Refurbing and polishing split rims

[jackflash 0]

Has anybody on here had a go at refurbing splits themselves? Been having a look on lots of the usual sites (wheel whores etc) and opinion seems quite divided as to the amount of hassle they are. I've split up my ZW1s and am tempted to have a go at polishing the dishes myself but a couple are quite badly kerbed and have a couple of minor dents... Basically I'd like to ask anyone who has had a go themselves - Is it worth having a go myself or is it just a colossal pain in the arse in your experience?

[tyler 0]

me and some mates done some borbets there where bad we only done the edging and took us allday and there didnt look as good as a professional but there looked ok :( ill upload photos

[tyler 0]

 

not a very good pic but im going to polish some engine parts next so get aq before and after

[zak 0]

Taking the curbing and polishing teh lips is straight forward, its the dents that will be difficult. How bad are they?

 

Polishing a set of cast wheels is very different to polishing spun aluminium lips. imo you should be able to get a very good finish, just buy a polishing kit that fits on your drill of ebay. There loads of info on the net, do some research. If you have any specific questions drop me a pm.

 

check this site for some info,

http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/buffman.htm

 

also has a polishing forum. If you decide you dont have the time or its too much effort i can advise a place that will polish you lips for a reasonable amount.

[jackflash 0]

Taking the curbing and polishing teh lips is straight forward, its the dents that will be difficult. How bad are they?

 

Polishing a set of cast wheels is very different to polishing spun aluminium lips. imo you should be able to get a very good finish, just buy a polishing kit that fits on your drill of ebay. There loads of info on the net, do some research. If you have any specific questions drop me a pm.

 

check this site for some info,

http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/buffman.htm

 

also has a polishing forum. If you decide you dont have the time or its too much effort i can advise a place that will polish you lips for a reasonable amount.

 

Cheers for the info Zak. The dents aren't too bad but there are quite a few. There's a couple of methods I'm thinking of trying, heating and tapping them out is obviously the most basic but they're not gonna be perfect taking that route. The alternative is to make up a backplate for the dish to bolt to then put it in a lathe and roll the dents out with something similar to a bead roller. Don't know if this would work or not?

 

The polishing side of things will be a lot less problematic but just time consuming. I'm just planning on working through the various grades of wet and dry and then once it's smooth enough using a polishing kit as you suggest. Seen as the ZW1s are spun lips I'm guessing the actual polishing shouldn't be too hard as long as the surface prep is up to scratch?