Refinished Wheels
#1
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Refinished Wheels
I thought about going to aftermarket wheels for my RX-8.
I had seen the polished aluminum ones, but they were a bit too bright for my tastes, and besides polished and chrome wheels have been done to death I think..
Then i had a thought.. I work with a company that does powder epoxy baked finishes, and a couple of months back they were finishing some snow shovels for one of their customers. The shovels were aluminum ( meant as an emergency shovel for keeping in the trunk of a car) and they had polished them, then coated in this baked epoxy which is transparent clear, but with a colour in it.
I thought it looked quite nice.
I decided to investigate this and found that this coating material comes in a few colours, Yellow, Red, Blue, dark silver, black, and so on. I looked at a sample of the blue, and it was very close to the colour of my Winning Blue RX-8.
Hmmm.
So, i decided to get one of my wheels stripped of the original epoxy finish, polished, then coated with the transparent blue epoxy, and another coat of clear.
The following photos show the process and the result.
I had seen the polished aluminum ones, but they were a bit too bright for my tastes, and besides polished and chrome wheels have been done to death I think..
Then i had a thought.. I work with a company that does powder epoxy baked finishes, and a couple of months back they were finishing some snow shovels for one of their customers. The shovels were aluminum ( meant as an emergency shovel for keeping in the trunk of a car) and they had polished them, then coated in this baked epoxy which is transparent clear, but with a colour in it.
I thought it looked quite nice.
I decided to investigate this and found that this coating material comes in a few colours, Yellow, Red, Blue, dark silver, black, and so on. I looked at a sample of the blue, and it was very close to the colour of my Winning Blue RX-8.
Hmmm.
So, i decided to get one of my wheels stripped of the original epoxy finish, polished, then coated with the transparent blue epoxy, and another coat of clear.
The following photos show the process and the result.
#2
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After stripping theold finish i had the wheel polished at a local shop that does metal polishing.
The aluminum comes up to a nice finish.
This is fresh polished, with no coating on it yet.
The aluminum comes up to a nice finish.
This is fresh polished, with no coating on it yet.
#12
Blue By You
Join Date: Jun 2003
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I've never like the matching you car wheels to your car thing much, but it's really hard to judge until they are on the car. The whole monochromatic rage from some time bacj really bugged me though. The dark might have looked nice, how difficult is it to do and what are the chances of seeing a wheel done with the dark epozy?
#14
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I do not have pics with them on the car yet.
This one wheel is all I did so far as an experiment.
I like it, so I will be doing the other three now.
I will not be putting them on the car until spring, so I can't post that until maybe sometime in March or April.
We get a pretty long winter here..
This one wheel is all I did so far as an experiment.
I like it, so I will be doing the other three now.
I will not be putting them on the car until spring, so I can't post that until maybe sometime in March or April.
We get a pretty long winter here..
#16
That's pretty cool, Maurice. I kind of like the plain polished look. Do you know about how much it would cost to get someone to just give the stock painted rims the polished look?
#17
Originally posted by canzoomer
I do not have pics with them on the car yet.
This one wheel is all I did so far as an experiment.
I like it, so I will be doing the other three now.
I will not be putting them on the car until spring, so I can't post that until maybe sometime in March or April.
We get a pretty long winter here..
I do not have pics with them on the car yet.
This one wheel is all I did so far as an experiment.
I like it, so I will be doing the other three now.
I will not be putting them on the car until spring, so I can't post that until maybe sometime in March or April.
We get a pretty long winter here..
#18
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Join Date: Aug 2003
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Oh your killing me ZOOMER>..we have to wait that long to see this....UGH!!!...ok ok...
that is kinda wild though..i like the look of that blue on the wheels, i'm anxious to see it's contrast with the car...although..just the plain polished aluminum looked mighty fresh and clean also...nice idea...
that is kinda wild though..i like the look of that blue on the wheels, i'm anxious to see it's contrast with the car...although..just the plain polished aluminum looked mighty fresh and clean also...nice idea...
#20
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Originally posted by loco4rx8
That's pretty cool, Maurice. I kind of like the plain polished look. Do you know about how much it would cost to get someone to just give the stock painted rims the polished look?
That's pretty cool, Maurice. I kind of like the plain polished look. Do you know about how much it would cost to get someone to just give the stock painted rims the polished look?
Then finishing a wheel afterwards (even polished needs a finish of 2 coats of clear) costs $65 Canadian ( about $50 US)
Total cost per wheel: $285 Canadian / $220 U.S.
So, if anyone were to want their wheels refinished I could have it done for them for $1,000 U.S., including handling, packing, running the parts around for the work to be done, paperwork, and so on.
That is in clear over polished, clear colours, or solid colours.
#21
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Originally posted by shift_zoom8
It seems like your mind is always working. Were you born this way or was this acquired somewhere along the way?
It seems like your mind is always working. Were you born this way or was this acquired somewhere along the way?
Simple:
1) I wanted different wheels or appearance.
2) The stock wheels are pretty decent quality and weight, just look boring.
3) The stock wheels are not too expensive from dealers, so selling them leaves little cash for new wheels.
4) Through my business I have contacts in metal finishing.
5) Through my hobby I have contacts in auto stuff.
6) The wheels are off for the winter, sitting in my basement just taking up space.
So..
#22
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Originally posted by XeRo
Oh your killing me ZOOMER>..we have to wait that long to see this....UGH!!!...ok ok...
that is kinda wild though..i like the look of that blue on the wheels, i'm anxious to see it's contrast with the car...although..just the plain polished aluminum looked mighty fresh and clean also...nice idea...
Oh your killing me ZOOMER>..we have to wait that long to see this....UGH!!!...ok ok...
that is kinda wild though..i like the look of that blue on the wheels, i'm anxious to see it's contrast with the car...although..just the plain polished aluminum looked mighty fresh and clean also...nice idea...
I wanted something more interesting.
And the RX-8 is not a "chrome machine" so I prefer colours.
At least I did not cover it in ricey paint like those cars in the shows. I don't like "ricey looking"
The clear colours gives you the same highlights as simple clear, but colour matched to the car.
One could also use contrasting colours. Gunmetal for example.
#25
Originally posted by canzoomer
It costs me about $220 Canadian to have the tire removed, wheel stripped of the old finish, and polished. That is about $168 U.S.
Then finishing a wheel afterwards (even polished needs a finish of 2 coats of clear) costs $65 Canadian ( about $50 US)
Total cost per wheel: $285 Canadian / $220 U.S.
So, if anyone were to want their wheels refinished I could have it done for them for $1,000 U.S., including handling, packing, running the parts around for the work to be done, paperwork, and so on.
That is in clear over polished, clear colours, or solid colours.
It costs me about $220 Canadian to have the tire removed, wheel stripped of the old finish, and polished. That is about $168 U.S.
Then finishing a wheel afterwards (even polished needs a finish of 2 coats of clear) costs $65 Canadian ( about $50 US)
Total cost per wheel: $285 Canadian / $220 U.S.
So, if anyone were to want their wheels refinished I could have it done for them for $1,000 U.S., including handling, packing, running the parts around for the work to be done, paperwork, and so on.
That is in clear over polished, clear colours, or solid colours.