So I just picked up a set of old rare wheels and I'm looking to refinish them.

They are multipiece, so I'm simply replacing the lips....but i was wondering about the centers.

I believe that they are painted, and appear to be in pretty good shape. But, as one would expect due to their age, they are somewhat dirty and worn looking.

Is there anything i can do? Can you detail wheels like you would an old car? (clay bar, buffing, etc) Or should i just look into sandblasting them and having them powdercoated.

Thanks to anyone who has answers. It's appreciated

 

most wheel finishes can be treated exactly like a cars paint, clay/buffing/etc

unless its a polished finish, in which case it needs to be repolished

 

yah these are painted....the lips are polished, but are being replaced for wider lips anyways.

Thanks Anyone else have any tips or procedures?

 

Depending on the design of the wheel center, it may save you some man hours to have them repainted or powdercoated. Another thing, is that after you refurbish it, it may not look as good as a fresh coat of paint or powder.

 

yah thats true...these would be a huge pain to work on. They are a very dense mesh

 

Post some pictures of your wheels, I am sure someone here has had them refinished.

They sound like BBS mesh, which is very popular in the VW crowd.. Tons of those guys have added new lips and had the centers refinished.

 

Nah....never seen them on any MINI

I do know that you can refinish, just wondering how easy it would be to clean the paint. As of now I'm looking at color matching them to my car with powdercoat. But I was still curious about restoring the original paint as an option.

I will show pics once i get them all refurbished an on the car this spring. the big unveiling :P

 

Pictures should be great and good luck with the refinish process!