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 Post subject: Wheels, Wheels, Wheels
PostPosted: Thu May 08, 2014 5:04 pm 
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Joined: Thu Sep 01, 2005 1:12 am
Posts: 2228
Location: Darien, CT
Why does everything take so much longer than it should?

My latest saga is that I would like to get my original Nissan aluminum wheels polished. These wheels were offered as a dealer option on the 1977 ZAP and the 1978 Black Pearl. I believe they may have been offered even earlier than 1977.

So here is the story. When I purchased my 280Z in 2000, the seller had 4 "New in Box" mag-type wheels that he said he would sell me for $500. Since they were a dealer option in 1978 I said "sure, why not". They came with brand-new OEM center caps and lug nuts and were in addition to the same type of wheels that were mounted on the car. So these wheels sat in their boxes for another 13 years until last year's ZCON. Even though I had purchased new slotted rims for the car, I also wanted to have these wheels available, especially for judged shows.

So after about 35 years, out of the box they came. Since they had never been installed they were in perfect, as-new condition. BUT, they were very dull and frankly, I thought they didn't look anywhere near as nice as the new slotted mags or even the wheels that were on the car when purchased. But I went with them up to the show anyway and made the best of it.

Now I know what these wheels can look like because the car came with a set of them, but not in nearly as good condition. The set that came with the car had probably been polished somewhere along the way. I have also seen pictures of these wheels on other cars that looked spectacular.

So since last summer I've been on a quest to find a place to polish these aluminum wheels. Easy right? No. The first guy I spoke to (Precision Wheel Service in Branford) told me that polishing aluminum wheels was "a lot of work". I told him "yea, I know. That's why I want to pay someone else to do it that has commercial equipment". He said that he could have a guy spend 8-10 hours on EACH wheel and it could cost more than $500 PER WHEEL. Really? OK, so I crossed that guy off the list because it sounded like he didn't have the right equipment if it was going to take that much labor per wheel.

So then I called Alloy Wheel Repair Specialists of CT (http://www.awrswheelrepair.com). They basically can do anything you want on your wheels: sandblast, repair, straightening, chroming, restore to factory color, paint new color. But polishing an aluminum wheel? Well, "that's a lot of work". Huh? It can't be more work with their equipment than doing it manually by hand, which I know people do all the time! They can weld together and repair a wheel that has a four inch crack but they can't polish an aluminum one?

So my next contact will be "Connecticut Wheel Repair" (http://www.ctwheelrepair.com). I'm hoping I don't get the same answer from them!

If you know of anyone that can do this job for a reasonable price, please let me know. I feel like a kid getting a strange look for asking to have his ice cream put in a cone.

Signed,

Wheely frustrated in Darien.


Attachments:
File comment: Dealer-option aluminum wheel polished on another Black Pearl
71-0840_Datsun280Z-NissanFairladyZ-S30-BlackPearl-640x426.jpg
71-0840_Datsun280Z-NissanFairladyZ-S30-BlackPearl-640x426.jpg [ 83.54 KiB | Viewed 15625 times ]
File comment: Slotted mags that I bought in 2011
NewWheels3.jpg
NewWheels3.jpg [ 173.79 KiB | Viewed 15626 times ]
File comment: Brand-new center caps that came with the New-in-box wheels
T104.jpg
T104.jpg [ 94.32 KiB | Viewed 15627 times ]
File comment: Same wheels on a fellow Black Pearl's car (not mine) showing how they could look.
IMG_3488.JPG
IMG_3488.JPG [ 64.74 KiB | Viewed 15627 times ]
File comment: "New in Box" aluminum wheels mounted for the first time in 2013
2013-Zcon-02-0223.jpg
2013-Zcon-02-0223.jpg [ 415.46 KiB | Viewed 15627 times ]

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Ross Williams
1978 280Z Black Pearl Edition 38k Original Miles
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PostPosted: Thu May 08, 2014 8:51 pm 
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Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2008 5:53 pm
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Location: CT
Q: ["Why does everything take so much longer than it should?"]

Dear sir,
Please see #3.

