Powder coated my LTWs now I need the lip polished!!!

[rab986]

I just had my LTW's powdercoated but they sandblasted the whole wheel so now I need the lips repolished. Does anybody know of a good place that will do me a great job of getting the lips to look like new again without damaging the new powdercoat?

http://rab986.com/bmwm3/ltws/ltws1.JPG
http://rab986.com/bmwm3/ltws/ltws2.JPG

[slcook54]

Might want to try your regional section..........

[rab986]

Might want to try your regional section..........

Ahhh regional....is there a section like that? I'll check it out. At this point though I don't really care. I'd ship em over seas if I have to. I am anxious to get to the track.

[slcook54]

Ahhh regional....is there a section like that? I'll check it out. At this point though I don't really care. I'd ship em over seas if I have to. I am anxious to get to the track. I'm sure the regional guys will know of a good place close by. The wheels look good btw.

[JoeZ]

Not sure, but your wheels do look HOT!

[M3corey]

how much did it cost u to get them done in black ?

[rab986]

how much did it cost u to get them done in black ?
$40 per wheel because they had paint on them so they had to sand blast them. I think if they were new wheels, no paint or clear coat on them, it is about half of that.

[doostin]

Oh man..this is prety much exactly what I want to do with my double spokes, here is a fotochopped pic of the idea:

Let me know what you find out about how to/where to polish. Those ltw's look great by the way!

http://www.sbeuroclub.com/images/blckwhl.jpg

[madsedan]

Try doing it yourself first, with different grades of sandpaper and water (more aggressive to less aggressive in that order), if its crap then take it to a pro.

[rab986]

Try doing it yourself first, with different grades of sandpaper and water (more aggressive to less aggressive in that order), if its crap then take it to a pro.

I finally got ahold of a fly-by-night polisher here in town and he said he may damage the power coat because he has to get the wheel so hot.?.? I guess I don't understand polishing but I may have to settle for a little less that a polish. I guess I could just chuck them up in a lathe and try it like that. What a nightmare.

Do any of you guys have any experience with polishing that can give me some more info.

[madsedan]

Its probably the stupidest idea ever, but I would try this...
Put the rear of the car on stands and remove one of the wheels
Mount the new rim on the hub and have a buddy put it in gear and run it at low speed in first gear, maybe just idling along.
Starting with more course sand paper, like a 200 grit, and using water to keep it cool, just hit it for a minute with 200, then use 400, then 600, you get my point.
You'll get to where its really smooth and you can use like a 1500 grit and water on the spinning rim to really put a good shine on it.
Then use a terry cloth and rubbing compound, and maybe follow with terry cloth and aluminum wheel polish.
I'm an idiot.

[Rob]

huh? that sounds really weird, especially since the powdercoating would be more resistant to heat damage than painted finishes

[MoTioNLeSS]

making a post to subscribe. Is there a different way to subscribe w/o posting? Sorry it is off topic.

Really interested in how your rims work out rab. I'm going to call around when I get off work today to see if any local shops here (Portland, OR) can do it with out that problem.

[rab986]

making a post to subscribe. Is there a different way to subscribe w/o posting? Sorry it is off topic.

Really interested in how your rims work out rab. I'm going to call around when I get off work today to see if any local shops here (Portland, OR) can do it with out that problem.
yeah.. just go to thread tools at the top of this thread on the right.

[doostin]

Its probably the stupidest idea ever, but I would try this...
Put the rear of the car on stands and remove one of the wheels
Mount the new rim on the hub and have a buddy put it in gear and run it at low speed in first gear, maybe just idling along.
Starting with more course sand paper, like a 200 grit, and using water to keep it cool, just hit it for a minute with 200, then use 400, then 600, you get my point.
You'll get to where its really smooth and you can use like a 1500 grit and water on the spinning rim to really put a good shine on it.
Then use a terry cloth and rubbing compound, and maybe follow with terry cloth and aluminum wheel polish.
I'm an idiot.

Actually the funny thing is, I pretty much thought of doing the exact same thing, except i'd put it on an electric motor where i can change the speed of how fast it is turning. I dont plan on powdercoating though, I will probably get the wheels painted, I'm thinking cosmos.

Are you supposed to clear coat over the polished lip?

[rab986]

huh? that sounds really weird, especially since the powdercoating would be more resistant to heat damage than painted finishes


This is exactly what I thought, but he does work at another powdercoating facility here in town......so.....what do I know. :dunno I guess it must get "really" hot when polishing.

I am taking the rims to him at 9:00 pm tonight so he can look at them and I will let you guys know what he says then.


