Volk GT-7; DIY Stripping clearcoat & Al polish on lips

[fahrenheit350]

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.

[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?

[Ed 718]

wow looks nice Al.....

[fahrenheit350]

Sorry for the late replies guys, work has been non-stop.

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.

Originally Posted by Ed 718

wow looks nice Al.....

Thanks Ed! When I get tired of these, I know who to go to.

[YBLegal]

hmm i think i should try that out first.
Thanks

[YBLegal]

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.

[ecorona6]

That lip came out cleeeeaaaaannn! Big difference!

[fahrenheit350]

Originally Posted by YBLegal

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.

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.

[YBLegal]

Originally Posted by fahrenheit350

$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

[ecorona6]

Originally Posted by YBLegal

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.

[fahrenheit350]

Originally Posted by YBLegal

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.

Here are 2 that I found that may help:

http://www.finishing.com/157/29.shtml

http://www.finishing.com/183/52.shtml

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.

[YBLegal]

Thanks guys. i will try this it out first before i send them out to polisher..

[ecorona6]

Hey Albert.....Get those center caps yet?

[fahrenheit350]

Originally Posted by ecorona6

Hey Albert.....Get those center caps yet?

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.

[ecorona6]

Originally Posted by fahrenheit350

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

[fahrenheit350]

I've tried using the caps from the stock 17's and they didn't fit. I don't mind them being naked for now. Thanks for the offer Edgar.

[davidv]

You put some serious hours into the wheels. They look exceptional.

[fahrenheit350]

Thanks D! Time consuming but worth it in the end.

OT: Notice you are in B-more, I miss chillin at the inner harbor and eatin at Philips.. great times.

[denic79]

I wonder why racing hart go the cheapest way to clear there wheels. it lloks like it just a cheap anodized clearcoat.

[JimRHIT]

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 ...