Alloy Wheel Refurb
Alloy Wheel Refurb
Just thought I post up some details on my first experience of refurbing alloy wheels.
I had been looking out for a set of alloys for my daughter Sarah's Yaris T-Sport as hers were just about knackered.
I eventually found some for sale on ebay but there was only three. Anyhow I bought the three with the view that I would keep my eyes open for another one. Well we had the three that I bought swapped over a few weeks ago now and I decided I would have a go at refurbishing the best one of her old ones, it can't be that difficult, can it?
I did this over a period of about 2 weeks just doing a bit at a time in the evenings. Like rubbing down and spraying a couple of coats of paint as then it gave the paint a full 24 hours to harden.
So here's a couple of picks of the old one as it came off her car......
![[Image: CIMG2630.jpg]](http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy75/dave_dixon/Alloy%20Wheel%20Referb/CIMG2630.jpg)
![[Image: CIMG2633.jpg]](http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy75/dave_dixon/Alloy%20Wheel%20Referb/CIMG2633.jpg)
![[Image: CIMG2629.jpg]](http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy75/dave_dixon/Alloy%20Wheel%20Referb/CIMG2629.jpg)
as you can see it was in a bit of a state.
First I took as much old paint and corrosion off with a flap wheel in a drill.....
![[Image: CIMG2634.jpg]](http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy75/dave_dixon/Alloy%20Wheel%20Referb/CIMG2634.jpg)
Like this .......
![[Image: CIMG2635.jpg]](http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy75/dave_dixon/Alloy%20Wheel%20Referb/CIMG2635.jpg)
Then using some course (120grit) wet and dry paper I rubbed and rubbed and rubbed .....
and then with 450grit wet and dry and I rubbed and rubbed and rubbed until it was looking like this.....
![[Image: CIMG2636.jpg]](http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy75/dave_dixon/Alloy%20Wheel%20Referb/CIMG2636.jpg)
![[Image: CIMG2641.jpg]](http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy75/dave_dixon/Alloy%20Wheel%20Referb/CIMG2641.jpg)
I also smoothed the rim where it had been curbed using a fine file and then wet and dry.
Finally it was time to put some paint on. I masked up the parts of the wheel I didn't want to get paint on and applied a couple of coats of a filler primer, this will fill any small imperfections and scratches...
![[Image: CIMG2650.jpg]](http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy75/dave_dixon/Alloy%20Wheel%20Referb/CIMG2650.jpg)
![[Image: CIMG2652.jpg]](http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy75/dave_dixon/Alloy%20Wheel%20Referb/CIMG2652.jpg)
Then, after a rub down with some well wetted 450grit again and as I had some white primer laying around in my garage I applied a couple of coats......
![[Image: CIMG2654.jpg]](http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy75/dave_dixon/Alloy%20Wheel%20Referb/CIMG2654.jpg)
This is white although it looks grey in the photo, I think that's down to the lighting.
My next problem was what colour top coat I needed. I searched and searched on the internet and found that most people seem to use a standard body colour silver from what ever the make of car is. So after visiting my local Halfords and having a look at what silvers were available for Toyota I found that they only did 2 variations, a Lucerne Silver and Silver No2 and the Lucerne Silver was listed as being suitable for loads of different Toyotas over a period of many years. So I went for that one, which was a mistake, see later.
So having picked my top coat colour I then saw the label on the top of the tin.....
![[Image: CIMG2660.jpg]](http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy75/dave_dixon/Alloy%20Wheel%20Referb/CIMG2660.jpg)
****** now I needed to re-spray in grey primer so after buying some grey primer it was down to spraying another couple of coats.....
![[Image: CIMG2661.jpg]](http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy75/dave_dixon/Alloy%20Wheel%20Referb/CIMG2661.jpg)
![[Image: CIMG2664.jpg]](http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy75/dave_dixon/Alloy%20Wheel%20Referb/CIMG2664.jpg)
Right now it was down to top coat. After more rubbing down with 450grit and lots of water and thoroughly drying I sprayed the silver on .........
