DIY 108 Split Rim refurb

[mrscalex]

I recently bought these chaps off of @Nodzed for a very modest outlay.

I've made numerous enquiries with wheel refurbishers but the long and short of it is they were only ever meant to be a bit of fun for myself to experiment with rather than pay out the £500 it would require for a professional job. And due to the level of corrosion I'm not sure they'd ever justify that sum as the best way to go to my eye is to have the outer rims polished up and lacquered and I'm not sure how these would come through that.

I don't really want to attempt the whole thing myself. So I'm going to get the centres blasted and powder coated, I'm waiting for a final quote but I'm guessing at around £150 having been quoted £240 if I did want the whole wheel done (that's the total for all 4 wheels). However those guys have no tyre removal/refitting equipment and that could have added up to £100 to the total price.

I cleaned up a small trial area last night by hand and was surprised how quickly and how well it came up. I have a brand new, not yet used, compressor with a blaster attachment I'm going to try out. And/or one of those preparation wheels which people rave about.

Either way I then want to see what the rim looks like. If it's nice enough I'll carry on going through the grades and getting it nice and shiny and just clearcoat that. If I think it's a lost cause I'll paint the rims.

Many years since I've used a rattle can so I'm a bit apprehensive about that. But like I say, they are to learn on and worst case is if I mess it up I'll bite the bullet and have the rims blasted and coated too.

Any advice on any aspect greatly appreciated

 

[Lee]

Never attempted this either mate, interested to see how this turns out

 

[hard top]

Bloody hell, did @Nodzed pull those out of a canal in an old Tesco trolley?.....

 

[Antm72]

Good luck watching with interest

 

[mrscalex]

Bloody hell, did @Nodzed pull those out of a canal in old Tesco trolley?.....

Why yes, I believe he did. He has a nice collection of items in his man cave along with photos of when he recovered them. I understand he's pulling a Z3M out of the Herengracht next week - I have first dibs as I had the rims.

In fairness they already look better than when he first pulled them out.

He has many trolleys, I liked what he did with this one best.

And a moped restoration is on the cards soon.

Myself, I am thinking of joining the upcycle tyre club of Great Britain. They encourage use of tyres that aren't legal (ie they are below 0.1mm) and turn them into works of art like this.

Must go now. I have a few pills I need to take...

 

[Nodzed]

Bloody hell, did @Nodzed pull those out of a canal in an old Tesco trolley?.....

Hmmmm well ....... Want to but the Tesco trolley as a restoration project @hard top? Its cheap but no service history.

 

[Low Rider]

I split my 108s with the help of my brother and had them shot blasted and power coated for £40 per wheel.
One day I'll get round to assembling.

 

[Bazza]

I recently bought these chaps off of @Nodzed for a very modest outlay.

View attachment 50465 View attachment 50466 View attachment 50467

I've made numerous enquiries with wheel refurbishers but the long and short of it is they were only ever meant to be a bit of fun for myself to experiment with rather than pay out the £500 it would require for a professional job. And due to the level of corrosion I'm not sure they'd ever justify that sum as the best way to go to my eye is to have the outer rims polished up and lacquered and I'm not sure how these would come through that.

I don't really want to attempt the whole thing myself. So I'm going to get the centres blasted and powder coated, I'm waiting for a final quote but I'm guessing at around £150 having been quoted £240 if I did want the whole wheel done (that's the total for all 4 wheels). However those guys have no tyre removal/refitting equipment and that could have added up to £100 to the total price.

I cleaned up a small trial area last night by hand and was surprised how quickly and how well it came up. I have a brand new, not yet used, compressor with a blaster attachment I'm going to try out. And/or one of those preparation wheels which people rave about.

View attachment 50468

Either way I then want to see what the rim looks like. If it's nice enough I'll carry on going through the grades and getting it nice and shiny and just clearcoat that. If I think it's a lost cause I'll paint the rims.

Many years since I've used a rattle can so I'm a bit apprehensive about that. But like I say, they are to learn on and worst case is if I mess it up I'll bite the bullet and have the rims blasted and coated too.

Any advice on any aspect greatly appreciated

As Steve (low rider) said if you split them and then have them blast / powder coated plenty off companies out there rather than wheel refurbishment people charghing top dollar to do them you should get away with only spending £55 per wheel?

