wheels
09-15-2004, 06:00 PM
#1
Member
Squid
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: kansas
Posts: 36
wheels
hey guys thinking of polishing my wheels this winter anyone polish their wheels your self or did you send them off there a few shops here in kansas that polish but i was just wondering if it is a job that is just as easy to have someone else do it. I have my jardines on the way can't wait to hear them
09-20-2004, 06:59 AM
#2
Senior Member
Back Marker
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Los Angeles, California
Posts: 150
Re: wheels
It really depends on how much time you have, and how much effort you are willing to put into them.
Polishing the lip is fairly easy, but time consuming. It's allready smooth aluminum, so you just need to remove the factory powdercoating, then buff to a mirror sheen.
To try to polish the spokes of the wheel, that would require some serious, serious effort to remove the factory powdercoating from within the cast sections, and also around the various lettering and factory marks. I would suggest chemical stripping for that. Once the powdercoating is off, then you've got to do some SERIOUS buffing to get that cast material smooth and get it to take a shine. It would be a LOT of work. If you've got access to a 6" or 8" buffer wheel on a stand alone stand, you could probably get to about 75% of the wheel spokes, but you'd need a dremel for detail work. If all you've got is a bench mounted buffer, or just a dremmel, it's going to be a LOT of work. At that point, I'd say send them out to a pro.
Polishing the lip is fairly easy, but time consuming. It's allready smooth aluminum, so you just need to remove the factory powdercoating, then buff to a mirror sheen.
To try to polish the spokes of the wheel, that would require some serious, serious effort to remove the factory powdercoating from within the cast sections, and also around the various lettering and factory marks. I would suggest chemical stripping for that. Once the powdercoating is off, then you've got to do some SERIOUS buffing to get that cast material smooth and get it to take a shine. It would be a LOT of work. If you've got access to a 6" or 8" buffer wheel on a stand alone stand, you could probably get to about 75% of the wheel spokes, but you'd need a dremel for detail work. If all you've got is a bench mounted buffer, or just a dremmel, it's going to be a LOT of work. At that point, I'd say send them out to a pro.
09-21-2004, 04:21 AM
#3
Senior Member
Superstock
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Southeast PA
Posts: 409
Then you also have to remember that polishing is NOT chrome. They will look good for alittle while BUT WILL NEED TO BE DONE AGAIN about once or twice a season (depending on how many miles you do) Polish fades and hazes, which will need to be buffed out again, unlike chrome which can just be wiped down.
Lots of work now and lots of work again later. If your looking for shine, get them chromed. You'll be happier in the long run.
Lots of work now and lots of work again later. If your looking for shine, get them chromed. You'll be happier in the long run.
09-23-2004, 12:26 AM
#4
Senior Member
Superstock
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 318
Re: wheels
look at my pictures site below, and see my previous f4i with poilshed wheels.
I simply stripped the paint using airplane paint remover (buy from kragen or autozone or ...) and used some mothers polish to bring out shine. No abrasive products like sand paper or anything.
it is not as hard to keep it clean, depending on the weather conditions you live/ride in.
I will never do it again though. too much work (patience) and now someone else is enjoying the results.
I simply stripped the paint using airplane paint remover (buy from kragen or autozone or ...) and used some mothers polish to bring out shine. No abrasive products like sand paper or anything.
it is not as hard to keep it clean, depending on the weather conditions you live/ride in.
I will never do it again though. too much work (patience) and now someone else is enjoying the results.
12-09-2004, 07:51 AM
#5
Moderator
MotoGP
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: South Texas
Posts: 2,553
Re: wheels
To only add to what the others have said, you can just strip/polish the outside edges first. This is the machined area that gets nicked/scratched from tire changes and is easy to strip. Just mask off the rest of the wheel with real painters masking tape and use the chemical stripper. Rinse off and buff it out with a metal polish. Doing the cast sections like the spokes is a hell of a lot tougher.
01-18-2005, 08:09 PM
#6
Senior Member
Back Marker
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 103
Re: wheels
Though I have already stripped the paint from both wheels of SuperChicken III by using "Aicraft Paint Remover" (from Auto Zone), I also plan to have the wheels polished professionally, in conjunction with a painter who will both paint the spokes and inner rim Kandy Gold (House of Kolor) and spray the heck out the wheels with clear coat. (I don't want the polished wheels to be a source of bondage and tendonitis.) 
The stripped wheels, IMHO, look much better than the Sunday-go-to-meeting black on the wheels of '98-'03 VTRs. It was a fairly simple process getting the paint off: I simply masked-off the tires (three layers)--leaving the wheels on the bike because I don't have a front stand--and carefully sprayed the paint remover on as much of the wheels as I could before rotating to the next section of paint.
A few things to keep in mind if you attmept this process are as follows:
1.) Be very careful with the Aircraft Paint Remover: it is caustic as all get-out and will burn the hide right off of your hands. Wearing protective gear (rubber gloves and eye protection) is an essential element in the process.
