Rob_Quads Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 The ideal prep for this work includes taking off the tires. Many people can easily do this so this guide will include keeping the tires on. What do you need to refurbish the wheels [*:39oym9bi]Masking Tape[*:39oym9bi]Various Sandpapers (200/400/800 Grit)[*:39oym9bi]Metalik Filler[*:39oym9bi]White Spirit/Panel Wipe [*:39oym9bi]Clear Lacquer[*:39oym9bi]Strato Silver Paint (I used Halfords paint and had no issues with it) Some of the damage I am looking to repair can be seen below The first step is to CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN. The aim is to get rid of all forms of wax or sealants from the wheels. Don't go using any nice and friendly car wash soap like Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo as this is wax friendly. Use something like Fairly liquid which will have a good go at removing any remaining waxes. Also some panel wipe etc can help. This is one of the most important steps. Don't do this and you might find all your hard work wasted when the paint just flakes off. The next step is to start masking up the wheel. How you do this depends on how severe the damage is. This example will be for light damage - later will show how to do some heaver damage. First lets tape up the outside the rim i.e. the tyre. I normally put a layer of 2" tape around the edge against the tyre and then just use some newspaper beyond that. The next step is to tape the inside of the rim. As we only have minor damage to the rim we will only need to tape it up once. If the most of the rim is curbed its best to repair it all. I only have 3 sections on the first wheel so will only tape up them. Take the tape around the rim with around 50% of the tap exposed with the sticky side facing out from the rim. Do this all the way round the rim and then use some paper and stick it to the exposed part of the rim all the way round. This should result is the middle part of the wheel all being taped up. All taped up ready to go. The next step is to try and remove any damage we can without filling. Start by using some 400 grit sandpaper round. This will start to remove a lot of the small nicks. The main bits to concentrate on are where the metal has been pushed proud of the rim. Once you have been all the way around the rim use some white spirit to clean up the surface. Now you should be able to see (and feel) where you still need more work Below you can see that now the actual surface is fairly smooth with only a couple minor issues Time for the filler - I use Metalik as its designed for use on metals and can even be polished. Mix up a very small amount of it to use. If at any time you find it becomes sticky and starting to solidify stop using it and make up a fresh mix. Now take the filler and put small dabs/smear it around the areas you need filled in. Now sit and wait for to to full cure. Once cure (around an hour at most if the Metalik was mixed properly) its time to start sanding with the 400 again. Hopefully after this step you should have a near smooth rim. If you haven't go round the filling and sanding process again. Before painting we want to make sure we get rid of any of the small scratches so go around the lip again with some 800 grit paper. Once done again use some panel wipe/white spirit to clean up the lip and remove and dirt. Below you can see a section all filled and smoothed ready for paint Time to start spraying. First check that all the tape is still in place. Normally through the sanding process you will have dislodge some so make sure its all sealed up. You don't want overspray on bits of the wheel that don't need it. Start by putting down a very light coat of paint and leave it to dry for 15/20 minutes, then repeat another couple times. Before starting each new coat start to pull the tape on the inside of the rim back a mm or so. This should help reduce any obvious join line/ colour difference. Below is photo after 3 light coats After 3/4 layers you should not be able to see any of the repairs and should have a fairly consistent colour. Now pull the tape back another 3-4 mm and look around the rim for anywhere that needs a bit more colour or where an obvious join is. If you see an obvious edge, pull the tape back another few mill giving around a cm free and give it a little spray - just enough to blend in the paint and have no obvious line. Now let that dry off for 15/20 minutes and its time to lacquer the paint. Same process as before, again moving the tape slightly after each later. 3 layers should give good protection. The next step is to let the paint dry off. It will normally be touch dry within a few hours but paint takes quite a lone time to fully cure, often taking weeks depending on the weather. As a result of this if you can afford the time I would recommend leaving the wheels somewhere nice and warm if possible for a good few days. This gives the paint a chance to really harden up before being subjected to the dirt of the road (the saltier the roads the easier it is to damage the paint) No more curbings left Before refitting the wheels give them a nice good wax with something nice and durable like Collinite 915. Wax the complete wheel - inside and out and if possible a 2nd layer after 24h will help make it last that bit longer Final step - Refit the wheels. While doing this remember not to put your wheels anywhere they might fall over. You don't want to destroy your good work before they are even on the car! More Severe Damage If you have more severe curbings then you will have to re-tape it before painting as chances are the tape will get scuffed and there will be a lot of sanding dust etc. The first time you tape it up just lay the tape down around the part of the rim that faces out. This is just to stop you catching the face with some sandpaper which would mark it very easily. You will probably have to put much thicker layers of filler on if you have a badly curbed wheel, specially if you want to regain the rounded edge. Its also worth starting on a lower grade sandpaper to get rid of the main markings. 240 should start to remove most bits fairly quickly. If not 180 and lower can be used but be aware the lower grade you use the more work you will have to get rid of any scratch marks. With severely curbed rims you are more likely to have to sand back the metal which has been moved proud of the standard rim lip. The picture below shows some of the damage on the worst of my rims After sanding before any filling Filled Sanded All painted. A nice round lip again [i realise some of these pics are not of exactly the same area of rim but they are good enough ] So in summary my biggest Tips are [*:39oym9bi] Clean Clean Clean - Make sure there is no wax\sealant left on the wheels[*:39oym9bi] Spray in small layers - Don't layer it on thick[*:39oym9bi] When spraying [move the tape before the next layer[*:39oym9bi] Let the paint harden & dry before subjecting to the weather Hopefully this guide will be of some use to people out there. Any questions just fire away. One last pic. For those wondering how if you can fit 4 standard wheels in a 350z - Easy. 1 in the boot, 3 in the front Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrLizard Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 nice write up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 Awesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chesterfield Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 Excellent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M13KYF Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 brilliant work Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuey Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 good thread rob............... very helpful to all the girls on here.....!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 Brilliant! Is it just sheer coincidence that the Halfords Strato Silver is a good match? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmJak Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 Excellent write up but will need more than the info here to repair my Rays Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drewbie Posted May 9, 2008 Share Posted May 9, 2008 Awesome article that will save me over £50 a wheel from now on. Thanks for taking so much time and care to write it. I have given it the wife and expect her to get to work once she has finished the weeding. I've added it to the detailing work I've given her for tomorrow - don't worry, I'll be coming back from the pub periodically to check it's going to be up to the Welsh drive out std. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janz70 Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 nice write up dont suppose anybody knows a good colour match for the GT4 wheels as they are more of a chrome silver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H5 Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Love the last pic Rob, great write up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smartmove Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 Could this same process be used for wheels suffering from corrosion? Can you sand through the corosion and then re-paint the local area? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M350ZB Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 Nice write up, good work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve3000 Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 Excellent write-up - and a great topic to cover! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWZ Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 Thankyou Rob - this guide has helped me refurb one of my Rays today. I kerbed it big time yesterday (probably down to the 20mm spacers I've got on the front. It was really bad. I also sanded down a couple of corrision spots and have sprayed the whole wheel. Anyway, all prepped & primed read to be sanded tomorrow. I'll try and post pics when I'm done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maccaman Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 That's a great "how to" & very usefull. May try this over the summer while my new wheels are on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulletMagnet Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 At least I now know how to fit a set of Rays in the car... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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