![[Image: CIMG2667.jpg]](http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy75/dave_dixon/Alloy%20Wheel%20Referb/CIMG2667.jpg)
![[Image: CIMG2668.jpg]](http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy75/dave_dixon/Alloy%20Wheel%20Referb/CIMG2668.jpg)
Looking good so far, except the colour didn't look quite right, a bit too dark. Well maybe it will lighten up a bit when I spray the lacquer on...
So a final rub down with 1500grit wet and dry and lots of water I sprayed 2 coats of clear lacquer.....
![[Image: CIMG2671.jpg]](http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy75/dave_dixon/Alloy%20Wheel%20Referb/CIMG2671.jpg)
![[Image: CIMG2672.jpg]](http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy75/dave_dixon/Alloy%20Wheel%20Referb/CIMG2672.jpg)
Now I can see that even after spaying with clear lacquer the silver is still too dark. See here along side one of the old wheels....
![[Image: CIMG2673.jpg]](http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy75/dave_dixon/Alloy%20Wheel%20Referb/CIMG2673.jpg)
So what to do now. Back to the drawing board I think.
I will just have to rub it all down again and then spray with the correct colour. :crying:
Anyone know what colour I should use? I've searched and searched and I can't find the details anywhere.
Dave
Hi all,
Just thought I post up some details on my first experience of refurbing alloy wheels.
I had been looking out for a set of alloys for my daughter Sarah's Yaris T-Sport as hers were just about knackered.
I eventually found some for sale on ebay but there was only three. Anyhow I bought the three with the view that I would keep my eyes open for another one. Well we had the three that I bought swapped over a few weeks ago now and I decided I would have a go at refurbishing the best one of her old ones, it can't be that difficult, can it?
I did this over a period of about 2 weeks just doing a bit at a time in the evenings. Like rubbing down and spraying a couple of coats of paint as then it gave the paint a full 24 hours to harden.
So here's a couple of picks of the old one as it came off her car......
as you can see it was in a bit of a state.
First I took as much old paint and corrosion off with a flap wheel in a drill.....
Like this .......
Then using some course (120grit) wet and dry paper I rubbed and rubbed and rubbed .....
and then with 450grit wet and dry and I rubbed and rubbed and rubbed until it was looking like this.....
I also smoothed the rim where it had been curbed using a fine file and then wet and dry.
Finally it was time to put some paint on. I masked up the parts of the wheel I didn't want to get paint on and applied a couple of coats of a filler primer, this will fill any small imperfections and scratches...
Then, after a rub down with some well wetted 450grit again and as I had some white primer laying around in my garage I applied a couple of coats......
This is white although it looks grey in the photo, I think that's down to the lighting.
My next problem was what colour top coat I needed. I searched and searched on the internet and found that most people seem to use a standard body colour silver from what ever the make of car is. So after visiting my local Halfords and having a look at what silvers were available for Toyota I found that they only did 2 variations, a Lucerne Silver and Silver No2 and the Lucerne Silver was listed as being suitable for loads of different Toyotas over a period of many years. So I went for that one, which was a mistake, see later.
So having picked my top coat colour I then saw the label on the top of the tin.....
****** now I needed to re-spray in grey primer so after buying some grey primer it was down to spraying another couple of coats.....
Right now it was down to top coat. After more rubbing down with 450grit and lots of water and thoroughly drying I sprayed the silver on .........
Looking good so far, except the colour didn't look quite right, a bit too dark. Well maybe it will lighten up a bit when I spray the lacquer on...
So a final rub down with 1500grit wet and dry and lots of water I sprayed 2 coats of clear lacquer.....
Now I can see that even after spaying with clear lacquer the silver is still too dark. See here along side one of the old wheels....
So what to do now. Back to the drawing board I think.
I will just have to rub it all down again and then spray with the correct colour. :crying:
Anyone know what colour I should use? I've searched and searched and I can't find the details anywhere.