Its probably the stupidest idea ever, but I would try this...
Put the rear of the car on stands and remove one of the wheels
Mount the new rim on the hub and have a buddy put it in gear and run it at low speed in first gear, maybe just idling along.
Starting with more course sand paper, like a 200 grit, and using water to keep it cool, just hit it for a minute with 200, then use 400, then 600, you get my point.
You'll get to where its really smooth and you can use like a 1500 grit and water on the spinning rim to really put a good shine on it.
Then use a terry cloth and rubbing compound, and maybe follow with terry cloth and aluminum wheel polish.
I'm an idiot.

If it's stupid then so am I...... I was actually out in the garage last night debating to do this very thing. I even jacked up the car and mounted the wheel but chickened out and decided to wait a couple more days for somebody to offer to do it for me. LOL



Are you supposed to clear coat over the polished lip?

No...you don't have to. Preference. Some say it is easier to keep clean when clear coated. All I know is that they are both a bitch to keep clean if you like em really clean.

[reginalb]

huh? that sounds really weird, especially since the powdercoating would be more resistant to heat damage than painted finishes

I work at a ladder company, and we powder coat them, and you are absolutely right. In fact, when you powder coat something, after putting on the powder, you bake it, so I don't know how hot he plans on getting the wheel when he polishes, I can't imagine that it would be hotter than baking! :confused:

[Ali]

Cost me $75 to have a full wheel polished w/o clearcoat. It was a 19" wheel to. Call around to wheel shops and see how much they want. I'm sure they'd do all 4 lips for $100-150.

[rab986]

Ok.....I took a wheel to the local guy about 15 minutes ago and he said that he cannot get his polisher to do the whole lip without hitting the paint. ARGGGGGG :mad: :mad: this is driving me crazy....and to beat all, just as I was typing this, I recieved an email from a company over the internet that said the exact very same thing and I
you should not have painted them until they were polished because the polisher will take off some of the paint on the edges and the wheel will need to be repainted. 30.00/wheel on the lip polishing
checkout www.arrowtireandwheel.com


Maybe you cannot polish and powdercoat a 1 piece wheel? Never the less. I left one wheel with this guy and am going to let him experiment with it. I don't know if it was a good idea but I feel like I am all out of options. Except for purchasing a set of 17" SSR Comps :(

[m3s3dave]

Give me a call.....747-4822

[Ali]

sell them to me. I'll buy them.

[jvit27]

Rimpro.com can CNC laithe the lip without damaging the paint.

[M3corey]

hmmm im gonna have 4 polished 17x8.5 ltws i was thinking of doing them in black .. but places i have asked say like 150 a rim lol

[e30-323ti]

Rimpro.com can CNC laithe the lip without damaging the paint.

Finally.

Just get the lip machined!!!

Fook the bling polishing!!!

[rab986]

Finally.

Just get the lip machined!!!

Fook the bling polishing!!!

Yeah....I have to agree. I just emailed rimpro and I'll see what they say.

[B.Watts]

Maybe you cannot polish and powdercoat a 1 piece wheel?

You can...you just did it in the wrong order. ;)

You should have had the wheels sandblasted first, then polished the lip, and then powdercoated. There's simply no way to get a polishing wheel in there without also polishing away some of the powdercoat. :eek:

[rab986]

You can...you just did it in the wrong order. ;)

You should have had the wheels sandblasted first, then polished the lip, and then powdercoated. There's simply no way to get a polishing wheel in there without also polishing away some of the powdercoat. :eek:

This is what I thought also but the powdercoater said it would "contaminate" the wheel and he would have to sandblast it again.
I should have talked to a few other powdercoaters I guess. :rolleyes:

[doostin]

the polising method of putting it on the car works!! a friend and i rattle caned his wheels cosmos black, then sanded starting from 120,220,300,400,600,1000,1500, it worked really really well. we just had water running on the wheel the entire time and used good wet or dry sand paper. here is a horrible i pic tonight when we finished, i'll take a better picture tomorrow in the sunlight.

http://www.sbeuroclub.com/albums/custwheel1/P1010210.sized.jpg

[Juan ///M325]

I dont get the black wheels with polished lip thing.....I thing they look awefull. :devillook But if you want a polished lip we can trade for my doublespokes :D


You should be able to get the lip polished without causing damage to the powdercoat. The wheels look kick a$$ :buttrock

[doostin]

I dont get the black wheels with polished lip thing.....I thing they look awefull. :devillook But if you want a polished lip we can trade for my doublespokes :D


You should be able to get the lip polished without causing damage to the powdercoat. The wheels look kick a$$ :buttrock
Your wheels look great, how did you have it done? Are they powder coated or painted?

