has anyone polished the firebird rims? i was thinkin about doin this when it gets warmer out...if so post a pic if u have one..

 

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...irebird+wheels

 

thanks mike s... those rims look good as hell i'm definatly doin that. does anyone know the easiest way of doin it and what should i use?

 

I would say the easiest way of doin it would be by hand and maybe a dremel to get into the real tire spots. Just use a lot of diffrent grit sandpaper and mothers polish. Ill post the grits , i just gotta remember what i used on my wheels

 

if you do anything polish them dont chrome them, i saw a set of trans am wheels chromed and they looked to shiney for the car , polished is def. the way to go .

 

how does a chromed wheel look different then a polished one? pics please.

 

Well I don't have any pics, but the main difference is that chrome is a plating, and polished is just the metal that the rim is mad of, polished.

Usually chrome rims can not be used in winter conditions due to the salt on the roads. The salt can eat through the plating and make it look like sh*t.

As for polished rims, all you have to do to make them look like chrome is buff them with compounds and you got yourself a chrome looking rim. And you can use them in winter cuz the salt has nothing to eat through.

Usually when you buy a poliched rim new, its not totally shiney because the factory doesnt buff them. They are usually a little 'cloudier' than chrome rims.

Hope this helps.

-Josh

 

The shine of the polished part really depends on who did it. I've seen some people polish some of their parts by hand and with pro tools and took a month to do and had a dull finish to it. Others use some of the professional equiptment and get much better results and quicker polishing times. So it really depends on how you polish, what techniques you use, the equiptment you use, patience and determination.

 

thats what i figured.. wasnt sure though. thanks

 

hey 85 sport coupe, what kind of tool did u use to polish the nooks and crannys on those rims?? i can use a plain old buffer for most of it, but i havent decided what else to use.. a dremel?

 

I'm with him. It cost me $60 to sand, polish, prime and paint all 4 of my rims. The only power tool I used was the Mouse to sand from 80 to 220, the rest was done by hand. I'd like to think they look good. Thats why I spent so much time on them, to make them look good for me.

 

84Z28_5.7ltr_V8,
I use a die grinder with 120,400 grit 3/8 sanding drums to get into the tight spots, a dual action sander with 180,320 grit sand paper, and a sanding block to go up and down on the star part to make sure everything is basically flat. Polishing wheels on a bench grinder. And use black,tripoli,white polishing compounds.

 

wow they look GREAT. how do you do them/

 

what exactly is a die grinder... like a dremel? or one of those disc things...

 

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=52847

Brian

 

A die grinder is a tool, usually pneumatic, and it spins at very high RPM's, like a dremel, and is used basically like a dremel, but usually has a little more power to it.

Here is a die grinder...

 

is there actually a huge difference in useing that and a dremel

 

no there isnt, but most die grinders come with a 1/4" collet where as dremels usually come with a 1/8" collet. so if all of your accesories have a 1/8" or less collet you will be fine.

most of my grinding points and drums have a 1/4" collet, so i need to use a die grinder.

 

oh ok.

also, one last thing,

is it better to use a paint on clearcoat remover, then an aresol type?? because i got this "Loctite - Chisel" stuff from work and it is supposed to work pretty good.