CrawlinWS6

iTrader: (41)

Okay, I bought a set of high polished alum wheels. And they were not in great shape. So I had started to sand them, started with a 400 grit to 800, 1000, 1500, and finishing with a 2000. Then polishing them up. What I am wondering is...... Is there an easier way to do this. I have over a 1 1/2 in (1) wheel. I still have 3 left! Here are some shots. Let me know.

Before






After

2001somws.6

iTrader: (1)

mothers power ball should help.

SOMSS

iTrader: (1)

Clear coat them after you finnish polishing them!

CrawlinWS6

iTrader: (41)

I have been using both mothers powerball (little and small one).

Z28eatinhonda's

try S.O.S cleaning pads from a local store, they work great on aluminum

steveo346

iTrader: (18)

Well If You Got Them In The Condition That They Were In In The First Pic You Really Did Have To Sand Them......the Thing About Polishing If The More Elbow Grease you Use The Shiner The Product Will Be.....try Using Regular Mothers Aluminum Polish And 100 Percent Terry Cloth Towels And Just Polish The Same Area Over And Over And The Longer You Polish The Shiner They Will Get.....polishing Aluminum Isnt Like Waxing A Car.....with Aluminum You Do Need To Put Some Weight Into It Unlike With Waxing Your Just Rubb It On......pm Me For Further Tips...or Joshua Firehawk#608 He Can Help You Too

thesoundandthefury

iTrader: (3)

First, it's hard to tell from the pics but were the wheels pitted or have any curb rash in them? Pits/gouges would be the only reason why you would need to do any sanding. If the wheels don't have any surface imperfections, you can save yourself alot of time by hitting them with some emery compound on a spiral sewn buffing wheel. The emery has enough "grunt" to take out the little spots of limescale and built up oxidation. The shine will pop out almost immediately.

Spiral sewn wheel: http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/p...ProductID=1069
Emery compound: http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/p...roductID=15299

You can usually find both of these items along with a mandrel to mount the wheel onto a drill at your local hardware store. Once you've worked out the haze and oxidation with the emery, you can go back to your Mother's Powerball to finish it out and bring back the high shine.

blackraven

iTrader: (15)

My buddy and I did the same thing to my TT2's Mine were oxidated pretty good so we sanded them first to get rid of the pits and then gradually went to a finer grit and finishing with polish. I think they turned out pretty good. But if yours are not pitted from the oxidation you might not have to sand. Here was post about some polishing compound another member found to work really well. I haven't tried it myself but it sounds like it works.

https://ls1tech.com/forums/wheels-tires/528859-found-ultimate-metal-polish.html

parbreak

iTrader: (17)

Helps for protection but can also dull the finish if not done correctly.