Advice on Alloy refurb

Nonoperational · 24-04-2011 11:44PM #1

Thinking of giving it a go refurbishing the alloys tomorrow. Do I have enough in the following supplies? I'm only respraying the front side. I'll clean the inside but I'm not going to repaint as you can't really see it, they are 4x17" GTI alloys.

2x 500mls Halfords filler Primer €21
4x 300mls Ford Graphite grey €34
2x 500mls Halfords Lacquer €21
Masking Tape €10
1x 1200 grit paper €3
2 x 120 grit €6
1x 400 grit €4
Filler €10
Wipes etc €10

So that's roughly €120, quite a lot of money. Is it likely I'll make a dogs dinner of them and be sorry? I don't want to waste the money either!

Rough plan -
1 - Take off wheels, clean thoroughly and rub down with 120 grit wet and dry.
2 - Fill the bits that need filling, sand with 120 grit.
3 - Go over everything with 400 grit and clean.
4 - Spray primer leaving 30 mins between coats.
5 - 2/3 coats later key with 1200 grit, clean and paint the wheels.
6 - After 1/2 coats clean everything and give a coat of lacquer.

That sound OK? They wheels are pretty good really just some worn paint. There are only 3/4 kerb marks between the 4 wheels so I won't have much filling to do.

tossy · 25-04-2011 02:48AM

I am about to under take this task in the next 2 weeks with 4 AUdi OEM wheels i picked up for a steal.

Your list seems complete but i would recommend to alterations.

1 i would use Etch primer,this is acidic primer that will eat into the wheels thus giving a better bite and wont flake of as easy.

2.I would not use standard filler it will harden and not be flexible,so eventually it will just crack and fall off.I would use something like plastic padding chemical metal its available in halfords.

I would also take the tyres off (you might already be planning to do this).

listermint · 25-04-2011 11:19AM

They will need balancing also. So take that into account.

Nonoperational · 25-04-2011 01:11PM

Decided not to do it today, not sure of the weather and I was too tired to get up at 8.30! I might do it this week though. Thanks for the advice.

tossy · 25-04-2011 07:27PM

listermint wrote: »

They will need balancing also. So take that into account.

Op isn't spraying inside of wheel so weights won't be removed.

25-04-2011 08:26PM

tossy wrote: »

Op isn't spraying inside of wheel so weights won't be removed.

Depends how much filler he uses really. A 10g balance weight does wonders so a few grams of filler localised in a spot might surely throw the balance out a bit.

tossy · 25-04-2011 08:30PM

RoverJames wrote: »

Depends how much filler he uses really. A 10g balance weight does wonders so a few grams of filler localised in a spot might surely throw the balance out a bit.

That is very true but you would want to have some serious gashes in your wheels for it to have any real world effect!

Good point well made and one i missed.

Owen · 25-04-2011 08:33PM

Not to mention some wheels have weights on the front surface of the rim, clipped on around the lip. He'd have to take those off to refurb.

Advice on Alloy refurb

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