Dave
Tinted Glass-Sports Grill-Debadged-TTE Spoiler-TTE Lowering Springs-PLUK Kazama Exhaust-18" Aero Alloys-K&N Air Filter-Denso Iridium Power Spark Plugs-Quad Tail Light Conversion-6000K HID-X-White High Beam-6 LED Sidelights-Quad LED Boot Light-JDM OEM Smoked Front Fogs-JDM Blue Reverse Bulbs-LS430 Smoked Side Repeaters-6 LED Side Repeaters-Chrome Indicator Bulbs-Alpine HU-Rear Headrest Monitors-PIAA Super Sporza-Fan Washer Jets-Lex Tax Disc Holder-Chrome Gear Knob-2003 Cup Holder-Toyo Proxes T1-R
Nice work Dave, why not use it for now and keep a look out for the 4th rim on ebay and then use this as the spare?? After all that effort would be a pain to have to do it again, especially as you got it looking so good!
Tinted Glass-Sports Grill-Debadged-TTE Spoiler-TTE Lowering Springs-PLUK Kazama Exhaust-18" Aero Alloys-K&N Air Filter-Denso Iridium Power Spark Plugs-Quad Tail Light Conversion-6000K HID-X-White High Beam-6 LED Sidelights-Quad LED Boot Light-JDM OEM Smoked Front Fogs-JDM Blue Reverse Bulbs-LS430 Smoked Side Repeaters-6 LED Side Repeaters-Chrome Indicator Bulbs-Alpine HU-Rear Headrest Monitors-PIAA Super Sporza-Fan Washer Jets-Lex Tax Disc Holder-Chrome Gear Knob-2003 Cup Holder-Toyo Proxes T1-R
In the end I settled for a Vauxhall Star something silver.
1990 Eunos Roadster in Mariner DU blue
Cobalt cat back, Decat pipe, 15in Red Rota GT3 alloys, Toyo tyres, Lowered on Coil overs, Red anti roll bars, 14degree timing mod, white dash kit, illuminated side marker lights,
Halo ring headlights, OEM windblocker, Bluetooth streaming HU, Blue leather handbrake and gear lever gaitor, Centre brake/tail light mod, Blue velour door cards, Polished cam cover, Polished front strut bar, 4xheadrest speakers, JDM floor mats, Suede semi dish steering wheel,
Dave thats the same problem I had when I did mine, I just could not find a silver light enough or have the same reflective quality as a proper alloy has.
In the end I settled for a Vauxhall Star something silver.
1990 Eunos Roadster in Mariner DU blue
Cobalt cat back, Decat pipe, 15in Red Rota GT3 alloys, Toyo tyres, Lowered on Coil overs, Red anti roll bars, 14degree timing mod, white dash kit, illuminated side marker lights,
Halo ring headlights, OEM windblocker, Bluetooth streaming HU, Blue leather handbrake and gear lever gaitor, Centre brake/tail light mod, Blue velour door cards, Polished cam cover, Polished front strut bar, 4xheadrest speakers, JDM floor mats, Suede semi dish steering wheel,
In terms of colour match it's going to be difficult with normal car paints as they're not the same - have you ever seen a silver car where the paint matches the alloy colour?
As above think bright silver is the colour these alloys use
2002 '02' IS200 SE Auto - DVD Satnav with Voice Activation - [COLOR="Blue"]Strathcaron Blue - Parking Sensors - 5000K HIDs with Anti-Glare Bulbs - PIAA 6500K Main Beams - LED Sidelights - Mirror/Sunroof Closure - TTE Styling Kit - 18" Styling Kit Alloys with nitrogen filled Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric Tyres - Bluetouch Multimedia Kit - Gromaudio AUX in - Black painted calipers with silver Lexus decals - 12 LED Dome Light - 96 LED Boot Light - Stainless Steel Sport Sill Plates - PIAA Silicone Wipers[/COLOR]
That's an amazing job mate, well done!
In terms of colour match it's going to be difficult with normal car paints as they're not the same - have you ever seen a silver car where the paint matches the alloy colour?
