Diy Alloy Refurb

[lexdavis]

Hi all

my alloys are in a poor state and was thinking of refurbing them myself has anyone tried this and if so whats the best way to go about doin it

the top coat of paint is coming off in some areas and just looks bad

is it just a case of giving them a quike sand with some sand paper priming and then spraying the desired colour or is there more to it then that

help on the matter will be great

[Bazza]

Hi all

my alloys are in a poor state and was thinking of refurbing them myself has anyone tried this and if so whats the best way to go about doin it

the top coat of paint is coming off in some areas and just looks bad

is it just a case of giving them a quike sand with some sand paper priming and then spraying the desired colour or is there more to it then that

help on the matter will be great

basically yes !

you will need to get any loose or flaking paint off

rub down with wet and dry until you have a nice smooth surface, making sure that any remaining paint is mat which will give the primer a key

then primer, rub down again till smooth

then paint, rub down until smooth and mat

then lacquer

use different grades of wet and dry getting higher grit as you go on,

[The Transporter]

It could be done but it would be an awful lot of graft and I'm not sure that you would get the finish that you would desire. I'd try to find a local company that specialises in powder coating who could strip them of their paint and powder coat them in a colour of your choice.

I don't know if all guys who do powder coating are as conscientious as the guy who does for me (He does a lot of stuff for my work) so you'd be best to ask around in your locale

[lexdavis]

cool thanx for the ideas thinkin of going gun metal or standard silver but not sure as of yet

[si_is300]

i had mine done last year, just rubbed down, cleaned up and painted.

12 months on they're bubbling well bad again.

my advice would be get them done properly, sandblasted back to bare metal and started from scratch.

Mine are going in today, all four wheels (no kerb marks just bubbling paint/laquer) going back to brilliant silver (from gunmetal) for 200 quid.

would only be 160 if i wanted standard flat silver.

[janet]

I just gently rub down and recoat mine every spring, using a Humbrol silver enamel paint (tried the sprays this is better IMO), lasts the year fine and you dont notice unless you bend down and examine...costs me about a fiver a year and when done they look (IMO) good. Takes about 2 hours and no masking.

[Parthiban]

I started a self refurb and even bought a polishing kit to polish the face of the alloy as they are from the factory. However sold the wheels before I finished it, but have to say I was quite happy with the way it was coming along.

Only thing I will mention is that if you have the refurbed alloys that Lexus replaced the originals with, the surface is very tough and will require quite a lot of work to sand down.

[mikey's IS]

shame you arnt around the midlands just sent a set of after market alloys to get refurbed £20 a rim bargin

[lexuslloyd]

shame you arnt around the midlands just sent a set of after market alloys to get refurbed £20 a rim bargin

Where's that then mate?

that's a real bargain, i need my winter set doing, every where's quoting me £45 a rim : (

[lexdavis]

sounds like a great deal to me £20 per rim i need somewhere like that near me

but thanx for all the advice on DIY help if the weather gets better then i think i might give it a go whats the worse that can happen LOL

if it goes wrong ill get them done properly

[mikey's IS]

alloy refurb link here you are guys

[lexdavis]

that is an amazing deal shame im not there

[lexuslloyd]

alloy refurb link here you are guys

nice one Mikey ! gonna save me a packet, not too far from me either.

8 rims will be rolling down to them soon :)

[mikey's IS]

make sure you tell them who sent you mikey with the black lexus having the pain in the arse chrome rims changes to white

[MattyBlue]

It could be done but it would be an awful lot of graft and I'm not sure that you would get the finish that you would desire. I'd try to find a local company that specialises in powder coating who could strip them of their paint and powder coat them in a colour of your choice.

I don't know if all guys who do powder coating are as conscientious as the guy who does for me (He does a lot of stuff for my work) so you'd be best to ask around in your locale

I`m not to far from Crewe (bought the car from Biddulph), is the place you go open to anyone?

Or anyone know of a decent place in the North-West where this is done, mine don`t look to bad, allthough the inside of the wheels is flaking and when you compare them to the spare (which is pristine) there is quite a difference!

Cheers,

Matt

[is200jim]

I did my wheels myself, they were in a ***** state with bare metal being exposed, i used nitromorse to strip all the paint off and take it down to bare metal, simply used a wire wheel on a drill to help with taking it off, once down to bear metal, rubbed them down and then used an etch primer before using a normal primer, the etch primer sticks to the alloy and allows the primer to stick to that.

It took me a while to build the layers of primer up, with rubbing them down each time.

i painted mine with a spray gun not a rattle can and was really pleased with the finish, considering my standard wheels are now my winter wheels grown quite attached to them!!!

[Lance]

Hi all

my alloys are in a poor state and was thinking of refurbing them myself has anyone tried this and if so whats the best way to go about doin it

the top coat of paint is coming off in some areas and just looks bad

is it just a case of giving them a quike sand with some sand paper priming and then spraying the desired colour or is there more to it then that

help on the matter will be great

Hi LexDavis,

Preparation is the key to achieving a good and lasting finish on any painted surface. Any cabbage can operate a spray gun. My advice is take wheel off from your car, deflate tyre to break seal on rim. remove old paint in whatever way you wish, paint stripper is good. Nasty stuff tho - gloves and EYE protection.

Heat gun and scrape off paint, sand wheels down to a smooth finish. Wipe down with thinners to remove any contaminants. If you can put the wheel overnight in an airing cupboard or somewhere warm to ensure the wheel is bone dry, moisture is the enemy of paint and is sure to result in bubbling and an orangepeel finish. If possible spray in a warm environment or at the very least make sure the wheel is warm. This will give a better finish.

Mask off Tyre, Apply primer, allow a few hours between coats and build up coats, rubbing down any imperfections with wet and dry paper. At least 3 coats will ensure a good surface for the paint to key. When satisfied with primer finish then move onto the paint. As before, warm environment and warm wheel. Build up coats and allow 2-3 hours between coats, rubbing down imperfections. Patience is the key here.

When finished allow at least 24 hours before fitting wheel to car. If you can, as before put the wheel back in the airing cupboard or somewhere warm to allow the paint to harden....To do it properly it is a time consuming process. I hope this helps.

Regards,

Lance

[lexdavis]

thanks to all for the replys some good ideas there however looking at how much work it can be might have to look at gettin it done by someone in the no