Polishing the lip on the Type 5 wheels

[rockyfeller]

FINALLY my dream has come true. Type 5s!!!! Gotta wait till spring to put em on which I don't mind; gotta save $$ for tires. Well the wheels are decent, not perfect and the lip is naturally dull. I understand the aluminum is clear-coated. I see wheel finishers who can bring them to a mirror chrome-like shine. Is that the only alternative? I don't have/want to spend $200 just for a temporary shine. Is there an aluminum polish that will work wonders? (I don't see how it will look that great with the clearcoat) Is there an easy way to strip the clearcoat and polish that aluminum? I was given the suggestion to use paint thinner or something to strip the clearcoat and use steel wool to ploish the aluminum....???? Dosen't sound that safe. If the clear coat is removed is it advised to reapply? Or do I just have to shut up and accept they are used rims and live with the dull look?

[Jon K]

FINALLY my dream has come true. Type 5s!!!! Gotta wait till spring to put em on which I don't mind; gotta save $$ for tires. Well the wheels are decent, not perfect and the lip is naturally dull. I understand the aluminum is clear-coated. I see wheel finishers who can bring them to a mirror chrome-like shine. Is that the only alternative? I don't have/want to spend $200 just for a temporary shine. Is there an aluminum polish that will work wonders? (I don't see how it will look that great with the clearcoat) Is there an easy way to strip the clearcoat and polish that aluminum? I was given the suggestion to use paint thinner or something to strip the clearcoat and use steel wool to ploish the aluminum....???? Dosen't sound that safe. If the clear coat is removed is it advised to reapply? Or do I just have to shut up and accept they are used rims and live with the dull look?
Unbolt the centers, strip the clear on the lip, polish the lip, take lip to body shop and have them cleared, reassemble rim using gold rivets (:)) and done

http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/p/t/ptd5004/pics/rollin.jpg

Gangsterrrrrrrrrrr

[onewhippedpuppy]

Wenol works well for polishing aluminum, they have a rougher and fine polish, works quite well when you do one after the other. I did a set of Fuchs on my 911 with it, they turned out very nice. I only waxed them though, clearcoating would be more permanent.

[kyleN20]

is that yer car, you on style 5's now? looks like you got about 10 people in the trunk there, or maybe you have just punched it, and your incredible power cause an extrem weight shift:)

[rockyfeller]

WHOa Jon you slammed your car more?? That is the lowest rear end I've seen on an E34! What springs can do that??Green centers definitely original. Nice job.

I am lazy lookin for the easy way to do this. I don't want to disassmble the wheel then try an source new bolts. That would take centuries. So what would you use to strip the clearcoat? Any solvent that's recommended? And is steel wool safe? Dumb question but is there a special tool/attatchment for a drill or dremel (like wire brush or something) that can polish the wheel maybe instead of takin it to a professional? What if I don't clearcoat afterwards, will it dull out quickly?

[rreimund]

http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/p/t/ptd5004/pics/rollin.jpg

Gangsterrrrrrrrrrr


Hubba Hubba... Gangster is right.. that is SICK.
I'm going to have to save my pennies some more and make SURE I get those Style 5s. I might consider a light gunmetal center (on my red car).. don't think the red center would look as nice. In any case, that looks amazing.. probably more aggressively dropped than I'm looking for, but I grant you it's hot.. if it wasn't my daily driver.. well.. you never know.

[romeox929]

that car reminds me of the old school impalas.

[angrypancake]

Unbolt the centers, strip the clear on the lip, polish the lip, take lip to body shop and have them cleared, reassemble rim using gold rivets (:)) and done

http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/p/t/ptd5004/pics/rollin.jpg

Gangsterrrrrrrrrrr



that **** is gangsterrr... looks like it should have front, back, pancake and side-to-side

[shragon]

jon, that's photochopped, right?

[Wyn]

I head Jon has the world's first tubbed e34.

:p

[SC David]

jon, that's photochopped, right?
Definitely photoshopped. That would be the most major fender rolling of all time. Inspirational though :)

[Springfield1952]

Most any paint stripper would take off the clear coat but the stuff is pretty nasty (rubber gloves, don't get it on asphalt, etc.) and will also strip any color on the spoke part if it gets there. You can apply carefully with a throw away brush, get the majority of it off and then steel wool the balance.