Thank you.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
MURPHY's LAW:
1. If anything can go wrong, it will, and at the worst possible time.
2. Nothing is as easy as it looks.
3 Everything takes longer than you think.
4. Doing it the hard way is always easier in the long run.
5. Research will always tend to support your theory, if you do enough of it.
6. If success is at first not achieved, every effort will be made to hide the fact that it was even attempted.
7. People who smile when things are going wrong have already thought of who will get the blame.
8. Your superiors will always think they are better than you, despite the law of averages.
9. The truth shall get you fired.
10. If you cannot convince people, confuse them.
11. If everything is coming your way, watch out.
12. If people listened to themselves more often, they would talk a lot less.
13. Trust only those who stand to lose as much as you do when everything goes wrong.
14. The shortest distance between two points is usually under construction.
15. In any organization there will always be one person who knows what is going on. This person must be fired, or at least avoided at all costs.
16. knife too dull to cut anything else will always cut your finger like a razor.
17. After your hands have become extremely dirty, your nose will itch.
18. Leftover nuts never match leftover bolts.
19. In case of doubt, say it loud and convincingly.
20. The length of a minute depends on what you're waiting for.
21. When a man says to you "It's not the not the money, it's the principle of the thing," it's always the money.
22. The number of people who happen to be watching you will always directly proportional to the stupidity of the thing you are doing.
23. Things always get worse before they get better.
24. Bad weather reports are right more often than sunny ones.
25. If it jams--force it. Then, if it breaks, it needed replacing anyway.
26. The first place to look for something is the last place you expect to find it.
27. The driver's side windshield wiper always streaks and wears out first.
28. In human affairs it is impossible to make anything fool-proof, so don't waste a lot of time trying.
29. As soon as you switch lanes, your old lane speeds up.
30. The worse the haircut, the slower it grows out.
31. Phone messages: If you have a pen, there's no paper. If you have paper, there's no pen. If you have both, it will be a wrong number.
32. The slowest drivers all know the fastest shortcuts.
33. When you try to prove to someone that a machine doesn't work, it will always work perfectly.
34. Law of Corporate Planning: Anything that can be changed will be changed until there is no time left to really plan anything.
35. When the world solves one problem, the solution will usually create another problem, far worse than the first one.
36. Progress is the endless exchange of one problem for another.
37. Being punctual only means your mistake will be made on time.
38. 2nd Law of the Corporation: Any action for which there is no logical explanation always is already "company policy."
39. Whatever plan you make, there is a hidden difficulty somewhere that will derail it.
40. A surprise monetary windfall will be accompanied by an unexpected expense of the same or a greater amount.
41. The one emergency for which you are fully prepared will never happen.
42. When taking something apart to fix a minor malfunction, you will cause a much greater malfunction upon reassembly (does not apply to Marines with rifles).
43. All great discoveries are made by mistake.
44. If it looks easy, it's tough. If it looks tough, it's impossible.
45. No matter how early you get there, someone else is always there first, or else you've got the times screwed up, or it's the wrong day.
46. The effort of trying to save a falling object by catching it will always cause more destruction than if the object had just been allowed to fall unobstructed in the first place.
47. The most expensive and hard to replace component is always the one that breaks first.
48. No one can ever leave anything well enough alone.
49. If you don't really have to do it, and if doing it or not doesn't matter at all, it will go perfectly every time.
50. As soon as you mention something ... if it's good, it goes away ... if it's bad, it comes upon you immediately.
51. The first 90% of project takes 90% of the time, and the last 10% takes at least twice as long.
52. Inside every large problem is many other small problems struggling to get out.
53. If there are two or more ways to do something, and one of those ways can result in a catastrophe, then that is the one that will be chosen.
54. All work expands to fill the time allowed.
55. There is never enough time or money.
56. The greatest thing about teamwork and study committees is that they can disperse the blame.
57. Whatever happens, look as though you intended it to happen.
58. No two identicial parts are ever truly identical.
59. There is no limit to how bad things can get.
60. You can plan your life, but you can't live your plan.
61. If everything seems to be going along well, you have definitely overlooked something.
62. Whenever you start to do something, you quickly realize that something else must be done first.
63 The likelihood of success is inversely proportional to how important the project is.
64. Making it hard for the enemy to get to you makes it hard for you to get out.
65. If any item get mailed in two parts, the less important part will always arrive first.

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PostPosted: Thu May 08, 2014 9:14 pm 
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Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2008 5:53 pm
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Location: CT
About 6 years ago we had a guest speaker from NJ at our monthly meeting who offered restoration services to steering wheels and road wheels. Anybody remember his name? He drove all the way up to Nissan of Darien to offer his help for just exactly what you're asking for, Ross.

Frank

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PostPosted: Thu May 08, 2014 9:45 pm 
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Yep. That was Bob Nelson in NJ. He did a great job with steering wheels but I don't think he does professional polishing of aluminum wheels. I'll send him an email just in case. Thanks Frank.

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Ross Williams
1978 280Z Black Pearl Edition 38k Original Miles


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PostPosted: Thu May 08, 2014 10:11 pm 
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Au contraire, my friend. I clearly recall he brought with him several types of road wheels, including a 5-slot mag and 5-slot aluminum, 1/2 polished and the other half not, just to show the difference. They looked like half-moon cookies. He can make your wheels daZZle.
It's just a lot of work.
:lol:

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PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2014 11:26 am 
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Joined: Sat Feb 16, 2013 3:42 pm
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Location: Rochdale, MA
Ross
I have a message to a friend to see if he can do it. I will let you know. Do you want the centers painted black like the first photo you have posted?

