Polishing My Phone Dials
#16
Burning Brakes
Chemical strip!!! I had a friend do exaclty the same with phonedials for his 914 track car. We ended up feathering in the remaining paint with some sandpaper, puting a good coat of epoxy primer on them and shooting them in gloss black. I think you realistically need to get them stripped or media blasted by a shop with some hi powered equipment. You'll still be able to polish them after blasting if you go that route. Just start with some sandpaper before buffing. Or, consider getting them painted.
#17
Nordschleife Master
Great idea, I didn't even think of a chemical soak. The trick now is finding a reputable place in town. Champaign Illinois isn't known for its specialized paint and machine shops... :/ I'll check around though. I wonder what a ball park price per wheel would be. If it'll keep me from having to sand these down entirely by hand I am up for anything! Thats for the advice! Here is the progress I have made so far with the new sanding wheel I bought.
Too flat and laid out for me! it was kind of funny to see developed city blocks meet corn fields at angles...
#18
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Haha yes city blocks right up to corn field is pretty common around here, but yet it manages to still feel like a legitimate city! Somehow. Jimmy Johns just recently moved his personal residents out of Champaign actually, to Florida. Thanks to Illinois wonderful new 5% income tax...up from 3%...F#$% Chicago politics. Anyway, I used some aircraft stripper on these bad boys and it won't cut it when it comes to the primer filler. I just wish there was some conical sanding tool that was soft enough not to damage the aluminum.. I already have the entire front part of the lip smoothed with some 1000 grit and polished. It looks freaking amazing. I'll post some new pics as soon as I can. If by the end the week I can't find anything worth of being able to get the hard to reach spots I am definitely hitting up a machine shop with some chem dip..Thanks for all the advice guys. I really appreciate it.
#19
Three Wheelin'
you're working too hard!
Even if you strip them, the surface will need work.
Try using these with a light touch & keep them moving & you can skip the stripping step in the nooks & crannies.
http://www.harborfreight.com/10-piec...ive-96366.html
After you get them past the paint & the surface is
leveled, use buff wheels & polishing goblets -
the compounds will do the work. Start with black, then green & finish up with white. Sanding to 1000 grit is a waste of time- that's what the compounds are for.
Try using these with a light touch & keep them moving & you can skip the stripping step in the nooks & crannies.
http://www.harborfreight.com/10-piec...ive-96366.html
After you get them past the paint & the surface is
leveled, use buff wheels & polishing goblets -
the compounds will do the work. Start with black, then green & finish up with white. Sanding to 1000 grit is a waste of time- that's what the compounds are for.
#23
https://rennlist.com/forums/924-931-...ials-redo.html
#24
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That my friend is a brilliant idea.. I never thought about the two toned approach. That looks great! That would definitely make it easier than polishing the entire freaking wheel. Especially when I have 3 others to do.. Do you still have them or did you sell them? I am thinking about listing these for sale when I'm done but I have no idea what the price range should be.. If anyone is interested let me know.
#27
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I think that is the route I am officially going to take, if you don't mind me stealing the idea.. What kind of paint did you use on those? Have you ever had a problem with them chipping?
#28
Don't mind at all. Follow the link I've posted above, I mention which paint I used. Duplicolor if I remember correctly. Like I said, there a few scratches but mainly my fault as I did not put enough coats and I skimped on the paint a little. The lip needs maintenance, every couple of months I give them a good rubbing with an aluminum compound.
#29
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Great! Thanks for the advise. I'll check out the link. I already have most of the lip sanded and polished. I saw a wheel that was fully polished and it just didn't really stand out to me like I thought it would. The polished lip over black does though. I can't imagine the maintenance and upkeep on a fully polished wheel..Ill get some pics up soon of my progress. Thanks again sysgen
#30
Hey Man
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In case you do a full polish I thought I would include a pic of my polished Turbo PD's on my black car the day I sold it. They were in need of some fresh buffing, I was lazy!