BBS RX2 (GTI Split Rims) Refurb Guide
- bstardchild
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BBS RX2 (GTI Split Rims) Refurb Guide
Alex has hosted the PDF guide to this for us - http://f.shortnd.it/ukp/rx2_refurb.pdf
OK - I did mine a while ago and stuck a post up about it and Dubpolo asked if I'd do his - distance was a problem but a wheel swap happened at inters
Right I'll say first that I'm going to concentrate later on the worst wheel - Kerbed and laquer lifted (there were two like that and two that were in quite good order but dubpolo wants a different finish so I'm doing them all) so it's gonna be the hardest one to do rather than put pictures up off all the wheels at all the stages
So Step 1 - Before
Wheel 1 - Awfull
Wheel 2 - Bad
Wheel 3 - Average GTi Laquer lift
Wheel 4 - almost perfect
So a few close ups of the bad bits
Thats enough I reckon
Step 2 - Stripdown
So get the wheel off the car and using a multispline bit (M8 Multi Spline bit) and a breaker bar - loosen the bolts off half a turn
Spin em all out - the U shaped driver pictured is wonderfull for this job - keep the bolts safe for the moment
Turn the wheel on it's side holding it upright between your knees tap the back of the centre section on the hub face with a bit of wood to free up the centre
Pop and out she will come - catch it before it hits the deck
This is the big problem - water gets between the centre and the rim and corrodes the wheel out towards the rim - unless of course you've kerbed it then it does the same job from both dirrections
This one shows it very well
And here you can see the effect of kerbing and corrosion from the inside
Step 3 - Tyres Off and Centres away for Powder coating
Have a search in Yellow pages if you aren't local too me - Most shot/sandblasting places also do powder coating
Tyres are now removed and all the rims are ready for the rim treatment
PS they are bloody light - all the weight is in the centres......hmmm thinks billet centres
Step 4 - Removal of Laquer
The worst wheel (or one of the two worst wheels anyway)
Safety first - rubber gloves no exposed skin on arms/legs etc and safetly glasses please when using paint stripper - it burns skin and hurts like hell if you get it in your eyes
First the mucky bit - paint stripper - Recommend Nitromors
Before
With a layer of stripper applied (be paitient and do it in a warmish area thats well ventilated - NOT direct sunlight)
leave the stripper alone to do it's rice crispy impression
After 10 mins (thats almost done)
Us a thin plastic Body filler spatula to remove the stripper and bubbled coating - rinse the wheel with clean water once complete
Step 5 - Polishing preparation
first pass prep work (wet and dry 240)
After second pass (wet and dry 400)
Skipped the next stage just cos it was getting late and I wanted to polish a tiny bit to give you a taster of the finished item
Can't shave in it yet but you can see the camera!!!!
Back to the wet and dry stages tommorrow 600 and then 800 followed by 1200 before the polishing begins proper
Remember if the wheels are in different conditions you still need to go through the same process of down thro grades of Wet and dry otherwise the polished finish won't match (you just don't need to rub as hard on a wheel that isn't kerbed)
So quick summary
- Start with 240 wet and dry but use it dry
- Next is 400 again dry if it gets worn out and uses it's edge I'll use it wet again
- Next is 600 wet
- followed by 800 wet and finally 1200 wet
As far as dirrection goes I go with the curve of the rim and then accross it if you get what I mean - what you are after is a smooth finish but with the rim shape maintained - so no using blocks
Step 6 - Polishing and finishes
Been having a play looking at different finishes plus what can be achieved by hand and black and decker assisted
Wheel quartered
Top - Black and Decker assisted polishing compound (bar)
Right - Scotchbrite rub (by hand)
Bottom - Brasso (by hand)
Left - Solvol autosol (by hand)
So
Black and Decker assisted polishing compound (bar)
Scotchbrite rub (by hand)
Brasso (by hand) or Solvol autosol (by hand)
Step 7 - Reassembly
Centres back from powder coating (sorry but this gives away the finish Andy wants but thats life!!!)
Just laid in one of the finished polished rims _just a taster!!!!
Bit of a close up
Rim with mating surface cleaned and ready
Sealant applied in a bead all the way round (Vauxhall Gasket Cement - it's non acidic like some silicone sealants and sets hard but will peel clean off surfaces - been using it for years) well owning vauxhalls I would wouldn't I - what I want to do is stop the water getting between the rim and the flat edge of the centre so I don't want any on the jointing face.
Drop the centre in and line it up with the holes - press down firmly
Loctite the bolts one after another and drop em into the holes (work quickly here)
OK - pick two opposites and gently tighten them up - not fully tight just nip em - pick another two at 90 deg to them and do the same
Catch up with all the others - remember to always work from one side of the wheel to the other - nip em up hand tight only
Once they are all nipped go round with a torque wrench and bring em all up to 20 NM
Repeat at 30 NM and that will do nicely
Da Da
Just a reminder - this is what this wheel did look like
Couldn't resist another one of these pics
Step 8 - Back on the the car
Final Photo's taken at the junction of the M1/M6/A14
And like Andy says the effect is lost on a photo when you step back a few paces and take a full picture - the camera is not as clever as the naked eye
All done and finished
This is not a post where I'm looking to generate interest or advertise doing others for people....... but a DIY guide so others can feel confident at attempting it themselves.