2.) Have at-hand a bucket of water and both wet and dry towels/rags. An almost-sloppy-wet towel/rag can be used to neutralize the paint remover and remove the gunk without your having to re-apply the masking tape every time you re-apply the paint remover. (The instructions on the paint remover state that you should use a water hose to neutraize tha action of the paint remover, but doing that would only buy you extra labor, extra time to re-apply masking tape that would get soaked-through with water. I choose, instead, to use an almost-sloppy-wet towel so that I can control the amount of water that gets onto the three layers masking tape, especially around the outer edge of the wheels.)
3.) Be very careful not to get over-spray onto your plastics or in your eyes (ye-ouch!)
4.) Be sure to carefully mask-off (with at least three layers) the valve stems, and, if you leave the brake calipers in-place during the process, be careul not to get paint remover on the brake pads or on the painted letters "Nissan" on your calipers. (The gold calipers on most VTRs are anodized so are forgiving in terms of overspray getting onto their surfaces.)
I have performed the above process on three separate '98 VTRs and, aside from the time-consuming process of touching things up, it was fairly simple and the results were just grand in the way that they accentuate the inherent beauty of the VTR.
Obviously, the above process would be simplified a great deal by simply removing the wheels, tires, and valve stems and then simply leaning the wheels up against a brick wall and spraying both paint remover and water to your heart's content. Even so, some of us don't have the liberty of paying the extra money to have the wheels, tires, and valve stems removed and then re-installled.
cheers,
--HotStreetVTR
The stripped wheels, IMHO, look much better than the Sunday-go-to-meeting black on the wheels of '98-'03 VTRs. It was a fairly simple process getting the paint off: I simply masked-off the tires (three layers)--leaving the wheels on the bike because I don't have a front stand--and carefully sprayed the paint remover on as much of the wheels as I could before rotating to the next section of paint.
A few things to keep in mind if you attmept this process are as follows:
1.) Be very careful with the Aircraft Paint Remover: it is caustic as all get-out and will burn the hide right off of your hands. Wearing protective gear (rubber gloves and eye protection) is an essential element in the process.
2.) Have at-hand a bucket of water and both wet and dry towels/rags. An almost-sloppy-wet towel/rag can be used to neutralize the paint remover and remove the gunk without your having to re-apply the masking tape every time you re-apply the paint remover. (The instructions on the paint remover state that you should use a water hose to neutraize tha action of the paint remover, but doing that would only buy you extra labor, extra time to re-apply masking tape that would get soaked-through with water. I choose, instead, to use an almost-sloppy-wet towel so that I can control the amount of water that gets onto the three layers masking tape, especially around the outer edge of the wheels.)
3.) Be very careful not to get over-spray onto your plastics or in your eyes (ye-ouch!)
4.) Be sure to carefully mask-off (with at least three layers) the valve stems, and, if you leave the brake calipers in-place during the process, be careul not to get paint remover on the brake pads or on the painted letters "Nissan" on your calipers. (The gold calipers on most VTRs are anodized so are forgiving in terms of overspray getting onto their surfaces.)
I have performed the above process on three separate '98 VTRs and, aside from the time-consuming process of touching things up, it was fairly simple and the results were just grand in the way that they accentuate the inherent beauty of the VTR.
Obviously, the above process would be simplified a great deal by simply removing the wheels, tires, and valve stems and then simply leaning the wheels up against a brick wall and spraying both paint remover and water to your heart's content. Even so, some of us don't have the liberty of paying the extra money to have the wheels, tires, and valve stems removed and then re-installled.
cheers,
--HotStreetVTR
01-19-2005, 11:38 AM
#8
Senior Member
SuperSport
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Thornwood, NY
Posts: 817
Re: wheels
NOrrTH.... I'd really love to see some pics of the wheels and a overall bike shot of how your ride looks. I've been thinking of doing the same thing after seeing the newer all black and red pinstriped wheeled R1.
If you could also tell me where you bought your tape that would be cool. I found this place on the web...
http://www.autopinstripes.com/Size%20&%20Price.html
Pretty cheap and you get alot for your money compared to someplace like Tapeworks which charges 4x more for less. Plus this vinyl is reflective... which adds a bit of saftey/visabiltiy for night riding.
J.
If you could also tell me where you bought your tape that would be cool. I found this place on the web...
http://www.autopinstripes.com/Size%20&%20Price.html
Pretty cheap and you get alot for your money compared to someplace like Tapeworks which charges 4x more for less. Plus this vinyl is reflective... which adds a bit of saftey/visabiltiy for night riding.
J.
01-20-2005, 10:34 AM
#9
Senior Member
Superstock
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 318
If you could also tell me where you bought your tape that would be cool. I found this place on the web...
http://www.autopinstripes.com/Size%20&%20Price.html
Pretty cheap and you get alot for your money compared to someplace like Tapeworks which charges 4x more for less. Plus this vinyl is reflective... which adds a bit of saftey/visabiltiy for night riding.
thanks for posting it.
05-02-2005, 01:27 PM
#10
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: wheels
I did it myself and it was damn hard work.....trust me if you want the look get it done professionally and hand the bucks over!
Maintanence is not so hard unless you live in an area that gets it's roads salted in the winter then it's a big no, no!
Daz
Maintanence is not so hard unless you live in an area that gets it's roads salted in the winter then it's a big no, no!
Daz
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