Hello. I acquired a set of staggered 18x10/9 Chrome FR500 rims. The left side wheels were pothole damaged and are at a shop for repair right now. He claims he'll be able to restructure the lip of the wheel by grafting new section and welding just like many wheel repair shops. The wheels have various flaws including chrome pitting, gouges and curbrash. I am going to sand off the entire face of the wheel through the chrome down to the alloy. At this point, can alloy be polished up to a mirror finish like an aluminum rim is capable of? I understand that it is a lot of work, but I am willing to sand in stages to attain the desired finish. The rims that have pitting will be filled in with metal filler like JB Weld, and sanded down to an even surface. Will these spots polish up like the Alloy that is in the rim, or will they be unable to attain the same finish? I realistically don't expect to be able to polish JB weld to a mirror finish. I'm looking for peoples experience and honest opinion. I am being very realistic about this, but I want to know if it is at all possible to achieve the result from an Alloy rim. Keep in mind I understand they are not aluminum.
FR500 Rims Strip chrome finish and polish alloy to a mirror finish?
- Thread starter skratpiece
- Start date
Time for some new rims that will be to much work!!! Jb weld I don't think will be able to be polished. The money you saved would be not worth it as those rims are easily scored for a decent price new. Besides it will take forever to polish and a bunch of money to strip.
The rims are only costing me $50 + $120 for repair (cheap). If they'll polish out, I'd be glad to put the work in. If not, I'm gonna fill the gouges, sand them, prime them and paint them either white or silver. They'll be fine. I'll only have about $200 at the most into them.
Steel is much harder than aluminum in my oppinion you will be sanding and polishing for days. And may not end with desired results. Have you considered/priced having them rechromed?
JB weld will not polish.
Take the wheels to someone that can do TIG welding and have the pits and holes filled in. Then grind them even with the surface with a drum roll on a Dremel or an air tool designed for that purpose.
For polishing use a felt wheel and the correct stick polish to do the polishing. otherwise you will spend your whole life trying to polish out the scratches left over from grinding and sanding.
here's one
http://www.harborfreight.com/8-inch-bench-grinder-buffer-94327.html
and the die grinder.
http://www.harborfreight.com/electric-die-grinder-with-long-shaft-44141.html
The die grinder is nice to have if you ever plan to port match or polish heads, manifolds, or throttle bodies.
Take the wheels to someone that can do TIG welding and have the pits and holes filled in. Then grind them even with the surface with a drum roll on a Dremel or an air tool designed for that purpose.
For polishing use a felt wheel and the correct stick polish to do the polishing. otherwise you will spend your whole life trying to polish out the scratches left over from grinding and sanding.
here's one
http://www.harborfreight.com/8-inch-bench-grinder-buffer-94327.html
and the die grinder.
http://www.harborfreight.com/electric-die-grinder-with-long-shaft-44141.html
The die grinder is nice to have if you ever plan to port match or polish heads, manifolds, or throttle bodies.
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