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Volk GT-7; DIY Stripping clearcoat & Al polish on lips
Pictures first, writeup & review on bottom...
BEFORE
AFTER
This is an old job I did a couple months back but I figured there are a couple of people in the same situation and need some guidance. I bought these from another forum member a few months back and noticed a white haze throughout the lip. I tried washing the wheels with soap and water, nope. Used some straight vinegar on a soft cloth, nada. Mother’s clear coat wheel polish, still had the haze. After searching online and coming to my senses, I knew the clear coat is stripping away on the lip.
I went out to Pepboys and got myself a can of Eagle One Aluminum polish.
This stuff is like the fiberglass insulation in walls with gasoline added. I took the center piece off the lip which took about an hour each. Depending on how crappy the lip is, it can take anywhere from 2-4 hrs each rim.
- Do not make swirling motions when applying the polish. Only circular motions around the rim. You will also notice the polish is producing a black substance, that is the Al surface being stripped.
- Go back and touch up any spots missed.
- After you are finished and satisfied with the work, wash and dry this part and apply an aluminum finisher to the polished area. This finisher acts as a wax to preserve the shininess longer.
- Re-mount the inner piece back on the wheel
- Bam! It’s done.
Total time spent on all 4 rims: 20 hrs.
Hope this helps and sorry for any fragments in the write-up. This was a rush job.
I have Volk gt-7's. I love the look but have been very unhapy with how easy the clearcoat scratches. Did the polish remove the clearcoat and will the metal need polishing all the time to keep looking good? I would like to remove all those towel scratches that have added up. will this help me?
Sorry for the late replies guys, work has been non-stop.
Quote:
Originally Posted by caucasiancoupe
I have Volk gt-7's. I love the look but have been very unhapy with how easy the clearcoat scratches. Did the polish remove the clearcoat and will the metal need polishing all the time to keep looking good? I would like to remove all those towel scratches that have added up. will this help me?
The polish did remove all the clearcoat and now the aluminum is exposed to the enviornment. The bare aluminum can be protected with a finisher or wheel wax. Applied every 3 weeks or month. Before you go off and start stripping the clearcoat, try "MOTHERS Clear coat wheel polish." I heard it's great for Volk lips.
I will probably repolish mine once a year to make them look their best.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ed 718
wow looks nice Al.....
Thanks Ed! When I get tired of these, I know who to go to.
wait you acutally took apart your rims? damn you crazy and 20 hours??
hmmmm second thought.... or spend 250.00 and get it done at Mag Masters.
$250?! Is that for all 4 rims? For that price it doesn't sound like they take off the inner piece to polish the lip.. because of GT-7's design, the center piece would have to be taken off to polisht the lip correctly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ecorona6
That lip came out cleeeeaaaaannn! Big difference!
Yeah, it was bling for a week until it rained. Wheelwax helped out a lot, it's Zaino for wheels.
$250?! Is that for all 4 rims? For that price it doesn't sound like they take off the inner piece to polish the lip.. because of GT-7's design, the center piece would have to be taken off to polisht the lip correctly.
Yeah, it was bling for a week until it rained. Wheelwax helped out a lot, it's Zaino for wheels.
yes its for all 4. and no they are not taking out the center piece..
and my rims are RH C4s not Volks.. so i dont know if it will work the same as volks, cause its machine finished with cheap clear coat. not like volks its all smooth to begain with.
Any idea on those?? should i wet sand it down first to get rid of all the fine lines??
BTW heres my pics
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05' 350ZR Enth SS (second) ; 03' 350Z touring LS (first love) ; In this life time of chances, this might be your last
yes its for all 4. and no they are not taking out the center piece..
and my rims are RH C4s not Volks.. so i dont know if it will work the same as volks, cause its machine finished with cheap clear coat. not like volks its all smooth to begain with.
Any idea on those?? should i wet sand it down first to get rid of all the fine lines??
BTW heres my pics
RH C4's are no Volks when it comes to lips....C4's as you stated are machined and always have less of a shine. You can use the alum/mag polish and it will shine those puppies up with some elbow grease. They will need a feww coats and you see a huge difference. I wouldnt take them in and pay $250 until you try and polish them yourself. It should only take you an hour or 2. Good Luck.
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"Never trust a big butt and a smile"
yes its for all 4. and no they are not taking out the center piece..
and my rims are RH C4s not Volks.. so i dont know if it will work the same as volks, cause its machine finished with cheap clear coat. not like volks its all smooth to begain with.
Any idea on those?? should i wet sand it down first to get rid of all the fine lines??
BTW heres my pics
YB, tough call in your situation but I can tell you that polishing by hand (if you have a clearcoat) and wetsanding then buffing is a time consuming task. There is another forum that I can refer you too and these guys know their stuff i.e. 20+ years experience, Ph.d's, aerospace engineers, PE's, etc.
In the second link Dr. Perry mentions "Alcoa Sealer." Alcoa, if you didn't know, is the worlds biggest aluminum manufacture. The Alcoa Sealer works wonders on bare aluminum and if the enviornment is right, you only have to spray it on once. My co. field repair crew swears by this stuff when they are maintaining flight racks on airplanes. I'm getting some of the sealer next month ad do a right up on it as soon as I can.
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-Albert-
Last edited by fahrenheit350; 02-02-2006 at 10:38 PM.
Still on order... been on order for a month now, expect them maybe in early March. Seems like Mackin is taking their sweet time.
My "Volk Racing" decals from Hong Kong are also delayed til late this month.
Lucky I don't mind my wheels look half done.
Does the original nissan center caps fit? If they do, I think I may have a full set for you to use if you like. You can spray paint them to match your rims. Let me know.
-Edgar
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"Never trust a big butt and a smile"
You guys have it all wrong ... C4s shine nearly as good as Volks .... his pictures look horrible, but I assure you that is not how mine look. There is a slight machining look to them, but it is nothing like that of the ADR or TSW variants ...
Volk GT-7; DIY Stripping clearcoat & Al polish on lips
