

News yet? In 21 more days, it will be a year since you started this thread. Holy shit, that's a long ass time for some wheels. I would have broken down and bought some enkei compes and butchered the crap out of them to make a janky half safe 3 piece wannabe wheel; I am not nearly as patient as you are.