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How I refurbished my BBS wheels

Everything about getting your 5 looking beautiful, shiny & keeping it that way
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pollyanna
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How I refurbished my BBS wheels

Postby pollyanna » Sun Apr 06, 2014 4:05 pm

While the cooler weather was here I decided to refurbish my wheels ready for the spring.
I wanted to change the colour from a Steel colour to a Silver colour that was a bit brighter.
I had left it until winter time because I also wanted some new tyres fitting in January.
I once saw a 10th anniversay edition with polished alloy or chrome wheels, many moons ago, that rather took my fancy and have since then always wanted something similar.
The following is how, with pictures, I set about refurbishing them.

First task was to find a litre, of the silver colour cellulose that I liked, as I intended to respray the wheels with a small spray gun rather than the tins of spray paint that you can buy.

After removing the wheels I took them to the tyre place that I would be buying my new Toyo tyres from, to get the old tyres taken off the rims.
This is a picture of the wheels before I started to refurbish them.
Wheel 1.jpg
http://www.mazdamenders.net/forum/download/file.php?mode=view&id=3324&sid=74d377dbed9de0e22e245e70c372a361
Wheel 1.jpg (122.63 KiB) Viewed 36201 times

Back home I started to clean them up on the inside with a wire brush to remove the build up of corrosion on and near to the tyre bead area.
wheel 2.jpg
wheel 2.jpg (62.65 KiB) Viewed 36201 times



All balancing weights were removed and the rest of the wheel was scrubbed and then power washed to get them clean ready to start removing the paint off, of the outer rim area.
Removal of the paint was quite easy, using paint stripper as shown in the photo.
Wheel 3.jpg
http://www.mazdamenders.net/forum/download/file.php?mode=view&id=3331&sid=74d377dbed9de0e22e245e70c372a361
Wheel 3.jpg (106.01 KiB) Viewed 36201 times

wheel 4.jpg
http://www.mazdamenders.net/forum/download/file.php?mode=view&id=3333&sid=74d377dbed9de0e22e245e70c372a361
wheel 4.jpg (131.33 KiB) Viewed 36201 times

When I had removed the paint I realised the reason that the whole wheel had bean painted. Something had corroded a small area on the rim that was originally unpainted.
This small area was ground back to remove the corrosion and polished using a small home made tool for a Dremel.
wheel 5.jpg
http://www.mazdamenders.net/forum/download/file.php?mode=view&id=3334&sid=74d377dbed9de0e22e245e70c372a361
wheel 5.jpg (98.17 KiB) Viewed 36201 times

I then set about removing some other small imperfections with P320 W & D paper.

As I only have a wood turning lathe I didn’t think I could use this to help to smooth the alloy with wet & dry paper.
I could have done it by hand but it would probably take me a lot longer.

At this point I packed up for the day to sleep, on the problem.
After thinking about it on and off overnight I had an idea of making a false faceplate that would fit in the centre most boss and the outer lip that locates the BBS centre that covers the bolts up. The wheel could then be held in place with 4 large hexagon headed screws and a washer screwed thro the 4 bolt holes.
wheel 6.jpg
http://www.mazdamenders.net/forum/download/file.php?mode=view&id=3335&sid=74d377dbed9de0e22e245e70c372a361
wheel 6.jpg (136.47 KiB) Viewed 36201 times

I checked it was running true, set the motor belt to the slowest speed, and then gingerly pressed the starter button.
Fortunately the wheel was running true, so out came the cork sanding block and P320 grade W & D paper to start removing the bits of paint still left on after using the paint stripper. I continued to use P600 and P1000 grade paper to remove as many of the small scratches as possible.
wheel 7.jpg
http://www.mazdamenders.net/forum/download/file.php?mode=view&id=3336&sid=74d377dbed9de0e22e245e70c372a361
wheel 7.jpg (138.58 KiB) Viewed 36201 times

After I finished polishing the wheel I masked off the polished rim ready to spray them.
wheel 8.jpg
http://www.mazdamenders.net/forum/download/file.php?mode=view&id=3337&sid=74d377dbed9de0e22e245e70c372a361
wheel 8.jpg (98.16 KiB) Viewed 36201 times

Parts of the wheels that were corroded were treated with an etch primer and the rest of the wheels were sprayed with grey primer before spraying with a top coat of silver paint. I then decided only to spray the painted area of the wheels with clear lacquer .The polished part of the wheels were given three coats of wax polish.
wheel 9.jpg
http://www.mazdamenders.net/forum/download/file.php?mode=view&id=3339&sid=74d377dbed9de0e22e245e70c372a361
wheel 9.jpg (152.53 KiB) Viewed 36201 times

After a couple of days the tyres were fitted, but not before the fitter was told how careful he had to be not to damage any of the wheel in the process. The fitter lads were great, they inserted new shields on the clamps that hold the wheel on the tyre fitting machine and a new tool that turns the tyre edge onto the rim. They also found some cardboard to put the wheels on instead of the concrete floor. They even fitted some nice SS valve caps for free to finish the look off. You can just make them out in the next picture. In the last picture it looks as if one isn't fitted but it is a trick of the flash.
They look quite striking I think, and was worth spraying and polishing them up.
wheel 10.jpg
http://www.mazdamenders.net/forum/download/file.php?mode=view&id=3340&sid=74d377dbed9de0e22e245e70c372a361
wheel 10.jpg (133.4 KiB) Viewed 36201 times
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DavesBRG5
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Location: Cambridgeshire

Re: How I refurbished my BBS wheels

Postby DavesBRG5 » Sun Apr 06, 2014 6:23 pm

Great write up Alan :handgestures-thumbup:

I need to re-polish the rims on mine some time..............just need a lathe lol
DAVE

1992 1.6 BRG V-Spec - 2003 MK2.5 Sport - 1992 ROADSTER 1.6.
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pollyanna
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Joined: Tue Feb 25, 2014 11:24 am

Re: How I refurbished my BBS wheels

Postby pollyanna » Sun Apr 06, 2014 7:27 pm

DavesBRG5 wrote:Great write up Alan :handgestures-thumbup:

I need to re-polish the rims on mine some time..............just need a lathe lol


Shame you don't live up here or I could have helped you out.
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flea
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Re: How I refurbished my BBS wheels

Postby flea » Sun Apr 06, 2014 9:43 pm

Nice one Alan
. Well done :handgestures-thumbup:
Eunos 1.6 special 1989 with a few added extras
Eunos 1991 1.6
Eunos 1990 1.6 project
Mk2 1999 1.8
e.u.n.o.s
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Re: How I refurbished my BBS wheels

Postby e.u.n.o.s » Thu Jan 04, 2018 11:43 am

Look great. I've bookmarked this and may do this myself!
1997 MK1 MX5 Eunos Type II
Darlington UK
BMB
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Re: How I refurbished my BBS wheels

Postby BMB » Tue Jun 25, 2019 9:43 pm

Whoah, results are excellent. Makes me want to have a little go at it

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