About a thousand years ago I had a VW with real magnesium wheels (this was way before clear coating). They would tarnish quickly so my easy method to polish the rim portion was to jack the back of the car up, start it and put it into first with the engine idling. The wheel would turn, I held a rag with polish against the rim and viola!, it was polished. My polish of choice was Semichrome.

Finally, I spoke with a guy who was polishing a Cobra with an unpainted, aluminum body. I asked if it had been clearcoated. He said no because the clearcoating dulls the lustre of the aluminum. If you want it to look polished, no clearcoating. good luck.

Curt.


WHOa Jon you slammed your car more?? That is the lowest rear end I've seen on an E34! What springs can do that??Green centers definitely original. Nice job.

I am lazy lookin for the easy way to do this. I don't want to disassmble the wheel then try an source new bolts. That would take centuries. So what would you use to strip the clearcoat? Any solvent that's recommended? And is steel wool safe? Dumb question but is there a special tool/attatchment for a drill or dremel (like wire brush or something) that can polish the wheel maybe instead of takin it to a professional? What if I don't clearcoat afterwards, will it dull out quickly?

[Jon K]

Haha guys sorry I should have said so, its photoshopped. The car used to be on Wyns style 5s. I wish my car were that low. My friend photoshopped it I thought it was funny.

[Jon K]

WHOa Jon you slammed your car more?? That is the lowest rear end I've seen on an E34! What springs can do that??Green centers definitely original. Nice job.

I am lazy lookin for the easy way to do this. I don't want to disassmble the wheel then try an source new bolts. That would take centuries. So what would you use to strip the clearcoat? Any solvent that's recommended? And is steel wool safe? Dumb question but is there a special tool/attatchment for a drill or dremel (like wire brush or something) that can polish the wheel maybe instead of takin it to a professional? What if I don't clearcoat afterwards, will it dull out quickly?

It won't dull at all, you will have to polish them about 3 times a week because they'll tarnish.

[rockyfeller]

Wow never seen a thread so hijacked over a pic. :p LOL. Well that photoshoped pic sure fooled me. I've seen Civics and E36s tucked like that...But to get an E34 like that would mean probably carving out your rear seat, trunk and rear shelf.

At least I have a better idea of what to do with the wheels......So I get 1 vote to clearcoat 1 vote not to. On my old aluminum wheels on another car there was no clearcoat and they would dull not really tarnish. They would go from a mirror-like look to a more dull color. Thing is, if the clearcoat does any good then why do they still go dull anyways? Shouldn't they stay as shiny as new? I take it BBS didn't go with chrome on the lip because of curbing huh?

[Incantation]

that's the perfect ride height

[Larry Looney]

Dude, what size wheels on the W's in your Pic. They look Great.

[Jay 535i]

Rockyfeller, I got those same wheels this summer.

Since you admit your'e lazy and broke (;)), here's what I suggest:

Do nothing for now. Get yourself some snazzy tires and put the wheels on the car in the spring. Clean the car and wheels thoroughly on the first warm day. Then step back fifteen feet, look at the car, and ask yourself if the wheels really need anything at all.

I think that when the wheels are on a nice, clean car and you're not looking at them out of context with such intense scrutiny, you won't see the blemishes at all.

Just my two cents. My wheels aren't perfect, either, but it stopped bothering me when I stopped sticking my face right up to them. So stop it! :)

[rockyfeller]

Haha yeah I think I'm thinking too much. Wish I wasn't a perfectionist. The wheels seem to look close to what you have there in the pic and my car should look the same.

[Jay 535i]

Haha yeah I think I'm thinking too much. Wish I wasn't a perfectionist. The wheels seem to look close to what you have there in the pic and my car should look the same.

Well, mine are Style 5, so they should be the same. My car is lowered a bit, though.

I'm a perfectionist that way, too. I'm doomed, because I've sworn to never buy a new car, as IMHO it's a ridiculous waste of money. But I'm so anal about my cars that sometimes when I look at them all I see are the imperfections. So no matter what I do, I'll always have an imperfect car that will grate on me from time to time. But I tell myself nobody else sees the imperfections, and overall the car's nice, and it costs me less than a Honda Civic lease.

Don't dwell on the blemishes and you'll honestly not see them. Think 'big picture', man. :)