What's the trick to getting behind the valve stems when sanding? Maybe I got sausage fingers...

 

pull the stems out..

take the wheels to a tire shop and dismount the tires and pull the stems

 

Would it be possible to just deflate the tire and separate tire and wheel, then just put my weight on the sidewall and get my hand in there and remove it?

 

i really doubt that, tires are pretty hard to flex even when deflated.

 

better yet, take to shop and let them deal with it.
For the $50-$75 a lip its money well spent to get back mirror chrome looking lips.

 

you can use the scissor jack to break the tire bead. place the rim with the jack sideways in between something stationary. just be careful not to scratch the lip.

 

I've been told to not do that on aluminum rims, but only by 1 person. Is it safe for those as well as steelies?

 

well you aren't pressing against the rim itself, just the bead. i saw it in a video, never needed to change tires this way. but it's good to know it's possible without a tire machine.

 

Well apparently BBS stems have nuts on the inside, so I'm sure it would have been possible.

 

you have to break the bead on tyres to get them off the rim. If they're low profile tyres then it will be near impossible to get off.

I used to work at a tyre place and we used hydraulics to break beads, it wont be easy AT ALL by hand. Although it IS possible, just no where near easy.

 

Are the lips the only part you can polish? Is there anything I can do to clean up the spokes a little?