Dustin

[Juan ///M325]

http://www.roadfly.org/bmw/gallery/photos/photos-07-2003/6-3386082.jpg
Your wheels look great, how did you have it done? Are they powder coated or painted?

Dustin



The wheels are painted, but the guy did a great job. They really look powdercoated

[doostin]

I think I like painted wheels more because you can be more selective on what color you get. I plan on doing my double spokes in cosmos black.

Dustin

[M///MILLER]

Has anyone done this with contours yet? Pics if you have please :buttrock

[TheSquidd]

I'm SO powdercoating my chrome LTW's the same way. Those look beautiful.

[mkiv98]

dayamn! i wonder how that would look on my White E30

[phillyb321]

looks ssweettttt!!!!!

[///AlpinePower]

I'm SO powdercoating my chrome LTW's the same way. Those look beautiful.

good luck de-chroming. that's not fun

[doostin]

good luck de-chroming. that's not fun
it wont be too bad if he has the wheels sandblasted.

[nufsaid]

Ship it to me...I'll do the first one at no charge...if you are happy, I'll do the rest at our normal rate of $75 per lip.

Here is a quick pic of a really ratty wheel we brought back from the dead.

You can email me direct euroeast(at)stgassociates.com

-Jerry

[STL Avus M3]

rab986,

I think I am going to have to copy you. Those wheels look sick and we both have the same taste in exterior colors.

I just need to get a set of rims. How much did you pay if you don't mind me asking.

How does that saying go? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

[///AlpinePower]

it wont be too bad if he has the wheels sandblasted.

sandblasting chrome? good joke

[rab986]

Ship it to me...I'll do the first one at no charge...if you are happy, I'll do the rest at our normal rate of $75 per lip.

Here is a quick pic of a really ratty wheel we brought back from the dead.

You can email me direct euroeast(at)stgassociates.com

-Jerry

OK...now another question....how do I ship these things without damaging them?

[nufsaid]

The easiest way would be for you to go to your local tire/rim shop and see if they have a box in stock to fit your rim. (often no charge)

The other way would be to have a box made to your dimensions by a shipping store (or yourself) and pack the heck out of it. Just be sure they use at minimum, double walled box material.

[STL Avus M3]

Did you ever get things settled?

As much as I would to copy you, I think I may have to settle for staggered Double Spokes. LTWs are too rich for my blood.
:(

[m3lieb]

3 Point Wheel

Jimmy Strong

2515 S Sheridan Rd Tulsa 74129

(918)-438-1298

[rab986]

3 Point Wheel

Jimmy Strong

2515 S Sheridan Rd Tulsa 74129

(918)-438-1298

Thanks Lieb....he wouldn't polish them but he is machining them....I'll post picks when I get them tomorrow. Atleast I will have them on my car by the 21st of this month.

[Juan ///M325]

rab986,


There is a pretty good chance you are going to be happy with the outcome, :devillook if that's the case I want first dibs :D

[rab986]

rab986,


There is a pretty good chance you are going to be happy with the outcome, :devillook if that's the case I want first dibs :D

On....?

[wolverine]

This is what I thought also but the powdercoater said it would "contaminate" the wheel and he would have to sandblast it again.
I should have talked to a few other powdercoaters I guess. :rolleyes:
Then this guy is an idiot. We sandblast and powdercoat at one of my companies. All you need to do is 'mask' the lip with some tape when you are sandblasting. This is the same masking that they had to do when they were powdercoating. The previous quote was right, you should have polished, then masked, then sandblasted, then powdercoated. Now you will never be able to get the polish right up to the powdercoating, there will always be a line there. I would consider starting over and doing it right - the wheels should look great!

[Juan ///M325]

On....?


I meant, there is a good chance you are not going to be happy with the outcome. That's why I wanted first dibs when you put your wheels on the market.......That's what I get for trying to be funny, spelling errors. :(

[rab986]

Then this guy is an idiot. We sandblast and powdercoat at one of my companies. All you need to do is 'mask' the lip with some tape when you are sandblasting. This is the same masking that they had to do when they were powdercoating. The previous quote was right, you should have polished, then masked, then sandblasted, then powdercoated. Now you will never be able to get the polish right up to the powdercoating, there will always be a line there. I would consider starting over and doing it right - the wheels should look great!

