slicky rick

what to change the character of my wheels. Now powder coated gun metal and I want to make them polished with clear coat.can it be done?

Dennis C

You should call a wheel expert/HRE dealer. I'd start with www.wheelenhancement.com.

Carmichael

Yes. Any wheel repair shop should be able to do it.

Media blast, then polish and clearcoat. The polishing part will take the most time, thus being more expensive.

I like the look of raw aluminum under matte clearcoat.

alleykat

HRE,and these other wheel companies, don't mediablast before they throw their colored finishes on.So if you chemical strip them they will be smooth "off the Cnc mill" looking.Yes you can polish them afterwards.

As mentioned above polishing isn't cheap and can be reallyyy tedious especially on mesh style wheels.If you need more specific info LMK and I'll answer the best as I can. I own a automotive biz and part of it deals with powdercoating.

Steve 911

i thought powdercoating was not preferred on forged wheels due to the extreme heat required to cure it?

Carmichael

Low-cure-temperature powder coat should be used on wheels.

Some wheel repair shops I've been to haven't even heard of such a thing. Stay away from them.

gopirates

I'm curious about the same. My car came with black Carrera IVs and would rather they were silver. Have wondered how much it would cost to do this myself.

alleykat

Misinformation.Almost all powders are cured at 380-400 degrees for 10 mins.That's once the part reaches that temp not the oven itself.Since thicker metals will take longer than thinner items.Aluminum can withstand way higher temps than that.Pretty much all these forged wheel companies use powder instead of paint.

As stated above like 95% or more of powders cure at 380-400 degrees.There -is- some lower temp ones but its clear coat powders for the most part.

The biggest problem is stripping the paint or powder.Powder is VERY difficult to remove without the proper chemical.And buying some of it just to strip 1 set isn't that good of an option.You'll spend less powdering them silver thru X shop than getting them polished for sure.Here in town polishing a wheel easily is $200+ a wheel.

slicky rick

So it seems that selling the current set and buying a 2nd hand set in the preferred finish might be the best way to go.... Unless hre or others can chime in and suggest otherwise.

alleykat

Selling your wheels is going way overboard.You can refinish them at a fraction of the hassle if you want them a silver color.

Are they 3pc or monoblock?
Do you want them actually polished or just silver paint like is fine?

Carmichael

Having a multi-piece wheel set will open up your options.

You may be able to just purchase a set of wheel faces from HRE and swap the faces out.

alleykat

My knowledge is free Rick, i'll help guide you to get your wheels how you want them.I guess I should have posted some credentials to show experience.If I have to tell you I can say I personally have coated more wheels than I can count anymore including my own HRE's.I have taken 3pc wheels apart and back together,resealed and everything.

Random pics I have saved on this desktop.

alleykat

For about $800 a center or more per center.

If he does have 3pc wheels and wants just the center done in silver he can

-let the air out of the tires
-unbolt 40 bolts per wheel , super fast n easy with air tools
-take faces off and take them to his local coater to get them in silver

Rick they shouldn't charge you more than $350 just for all faces powder coated.

alleykat

Here's 1 of my own HRE's.I actually only did 1 wheel to try and decide what I wanna do color wise.It's not easy picking when the choices are endless.

TxBob74

I agree with alleykat. I purchased a set of 3 piece HREs for my M3 in 1996. Chose painted centers (the entire spoked area) for contrast and to lessen the polish chore. Well, the painted centers chipped too much for my taste, so I decided to go with full polish, returning them to HRE. Disassembling the wheels, stripping the paint and polishing the entire wheel was 1/3 the cost of new wheels.

Polished wheels aren't that much trouble if you can keep them dry. And you can fix virtually any finish problem yourself. I mounted metallic track brake pads for Road Atlanta in 2000, where BMW CCA Oktoberfest HPDE was being held, and used the pads the entire trip. It rained on the return trip to Texas and I didn't bother to clean the car/wheels until the next weekend. By that time, the entire surface of every wheel was pitted badly. After wet sanding and polishing for a couple of days, the wheels were like new again! I can only imagine what the hot metal particles would have done to the paint.