Little help with refinished wheels

[BryanH]

I had the original alloy wheels from my 1993 MR2 sent out for refinishing last month. I got them back today and they still need some work.

The face is supposed to be smooth and just a little bit shiny, while texture remains in the void areas. Here's the best photo I could come up with from before, when the wheels had their original finish:

http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/148333377/original.jpg

Now there's only one finish across the whole wheel - a fine but rough texture with a matte finish. If I wipe gently with a paper towel the wheel grabs lint like crazy.

http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/148333374/original.jpg

So here's what I was thinking... Polish the faces with a paint polish (since the wheels are painted) to get them smooth, then have the wheels clear coated. The owner of the wheel place said he didn't clear them because it would make them really shiny. I want some shine but not chrome exactly... I just want it to look OEM!


One potential problem - spreading polish or compound on the wheels might tear up applicators if I use any kind of pressure. The edges of the texture are that sharp.

There are also still some pits that need to be filled. Not sure I'll be able to tackle this. DrColorChip might work if I had the paint code... *sigh*

http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/148333375/original.jpg

And the icing on the disappointment cake; the back sides of the wheels still have 20 years of grime build up on them.

http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/148333376/original.jpg

Any recommendations for that above and beyond an aggressive wheel cleaner, elbow grease, and patience?

For "wheel refinishing" I expected more than some rough textured paint slapped on the front of the wheel. Some years ago when I took two curbed S2000 wheels in to this place, the wheels came back looking brand new and OEM.

New Toyota wheels might have been a better option. But they are $400 a piece. :eek:

I'm not sure how well my plan will work. Halp? :)

Feed back please

[Crispy]

You could probably wet sand with 1200 to 1500 grit and then compound and polish. That would get rid of the gripyness.Looks like it is single stage paint otherwise clear should not change the appearance. As for the barrels Brown Royal, Scotchbrite green pad and lots of applications. Once all the crud is off compound and polish. Seal with LSP. I hope you didn't pay to much for such a poor job.

[custmsprty]

Yeah I hope you didn't pay much $$$.

Tire Rack, get some new wheels. They have plenty of really affordable wheels.

[swanicyouth]

I can understand wanting an OEM finish. But, the wheel place you used was GARBAGE. Their are numerous wheel places that can make bad wheels indistinguishable from factory new wheels.

I'm hoping you paid like 20 bucks a wheel - then, it's not too bad. Expect to pay ~ $180 a wheel for the real deal.

[Brody]

That doesn't look like single stage paint. Even single stage has gloss and lays down with minimal to no orange peel when applied by anyone with half a brain.

I own a wheel repair/restoration shop, seeing something like that get handed back to a customer annoys the hell out of me. I mean come on, if you aren't going to paint the inner barrel at least clean it before handing it back. On the other hand if you only paid $20-$40 per wheel then that's pretty much the kind of work I would expect.

Honestly, to me, that looks like duplicolor chrysler silver spray paint.

Swanic is pretty much right on with that price as well. Varies a bit depending on color chosen, and the size of the wheel, but for an actual strip the entire wheel down to bare metal, repair any damage, sandblast, and powder coat, $180 per wheel is a pretty good ballpark figure.

[custmsprty]

And for $180.00 per wheel you could get some sweet custom wheels from Tire Rack that's for sure.

[BryanH]

Wow, this thread is a blast from the past. :)

As I recall I paid a little more than $100 per wheel for this job. They're 15" wheels. Obviously, I was disappointed. The shop was not helpful or willing to work with me after such a poor job so I ended up selling those wheels ($125 for the set, IIRC) and buying new OEM.

http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/149842689/original.jpg

Getting the center caps was the tricky part - they had to be ordered from Japan and most Toyota dealers wouldn't do that. A dealer in Oregon (Lithia Toyota of Springfield) specializes in MR2 parts and they were able to get them for me after some weeks of wait.

