I am currently refurbing my alloys and have already done the front. The rears however are now stripped and it appears that they have small pin holes or pits in them. They dont look that deep but I have been sanding away and have not been getting very far, bits here and there look better. Anyone have any advice on how to get this sorted as need get them back on the car. Thanks, Matt
So the pitting is actually inground to the alloy rather than a raised lump? If so id just be putting a fine skim of chemical metal over it. Altho that might not shine up the best, not sure there...
Yes pitting is in the alloy. I started using a slightly heavier grit on the lip and most of the pitting has went away but it took some serious effort just to do the lip and the dish is all the same and 4" or so deep so would be some amount of sanding before bringing the grade back up
If it's pitting then you've little choice but to continue sanding I'm afraid. You could always go with a courser grade paper now but that'll mean upping the grades till you get the decent finish at a later stage. Polishing wheels is a pain in the hole. Michael @ Polishing alloys does a great job and for all he charges would be worth a visit.
Yes i gave him a shout, just wouldnt have minded doing them myself but I think id need some serious sanding
Well went at them again this morning, started with 80 grit i know majorly rough but it started to remove the pitting with alot of elbow grease. Then went 180, 320, 600, 800 then 1200 with last bits being wet. has started to work quite well but alot more to do. Its going to be a long process but hopefully be worth it.
Having done this myself, once, the pain of doing it far outweighs the satisfaction of doing it yourself when you hear how much Polishing Alloys charges to do them.
Yes not advertising but all he is looking is £15 a wheel which is a baragain but still im getting there lol
i remember a fella on here polishing the outer lips on my BBS splits. he charged me £20 for the 4 of them lol
This. If possible, get an electric sander at the worst parts will cut down on a lot of the work. I use a mouse-type sander that i bought in Woolworths many years ago for about £15.
I wouldnt bother with the backs of the wheels mate.... if your leaving them polished just the upkeep on the front of the wheel and dish will be more than enough to bust your balls. For the back best just paint them a dark grey or something.