Alloy Wheel Refurbishing...

[Shiny]

Right chaps, all being well i have landed myself some EP3 wheels for me to play with and refurb.

They show the usual bubbling/corrosion that Honda wheels suffer from and some kerb rash.

I don't want to spend a fortune on them as it defeats the purpose of buying a cheap second hand set. I'd love to leave them with Lespons and £300 odd, but it ain't gonna happen.

Looking for tips on stripping, filling, painting and lacquer.

Will sanding be my best bet, or will i need to use that bloody awful Nitromors stuff. I guess i could get them shot blasted, but again this an additional cost.

Next is the kerb rash. What do people use these days to fill in any marks and make the edges smooth. Obviously needs to have some good adhesion so it doesn't fall off if it has a little knock.

For priming, i'm planning on using Bilt Hamber Etch Weld again, then pray with rattle cans (yet to be decided, but probably going for a shadow look again.

Lacquer is my final question. Bearing in mind it will be a rattle can job again, i will need a hardy lacquer that will withstand all the crap on the road, brake dust and salt in winter etc. I've previously used Halfords Petrol Resistant Lacquer, but an open to suggestions,

Once done, I'll swap over the tyres from my current wheels as they are still good. I presume it is OK to do this?

Cheers all.

[lucas]

Im not very good at explaining things or write ups ( hence why mmy build thread is more pics than text)


I use paintstiper or an acid bath for 5mins, then a good hose down.

I then use a DAsander on the rim to smooth out kerb marks.
I use p180 the work down to a 400, 800 then 1500 on the whole wheel, after that use a soft felt pad.
After this I use panel wipe and a tac cloth to get rid of dust and dirt.

When your ready to primer and paint, its a good idea to soak the ground as this keeps the dust from going on the fresh paint.

For primer I first use an etch high build primer and then can of upol high 5 ( they supply really good tips for them now)

And for paint I like using 2k paint as its got built in lacqure

[nucleustylzlude]

Im not very good at explaining things or write ups ( hence why mmy build thread is more pics than text)


I use paintstiper or an acid bath for 5mins, then a good hose down.

I then use a DAsander on the rim to smooth out kerb marks.
I use p180 the work down to a 400, 800 then 1500 on the whole wheel, after that use a soft felt pad.
After this I use panel wipe and a tac cloth to get rid of dust and dirt.

When your ready to primer and paint, its a good idea to soak the ground as this keeps the dust from going on the fresh paint.

For primer I first use an etch high build primer and then can of upol high 5 ( they supply really good tips for them now)

And for paint I like using 2k paint as its got built in lacqure

Some good painting advice there. For the little cost of some of the prep stuff, you can achieve good results. +1 on the water on the ground.

If you have some serious chunks out of the rim and sanding flat is gonna go too far, you can use liquid metal filler (great stuff!)

Oh and switching tyres over is fine bud.

[Shiny]

I take it i mask off the area that the tyre covers? Two of them are without tyres (and two with knackered tyres).

[Shiny]

Won't know how deep the kerbing is until they arrive. Any particular make of metal filler?

[nucleustylzlude]

Not really many brands out there for metal filler, Plastic Padding is the only one I know. I've got some of this and it works great. has filled some bolt holes on a rocker cover fine.

Personally, if your gonna remove the tyres eventually, I'd get rid first before you start the prep and paint. Just makes it easier. Just chuck a tyre guy a couple of quid to whip them off if you don't know anybody.

[FrontBackSide2Side]

you can get them blasted and powdercoated for £80, might be worth pricing up what all the paint and nitromors is going to cost and see if its worthwhile because its a cow of a job to strip all the old paint off.

[NafemanNathan]

I certainly wouldn't recommend Nitromors after all the recent moans about them weakening the formula, but I always uses Wickes' own paint stripper. Used it on wheels and valve covers now, and you know it's good stuff, as for one it strips the paint well, and two, when you get it on your sink it kind of burns!

Then for filling gashes this will probably work...



You can get it from Halfords too and it bonds well, hard and fast

[Shiny]

Personally, if your gonna remove the tyres eventually, I'd get rid first before you start the prep and paint. Just makes it easier. Just chuck a tyre guy a couple of quid to whip them off if you don't know anybody.

Yeah, that was the plan.

you can get them blasted and powdercoated for £80, might be worth pricing up what all the paint and nitromors is going to cost and see if its worthwhile because its a cow of a job to strip all the old paint off.

I was reading places will charge £20/40 per wheel just for the shot blast. If i can get them done for £80 that will be a result.

Do they shotblast the whole wheel, or just the bits that are visable when the tyres are on. What about the rumours of powder coating weakening wheels?

If powder coated, can i spray them as well? Plan is to have silver going to black at the rear for a shadow effect, maybe with some light sprinkling of another colour as a metallic effect.

[bennyboy]

This may be missing the point, but I used these guys:

http://www.wheelrefurbishing.co.uk/

They are not far from me and charged £160 to blast, repair and powder coat my 4 rotas, with tyres. Will be going back there again shortly...
If you could send your wheels cheaply enough (parcel2go?) or use the LG courier train, maybe it might be worth it for you?