hey "peeps"

how would i go about shining my wheels (contessas) up? i think the actualmetal is tainted or damaged or soemthing, nothing a good olish wouldnt normally fix up. but metal polish isnt doing much so i got the steel wool out and after about half an hour there was a bit of shine coming off one of the "peanuts" i suppose you would call them. and a big pile of steel wool dust but i dont waht to have to spend all day on each wheel, is there a quicker way? i had an exhaust bracket beadblasted at dads work, but he cant to the wheels as the rubber will need to come off i think, and hey are too big to sneak into his work!!!

how much would beadblasting cost do you think? will the rubber need to come off???

edit: OR should i paint them silver? and mask off the rubber????

I dont want them chromed, i like the brushed metal look

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78 Leyland Mini - Prince

Good question Dylan's Clubby as I was thinking the same myself.

I spent about 1/4hr on each contessa cleaning them with WD40 and a bit of light wet & dry. They looked a lot better but probably would look heaps better if done professionally..

You can get em bead blasted. It's like sand blasting, but with fibreglass beads, which are better for the alloy than the normal sand that sand blasting uses.

That's the extreme though.

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I heard a tip the other night...sometimes tyres refuse to seal correctly on alloy rims...so you get slow leaks....

answer is to have the inner rim powdercoated to provide a better seal.

Anyone heard of this one?

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"Show me the Mini!"

Yer bead or sand blasting can can affect the tyre's holding the pressure...just get them polished up afterwards.
you will find you will wont to polish the exteria of the wheels after anyway.

Use differnt grades of Wet and dry and then finish off with Autosole
also a good thing is to lath the edge so it nice and even
Yes it does take some time but you will love the finish after

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Stop Licking the Dog...I Don't Care Who Started It

i cleaned my wheels with a wire brush on a drill
then washed them
then masked the tyre and outer rim( i kept that plain alloy)
painted with etch primer and then with whaterver paint you want
then the masking is removed and i polised the outer part of the rim and they look great

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scott, where can i gte them bead blasted? will the rubber need to come off?

considering taking it back a little with some wet/dry, then metal polish. i like the colour of the metal, i dont want to paint it. unless maybe if i coat it in varnish????

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78 Leyland Mini - Prince

9y when i was a tyre fitter in another life there was a rubber like compound we used on mag wheels that had this problem paint it on leave for twenty odd mins then refit tyre
makka

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Anonymous moderation means the agro that is built up towards the mods isn't aimed at an individual (fewer "Makk" attacks). Less stress for mods means less moderator "retirements".

Mick,
Some mags are porous but Contessas are pretty good in that respect. I've got 3 sets, one wheel is corroded a bit inside (because had tube once & water got in) but even it doesn't leak.

Cleaning the Contessa's rim bit is easy- put wheel in lathe, turn gutter rash off, polish inside rim with 600 then 1200 wet/dry. Then later hit it with Mothers metal polish or whatever.
The spokes? I just paint stripped them, then etch primer & VHT Quick Coat Black. To polish those you must be a Bling! merchant...

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

you can bye a deoxcidiser non acid type i know california gold makes it same people who make purple in sydney at chipping norton there is a place that has it but not sure on the price
maklka

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Anonymous moderation means the agro that is built up towards the mods isn't aimed at an individual (fewer "Makk" attacks). Less stress for mods means less moderator "retirements".

I've got gold rims... but the paint seems to be coming off them... what is the best way to get them looking good again? just paint over?
If I just strip the paint off, how much would it cost to get them powder coated gold?

If the gold paint is coming off they need stripping off, & etch priming. Make sure you use an etch primer suited to aluminium. Zinc chromate is good.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.