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Adam Perry
Datsun 260Z
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PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2014 11:45 am 
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Thanks Adam! It is hard to tell in the picture but currently the centers are painted gray with a nice clearcoat on them. SO I think I want to leave them asa they came from the factory.

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Ross Williams
1978 280Z Black Pearl Edition 38k Original Miles


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PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2014 4:45 pm 
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Location: Rochdale, MA
Talked to my buddy. He told me he can do it for $250 a wheel. That includes clear coat after polishing. Oh and also he said it takes a lot of time. Ha ha.

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Adam Perry
Datsun 260Z
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PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2014 5:37 pm 
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:lol: :thumbs_up:

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PostPosted: Wed May 14, 2014 8:11 am 
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Posts: 83
Location: Westport, CT
I came across a local guy who is probably a long shot, but worth a call given that he is so close....
Stephen Smith
President
Alloy Wheel Repair Specialists of New Haven, Inc.
501 Westport Ave.
Norwalk
203-996-3432
mobilewheelrepair.com
His card says he does polished aluminum.

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2005 350Z Touring - Silverstone Gray
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 11:32 pm 
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I polished a set by myself. It's not that bad as long as there isn't clear coat on it already. If there is a coating over the wheels, it is kind of a pain to remove it but it can be done.

I did this by hand:
Image

The one on the right is after mag/aluminum polish. The one on the left is with the clear coat stripped and sanded down. If you get a mothers power ball with a handheld drill, you can get to a mirror shine.

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1986 Z31 NA 2+0


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PostPosted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 11:50 pm 
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Well what if you just media-blasted the clear coat off instead? Wouldn't that be a lot quicker than grinding it off?

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PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 8:36 am 
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Hi Frank:
If you media blast an aluminum wheel - using glass beads for example - it will leave the surface of the aluminum rough or slightly textured. You might be able to soda blast them with less texturing…but the aluminum has to be smooth before it can be polished.

If you media blast - you have to then sand the wheels down to a smooth finish {800 or 1000 grit wet sand}. Believe me, you don't want to do that. I sanded the tips of my fingers off before I got the wheels done. {really, they were bleeding!}.

I would use an Aircraft Paint Stripper to remove the clear coat. Polishing aluminum wheels is a little work, but it goes far easier if you use the right Metal Polish and Buffing Pads. The best come from: Nuvite Chemical Compounds Corp.

Their NuShine II Metal Polish comes in several grades. For a wheel like Ross's or one much duller - you could start polishing with their "Grade C". It will quickly and relatively easily bring a dull aluminum wheel back to bright and shinny. Then go over that with their "Grade S" for a mirror like finish.

NOTE: This Polish isn't cheap. 1/4 lb can will cost about $22.00 and last you for years. Very Little, Very Little is needed to do a wheel. {well worth the money!!}
https://www.nuvitechemical.com/c-39-met ... ystem.aspx

I use their Non-Abrasive Polishing Pads {with their polish} - these are used by hand - and you can buy a 5 pack for $10.00 or so. The Pads are large - and I cut them into much smaller strips - a couple fingers wide.
https://www.nuvitechemical.com/p-33-non ... g-pad.aspx

Bottom line - you might have $60.00 in supplies and shipping - but you will never use anything else to polish metals. By the way - a little jar of Mothers Billet Metal Polish will cost $18.00 and it doesn't compare to the performance of the NuShine products.

FWIW,
Carl B.


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PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 4:01 pm 
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Now see? This is why I belong to this Club. I can learn so much (and save a lot of money) listening to people who have already done all the research and made all the mistakes, and save myself a lot of pain. Thanks Carl.

What (if anything) do you recommend for removing the years of imbedded brake dust and road grime from the BACKSIDE of aluminum 5-slots?

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PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 5:05 pm 
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Hi Frank:
First - a scrub brush, DAWN liquid dishwashing detergent and water. Blow them dry or dry them - then you can wipe them down with lacquer thinner. That will take about 90+% off.

After that if you want them really clean, a light polish with the NuShine Grade C and the non-abrasive polishing pad. You can do about 1/4 of the wheel at a time - and wipe it off with a clean cloth before it gets too dry… You don't want to polish it to a high luster - just enough to get the embed grim and stubborn stains off.

I use latex disposable rubber gloves - and it only takes about the amount that sticks to one finger - if you touch a finger onto the polish in the jar. No need to apply much at all back there - then rub it on the wheel with a piece of the pad about 3x4 inches wide. No need to rub hard - let the polish and friction do the cleaning..

Works for me…
Carl B.


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