Costs (should be representative of what can be dne in your local area)
£12 - Tyres off
£95 - Powder coat centres
£20 - sundry material cost - sealant - polishing cloth - polish - paint stripper
£24 - Tyres on and rebalanced with new tyre valves
Picture links fixed
OK - I did mine a while ago and stuck a post up about it and Dubpolo asked if I'd do his - distance was a problem but a wheel swap happened at inters
Right I'll say first that I'm going to concentrate later on the worst wheel - Kerbed and laquer lifted (there were two like that and two that were in quite good order but dubpolo wants a different finish so I'm doing them all) so it's gonna be the hardest one to do rather than put pictures up off all the wheels at all the stages
So Step 1 - Before
Wheel 1 - Awfull
Wheel 2 - Bad
Wheel 3 - Average GTi Laquer lift
Wheel 4 - almost perfect
So a few close ups of the bad bits
Thats enough I reckon
Step 2 - Stripdown
So get the wheel off the car and using a multispline bit (M8 Multi Spline bit) and a breaker bar - loosen the bolts off half a turn
Spin em all out - the U shaped driver pictured is wonderfull for this job - keep the bolts safe for the moment
Turn the wheel on it's side holding it upright between your knees tap the back of the centre section on the hub face with a bit of wood to free up the centre
Pop and out she will come - catch it before it hits the deck
This is the big problem - water gets between the centre and the rim and corrodes the wheel out towards the rim - unless of course you've kerbed it then it does the same job from both dirrections
This one shows it very well
And here you can see the effect of kerbing and corrosion from the inside
Step 3 - Tyres Off and Centres away for Powder coating
Have a search in Yellow pages if you aren't local too me - Most shot/sandblasting places also do powder coating
Tyres are now removed and all the rims are ready for the rim treatment
PS they are bloody light - all the weight is in the centres......hmmm thinks billet centres
Step 4 - Removal of Laquer
The worst wheel (or one of the two worst wheels anyway)
Safety first - rubber gloves no exposed skin on arms/legs etc and safetly glasses please when using paint stripper - it burns skin and hurts like hell if you get it in your eyes
First the mucky bit - paint stripper - Recommend Nitromors
Before
With a layer of stripper applied (be paitient and do it in a warmish area thats well ventilated - NOT direct sunlight)
leave the stripper alone to do it's rice crispy impression
After 10 mins (thats almost done)
Us a thin plastic Body filler spatula to remove the stripper and bubbled coating - rinse the wheel with clean water once complete
Step 5 - Polishing preparation
first pass prep work (wet and dry 240)
After second pass (wet and dry 400)
Skipped the next stage just cos it was getting late and I wanted to polish a tiny bit to give you a taster of the finished item
Can't shave in it yet but you can see the camera!!!!
Back to the wet and dry stages tommorrow 600 and then 800 followed by 1200 before the polishing begins proper
Remember if the wheels are in different conditions you still need to go through the same process of down thro grades of Wet and dry otherwise the polished finish won't match (you just don't need to rub as hard on a wheel that isn't kerbed)
So quick summary
- Start with 240 wet and dry but use it dry
- Next is 400 again dry if it gets worn out and uses it's edge I'll use it wet again
- Next is 600 wet
- followed by 800 wet and finally 1200 wet
As far as dirrection goes I go with the curve of the rim and then accross it if you get what I mean - what you are after is a smooth finish but with the rim shape maintained - so no using blocks
Step 6 - Polishing and finishes
Been having a play looking at different finishes plus what can be achieved by hand and black and decker assisted
Wheel quartered
Top - Black and Decker assisted polishing compound (bar)
Right - Scotchbrite rub (by hand)
Bottom - Brasso (by hand)
Left - Solvol autosol (by hand)
So
Black and Decker assisted polishing compound (bar)
Scotchbrite rub (by hand)
Brasso (by hand) or Solvol autosol (by hand)
Step 7 - Reassembly
Centres back from powder coating (sorry but this gives away the finish Andy wants but thats life!!!)
Just laid in one of the finished polished rims _just a taster!!!!
Bit of a close up
Rim with mating surface cleaned and ready
Sealant applied in a bead all the way round (Vauxhall Gasket Cement - it's non acidic like some silicone sealants and sets hard but will peel clean off surfaces - been using it for years) well owning vauxhalls I would wouldn't I - what I want to do is stop the water getting between the rim and the flat edge of the centre so I don't want any on the jointing face.
