VERY interested in this thread. ive got MCB and my wheels are in shhh......poo state. got a couple of quotes for a refurb and cheaper to get new wheels altho cant afford any at the moment =/ ive thought about doing it myself but didnt really know how to go about it but might give it a go now. ive got next week off with nothing to do so could you give me some pointers?

did you just get normal body paint? and normal body laquer? and you hand sanded or used a dremel type tool? also how much sand paper u get through and how many cans per wheel would you say? cos ive only got the 4 wheels so i dont wanna mess it up and have 1 wheel a completely different to the rest haha

just on chance my MCB has clear repeaters and has the s2000 badges taken off so i could take a pic of the side if your interested?

 

Nice job!

 

I'm very interested to find out how this holds up. I'm a little concerned about the damage hot brake fragments and dust must do to the finish.

What's the toughest clear finish that can be applied?

 

PHo
If you can't afford new wheels (like me) or even a refurb (like me) then this is the best/only way to go to give a new look to your car. I had only done a couple of door handles and bump strips previous to doing these wheels and they tought me a fair amount.

Best thing to do is ensure that the pieces are extensively sanded and smooth... nice and smooth. If you say "that'll do" then continue to sand... I also close my eyes and rub my hands across it *insert innuendo joke here* to see find out if things are smooth, especially if I have taken some of the marks out of it. I used 80 grit on them then sanded using 120 grit, but that's just for repair and dependent on the depth of the mark. Otherwise stick to 120 grit to roughen up the surface and then I went to 400 then 600/800. I hand sanded all my wheels and took about 4-6 hours each (some were worse than others) and I did use normal lacquer and body paint from my local shop (UK version = Halfords). I would say a 1/4 of a sheet for each wheel did me perfect... so a sheet for each grit level would be fine... I then masked it up, just some thick masking tape around the wheel, no need to go crazy and then WASHED it with a cloth.



Put small amount of detergent on it and wet it then rub around the wheel, and wipe dry. I never did this with my previous body parts and I think that is why my finish on the wheels has improved dramatically. Also ensure that the wheels are clean prior to sanding!!

I did find however that I need a lot more colour than I bought (only 2 cans) so buy plenty and you can always return if unused... Also if the can is getting lighter then just open up a new one as blotchy spray can come through on the last dribbles which isn't good.

Basically take your time and you'll be fine, the major thing is the sanding. Then roughly 20 minutes between each coat. 3-4 primer, 3-4 colour, 3-4 lacquer. It does take roughly 10 hours per wheel to complete to a reasonable finish. I didn't believe a previous owner on s2ki that quoted that time figure but when you take your time and do it right it turns out to be equal to it...


And yes that would be great if you could get the picture of your de-badged and indicator side... did you purchase CR clear indicators or just normal eBay ones??


alSpeedS2k
Cheers for the comment


MikeyCB
I am unsure on the toughest clear finish that can be applied to it, but I have put roughly 3 to 4 clear coats on and it seems to be pretty tough, tried digging my nails in and chipping it and it seems to be fine... only time will tell I suppose...



I am just laying down the lacquer on the 3rd wheel and sanding down the last one, which should be sprayed tomorrow once I bought some more colour... Managed to get a pic of the front wheels on the front and rear to show a general pic of what it will look like...

 

ok wicked, thanks for the info. Ive got a week off next week, goto do some decking for the back garden but i might try and fill the rest of my time with this!

Also heres a pic of my car...im lazy so i just got one off of my iphone i took but its not too bad quality, if you want a couple more angles ill do that for you. As for the clear repeaters the guy who had it before me just tidied it up cos it was a little shabby so im 90% sure he just went for ebay specials although they're fine and nothing wrong with them what-so-ever



PS...infact i AM lazy, ill get some more pics for you by at least the weekend

 

Noticed you've removed the windscreen tape too... nice looking car, your top is in far better condition than mine!

Might just go ahead with the indicators etc, just had some horrible poolage of lacquer in the dips inbetween the spokes, be careful around there... managed to repair it with heat and wet sand... All wheels finished and pics will be done tomorrow

 

All finished now, will get some more pictures later, but this one should do...