17" Wheels... I'm Dying Here...
02-11-2010, 07:54 PM
#41
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
Wheels were at the front door when I got home today. They need some love. I called a few wheel places this week and they were all hesitant about 2 piece wheels. Something about getting the rivets out without breaking them. After looking at the rivets, I doubt I'll be able to find replacements like these.
02-11-2010, 08:26 PM
#42
Senior Moderator
wow even the rivets say work on them, sweet! try to take them apart yourself to see how stuck the are. Soak em in PB blaster if that won't mess up the finish of the wheels.
02-12-2010, 04:36 AM
#44
welcome to the brotherhood of meshdom 
wow those are beauts dude. oh, about the rivets...you can order replacement work rivets through dealers but expect to pay around 2 dollars per.
as long as you have the right sockets, you shouldnt have a problem removing them yourself. As stated earlier, use some penetrating grease, then loosen them up gently (but you'll have to use some force since the wheels are old). If you don't plan to gold plate them, you can polish them yourself...just take a dremel and use the gold 'polisher' bit (one wih the stiff gold bristles in a circular formation) and they'll polish back to a mirror shine. You're going to have to get a few replacement bits because they tend to get eaten away quick by the bolt heads. If you need any more help just holla
wow those are beauts dude. oh, about the rivets...you can order replacement work rivets through dealers but expect to pay around 2 dollars per.
as long as you have the right sockets, you shouldnt have a problem removing them yourself. As stated earlier, use some penetrating grease, then loosen them up gently (but you'll have to use some force since the wheels are old). If you don't plan to gold plate them, you can polish them yourself...just take a dremel and use the gold 'polisher' bit (one wih the stiff gold bristles in a circular formation) and they'll polish back to a mirror shine. You're going to have to get a few replacement bits because they tend to get eaten away quick by the bolt heads. If you need any more help just holla
Last edited by fliplyricist1; 02-12-2010 at 04:39 AM.
02-12-2010, 11:43 AM
#45
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
welcome to the brotherhood of meshdom
wow those are beauts dude. oh, about the rivets...you can order replacement work rivets through dealers but expect to pay around 2 dollars per.
as long as you have the right sockets, you shouldnt have a problem removing them yourself. As stated earlier, use some penetrating grease, then loosen them up gently (but you'll have to use some force since the wheels are old). If you don't plan to gold plate them, you can polish them yourself...just take a dremel and use the gold 'polisher' bit (one wih the stiff gold bristles in a circular formation) and they'll polish back to a mirror shine. You're going to have to get a few replacement bits because they tend to get eaten away quick by the bolt heads. If you need any more help just holla
wow those are beauts dude. oh, about the rivets...you can order replacement work rivets through dealers but expect to pay around 2 dollars per.
as long as you have the right sockets, you shouldnt have a problem removing them yourself. As stated earlier, use some penetrating grease, then loosen them up gently (but you'll have to use some force since the wheels are old). If you don't plan to gold plate them, you can polish them yourself...just take a dremel and use the gold 'polisher' bit (one wih the stiff gold bristles in a circular formation) and they'll polish back to a mirror shine. You're going to have to get a few replacement bits because they tend to get eaten away quick by the bolt heads. If you need any more help just holla
WAY better than any of the wheels I was considering. I think I might just keep the rivets original. After searching the internets for photos of this wheel, it's looks as though they're pretty damn rare. I thought I would restore them to their original condition, rather than powder coat them a reflective silver and plate the rivets. I won't know for sure until I take them to someone who can refurbish them. Also, after cleaning them up a bit, it turns out it's a 3 piece wheel.
02-12-2010, 05:01 PM
#47
Senior Moderator
man your CL is gonna be so nice w/the swap n the new wheels. It's gonna make u want to spend even more money on it lol. And lower it some more lol.
02-12-2010, 08:18 PM
#48
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
I'll try to get those soon. The car isn't at my house, I had to limp it to a mechanic that can get an OBD2 ECU to work with the H23.
lol, it will go lower. Just bought a set of Tein SS coilovers.
lol, it will go lower. Just bought a set of Tein SS coilovers.
02-13-2010, 03:30 PM
#49
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Tein SS is the only way to go
02-24-2010, 03:50 PM
#50
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
Here's a bit of an update. I was able to get the wheels apart. The centers are at a wheel place. They're stripping the paint and powder coating them the original silver.
I sanded all the lips with 250g sandpaper to get the clear coat off and remove the deep scratches. Then wet sanded with 600g, 1000g and 2000g and finished off with Mothers Aluminum Polish. I used the same approach for the caps and they look 100x better. There were tons of scratches and pitting in the clear coat. All of them came out except for the really deep ones.
The rivets polished up nicely. I bought a Dremel and a few packs of the felt polishing bits. It's a pain in the ass and extremely time consuming since each wheel has 32 rivets.
Everything looks pretty good so far. I think the lips and caps will need to be clear coated again so I won't have to polish them every week. I read that clear coat will make them more dull looking so I don't know what I should do.
Polished vs Unpolished Cap
Polished Lip
I sanded all the lips with 250g sandpaper to get the clear coat off and remove the deep scratches. Then wet sanded with 600g, 1000g and 2000g and finished off with Mothers Aluminum Polish. I used the same approach for the caps and they look 100x better. There were tons of scratches and pitting in the clear coat. All of them came out except for the really deep ones.
