Bead Blasting Rims
 

Ok I need to bead blast the 15" turbo wheels i'm getting and then reseal them with clearcoat. Do you guys know of any good places to go in the southern california orange county area?

Thanks Guys


Kenafein240
To turbo or not to turbo? sigh....

Re: Bead Blasting Rims
 

Suggestion---------how about just take the rims to a powder coater and have them stripped and powder coated to your desired color----------it will last much longer than any type of paint you can buy------and the cost will be pretty close to the same cost if you pay to have them stripped and paint them yourself--------so i would suggest checking into a few powder coating places........

Re: Bead Blasting Rims
 

Problem and solution----I hope------You said you want the polished look----------that requires hours and days of hard work to get each rim to shine like it would normally shine if it was factory polished---------Problem is that the factory rims were never truly smooth--------they were casted aluminum with a powdercoating over them------------suggestion if you plan on having them bead blasted find yourself a place that will also do a complete polish job-----trust me it is not a fun job to polish rims------------it on average takes one full day to fully smooth and polish a cast aluminum rim to a mirror like finish--------second question was with what would i recommend to reseal the rims----------------personally I would have them powdercoated clear-------reason is because all paints and clear coats have pores which lead to disc brake dust staining-------the only product that i have found to withstand brake dust staining is powdercoating----------i leave my personal polished rims un-sealed---------but every two weeks they need to be cleaned with a good polish( I use Wenol---it is a german polish)---------and every two months I repolish the entire rim with my buffs---------------Hope this helps you with your desired outcome

Re: Bead Blasting Rims
 

I'd like to verify, and AMPLIFY 81turbo's statement that doing an initial polish job on the stock aluminum rims is NOT FUN. In fact it was probably the most ungratifying 3 days of my life when I polished my n/a mags. I agree that clearcoating is susceptible to stain from brake dust, and can also craquelle from sun exposure.. so some attention must be directed to protection of them. However, polished alloy wheels need more care than any other finish.. so unless you really enjoy polishing and aluminum washing and scrubbing way down below, I'd go with a different type of finish. IMO, powdercoating endures, is pretty cheap, and looks to kill. Guess its up to the person at the wheel though.. 8P

Re: Bead Blasting Rims
 

If it was practical, I'd powdercoat my WHOLE CAR. I've had the suspension components done & those bit's now laugh at rocks, grime & brake dust. Dirt hoses off & it has to be a real big stone to chip the surface.