As above think bright silver is the colour these alloys use
2002 '02' IS200 SE Auto - DVD Satnav with Voice Activation - [COLOR="Blue"]Strathcaron Blue - Parking Sensors - 5000K HIDs with Anti-Glare Bulbs - PIAA 6500K Main Beams - LED Sidelights - Mirror/Sunroof Closure - TTE Styling Kit - 18" Styling Kit Alloys with nitrogen filled Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric Tyres - Bluetouch Multimedia Kit - Gromaudio AUX in - Black painted calipers with silver Lexus decals - 12 LED Dome Light - 96 LED Boot Light - Stainless Steel Sport Sill Plates - PIAA Silicone Wipers[/COLOR]
Yes, but what is bright silver and where can I get some?
from my searching around I discovered that most german cars have the same paint on the alloys and you can get hold of this. It's by Wurth, but I'm not sure whether this would be the same colour for a jap car.
I think I will have a look for that Vauxhall silver Phil, I have read on some threads about the Vauxhall colour being a fairly good match.
Thanks for the comments guys. It did take me a while to do this but as I said I did it a bit at a time each evening. I get very impatient when doing jobs like this and I find it better to do it like this and then I'm not tempted to start to rub down too soon or just spray that extra coat on before the previous one has had chance to dry.
Yes, but what is bright silver and where can I get some?
from my searching around I discovered that most german cars have the same paint on the alloys and you can get hold of this. It's by Wurth, but I'm not sure whether this would be the same colour for a jap car.
I think I will have a look for that Vauxhall silver Phil, I have read on some threads about the Vauxhall colour being a fairly good match.
Gord Bright silver as the same link i made in post 4
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Tetrosyl-Bright-Si..._700wt_794
Sorry Gord, I missed that on you original post. Yes, that looks like what I need maybe I will just order some of this. :thumbup:
Gord Bright silver as the same link i made in post 4
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Tetrosyl-Bright-Si..._700wt_794
Sorry Gord, I missed that on you original post. Yes, that looks like what I need maybe I will just order some of this. :thumbup:
2002 '02' IS200 SE Auto - DVD Satnav with Voice Activation - [COLOR="Blue"]Strathcaron Blue - Parking Sensors - 5000K HIDs with Anti-Glare Bulbs - PIAA 6500K Main Beams - LED Sidelights - Mirror/Sunroof Closure - TTE Styling Kit - 18" Styling Kit Alloys with nitrogen filled Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric Tyres - Bluetouch Multimedia Kit - Gromaudio AUX in - Black painted calipers with silver Lexus decals - 12 LED Dome Light - 96 LED Boot Light - Stainless Steel Sport Sill Plates - PIAA Silicone Wipers[/COLOR]
Slightly random but we used to have that exact drill you were using :biggrin:
2002 '02' IS200 SE Auto - DVD Satnav with Voice Activation - [COLOR="Blue"]Strathcaron Blue - Parking Sensors - 5000K HIDs with Anti-Glare Bulbs - PIAA 6500K Main Beams - LED Sidelights - Mirror/Sunroof Closure - TTE Styling Kit - 18" Styling Kit Alloys with nitrogen filled Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric Tyres - Bluetouch Multimedia Kit - Gromaudio AUX in - Black painted calipers with silver Lexus decals - 12 LED Dome Light - 96 LED Boot Light - Stainless Steel Sport Sill Plates - PIAA Silicone Wipers[/COLOR]
parthiban Slightly random but we used to have that exact drill you were using :biggrin:
Funny enough I've had that drill for about 30 years
It came with a complete Black & Decker kit which included lots of attachments like jigsaw, circular saw etc. I've had all sorts of drill since, mains drills, battery drills but none have lasted like that one.
They don't make things like they used to. :laugh:
parthiban Slightly random but we used to have that exact drill you were using :biggrin:
Funny enough I've had that drill for about 30 years
It came with a complete Black & Decker kit which included lots of attachments like jigsaw, circular saw etc. I've had all sorts of drill since, mains drills, battery drills but none have lasted like that one.
They don't make things like they used to. :laugh:
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