It was worth it. The car looks proper again. :)

Aftermarket wheels can look great on this car, but then you need to lower it for it to look right. Mine is somewhat rare being a hardtop Turbo, and I already have enough low/stiff cars with big wheels, so I decided to be unique by keeping this one stock.

http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/149899736/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/149899741/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/149899739/original.jpg

[It was also a big challenge to find the correct rear tire size for this car, too, but that's another story!]

[geekdout]

I can understand wanting to keep this car looking stock. It really is beautiful just the way it is especially in that light blue almost gray color. This car is on my list of cars Id like to own at some point.

It really is sad that its so hard to find people who take pride in their work. I really don't see how this job cost this wheel refinisher more then what a can of spray paint cost.

Do you have anymore recent pictures of your car or maybe a list of mods to the car ?

[swanicyouth]

Yeah it was worth it. The OEM look is awesome.

[Setec Astronomy]

Wow, this thread is a blast from the past. :)

Shoot, leave it to Crispy to drag up a 2.5 yo thread!

[99monguse]

I can't believe you paid that much and they didn't refinish the ENTIRE wheel.

[BryanH]

Me either. I had taken two bent S2000 wheels to this shop a few years earlier to have them straightened, and they did a perfect job for about the same price - even eliminated some small scuffs. It seems things changed at that place.


Do you have anymore recent pictures of your car or maybe a list of mods to the car ?
It mostly sits in the garage these days. This car was a lucky find, so I always wanted to preserve it for the future and not use it for daily driving. They're not getting any easier to find in this kind of condition and this one has the perfect seasoning of options for me (back in those days you could get most options a-la-carte). The odds of finding another MR2 like it in the future are slim. Anyway, the only recent photos are a few cell phone snapshots. Here's one:

http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/160391514/original.jpg

Mods are few and far between.
- Turbo timer from long ago (it's period correct for the car :p)
- Koni Sport rear dampers, Koni 8611 double adjustable front dampers
- Suspension Techniques front anti-roll bar
- Toyota 2-dot crash bolts for added negative camber up front
- Custom cat-back exhaust
- 1994+ taillight conversion (by a previous owner)
- Clear front corner lenses
- Painted rocker panels and air dam (again to 1994+ spec)

[That's getting down to the nitty gritty minutiae isn't it?]

I have dreams of updating it with a more modern turbocharger (for quicker spool and some more power), a larger intercooler, and I'd like to re-do the exhaust. Nothing crazy, nothing that wouldn't be easily reversible back to stock, or that would affect reliability.

[Brody]

Car looks awesome with the brand new factory wheels. That was definitely the right move. I didn't even notice it was a two year old thread that no one responded to initially. Lol

[DaveT435]

Wow, this thread is a blast from the past. :)

As I recall I paid a little more than $100 per wheel for this job. They're 15" wheels. Obviously, I was disappointed. The shop was not helpful or willing to work with me after such a poor job so I ended up selling those wheels ($125 for the set, IIRC) and buying new OEM.

http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/149842689/original.jpg

Getting the center caps was the tricky part - they had to be ordered from Japan and most Toyota dealers wouldn't do that. A dealer in Oregon (Lithia Toyota of Springfield) specializes in MR2 parts and they were able to get them for me after some weeks of wait.

It was worth it. The car looks proper again. :)

Aftermarket wheels can look great on this car, but then you need to lower it for it to look right. Mine is somewhat rare being a hardtop Turbo, and I already have enough low/stiff cars with big wheels, so I decided to be unique by keeping this one stock.

http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/149899736/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/149899741/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/bryanh/image/149899739/original.jpg

[It was also a big challenge to find the correct rear tire size for this car, too, but that's another story!]

What was the rear tire size on that car? 225/50R15?

[BryanH]

You're correct. Last I checked, only one tire exists in that size and it's not a tire I'd put on a sports car if I can help it.

When I got the new OEM wheels, I managed to find a used pair of Yokohama ES100s for sale (not the cream of the crop of tires, but they're good enough) that had never even been mounted. Next time I need tires, who knows what I'll have to resort to. I know this isn't the only car that came with this size tire, either, so I'm sure there are others in the same boat as well.