R98 Wheel Refurbishment Project

[hibbs]

When I bought my R53 a few weeks ago, one of the main problems to sort out was the flaking lacquer on the R98 Split Rim Wheels. I got a few quotes for refurbishment work, but they all seemed to come in about £300 for the set. I’m not disputing the work involved, but I have decided to have a go at them myself.

I have looked on the internet for instructions, but haven’t found any single source of information and advice on how to do this. So, I’m going to write this thread to give others information on what to do and (probably more likely), what not to do! I’m no expert on these matters (in fact the opposite), so any advice is welcomed from those that have done this before.

My plan is to remove the lacquer. Polish the rims and then re-assemble. I am not going to lacquer the edges. I know that this might not be that practical for the winter, but the car isn’t used every day, and is more of a weekend car.

[hibbs]

I have already bought an extra set of R98’s from eBay. My plan is to refurbish these and then put them on my car – that way I am avoiding the need to have the wheels off the car for a long period of time. Photos of the wheels as they are attached.

It looks as though someone has attempted to refurbish a couple of them already but having the edges painted silver, but this has started to peel off too.

First step is to get the tyres off the wheels. They were worn out, so my local tyre place took them off for the bargain price of £1 per wheel. Especially as it took 3 blokes about 20 minutes to do it! They have also checked them on the balancing machine to make sure they aren’t warped before I start the work! Photos of the wheels without tyres.

Next step is to get hold of an M8 Spline to remove the bolts from round the edges of the rims. That’s on order, so I hope to have an update in a week or so when I have the right tools. As a start point, I have also marked where the rims join to make sure they can be easily lined up when reassembled.

Any comments or advice are welcome!

[Sportspack Mark]

why not split the wheels and paint the outers silver? its a finished job and you won't have to worry about them again!

[hibbs]

I had considered that, but some of the wheels I bought off eBay have had their rims painted and it's chipped off - looks like a no win!! Think I'll strip off the paint and lacquer and then see what they are like.

[Sportspack Mark]

I know 2 people who had their R109's outer edges painted silver and it hasn't peeled. At the end of the day if you key the surface enough it will adhere no problem

Id give it a go and save yourself the headache of more corrosion

[mikey1991]

i got a complete refurb and powder-coated dark graphite gray for £80.
where are you from?

[hibbs]

Quote: Originally Posted by mikey1991 (original)

i got a complete refurb and powder-coated dark graphite gray for £80.
where are you from?

I'm from Sheffield. Could you post some photos of what they look like in grey? I'm seriously thinking about changing the colour myself!

[sct73]

Quote: Originally Posted by mikey1991 (original)

i got a complete refurb and powder-coated dark graphite gray for £80.
where are you from?

Mikey, that's exactly what I want, I've got the stock five spoke 16 wheels on my 2002 R50. Am in Liverpool and £80 sounds fabulous

[hibbs]

Time for an update. I have split both rims down. I undid all the bolts and tried to work out what the torque settings were - after a bit of trial and error, I estimate this to be about 35 pounds per sq foot.

Bolts in both wheels were held in with some thread lock - I will be putting that back in! I have numbered the parts so its easy to know which wheel belongs with which rim and also bagged up the bolts so I don't lose them. Bolts have also been cleaned up with steel wool.

I covered the inside of the rims with card and applied paint stripper, rubbing with steel wool. This wasnt as easy a job as I'd hoped. I used Nitro Mors, but the result took ages and hasnt been that good - I need to have another go at them. Either that, or find a better paint stripper - the lacquer that causes so many problems with these wheels is a lot tougher than you think!

Once I have managed to get all the lacquer off, I will be able to see the condition of the wheels better and decide the next steps. Its starting to look likely that they will be painted. I think the reason the there was flaking pain on one of the wheels was that the paint was put on top of a layer of lacquer.

Pictures below

[toby_b]

I wish I had a thread like this to follow when I done mine last year. If you are painting the edges, do not paint where the centre and the rim meet as they will not fit together.

Look forward to the results. Would post a pic of mine but I have not posted enough on the site!

[mikey1991]

Quote: Originally Posted by hibbs (original)

I'm from Sheffield. Could you post some photos of what they look like in grey? I'm seriously thinking about changing the colour myself!

there you go.. hope it worked..

im putting them on today so will upload a pick when they are on

[hibbs]

Quote: Originally Posted by mikey1991 (original)

there you go.. hope it worked..

im putting them on today so will upload a pick when they are on

Mikey. They look really smart. Think I'm going to look into changing the colours now! I'm going to make some enquiries and see if I can find somewhere that does powder coating in Sheffield.

I'm looking forward to seeing them fitted!

[mikey1991]

Quote: Originally Posted by hibbs (original)

Mikey. They look really smart. Think I'm going to look into changing the colours now! I'm going to make some enquiries and see if I can find somewhere that does powder coating in Sheffield.

I'm looking forward to seeing them fitted!

there ya go... not the best of pictures will take another one soon. let me know what you think

[hibbs]

Must admit, I really like them. I'm persuaded on the colours now - silver rims and black wheels! Just got to get the lacquer off!

[mikey1991]

Quote: Originally Posted by hibbs (original)

Must admit, I really like them. I'm persuaded on the colours now - silver rims and black wheels! Just got to get the lacquer off!

are you doing them yourself? the lacquer i mean?