Polishing COMPLETE!

I know some people was wondering what an '06 blue F4i would look like with polished rims. So here it is.
 
 

 
 

 
 

 

Nice. Dude your bike is hot! Have fun keeping those perty wheels clean...

Thanks dog. I gotta shout out crxtrixxx and RCKT GRL. They got me hip to the idea. It was easier to do than I thought.

Did you take the tires off?
 
MDFF

No, I didn't take the tires off. I don't know how to do that myself and I didn't feel like paying someone else to take 'em off. I don't even have a stand to prop my bike on. I just used the hell out of some duck tape to tape off the tire (specifically the nook between the rim and the tire) and the inner part of the rim. (Very important process).  I had to tough out the lengthy process and do just one section at a time while moving the bike every few feet along the way.

Those look nice...I saw the other thread on how to do it.


Now you got me thinking...  

Lookin' good! 

quote:

ORIGINAL: Draconius

Those look nice...I saw the other thread on how to do it.


Now you got me thinking...  

 
 
It's well worth it im my opinion. It gives your bike more of a "presence", if you know what I mean.  Just be ready to put in a lot of hours in order to get it just right.  For me (not taking the wheels off and not having a stand) it took about a total of 9-10 hours total, which was spread over the course of a week.  Taping the tire and the rim took the most time.  The rest was downhill.

quote:

ORIGINAL: RCKT GRL

Lookin' good! 

 
Thanks. I was really surprised on how much the rims shined! After I buffed them with the metal polish, I was like "dayum, that's shiny!"

DAAAAAAANNNNG!

quote:

ORIGINAL: Grady

Nice. Dude your bike is hot! Have fun keeping those perty wheels clean...

+1

Thats what I call the "labor of love".

Which metal polish did you use?

(Lookin good!)

Its called Airplane Cleaner. I don't have a pic of it right now, but check out RCKT GRL's forum on it. It should be on page 2 or 3 of this section.  She has a picture of it.  You can find it in Advance Auto parts or Autozone. Great stuff.

I actually already picked up the Airplane Remover stuff....wait, remover vs. cleaner?  Or same thing?  They should be...

Anywho if they are, I thought you used the airplane stuff to remove the initial layer off first then used another polish to finish it up.

Oh yeah. Sorry about that. I was reading too fast.  The polish is called "Blue Magic" Metal Polish Cream.  It comes in a small shiny blue container. About 8 oz. Shined em right up. You'll also find it in Autozone or Advance.

I also posted under the "Polishing Rims" heading, but didn't get any feedback.  My question is, do you have to reapply the polish from time to time, or is it a permanant finish like paint?  I would just hate to strip the factory paint from my rims just to find out that a few years down the road, they start to rust or just start looking bad.

quote:

ORIGINAL: BB

I also posted under the "Polishing Rims" heading, but didn't get any feedback.  My question is, do you have to reapply the polish from time to time, or is it a permanant finish like paint?  I would just hate to strip the factory paint from my rims just to find out that a few years down the road, they start to rust or just start looking bad.

 
 
 
You gotta apply it from time to time, just when they get dirty from riding.  Just treat them the same way you would the rims on a car.  Clean them off to get rid of the dirt and what not, and apply the polish as a finishing touch to shine them up.  Simple as that.  And it doesn't hurt no matter how many times you apply it.

did you also sand or just use the stripper.. i remember seing a post about doing it without sanding

You gotta sand.  I used steel wool.

if u used airplane stripper and didn't take the wheel off i would keep a close eye on my sidewalls of the tire.if it can eat the paint off than u know it can eat rubber. i did mine the same way but took my tires off it is easy to do if u have a bead breaker and a tire iron.looks good though.

I've been thinking about having mine chromed, but after reading the threads on polishing i think i will give it a try. Thanks

quote:

ORIGINAL: Ripper44

I've been thinking about having mine chromed, but after reading the threads on polishing i think i will give it a try. Thanks

 
 
 
 
Chrome is good. But you'll save a lot of money by polishing.

very true 600.00 for exchange I bought stripper, polish,rag's ect... for under 20.00 and so far so good glad I found this post. Will post pics as soon as i'm finished. Thanks again for the great idea.

No problem. You know what? we need to start our own "Polished Rims" club.