Oh...you mean that the same sandblaster that takes the paint off the wheel will not take 3m masking tape off? :confused

[wolverine]

There are many different types of tapes used for sandblasting, depending on the material sandblasted, and the medium you are using as the 'sand'. It's not difficult to find a tape that is not affected by sandblasting. Your powder coater applied a type of 'masking' tape to the outside of the wheel to prevent the powder from 'spilling over' onto the rim when it was applied. We use a high temperature tape that can withstand the oven temperatures necessary to melt the powder coat.

If you really want to do it right, the proper sequence would be:

1. Remove the existing powder coat
2. Sandblast the entire wheel
3. Polish the rim
4. Powder coat the inner wheel
5. This will be 'perfect'

Now your powder coating makes it difficult (not impossible) to polish the rim. No friggin way I would set the car up on jackstands and run the tires. Sounds like Ferris Bueller.

If you could find something safer to turn the wheel at some reasonable speed, you could hand-polish it as suggested. You won't get the same quality polish that a top-notch shop can get operating on a bare wheel, but it might be good enough.

[rab986]

Well....That tells you how good my local powder coater is...because they had ME mask the wheels and I used plain ole 3M masking tape....well the green stuff anyway which is a premium tape. I am sure that they removed it before they put it in the oven because I don't think it would have held up to those temps.

I think I am going to sand/polish the lips after they are machined then clear powdercoat over the whole wheel.

[tEckniks]

:eek: i wanted to powercoat LTWs when i get my car..

any pics of the rims on ur car?

[rab986]

:eek: i wanted to powercoat LTWs when i get my car..

any pics of the rims on ur car?

Not yet...I just dropped them off with a machinist a couple of days ago and thought I would be getting them back today but looks like it will be tomorrow....then comes tires then I will take some pics.

[aeryk7]

Those are going to look similar to my old car when my friend and i photoshopped the centers black on my polished aluminum staggered lightweights. They are going to look awesome

http://www.baybimmers.com/forum/attachment.php?s=&postid=20635

http://www.baybimmers.com/forum/attachment.php?s=&postid=20636

[rab986]

Ok, here they are, with brand new Toyo T1 Plus's ( I got a good deal on the discontinued tire)

http://rab986.com/bmwm3/ltws/lwts4.JPG
http://rab986.com/bmwm3/ltws/lwts5.JPG
http://rab986.com/bmwm3/ltws/lwts3.JPG
http://rab986.com/bmwm3/ltws/ltws10.JPG
http://rab986.com/bmwm3/ltws/ltws7.JPG
Nice Roundel on the Center huh?!!!
http://rab986.com/bmwm3/ltws/ltws13.JPG

I am still working on polishing.....Damn that is a lot of work by hand. :D

[jonnyg]

DAMN! ME LIKEY x 100000! I wanna do the same to my double spokes.

[95cosmom3]

that looks amazing, im doing it!

[aeryk7]

All you need is that lip polished and you'll be set ......i am jealous

[EstorilM]

:eek:eek:eek:eek:eek

wow that is so amazing... i didnt think it would look that good cuz it was a 17 inch wheel... but it looks perfect. Goodjob :alright

[rab986]

:eek:eek:eek:eek:eek

wow that is so amazing... i didnt think it would look that good cuz it was a 17 inch wheel... but it looks perfect. Goodjob :alright


Thanks....I was kind of thinking the same thing so I was just going to use them as track wheels but..... It turned out looking better than I thought.

[Nunzio]

The powder coating company could have taped the lip with some rubbery type of tape and the sand blasting would have bounced right off leaving the lip in tact. Also there is a process called shell blasting using ground up walnut shells, it will remove the paint and clearcoat without disturbing the metal underneath.I work in the Aircraft Industry and it's used all the time. I personally used shell media on painted aluminium parts to remove paint and the part comes out like it was just cast or machined.

Also most polishing places won't touch the wheels if the centers are already painted , they can't help but take some of the powder coat off near the lip.

[rab986]

The powder coating company could have taped the lip with some rubbery type of tape and the sand blasting would have bounced right off leaving the lip in tact. Also there is a process called shell blasting using ground up walnut shells, it will remove the paint and clearcoat without disturbing the metal underneath.I work in the Aircraft Industry and it's used all the time. I personally used shell media on painted aluminium parts to remove paint and the part comes out like it was just cast or machined.

Also most polishing places won't touch the wheels if the centers are already painted , they can't help but take some of the powder coat off near the lip.

Ahhh, I have heard of the shell blasting.....The little mom and pop shop I used I guess was not aware of this especially since they do not specialize in wheels. I should have done my homework...It would have saved me alot of time and money. The guy at BA powdercoating was so convincing when acting like he knew what he was doing that I just let him do it. Live and learn I guess.......