How to bling out aluminum wheels with aluminum finishing polish

[Vegas Transplant]

Wheels not in bad shape. Finish oxidized and exposed to weekly tire degreaser. Tapered barrels very sharp and needed to be chamfered and not corrected due to heavy scratches and minor rust. Will be addressed in December when I drive this DD back to Maryland after the Christmas Holiday.

On to the pics









After 9 hours on the paint I decided to bling out the wheels. Not having my regular 849s, wheels, and greaseless, I chose another route. Not mirror finish as usual, but highly polished.

Wheel after wash



Hand applied Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish~what I call a finishing polish after greaseless



I found it necessary to use the 2.75" backing plate so that the 4 inch Cyclo yellow pad would conform better to the build of the wheels









Started at speed one on the 9227, then eased up to speed three as the polish did its thing. Added spritzes of clay lube to keep the polish wet and extend working time



Buffed to point of being nearly dry

 

[Vegas Transplant]

Polish was wiped completely wiped off with 75/25 MF, detail spray added (ONR@QD), then buffed with 100% cotton towel.






Topped with 845 and tires dressed with Opti-Bond





Dismounted end product beside next in sequence to be blinged




Sun shot~lug MIA


Time to hit up the polished painted interior parts and complete the interior detail



Thanks for viewing:dblthumb2:

OAN: To York and Lancaster county viewers...Comporium sucks.

 

[BradsDetailing]

They don't even look silver on my screen, their white! lol

 

[rmagnus]

Looks pretty awesome as does the truck.

 

[Vegas Transplant]

They don't even look silver on my screen, their white! lol

Sorry to hear this...better luck next time.

Looks pretty awesome as does the truck.

Thanks. Truck has a lot of paint issues. Repainted nearly 15 years ago. Outside 24/7/365 for nearly 3 years.
Twice yearly clean up. Did a thread on one of last years clean up, but lost the photos when I deleted some of my AGO albums.


I loaded nearly a ton and a half with water, trailer, tools needed to complete job in Kershaw county. The 6 banger toted the note rops:

 

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

The wheels look good Vegas. Nice work. The sun shot looks incredible.

 

[Finemess]

Nice work. Good looking truck. Gotta love 845 on wheels, makes clean up a breeze.

 

[FUNX650]

Hi VT...

You have taken this example of: "How to bling out" to the brink of avant-gardism:
Shall anyone deny these Al.-wheels are not now a work of Art?
I know I shan't!!



Bob

 

[tuscarora dave]

Nice job VT!! I love that old truck. Is that the 262cid. or the 235 cid. 250 maybe?

 

[ScottB]

wow ... great work !

 

[Vegas Transplant]

The wheels look good Vegas. Nice work. The sun shot looks incredible.

Thanks Mike :dblthumb2:
Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish delivers.
Looking forward to fully correcting these wheels this winter. They're old and the rebuilder painted the barrels enamel grey. May just wire wheel and re-shoot the enamel then.

Nice work. Good looking truck. Gotta love 845 on wheels, makes clean up a breeze.

Thanks hand rops:
845 will pull the last remnants of polishing residue leaving the cotton towels faintly grey.
Excellent LSP for polished aluminum.

Hi VT...

You have taken this example of: "How to bling out" to the brink of avant-gardism:
Shall anyone deny these Al.-wheels are not now a work of Art?
I know I shan't!!



Bob

HI BOB!
I thought of you and your KY upbringing as I went with my uncle to an old fashioned "Camp Meeting" waaaayyyy out in the country. This is a week long event going back several generations in this formerly agrarian community.

We had a blast and I saw members of my aunt's family that I haven't seen for 40 or so years.

Nice job VT!! I love that old truck. Is that the 262cid. or the 235 cid. 250 maybe?

250 is the ticket.
Fun lil toy to tool around with and be seen in rops:
Spent all day with my mentor (Uncle B.) and his extended family...literally just got home.
Truck broke down 3 miles from where I'm staying...fuel issue.
The 350 that is currently in the '67 is going into Old Blue as soon as the rebuilder is done.
The original 327 was rebuilt earlier this year.

wow ... great work !

Thanks...means a lot coming from one who meticulously cares for his wheels as you do rops:

 

[KillaCam]

Those really turned out great. So the only polish you used was mothers mag and aluminum on your rotary? I never could get good results with that polish.

 

[Vegas Transplant]

Thanks KillaCam rops:

Time spent wheeling the Cyclo pads was approx. 15 minutes or so per wheel. Start slow, minimum pressure, get entire surface worked before the paste dries, then gradually increase speed and pressure. Put the product through the paces and keep wet as you progress around the wheel.

