Finishing my Rims

KMdef9

KMdef9

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My 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 rims come with a "special" coating on them called DuraBright (DB). After some time, or straight from the factory as far as I know, they become spotty and look like crap.

So I've tried several products, working my way down the chain till I landed at wet sanding. I'll post some pics of my progress in the next post. As of right now, to yield the best results, I wet sand with 1000 grit, 1500, to 2000. Then I used GC Metal Polish (worked better than Meg's 105), HD adapt then lastly with HD Polish. They look better, not going to get the chrome look of any metal besides chrome, but I'd like to get some more if I can. I tried using some Menzerna 4500 after the HD Polish and it added swirls.

This is my first time playing with polishing metal and it isn't going bad, but it's painstaking as I have to do half of it by hand.



Can anyone recommend a product that will help finish the metal after I use HD Polish?

Secondly, I'm looking for a LSP, like a coating of some sort that will last the 6-8 months these summer desiginated rims will be on the Jeep. There's so Nano-coating products out there it makes my head spin! I'm looking for a products that can hold up to the large amount of brake dust my brembo's kick out and will last the whole season without reapplication till the following year. (If said product exsists).


Also, there seems to be a bit of a blueish tint to the newly polished section after I clean it detailer spray, is that a metal property, or is it being caused by the HD polish (which is purpleish in color)? It's much more blue when I use my LED Maglite, haven't dragged the rims upstairs to see in the sun yet. I tried 3 different lights with all showing some blue, incandescent, fluorescent and LED.


Any help is appreciated, Thanks!
 
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it looks like you're polishing the clear coat not the metal ,which is a good thing. when you get them polished, put some opti coat on them
 
dchristo said:
it looks like you're polishing the clear coat not the metal ,which is a good thing. when you get them polished, put some opti coat on them
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To my knowledge, it doesn't have a clear. Unless there's a clear coat under the DuraBright.

The metal polish and compound turns into a dark gray color, doesn't that mean I'm polishing metal?

Could you link me the product?
 
In the event its bare metal, will the opticoat still adhere to it?
 
KMdef9 said:
To my knowledge, it doesn't have a clear. Unless there's a clear coat under the DuraBright.

The metal polish and compound turns into a dark gray color, doesn't that mean I'm polishing metal?

Could you link me the product?
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KMdef9 said:
In the event its bare metal, will the opticoat still adhere to it?
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It appears that you have polished aluminum and yes, OC will bond, but you will need to get the wheel squeaky clean before applying OC.
 
IIRC, Durabright was introduced by Alcoa. It was meant to bond with aluminum to protect it and make it easily cleanable and keep the shine. I now wonder if you have removed the coating to bare aluminum. If that is the case, you will want to apply some type of protectant once finished with wheel.
 
Rsurfer said:
It appears that you have polished aluminum and yes, OC will bond, but you will need to get the wheel squeaky clean before applying OC.
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Thanks!

SickTRed08FSI said:
IIRC, Durabright was introduced by Alcoa. It was meant to bond with aluminum to protect it and make it easily cleanable and keep the shine. I now wonder if you have removed the coating to bare aluminum. If that is the case, you will want to apply some type of protectant once finished with wheel.
Click to expand...

My rims are made by Alcoa (has name stamped into them). It is no doubt a tough bond, it took several passes with Meg's 105 on my 3" DA to dent it. It seems to me that there is no polishing of this finish, only removal to yield decent results. That's how I ended up with 1000 grit to remove it faster. I might even get some 800 to help with some of the scratches and get this project done before the summer, lol.

As these are my summer rims, I don't need protection the DB provides, even more so I can't stand how bad the finish looks. I don't mind applying/touching them up once a year, since I get all winter to do it. Unless I decide to get them clear coated later.

I just know I need something strong, as I can scratch the metal again with my fingernail!

I had someone recommend cquartz as well, is this equal to opti coat?
 
Clear coating would be smarter, but I might forgo that till I need to replace the tires, probably next year.
 
It's time consuming to have to polish them all the time. Reminds me of when I had to do that for my bikes GSXR750 & ZX-7...
 
28ONE said:
It's time consuming to have to polish them all the time. Reminds me of when I had to do that for my bikes GSXR750 & ZX-7...
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I'm hoping it will be a once a year thing with the right products. If a nano coating doesn't work, I'll be looking into getting them cleared professionally.
 
KMdef9 said:
I'm hoping it will be a once a year thing with the right products. If a nano coating doesn't work, I'll be looking into getting them cleared professionally.
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I''ve got PBL wheel coating on my wheels now but they're chrome and it's such a breeze to clean. Hope it all works out for you :xyxthumbs:
 
28ONE said:
I''ve got PBL wheel coating on my wheels now but they're chrome and it's such a breeze to clean. Hope it all works out for you :xyxthumbs:
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Thanks!

I'll most likely be ordering new pads and the opti coat in the morning.

Made a rookie mistake and ordered 5" pads for flex 4 3/8" BP. Guess I need 5.5".
 
KMdef9 said:
Thanks!

I'll most likely be ordering new pads and the opti coat in the morning.

Made a rookie mistake and ordered 5" pads for flex 4 3/8" BP. Guess I need 5.5".
Click to expand...

With that BP yes u need 5.5 pads
 
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