 

[Ianmc]

If those wheels can be restored it will be a modern miracle. Good luck!

 

[Sean d]

They are not as bad as they look, the alloy is very soft and workable, its really easy to flat out any damage or corrosion, I started with 120 grit on a DA and worked down, actually I used a strip and clean disc on a grinder first
These curb marks came out easily

 

[Ianmc]

Magic, well done.

 

[Low Rider]

They are not as bad as they look, the alloy is very soft and workable, its really easy to flat out any damage or corrosion, I started with 120 grit on a DA and worked down, actually I used a strip and clean disc on a grinder first
These curb marks came out easily
View attachment 50484
View attachment 50485

It doesn't look the same wheel Sean.

 

[Sean d]

You'll soon have them looking like this

 

[mrscalex]

I've just been quoted £30 for each centre. The rims will be near enough zero as I'm doing them myself. That would be a right result if it all comes off.

I'm planning on using Bournes in Birmingham for the centres if anyone has any experience. Can't quite bring myself to use Birmingham City Coaters or whatever they're called. I think they quoted £40 per entire wheel which was too cheap.

@Sean d that's just a clear coat on your rims right? Do you think I will get an acceptable result with a rattle can? I haven't used one for many years and was never that confident...

 

[Sean d]

I've just been quoted £30 for each centre. The rims will be near enough zero as I'm doing them myself. That would be a right result if it all comes off.

I'm planning on using Bournes in Birmingham for the centres if anyone has any experience. Can't quite bring myself to use Birmingham City Coaters or whatever they're called. I think they quoted £40 per entire wheel which was too cheap.

@Sean d that's just a clear coat on your rims right? Do you think I will get an acceptable result with a rattle can? I haven't used one for many years and was never that confident...

The only polished part is the outer rim, the inside of the wheel was stripped, acid etched, base coated with silver and then clear coated, the outer rim was just left as a polished finish and lasted the summer really well, however the salty winter roads have taken their toll and they need a really good polish again.

 

[Sean d]

Heres some stages, as you can see, mine was similar to yours

 

[g8jka]

I used city powder coaters for my winter wheels and they did a very good job, £30 per wheel and they fitted the new tyres I left with them. Lots of mixed reviews, don't use them if your wheels are corroded or massively kerbed only if they are pretty straight etc to start with. I wouldn't use them for a set of splits though. I believe powder coating is thicker than paint so if you have the centres done make sure they fit properly when you mount them back on the lips and check the bolts will go back in through the holes!

 

[mrscalex]

The only polished part is the outer rim, the inside of the wheel was stripped, acid etched, base coated with silver and then clear coated, the outer rim was just left as a polished finish and lasted the summer really well, however the salty winter roads have taken their toll and they need a really good polish again.

So the outer rim is just done with increasingly fine grade paper and metal polish then is it @Sean d ? No lacquer? That's interesting. What grade paper did you finish up with on the outer rim and for that matter inner rim? I guess no point getting a glass like finish on the inner rim so you can finish with coarser paper and in general it's a lot less effort cleaning up? That's handy as it's most of the rim. And what sort of polish did you use for the outer rim?

So when you say you used a DA, is that as in the same tool as a DA polisher? It will take an abrasive pad as well? Does a standard 5" wheel fit inside the rim okay to get good contact?

And the stripping wheel you used with the angle grinder for the initial clean was one of these? And no media blasting at all?

Did you have an expensive angle grinder you could slow it right down? Or is a cheapo ballistic speed one okay?

Thanks!

 

[Sean d]

I think I finished on 2000 before polishing with solvol autosol, for stripping I used a disc similar to yours but on a pneumatic grinder, this was fine enough to prime, however we use high build primer,
I think a standard angle grinder will be too fast for the strip disc and it will probably destroy itself

 

[Sean d]

I think I finished on 2000 before polishing with solvol autosol, for stripping I used a disc similar to yours but on a pneumatic grinder, this was fine enough to prime, however we use high build primer,
I think a standard angle grinder will be too fast for the strip disc and it will probably destroy itself

No media blasting at all but if I did them again I would have them soda blasted, it will save a load of time.