How to refinish wheels with chrome lips?

[russo513]

Hey I'm ready to pick up a used set of wheels that have a 2-peice look (whether they are true 2-peice or not, I don't know). The centers are glossy black and the lips are chrome. The chrome lips have curb rash on I think all 4 of the wheels, and the black centers I'm not a fan of.





Any DIY options for refinishing these wheels? Basic sand, paint, clearcoat for the centers? Wetsand, then polish the lips? What grit, paint, polish etc.?



THANKS GUYS!

 

[BigJimZ28]

are the lips chrome or polished?



some pictures would also be helpfull

 

[russo513]

are the lips chrome or polished?



some pictures would also be helpfull

i'm 99% sure they are chrome, if i wanted to repaint the centers do they have a key type thing to remove those torx-type screws?





here's some pics..

 

[BigJimZ28]

yes you can get a torx bit to remove the screws



but index the peices and mark the wheels

so they go back on the same way they came off

or they might not ballance correctly



if they are chrome it looks like the curb ate the chrome

and i am not sure what to do next





maybe someone else can help

 

[GBSLambo]

I have a 3 piece set of Zone wheels for one of my cars. They are black with a chrome lip similar to the one's you pictured. When I had them shipped from CA to FL the chrome lip got damaged on one wheel. I shipped them back and they put a new chrome lip on the wheel.

 

[russo513]

thing is i don't know if the wheels are truly seperatre pieces or just 3-piece "style" wheels yet, hopefully the torx screws unscrew either way.. but i don't think it'd be possible to switch out the lips if they are not truly seperate pieces..



i'll just try to wetsand the lips with some 800 grit or something see if the curb rash begins to blend in, then polish it, we'll see how it goes..



thanks for the help anyway guys

 

[SpoiledMan]

Those wheels appear to be polished and clear coated *and* one piece. You should be able to have the lips polished to remove the scratches. If they aren't cleared after the polishing, you will need to maintain them with the metal polish of your choice.

 

[russo513]

Those wheels appear to be polished and clear coated *and* one piece. You should be able to have the lips polished to remove the scratches. If they aren't cleared after the polishing, you will need to maintain them with the metal polish of your choice.

what kind of polish do you recommend?

 

[kompressornsc]

what kind of polish do you recommend?

If you're not going to reclear them? Whatever you can buy in 55 gallon drums.



Those puppies are going to need a lot of work - my guess is that with that many curbings, some of them will be fairly deep. 800g won't touch those (ask how I know).

 

[russo513]

If you're not going to reclear them? Whatever you can buy in 55 gallon drums.



Those puppies are going to need a lot of work - my guess is that with that many curbings, some of them will be fairly deep. 800g won't touch those (ask how I know).

oo I'm going to take the centers out, sand those down - prime, paint clear...

then work the lips -- wetsand polish, then clear also... what grit do you think will work???

 

[SpoiledMan]

oo I'm going to take the centers out, sand those down - prime, paint clear...

then work the lips -- wetsand polish, then clear also... what grit do you think will work???

If you get those centers out you're going to need new wheels. Those assembly bolts appear to be purely cosmetic. Are there nuts on the back side of the wheels?

 

[russo513]

If you get those centers out you're going to need new wheels. Those assembly bolts appear to be purely cosmetic. Are there nuts on the back side of the wheels?

even if they aren't truly seperate pieces, won't the screws still come out?? then i can just mask off the lip when painting??

 

[SpoiledMan]

Sometimes they will but in *most* cases they are plastic and pressed in. Removal tends to ruin them. If you plan to paint the centers it is best to simply cover them with tape as best as you can.