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WS6's.... chrome or polished?

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Old Feb 17, 2008 | 05:20 PM
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Default WS6's.... chrome or polished?

Well my car is a '96 so my wheels came silver painted. I've been working on stripping them down, so far I only have 1 wheel sanded down. Qestion; do I buy a professional polishing kit with all the wheels/compounds, etc. or should I have them chromed?

I guess from the factory they come polished with a clear powdercoat on them... If I polish them how would I clearcoat them? Or would having them chromed be a better idea?

Attached Thumbnails WS6's.... chrome or polished?-picture-003.jpg  
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Old Feb 17, 2008 | 05:24 PM
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If you fully polish them, they do not have to be clearcoated. Just maintain them and they will shine like chrome. Clearcoat will actually dull them. Most people remove the clercoat and just keep them polished.

If you choose to chrome them, they are much easier to maintain, but weigh much more as well.
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Old Feb 17, 2008 | 07:03 PM
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Well I found this good write-up on polishing:

http://www.gmtips.com/3rd-degree/dox.../info/info.htm

But Im not sure how often Id have to maintain them if polished, and if they would shine as good as chrome. I had polished wheels on my old 'bird, and I hated having to polish them every weekend to keep them looking good. But I don't believe they were done right.

I guess what I'm getting at is would you guys suggest professionally polishing them or paying to have them chromed? (which I have no idea how much $$ that costs)
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Old Feb 17, 2008 | 07:06 PM
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If you don't enjoy polishing, you should go the chromed route.
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Old Feb 17, 2008 | 10:31 PM
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I would imagine haveing them professionally polished would cost as much as getting them chromed. Getting them to a "chrome" polish takes lots of hours of labor.
I have done 1 silver WS6 wheel. I used aircraft stripper to get the original finsih off and then I was able to start with 600 grit, and it still took me about 6hrs to get it to a chrome looking finish. I gradually made my way to 2000 grit, then I started buffing/polishing.
Another thing to think about is that it is very hard to keep the surface flawless in contour as you sand/polish the aluminum down.

It would be much easier to send them out to get chromed.
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Old Feb 17, 2008 | 10:36 PM
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Well I'd be doing the polishing myself... but about how much would you estimate the cost to have a set chromed?
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Old Feb 17, 2008 | 10:37 PM
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CHROME!!!! way easier to clean
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