Also, choice of backing plate and extension played key role in transformation ~ allowing the Cyclo pad to get into all shoulders and angles.

Mothers™ Mag and Aluminum Polish does amazing things to polishable metals. The unique cleaning and polishing characteristics make it a favorite among professional detailers, enthusiasts, and collectors. Strong enough to shine even the most horribly neglected metal; yet gentle enough to use regularly.

This is the marketing from the AG store. I bolded "shine" and "gentle", and underlined the focus of the ad. Mothers is my go to polish for bling...second to none in my book...and I have a crate full of al. polishes.
I did this pictorial after reading of others with finish and haze issues just to highlight the ability of this product...works as implied...with the right tool, pad, and bp. Each polishing job has its own issues.

Now, if I want cut I go a different route.
This product is not intended for anything beyond moderate imperfections, IMHO.

Also, I am not a fan of using OTC drill attachments for wheel polishing. The abundance of proper attachments are only mouse clicks away.

 

[KillaCam]

Maybe I will give it another try. Speaking of OTC products, have you tried out the dynacone by meguiars? It seems like it would be a good tool to use for wheels in good shape that just need maintenance polishing.

 

[Pats300zx]

Awesome work. I can't believe how well those came out. I have been a fan of Mothers metal polishes for years. Mothers Billet is fantastic.

 

[dad07]

Nice job VT!

You have just reinforced my thought process for an up and coming project.

 

[Vegas Transplant]

Maybe I will give it another try. Speaking of OTC products, have you tried out the dynacone by meguiars? It seems like it would be a good tool to use for wheels in good shape that just need maintenance polishing.

I've read good things about the DC, but for my purposes, online products fit the bill.
Hard for me to justfy a $23 tool, when I can buy assorted cone kits and assorted felt bob kits for roughly the same price.

Awesome work. I can't believe how well those came out. I have been a fan of Mothers metal polishes for years. Mothers Billet is fantastic.

Thanks. I have the Mothers Billet also. I don't have many opportunities to use it though. Most of the stuff that I see has been ridden hard a put out to pasture wet. But it's there when I need it.

Nice job VT!

You have just reinforced my thought process for an up and coming project.

Thanks Tim !
That's what the forums are for rops:
swanicyouth has influenced me to go all in on the windshield of the Sebring.
I was going to let it ride, but his well documented step-by-step pictorial leads me to believe that I can get similar results.

The bottom line is that if I wanted to achieve better depth and reflection, I would have used a different product with better cut first. Then chase it with the Mothers products to remove the haze and micro marring. Just wasn't worth it to spend the time when December is not far off. When I hit them with the big guns, you'll be able to see your fingerprints as viewed from 1 inch away...mirror finish.



There were several hundred people at the gathering yesterday and the truck garnered much attention and conversation. I passed out business cards and ball park quotes for jobs ranging from headlights to RV's.

 

[Hoytman]

Nice work Vegas...and I wouldn't expect anything less coming from you. Vegas's work is as clean and clean cut as he is. Nice pictorial.

Had a 250 bored 65 over once. It was in an 83 3/4 ton about the same color. It would absolutely smoke one tire after we put her back in...ha ha.

Here's to hoping I can be first in line as buyer when that old truck comes up for sale. Sweet ride!

 

[Vegas Transplant]

Nice work Vegas...and I wouldn't expect anything less coming from you. Vegas's work is as clean and clean cut as he is. Nice pictorial.

Had a 250 bored 65 over once. It was in an 83 3/4 ton about the same color. It would absolutely smoke one tire after we put her back in...ha ha.

Here's to hoping I can be first in line as buyer when that old truck comes up for sale. Sweet ride!

Hi Bill !!!
Thanks for the kind words.
It's a strong little workhorse for sure. We had a talk about whether he was going to keep Old Blue after the '67 is done and he's not certain one way or the other. Has his eye on another old truck but the rebuilder is not certain when he's gonna hang up his tools and close shop.

All the old hands are ready to sit back and enjoy life and their retirement.

I'll give you a call tonight and tell you what he paid for Old Blue. Believe it or not, he found the truck on Craigslist 3 yrs ago. I think that the only thing he had done was a tasteful full custom interior. Nothing over the top.
We'll be heading back to the Camp Meeting this evening. I'll post a few interior shots.

 

[Vegas Transplant]

:updated:

Almost 75 days later. Snowed/rained two days ago. Light road film at time of photo.



Sunshot



Partially shaded