Alloys refurb advice

owenjt · Post by **owenjt** » Sat Jun 24, 2006 12:02 am

Have posted in the diy guide section but that doesn't seem to get as much viewing as here hence posting here too.

Basically i'm refurbing my alloys and have come to the point of sanding them down. I need to know:

- at what point should i stop sanding after the 1st session of grade 240?

- do you think it would it harm if i use a drill with a sanding extension?

Mk2Adam · Post by **Mk2Adam** » Sat Jun 24, 2006 12:07 am

What finish are you going for mate? i polished my wheels and i used a high grit flapper sand wheel on my drill to do the 1st stage, but then i had to do LOTS of sanding, then i went through the grades as normal.

if you're polishing, then you need to sand it till it's as smooth as it will possibly get with that grade and you're happy with the finish at each sand grade, each time it'll look better, trust me the prep work definately dictates the finish of the end product with polishing

owenjt · Post by **owenjt** » Sat Jun 24, 2006 11:36 am

I just want a polished finish. Using the 240 at the moment and is taking ages just to do the first wheel, and it's not the worst wheel! Know you've got to use a lot of elbow grease and spend time doing the sanding but anything that can speed up the process is great.

Might invest in a high grit flapper to do the 1st stage then. At this rate i'm not going to be able to do all 4 wheels by Monday!

owenjt · Post by **owenjt** » Sat Jun 24, 2006 4:16 pm

Mk2Adam wrote:i polished my wheels and i used a high grit flapper sand wheel on my drill to do the 1st stage, but then i had to do LOTS of sanding, then i went through the grades as normal

So you used the drill bit and then sanded with 240? I've pretty much got all the corrosion off but even though the surface seems smooth it has a sort of 'scratched' look - will this go away with using further grades or do i need to make it look smooth with the 240 before i continue?

Prash · Post by **Prash** » Sat Jun 24, 2006 7:37 pm

The 240 grade will leave a relativley rough finish. As long as you've gone fully over the wheel a few passes with the 240 you'll be done with that grade, move onto the next grade and the scratches that you see from the 240 will then become finer scrathes. Keep going with this process until you're using such a fine grade that the surface will look scratch free and ready for polishing

Its a bit of a pita but so worth it in the end !

owenjt · Post by **owenjt** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 11:40 pm

Can anyone confirm what the torque setting should be to put the rims back onto my alloys? The guide says 30nm but i've used a couple of different torque wrenchs and this seems too much. Infact i think one is now over-tightened so just keeps on turning without tighening up, and on another i'm starting to wear down the thread of the bolt.

Any advice appreciated.

thedees1 · Post by **thedees1** » Sun Jul 02, 2006 11:52 am

owenjt wrote:Can anyone confirm what the torque setting should be to put the rims back onto my alloys? The guide says 30nm but i've used a couple of different torque wrenchs and this seems too much. Infact i think one is now over-tightened so just keeps on turning without tighening up, and on another i'm starting to wear down the thread of the bolt.

Any advice appreciated.

I vener torqued them i just tightend them till the felt tight and just double checked them the week after.I did crack a few teeth on the nuts though

owenjt · Post by **owenjt** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 9:33 am

Ok so got a mate to torque them properly but a few problems on one wheel - a couple of nuts have started to lose their teeth and another couple have been over-tighented so just keep turning.

So - a) where's the best place to buy some bbs nuts and b) how can i solve the problem of nuts that won't tighten (or where's a good place to get this fixed)?

Redline · Post by **Redline** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 10:10 pm

owenjt wrote:Ok so got a mate to torque them properly but a few problems on one wheel - a couple of nuts have started to lose their teeth and another couple have been over-tighented so just keep turning.

So - a) where's the best place to buy some bbs nuts and b) how can i solve the problem of nuts that won't tighten (or where's a good place to get this fixed)?

For BBS bolts: http://www.justmatz.co.uk

E-mail them, and they should be able to sort you out.

owenjt · Post by **owenjt** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 5:27 pm

anyone know how can i solve the problem of nuts that won't tighten (just keep on spinning)?