The rivets polished up nicely. I bought a Dremel and a few packs of the felt polishing bits. It's a pain in the ass and extremely time consuming since each wheel has 32 rivets.
Everything looks pretty good so far. I think the lips and caps will need to be clear coated again so I won't have to polish them every week. I read that clear coat will make them more dull looking so I don't know what I should do.
Polished vs Unpolished Cap
Polished Lip
02-24-2010, 10:44 PM
#52
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wow all that with a dremel? You're my hero
02-25-2010, 03:56 PM
#53
^^ lul nah bruh just the rivets
PROPS man...I feel your pain, refinishing 3 piece wheels is no joke. They look effin sick right now. Co-signed on the clearcoat idea...trust me you won't regret it. The lips will begin to oxidize no matter how much you stay on top of them if they don't have a clearcoat. They shouldn't dull at all as long as you take them to a reputable body/paint shop and have them use completely transparent clear. I definitely recommend it man.
Wow can't wait to see these puppies all put together and finished.
PROPS man...I feel your pain, refinishing 3 piece wheels is no joke. They look effin sick right now. Co-signed on the clearcoat idea...trust me you won't regret it. The lips will begin to oxidize no matter how much you stay on top of them if they don't have a clearcoat. They shouldn't dull at all as long as you take them to a reputable body/paint shop and have them use completely transparent clear. I definitely recommend it man.
Wow can't wait to see these puppies all put together and finished.
02-25-2010, 10:33 PM
#54
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
It's taken an insane amount of work and I'm so glad it's almost over with. I'll definitely look into the clear coating this weekend. I DO NOT want to polish these again!
03-01-2010, 01:05 PM
#56
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One of the few mesh styles I like
03-01-2010, 07:36 PM
#58
Three Wheelin'
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03-01-2010, 07:50 PM
#59
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Any idea what fitment would be like with those?
03-01-2010, 08:11 PM
#60
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
I thought the other replica was from Europe, but I can't seem to find it right now. The 7.5 width with the +30mm offset would look pretty good. Almost certainly not flush, but spacers could fix that. The 9" width with +15mm offset is more into flip's territory. I can't really comment on this too much. Aggressive fitment is new to me as well.
03-01-2010, 08:24 PM
#61
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Eh this is what i was reading about that http://www.stanceworks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4047
I've also been reading about Raderwerks, and they seem to be a decent company overall.
Starting to get tempted....
I've also been reading about Raderwerks, and they seem to be a decent company overall.
Starting to get tempted....
03-01-2010, 09:17 PM
#62
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
I forgot about Miro, but DZ Exclusives were the replicas I was thinking of.
You should get them. You'll need a pretty big drop to make it sit right, but that's a sick design. The price is reasonable too. Raderwerks sells the center caps separately, so make sure you add that into the cost.
You should get them. You'll need a pretty big drop to make it sit right, but that's a sick design. The price is reasonable too. Raderwerks sells the center caps separately, so make sure you add that into the cost.
03-08-2010, 07:42 PM
#64
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
Another update. Here's the finished product. Dropped another $320 on powder coating that I wasn't expecting, but it came out great and I couldn't be happier. Decided to go without clear coat for the time being. If anything I'll probably have the lip chromed. Also settled on a tire size. Since this isn't an aggressive set up, the options were quite limited.
03-09-2010, 01:36 PM
#67
CL in lawnmower status
you've done so much work on the wheels, they look so good
have you test fitted them on the cl at all to see how aggressive of a setup it really is?
and are you rolling fenders or any other modifications?
how much is your total amount for the wheels and the work done on them so far if you don't mind me asking
have you test fitted them on the cl at all to see how aggressive of a setup it really is?
and are you rolling fenders or any other modifications?
how much is your total amount for the wheels and the work done on them so far if you don't mind me asking
03-09-2010, 02:34 PM
#68
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amazing, can't wait to see these on
03-10-2010, 07:40 PM
#72
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
you've done so much work on the wheels, they look so good
have you test fitted them on the cl at all to see how aggressive of a setup it really is?
and are you rolling fenders or any other modifications?
how much is your total amount for the wheels and the work done on them so far if you don't mind me asking
have you test fitted them on the cl at all to see how aggressive of a setup it really is?
and are you rolling fenders or any other modifications?
how much is your total amount for the wheels and the work done on them so far if you don't mind me asking
The total price came to about $1250. The wheels were like $880 w/ shipping, the powder coating was $320 and the sand paper and wheel polish was another ~$50. I also bought a Dremel for $75 which I recommend. It works great for grinding off old brake dust/road grime and for polishing.The centers were stripped and powder coated.
I'm glad too, another big thanks to flip. I still like the Chevlons/Raderwerks, but 16's were just too small. Do you have any photos of you friends rides?
03-11-2010, 11:39 AM
#76
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03-11-2010, 02:11 PM
#78
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You gotta read man, he only wanted the center done not the whole wheel, and he had them powder coated not painted, $320 for 4 powder coated wheels is pretty average, and not bad actually
