Thread: So.. School me on restoring rims.

It depends on how good a job you want to do with the wheels. There are a variety of options - all start with "remove old tyres and tubes.

1. Quick and dirty - wash outside face of wheel with degreaser, give any loose flakes of paint or rust a few swipes with a wire brush, hose down and allow to dry. Spray any desired colour with pressure pack.

2. Decent paint job. Thoroughly clean and degrease all surfaces of the wheel. Wire brush loose paint and rust. Sand smooth overall, with particular attention to the outer face and bead seats, and apply same sequence of paint layers you would do on the bodywork.

3. Good paint job. Same as 2 but use paint stripper to remove all paint first. This should bring the wheels back to original condition.

4. Powder coating. Take to powder coater. Main problem is limited selection of colours, probably none of which are exactly what you want.

5. Best. Dip galvanise. Optionally proceed with 3 or 4.

Costs will vary considerably for outside work (shop around), if you do it yourself (1-2-3) cost will be pretty small, but a significant amount of work except 1.

Sandblasting is only necessary for 4&5 and will be done by the organisation doing the job. I would not sandblast them unless I was either powder coating or galvanising them - or putting it another way, if I went to the trouble and cost of sandblasting, I would either powder coat or galvanise them.

Up to you which you do. Particularly for galvanising, but it applies to all the others as well, be wary of uneven build up on the faces that mate to the drum and bead seats, and excessive build in the stud holes - file, sand or ream as necessary.

I got mine sandblasted, then put 2 coats of POR15 on them, then a coat of enamel. Sandblasting cost $25 per rim.

In retrospect, I should have got them powder-coated. Powder-coating will last a long, long time, whereas with paint you're up for a never-ending re-painting job.

Have a good, close look at your rims after the tyres are off and before you do anything with them. They may have significant rust around the beads, with only very thin steel left behind. If that's the case, you'll need to get them repaired or replaced. Repair can be expensive if you don't have a MIG handy.

Galvanising costs maybe $1.50 per kilo. I haven't weighed a rim - 15kg? Say $20-25 per rim?

I would still powder-coat. Black, white, and most Colorbond colours are usually available.

Peter

Originally Posted by peterg1001

I got mine sandblasted, then put 2 coats of POR15 on them, then a coat of enamel. Sandblasting cost $25 per rim.

In retrospect, I should have got them powder-coated. Powder-coating will last a long, long time, whereas with paint you're up for a never-ending re-painting job.

Have a good, close look at your rims after the tyres are off and before you do anything with them. They may have significant rust around the beads, with only very thin steel left behind. If that's the case, you'll need to get them repaired or replaced. Repair can be expensive if you don't have a MIG handy.

Galvanising costs maybe $1.50 per kilo. I haven't weighed a rim - 15kg? Say $20-25 per rim?

I would still powder-coat. Black, white, and most Colorbond colours are usually available.

Peter

Would the cost of dip galv be for the weight increase i.e., how much material was used or for the weight of the untreated item?

Originally Posted by slug_burner

Would the cost of dip galv be for the weight increase i.e., how much material was used or for the weight of the untreated item?

The weight of the untreated item.

Peter

I paid $50 per rim for sandblasting and priming here in Sydney. I was quoted $40 just to blast them (no primer).

I think I need to find where Peter gets his done!

I did 7 rims last year......had them sandblasted and primed and then finish painted them myself. They were fairly rusty around the rim and the only way to do a decent job, I thought, was to sand blast them.

They came up rather well I believe.

I have another 10 to do now.

Originally Posted by Shonky

I paid $50 per rim for sandblasting and priming here in Sydney. I was quoted $40 just to blast them (no primer).

I think I need to find where Peter gets his done!

Ultimate Strippers, 7 Coombes Drive, Penrith. Steve 0406 222 246. The powder coating place is just opposite, Steve will deliver them over there for you.

I'm also about to try Sam at Orangeville, 0412 236 217.

Peter

hmm, ok... I got quoted $95 a rim for sand blast, zinc primed and powder coated.

Seems Reasonable .