Topic: Snowflake Rim Resto Questions

[transamfan]

I am going to restore my snowflake rims according to the methods layed out by Hitman.  However, I am afraid that I wont be able to get the shine I am looking for because of the shape my wheels are in.  Here are some pictures of my concerns.  Notice the etched grooves in the surface.  Do all wheels have this?  Will I be able to buff this into a nice mirror shine?  They are deep enough to actually feel with your finger when you touch it.




How about the curb rash?  How do I fix this?



and finally, how about inside the holes, is it important to smooth everything out or can this be left rough and painted over?  I figure that I should smooth it but with what?

[HughJass]

2 words, elbow grease!
Those will clean up it will just take time and effort.

[Hitman]

Yes, those groves are original.  They originally machined the rims which is why those grooves are there.  With some work, those will buff out and you will be left with a flat surface.  With the curb rash, you will need to take a grinder to that to smooth it out first, the follow the rest of the polishing directions to smooth that out as well.  Now, the directions I have are kinda vague, but it is hard to describe everything and how much pressure to use and what grinding to do because every wheel is different and I can't say stuff like use 20ftl lbs of pressure in polishing basically because I don't measure stuff like that.  It all comes down to feel and look as I am doing them.  With the inside of that rim, are you planning on glass beading the entire rim down to bare aluminum, or what do you plan on doing?  Yes, most of the things in the center can be left a little rough, but if there is anything major, it will show up through the paint.  From what you show in the photo above, that will be ok when painted.  There are some imperfections in the casting of the rim which is normal, if you want to take those out, yes you will have to grind that down.  I have photos of some of the rims that are bare metal right now to show the imperfections that are in EVERY rim.  It was a bad cast for these rims.

[transamfan]

Well, I plan to get started on restoring these rims this week.  I thought I would take two of them off the car and take them to college with me for the week and work on them in my spare time, which I have a lot of.  Would you recommend blasting them down to metal first?  Also, after I grind everything smooth, what is the first thing I should use to start my buffing?

[Hitman]

Yes, I would recommend blasting down to bare aluminum first.  That will also help with smoothing things out as well.  I would start with using the emery compound which has the toughest cut to it to start.

[transamfan]

Alright, that's what I will do then.  Thanks for the pointers. I will ask anymore questions after I dig in but I think what I have will be a good start.

[HughJass]

Brett, as far as blasting, what would you recommend, I assume the finer glass bead would be better, what about walnut/corn cob media.
On your wheel resto page you have a link to see the difference between glass bead and the dremel tool but the link doesnt work.
Also, Eastwood has a wheel polishing kit that comes with a few different compounds and buffs, here is a link to it.
http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=953&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=433&iSubCat=436&iProductID=953
Seems like it would be perfect.

[transamfan]

Yeah, I need to know where I can get the stuff for buffing.  I went around town this afternoon and havent been able to find anything.  The guy I talked to at O'reilly said that I would never get the grooves out, that I was wasting my time.  I hate it when those guys act like they know what they're talking about and really have no idea.  Anyway, where should I buy the stuff?  And after I blast them and grind the rash and scuffs, I can just get after it with the emery compound to cut the grooves?  No sanding or anything with the dremmel tool and then steel wool to knock down the machined grooves?

[Hitman]

Yes, the kit from Eastwood might be good, but I have never used it so I can't recommend it personally.  I have fixed the links on that page for the other photos, so they should work now.  Yes, I would use the glass beads.  The walnut shells is too soft and does not work that well.  It is ok for some lighter jobs, but for these rims, I would use the fine glass beads.

[transamfan]

Still need to know how knock the grooves down.  Drimmel them...steel wool...or will the emery compound cut them?

[Hitman]

The dremmel or the emery will do it, but not the steel wool.

[transamfan]

Ok, that's what I needed to know.  Thanks for the help so far.

[dblhh]

Hey, transamfan, be sure and post up some pictures as you progress with your wheels.   And, especially, put up some photos when you get finished.

[transamfan]

This is what the rims look like after using the dremmel.  It is hard to see, but the machined grooves are still there.  I used the brass wire wheel.  I tried a couple other attachments but the steel was too stiff and the plastic bristle was too soft.  If I applied too much pressure, the brass wheel would start pitting the aluminum much like the steel one did.  The brass wheel did knock some of the ridge down, but not completely.  I guess I should move on to the emery compound now?    Let me know if it looks like I'm on the right track.  If so, I will post some pictures in the restoration projects forum and keep my progress updated.

[eroc022]

you should pop your wheel weight off and get behind it too....