Drop the centre in and line it up with the holes - press down firmly
Loctite the bolts one after another and drop em into the holes (work quickly here)
OK - pick two opposites and gently tighten them up - not fully tight just nip em - pick another two at 90 deg to them and do the same
Catch up with all the others - remember to always work from one side of the wheel to the other - nip em up hand tight only
Once they are all nipped go round with a torque wrench and bring em all up to 20 NM
Repeat at 30 NM and that will do nicely
Da Da
Just a reminder - this is what this wheel did look like
Couldn't resist another one of these pics
Step 8 - Back on the the car
Final Photo's taken at the junction of the M1/M6/A14
And like Andy says the effect is lost on a photo when you step back a few paces and take a full picture - the camera is not as clever as the naked eye
All done and finished
This is not a post where I'm looking to generate interest or advertise doing others for people....... but a DIY guide so others can feel confident at attempting it themselves.
Costs (should be representative of what can be dne in your local area)
£12 - Tyres off
£95 - Powder coat centres
£20 - sundry material cost - sealant - polishing cloth - polish - paint stripper
£24 - Tyres on and rebalanced with new tyre valves
Picture links fixed
Last edited by bstardchild on Thu Jul 05, 2007 3:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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powder coating the centres
when you got them powder coated did you get them stripped coz iv bin told if there made out of magnesium they just crumble away in the stripper? how wer yours stripped? thanks
- bstardchild
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Re: powder coating the centres
Rims or Centres?bad ass polos wrote:when you got them powder coated did you get them stripped coz iv bin told if there made out of magnesium they just crumble away in the stripper? how wer yours stripped? thanks
Rims were stripped as stated Nitromors
Centres were shot blasted much better key for powder coating than acid baths
- bstardchild
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- Location: Norfolk - "Its just Black & Dirty"
Wash em just as you would do normally (hoping you do wash the car once a fortnight)nickpolo wrote:hi guys,
can i ask, once you've done all that to the alloys does the finish stay like that? or does it corrode again? do you have to wash em every 5 min or anything?
thanks
Once a month a quick wizz round with duraglit or similar will keep them in tip top order......
I'd slap a load of grease on them and not wash them if I was using them in the winter and didn't have winter wheels
- bstardchild
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- Joined: Sun Mar 28, 2004 9:53 pm
- Location: Norfolk - "Its just Black & Dirty"
another question!!
i'm prob gonna do the rim refurb soon as mine are pretty bad all round.. so hoping i can get a few questions answered.
is there any way i can get the outer rims sealed with something permanent to stop this happening again? some clear coating or protective finish
with the centre bits, they probably need re doing, what should i be looking a having done? shotblasted then painted? i'm looking for the same silver finish. what is the best method of having these re-done?
as i've said my wheels look pretty bad - ie all around the outer rim, will the nitromors get rid of all this? is it purely a surface/cosmetic thing?
thanks guys
i'm prob gonna do the rim refurb soon as mine are pretty bad all round.. so hoping i can get a few questions answered.
is there any way i can get the outer rims sealed with something permanent to stop this happening again? some clear coating or protective finish
with the centre bits, they probably need re doing, what should i be looking a having done? shotblasted then painted? i'm looking for the same silver finish. what is the best method of having these re-done?
as i've said my wheels look pretty bad - ie all around the outer rim, will the nitromors get rid of all this? is it purely a surface/cosmetic thing?
thanks guys
- bstardchild
- Moderator
- Posts: 3057
- Joined: Sun Mar 28, 2004 9:53 pm
- Location: Norfolk - "Its just Black & Dirty"
- bstardchild
- Moderator
- Posts: 3057
- Joined: Sun Mar 28, 2004 9:53 pm
- Location: Norfolk - "Its just Black & Dirty"
You can laquer them but if you get your tyres changed the laquer gets damaged and net result is water starts getting under it and soon you end up with what you have now - so my advice is don't laquer - just polishnickpolo wrote:is there any way i can get the outer rims sealed with something permanent to stop this happening again? some clear coating or protective finish
Shotblast or bead blast - powder is more durable than paint and is a thicker coating - Silver is an easy colour to get a in either powder or paintnickpolo wrote:with the centre bits, they probably need re doing, what should i be looking a having done? shotblasted then painted? i'm looking for the same silver finish. what is the best method of having these re-done?
Nitromors will remove the discoloured/peeling laquer - getting rid of the pitting and coroded alloy you need something called elbow grease which when mixed with various grades of wet and dry and polishing compounds will produce a superb finish - if you find some elbow grease sold anywhere cheap - don't expect an instant wipe on/wipe off result - lots of cheap imitations aboutnickpolo wrote:as i've said my wheels look pretty bad - ie all around the outer rim, will the nitromors get rid of all this? is it purely a surface/cosmetic thing?
I hope this helps
- bstardchild
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- Posts: 3057
- Joined: Sun Mar 28, 2004 9:53 pm
- Location: Norfolk - "Its just Black & Dirty"