[LOW2000]

This is going to take me a few days, but i'll chronicle the cleaning and polishing of my polished billet aluminum wheels.

20x8" B. Coddington Timeless 6 Polished inside and out.

Here is what I am starting off with. I was driving my truck 120mi a day and working rediculous hours, then got a new job with a company car a year ago, so the truck got parked, and left in the garage...neglected.

In the past few weeks, i've been detailing my truck little by little, going through it completely, degreasing top and bottom, replacing worn bushings, repainting or undercoating suspension and frame pieces, everything.

Here are the before shots of the wheels both with and without flash. These have already been washed a couple times with soap and water while washing the rest of the truck using Meguiars Gold Class Gel, a lambswool mitt, and an EZ Detail brush.

Polished aluminum without a clearcoat takes an extraordinary amount of work to maintain, but if it is the look you like, it is definitely worth it. Most non-car people think they are chrome when they are clean and polished.














Here they are after P21S Gel that was left to soak for 1 hour, then scrubbed with a brush, then allowed to sit for another half hour before being rinsed and scrubbed a last time.









In addition to getting them cleaned and polished, i'll need to sand some areas inside the barrel to repair some damage done the last time I got new tires. The monkey at the tire shop didn't use pads on the machine and put gouges in the barrel.

I picked up a cheap drill and buffing wheels and cylinders from harbor freight that i'll be using to speed the polishing process.

To be continued...

[UncleWede]

From the back it looks like the spokes were welded onto the outer rim.

[Bartman619]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

From the back it looks like the spokes were welded onto the outer rim.

i think because its a 2 pc wheel

[LOW2000]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

From the back it looks like the spokes were welded onto the outer rim.

It is, they are 2 piece wheels that are made to order based on your backspacing requirements. My truck is on airbags and I needed the rear wheels to be able to tuck inside the wheel wells when the air pressure is let out. Even at that, I clearanced the inside lip of the bedside with a cutoff wheel.

[LOW2000]

Day 2:

Finished initial polishing of the backside of one wheel, about 2 hours of work. The fronts of the wheels are already fairly clean and bright since they are easy to get to and get more regular polishing so they will not need the abrasive compound polish using a stitched buffing wheel that the backsides are getting.

For oxidation removal and to get a decent base shine, whether applied by machine or by hand, I have yet to find anything better than Coopers Aluminum Polish. The only place i've ever seen it sold in a store is at truck stops. Truckers use it to keep all of their aluminum clean, especially guys that drive tanker trucks such as gasoline haulers. On a relatively clean surface, it is almost a wipe on, wipe off application with very little effort needed. Unfortunately, the buildup of road grime, dirt, and brake dust on my wheels took more effort to get through.

Also, i'm not usually much of a safety nazi, but when i'm using things spinning at high speed, I do have a fear of putting an eye out, so I wear safety glasses throughout this part of the process as well as a pair of nitrile gloves, otherwise I will have black fingernails for a week.



Here are 4 of the 6 spokes and part of the hub polished.



All done with polishing on the backside with flash...



And without flash...



The next step will bring the metal to a mirror-like finish, then i'll top it off with Poorboys Sealant.

[LOW2000]

Here is after the final step of polishing. I used a loose cotton buffing wheel and Coopers Maintainer. After this step and not shown here because you have all seen it a hundred times was a coat of Poorboys Wheel Sealant. I should have done more, but I needed to move my truck, and that meant putting the wheels back on.

[M3SWEETNESS]

Good work!

[Bartman619]

Originally Posted by 335SWEETNESS

Good work!

+1...that's my project today.