how do you polish wheels?

[PunisherStang]

ok so i see people polishing there own wheels (im not talking about cleaning or shining them up lol) im wondering what tools, parts, etc do i need to polish wheels, i believe i got the idea from wick, i believe he said once that he polished his 99 cobras himself. so any help would be great, thanks:thmbsup:

[2001GTTT]

depends on the finish..

[PunisherStang]

what type of finish does it have to be to be able to polish?

[2001GTTT]

what type of finish does it have to be to be able to polish?


lol you could polish anything i guess...but what you would use and the methods you would use would differ depending on finish. Up at the shop if im workin on chrome wheels i use harley chrome polish and some type of wax....if its aluminum i use Busch's aluminum polish and just keep buffing till the aluminum looks like chrome....it just all really depends.

[PunisherStang]

im not sure if you get what i mean by polishing or im just reading what you wrote wrong, im saying like when people take plain silver rims an then polish them to make them look chrome but there not chrome they are polished lol does that make sense?

[2001GTTT]

im not sure if you get what i mean by polishing or im just reading what you wrote wrong, im saying like when people take plain silver rims an then polish them to make them look chrome but there not chrome they are polished lol does that make sense?


yea exactly what i ment up there when i talked about using the aluminum wheel polish. those silver rims your talking about are aluminum, and if you use the Busch stuff, just keep applying coats and it will turn out chrome.

[PunisherStang]

oh alright lol, where do you get the busch stuff>?

[2001GTTT]

oh alright lol, where do you get the busch stuff>?


i can get it for ya no problem...I got it for someone else on here(i forget who) for their wheels and it worked out for them. Let me know.

[PunisherStang]

alright ill let u know bro, thanks for your help man i appreciate it.:thmbsup:

[2001GTTT]

alright ill let u know bro, thanks for your help man i appreciate it.:thmbsup:


no problem:goodidea:

[wick]

He has no idea what you mean man. HAHAHAHAHA

You need some sand paper. On painted wheels I always start by stripping them with a quality stripper. Not the tramp down the street either. HAHA Then start sanding. I start with 110 or 220. Depending on is they are machined or not. Then just work up to a nice 2000 or in my case a 4000 grit. Make sure you get all the scratches out from the previous paper before you move to the next one. Lots of water and dont get discouraged. It will take time. It took me about a day per wheel on my car, and you have seen mine. Be sure to get a nice polish also. Something like mothers billit works real good. Any more questions just ask.

[Rodeheaver's]

i have taken things like 87-93 stock valve covers, they are a poor casting but i have sanded them down in steps like 400-600-1000-1500grit, then polished them with mothers and they look great, i have done this to wheels, brackets, valve covers..

[wick]

i have taken things like 87-93 stock valve covers, they are a poor casting but i have sanded them down in steps like 400-600-1000-1500grit, then polished them with mothers and they look great, i have done this to wheels, brackets, valve covers..


Basically what I said. only I use 220-400-600-800-100-1500-2000-then 4000. Better results and easier.

[PunisherStang]

You need some sand paper. On painted wheels I always start by stripping them with a quality stripper. Not the tramp down the street either. HAHA Then start sanding. I start with 110 or 220. Depending on is they are machined or not. Then just work up to a nice 2000 or in my case a 4000 grit. Make sure you get all the scratches out from the previous paper before you move to the next one. Lots of water and dont get discouraged. It will take time. It took me about a day per wheel on my car, and you have seen mine. Be sure to get a nice polish also. Something like mothers billit works real good. Any more questions just ask.

ok lettme see if i got this down, they are 00 gt wheels the 5 spoke ones, i strip the paint off, then i wet sand w/ every grit sandpaper like listed (not being afraid to use alot of water when sanding),then buy a good polish like mothers billet, an i dry the wheel off then just keep rubbing it in the wheel til it comes out polished? is that right lol

[MBH]

You're going to have hulk arms when you're done with this. Good luck.

[Rodeheaver's]

i am not a big fan of the mothers billet, i have always had the best luck with the good old mag and wheel polish.. what you should do is keep it real wet, that will keep the sand paper clean and help it cut faster, then as you move up in grit i usually wash down the part being polished to get any left over grit or dirt off, this is a really long and painstaking job, so you might want to wait till winter...

[PunisherStang]

You're going to have hulk arms when you're done with this. Good luck.

guess ill have to throw it in to my workout regimon lol

[PunisherStang]

so i keep the rim wet when i use the polish correctt?

[Rodeheaver's]

so i keep the rim wet when i use the polish correctt?
no keep the rim and sand paper wet when sanding it.. i like to use the polish dry, however i have heard of people doing there first couple polishes wet..

[venom]

polishing wheels are a pain. been there, done that. they looks great for a few days, then fade and fade. i guess you could clear them right after polishing them? i just remember re-polishing my wheels every two weeks or so. ugh.

[pwtmxracing]

i redid my draglites with a buffer and jewlers rouge its a pain in the ass and is real dirty but they looked like new when i was done. the guy that tought me calls it cutiing. he got me all the stuff frome debs chroe shop nex to william house

[John4cam]

If your polishing the wheels I think you are you don't have to start with a real coarse grit, those wheels are smooth. I would start off with something coarse if it was valve covers, but not these wheels. JMO.

[HidalgoGT]

polishing wheels are a pain. been there, done that. they looks great for a few days, then fade and fade. i guess you could clear them right after polishing them? i just remember re-polishing my wheels every two weeks or so. ugh.
It isn't that bad I did a set of iroc wheels now that was a pain in the ass. Louie used to be a polishing monster when he worked at the wheel shop. As for fade If you use a good polish it doesnt fade so bad and you could apply a coat of wax afterwards to seal it. I used zephyer I think it was it was 20 bucks for a lil bottle. its purple colored. I use the powerball to and it saves ALOt of time.

[sweeney1030]

that all will work for his wheels but when it comes time to do the centers - hes screwed if they are oo 5 spoke they have plastic centers right? that will look stupid wont it? just thought of that.

[2001GTTT]

[quote=wick;117415]He has no idea what you mean man. HAHAHAHAHAquote]


this is true. lol. I thought he ment like polished aluminum

[wick]

If your polishing the wheels I think you are you don't have to start with a real coarse grit, those wheels are smooth. I would start off with something coarse if it was valve covers, but not these wheels. JMO.


You start with the coarse grit to get rid of the machine grooves. The really fine lines.

[John4cam]

You start with the coarse grit to get rid of the machine grooves. The really fine lines.

I didnt think these wheels were machined, thought they were cast?

[wick]

I didnt think these wheels were machined, thought they were cast?

You are thinking fordged more than liklely. Almost all wheels are machined.

[85stang]

ive got the old 10 hole wheels. how would i do the inside of the holes? theyre a rough finish(like sandblasted). just more sanding im guessing.

[HidalgoGT]

ive got the old 10 hole wheels. how would i do the inside of the holes? theyre a rough finish(like sandblasted). just more sanding im guessing.
Dremel tool lol and lots of patience

[wick]

Too much work. I would not bother.

[PunisherStang]

well thank you all for your help on how to polish wheels, but i got a killer deal on 17in chrome cobra rs for 150 bux so i bit the bullet an bought them..:thmbsup: