Polished Wheel pictures?

[Tepot]

Hey,

I'm looking for picture of before and after of pollished aluminum wheels, I wanna know what can of difference I will find when I pollish my wheels.

Anyone have some pictures you can post.

I've seen a red C3 corvette once on this forum i think that looked like chrome. that was an amazing job. Can't find it no more.

 

[Koop]

Polished wheels

I've had alloys off a '79 on my '69 since '83. I've always kept them polished. The first time they came out looking nearly like chrome and stayed nice for at least a decade. While it was in the shop one time my wheels were stolen (switched with another polished set that was in poor condition), apparently they thought I wouldn't notice. So I made my insurance company send the new set out to be polished since they didn't look to good. The wheels were pitted and the polishing shop told me that these type of wheels were good for about 3 polishes and then they would pit (That's what they told me, refering to the Corvette alloys) and the shine would never be brilliant after 3 times, but it would be decent and they were decent. I made the insurance company cough up a better set of alloys that would polish up properly, these still don't look as good as my first set but they are 25 years old and they look great. If your wheels are not in great shape, you will not get a near chrome polish. The differance between the original finish and polish is night and day, they look great polished, not a bright as chrome but they don't rust or peel. You do need to maintain them some, wash them with non detergent soapy water, clean cloths only and never dull a couple of times a year.

 

[6 Shooter]

http://www.carolinarodshop.com/finished_proj/html_files/1982_vette_1.htm​

 

[Jim Martley]

Did it look like THIS red C3?

 

[Peer81]

Here my rims i did 2 years ago. You still need to lightly polish them ones or twice a years to keep them perfect.

It you compare highly polished with chrome, you'll see that chrome has a warmer glow and high polish more to a blue (cold) glow. At least that's what i see

Groeten (greetings) Peter.

 

[Tepot]

Wow !!! what a difference with before and after.

looks like I'm gonna have a really hard time to get them shinny like all the pictures you guy's sent.

My wheels are nice, but they look more like a grey color wheels now. they are really not shinny.

Can someone tell me what should I use to make them shine like the pictures you guy's sent me?

What product to use? should I use a drimel, a grinder, drill or what about that red sponge I've seen in a Chip Foose comercial. it's like a ball you put at the end of a drill. what do you guy's suggest?

Consider that my wheel looks more like gray than alminium.

here's a picture

 

[wishuwerehere82]

As barbaric as it sounds, you need to start with some 800 grit wet-or-dry sandpaper. Wet sand them to get the oxidation and pitting off the surface. Once they are smooth and slippery, dry them off and use a metal polish like Nevrdul or Mothers or my favorite Wizards cotton to polish them up. You can use a buffing ball on a power drill to make the job faster or you can do them by hand. 2-3 Hrs. per wheel should get them looking good again. Then a little wax to seal the aluminum from the elements. Paint the backsides black to finish them like new.

 

[Mr. Chuck]

Wheel polish; By owner

Attached are the "Before" & "After" Pictures, which is which should be evident. The process used was very basic, using a varnish stripper and only the outer rim surface was done. The tire remainded mounted and the surface was protected by several coats of TR3 car wax. Surface blemishes, dings and the like were left as is. The finished job was a big improvement over the before, but I am sure would be much better if done by a professional. Also added the missing center cap & emblem.

 

[Peer81]

You first want to know if your rims have a clear coat on top or not.
3 out of 4 rims had clear coat so i first needed to get that off. I didn't go for the chemical way but pure by hand. I started with a 300 or 400 grit (believe it or not) after that a 500 that 600, 800, 1000 and finaly a 1200. Make sure you don't scour it twice (after each other) the same way! So each time you change grit, also change a little the direction you are scouring (or how do you call it?) Also make sure you scour till you don't see anymore scratches from the previous grit. This will prevent leaving deep scratches in the surface which also will be there after to polished it.
From 800 and up i used water sandpaper in water, before that non water sandpaper. Then you finished with 1200.
Take a electrical drill and put a polish wheel in it, flat circle made from clothing. And take some alumium polish spin it for 30 minutes and after that polish it with a bath towel for the finishing things.

When you don't have any clear coat on the rims start at 800 or so, but take a good look at the rim if any stone road damage wil disapere or not. It took me around 10 houres for one rim so good luck

Groeten Peter.

 

[Tepot]

ok. I guess I'd better start now then, I hope they really look good when I'm done.

Thanks for all the info. If anyone else has some pictures to post. post them.

 

[cinci5]

The red C3 was mine probably, it took me a month of evenings to get them just right.

 

[BruceBed]

The red C3 was mine probably, it took me a month of evenings to get them just right.

[/quoteAMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Koop]

The wheels on the red car look GREAT!

(Maybe I'll go home and wash my car now, you made me feel bad)

 

[Tepot]

Oh yes cinci5 , this is it my Friend. It's your red C3 I was refering to. Exellente Job with the wheels my friend. Could you please tell me all the step you went trought to get those wheel that shinny?

I've seen alot of work done on wheels but nothing can compare to yours. Please help me. I want my wheels to look just as good as yours. could you tell me how you did it? product you used? all the steps?

Di you put a protecive coating on them afterwards? Did they stayed that shinny for a while?

Thanks in advance.

The red C3 was mine probably, it took me a month of evenings to get them just right.

 

[cinci5]

I started with paint stripper to remove any plastic coating if any as I bought the car used then mothers power balls and polishing compound then went to a mushroom buff and tripoli compound checked for scratches after buff then used 800 grit closed paper with oil and polished out schratches. I finished with a soft open ball buff and more tripoli then mothers polishing cream to finish. I then sealed with mothers pure carnuba wax. I bought most supplys from Eastwood.com Alot of work and alot of mess also along wait for my painter as I came and got the wheels after he started the work so the car was on jack stands in his shop while I worked on the wheels and he pi**ed and moaned about not being able to move the car until I brought over the wheels. HE GOT PAIDED PLENTY !!!

 

[Twin_Turbo]

before (these were hard anodized, a ***** to get off)

after a caustic soda bath to remove the hard anodizing

after

 

[Tepot]

Hey,

I've tried to polish my old wheels I had before and I had a hard time just to apply the tricoli bar compound on the mushroom buff.

How do you guy do it. Do you have to melt it a bit? it's just that the bar is kind a hard. how to you apply that on a cloth for buffing?

 

[Peer81]

The stuff i just was sort off liquid.

Groeten Peter.

 

[wishuwerehere82]

Hey,

I've tried to polish my old wheels I had before and I had a hard time just to apply the tricoli bar compound on the mushroom buff.

How do you guy do it. Do you have to melt it a bit? it's just that the bar is kind a hard. how to you apply that on a cloth for buffing?

The Tripoli and the Rouge are bound by a wax binder in the stick. Heat it up with a torch or just hold it onto the buff until it heats up. If you use different grades of compound, use different buffs for each one to avoid cross-contamination.

 

[Glensgages]

The red C3 was mine probably, it took me a month of evenings to get them just right.

That looks really nice, as-does the entire car.


Here's my '82, with chrome-plated N90 wheels:

..... and a close-up of the wheels-themselves:

​