anyone got any idea how to shine original gslse wheels , and what materials are needed ? any specialtools, techniuque i should employ.

 

try a search , i know ive read some pretty good threads on this .

 

Gotta remove the coating 1st w/ aircraft stripper (something like that) then lots of sand paper. I used a dremmel once on a set of stock wheels to remove the coating and it worked well. Polishing is a whole different story.

 

http://www.eastwoodco.com/

Go to this site. They sell a kit for polishing wheels. Make sure you get some Zoop Seal to put on them after you're done to protect the finish. Polishing aluminum is alot of work but in my opinion it's worth the work. I've polished quite a bit of stuff on my bike and in the engine bay of one of the Mustangs I use to own. Never tried to polish any wheels though. I bought a buffing motor, buffing wheels, and the compounds from Grainger. Started out with dremel and end grinder but the motor made it so much easier. I think the kit they sell for wheels uses a drill motor. On one of the Mustang boards there's a guy that wrote a really good thread on polishing and he has lots of pics. I'll try and find it and post it for you. You can get a small wheel and compounds at Home Depot and get something to practice on. As I said I've never done any wheels but the things I did involved alot of sanding. I would work my way from 80 grit and work my way up till I got it as smooth as possible before moving to the compounds and wheel. How much sanding depends on the condition and quality of the aluminum. Eastwood sells some sanding compounds that you can use with the motor and wheel but I have'nt tried the yet. I think they use them in the wheel kit. Good luck and if you need to ask questions just pm me. I plan on doing the intake and other aluminum under the hood of my 7 once I get some other projects out of the way.

 

hey dats a nice 7 it looks like mine !lol thnks for your input very informative i h ope to undertake this project starting this weekend ! i saw a guy dat had these same wheels polished they looked sick he told me he spend weeks polishing them and they looked soo good from far away i thought it was chrome dat dats how i want mine to look for the winter cause im thinking bout getting sum summer rims nothing crazy 16 in front n 17 in back light weight ill be in the look out for your web site many thnks

 

http://www.swmetal.com/cart/search?c...ng%20Compounds

http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/index.html

Here's a couple more sites for you to check out.

 

good looking out ill keep you posted i have 2 sanding machines ill use them both if i have to take the rim to bare metal

 

His link on polishing is not on the web anymore.

 

http://www.corral.net/forums/showthr...shing+aluminum

Check this out.

 

^^^

thats pretty amzing ..... gets you thinking whats really possible with a little hard work

 

i have some old civic rims with paint i used paint thiner and a old clean rage to take off the paint then i used a S.O.S pad to clean them up.

this is what they used to look like.



after cleaned (still need to get into the little parts)

 

Ok guys, I soon as I get the time I will do a write up on the steps I use to polish aluminum. I've done quite a few pieces that turned out pretty good. Since this thread got started I've decided to do a wheel and see how it turns out and how much work it will be. Looked at my wheels yesterday and don't think it will be that difficult. I will be going to my house in Ga this weekend and I will get my buffer and the rest of my supplies to do the job. It might take me some time to get started because I Have a shutdown in Mississippi that starts next week so my time will be limited for a few weeks (got to go make that money). I'm a pipefitter and I travel all over the country working shutdowns. So be patient with me and hopefully I can post so good info to help you guys out.

 

OH BTW, opensot that wheel looks good. From the design of it ( wide open and no real tight spots) that wheel would be real aesy to polish. Check out some of the wheel polishing kits from the links and see what you think.

 

Hey guys, be on the lookout for a cheap GSL-SE wheel I can pick up since I can take my wheels off. Don't want to spend a fortune on one. I'll be watching Ebay but if you run across some one that's getting rid of one cheap or free let me know. Of course I will pay shipping if someone has a free one lying around.

 

Hum I think in the FAQ there is a good one about Oven Cleaner. Might be in archives too.

 

sorry to say but oven cleaner does not work. i tryed