Bare Metal DIY Refurb: 15-Hole Alloys

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Bare Metal DIY Refurb: 15-Hole Alloys; Pictures & Write-up
Topic Started: Fri Oct 30, 2009 4:54 pm (227 Views)
NEIL	Fri Oct 30, 2009 4:54 pm Post #1
Fewer Posts than Kenny Posts: 16,149 Group: Members Member #63 Joined: November 18, 2005	Early in the Summer, I decided I wanted a set of 15" alloys that would give me the possibility of making my car look 'stock' again. I wasn't sure what I wanted, open to suggestion, but the market was pretty dry! No 16v forged rims for sale, no good sets of original 8-holes around either. Trawling eBay, I stumbled upon a seemingly random set of 15s, very little information on them - but they were a 20-minute drive away, so I took a chance on them. They turned out to be a set of Melber alloys, manufactured in Italy in the 1980s. Melber originally made wheels for Alfa Romeo and Lancia in the '70s, before starting production on various MB aftermarket wheels in the '80s. I hesitate to call them replicas, because they aren't a direct copy of an existing design - more an Italian, angular interpretation of MB's classic 15-hole wheel. They looked ok from 10 feet or so, and there were no chunks out of the rims. They had clearly been repainted or powdercoated at some point, and I thought they would probably need a freshen up. Firstly, before I got stuck into any serious labour, I test-fitted them on the car to check Brake & Suspension clearance. All was fine. Rim dimensions are 15x6.5J, ET46. CLEANING I set about them with a litre or two of strong Alloy Wheel Cleaner (for this I used Halford's Own Brand, as I knew I'd be stripping the paint off later). As you will see, they were not in great condition. The previous owner said he was selling them because they leaked air, and that he was tired of re-inflating his tyres weekly! I knew this could be remedied simply by preparing them and repainting them, so they definitely had a future! It would, however, require an inside-and-out, bare-metal job. A bit daunting tbh, and I had to be careful not to spend too much on materials as they were a bit of a bargain. Corrosion where Tyre met Rim: What I found under several years of brake dust: OLD PAINT REMOVAL Next step was to use a wire-brush drill attachment and Delta Sander to work my way through the top layers in order to let Nitro Mors Paint Stripper in to do its work. I had tested Nitro Mors on the paint first, and it had a hard time getting through it, so I knew an abrasive step was required here. This was time-consuming, in the extreme. Even with the help of Nitro-Mors (I went through 5 litres of it), I would say that each wheel needed about 8 hours of constant work to get back to bare metal, inside and out. Lots of fiddly wire-brushing, and the toughest old paint I've come across. However, once done it did feel like real progress. The wheels were looking really sharp and defined, so '80s! Nice definition: Date of Manufacture, November 1988: All done, ready for Paint! PRIMER, COLOUR & LACQUER Once the wheels were prepped for Paint, I worked out that I could save Paint (and time!) by arranging the wheels in a tower to paint the Outsides. This meant that it would be logical to do the Insides first, then the Outsides, and lastly the Faces. This process was repeated for Primer, Colour and Lacquer. 3 good coats of Primer, 15-20 minutes flash-off time between coats and I let the Primer cure for 24hrs before lightly rubbing it down with 600-grit Wet & Dry. As usual, I used the Plasti-Kote Triggers on my spray cans. Colour was applied in 3 coats, 15 mins between each and then straight on to Lacquer (3 coats again). I use a circular motion to paint the Faces of the Alloys, I always have done. I actually picked the technique up off the Lap-Tab website videos. So I made a little video for you guys! Primer is Halfords Grey Colour is Halfords Mercedes-Benz Brilliant Silver Metallic (code 744) Lacquer is Halfords Acrylic Lacquer That's better... Painted: Lacquered: I painted the Centre Caps at the same time as doing the wheels, but used a Plastic Primer from Halfords. I would usually advise letting the Lacquer cure for a week or so before fitting tyres, etc but in this case I left them for about two months, and have only just got around to buying tyres and fitting them on the car! Tyres are 205/55/15, as I wanted that 'Sportline' low-profile look! I've done 200 miles on them already, and that magic-carpet ride is definitely there. Nice and quiet at M-way pace, and grippy around town. Of course, the original grille frame and rear chrome star complete the 'normal' look... Hope you like 'em!



Nath_XPR	Fri Oct 30, 2009 5:01 pm Post #2
Nordschleife Taxi Posts: 936 Group: Members Member #2,493 Joined: April 7, 2008	More like the EVO1's with the dish but shaper. I like.



Will	Fri Oct 30, 2009 5:05 pm Post #3
Member Posts: 2,078 Group: Members Member #458 Joined: August 15, 2006	Wow That's a seriously thorough job there Neil. Must be satisfying to see them finally stripped after all the labour stripping paint etc. Always nice when the primer/paint goes on too. Great attention to detail - has got to be one of the best DIY-refurbs around. I did a set of Lexus wheels a good few years ago (face only) and even that was hard work stripping the flaking paint and corrosion off. I just don't have the time/inclination anymore, but it is nice seeing the hard work finished at the end of such a job. Out of interest, how much would you say that it set you back in paint/materials (including the 5 litres of Nitro-Mors!). Did you find a price in the end for having them dipped/blasted at all? Will



Stempies	Fri Oct 30, 2009 5:06 pm Post #4
Hot Lips Posts: 3,305 Group: Members Member #2,380 Joined: March 6, 2008	Another cracking job & write-up!! You're getting good at this wheel refurb lark!! How many sets have you done now??? Is the final pic how she looks now or are you still running CLK wheels?



NEIL	Fri Oct 30, 2009 5:06 pm Post #5
Fewer Posts than Kenny Posts: 16,149 Group: Members Member #63 Joined: November 18, 2005	Cheers guys! Nath - They actually reminded me of those nice Lorinsers that Maggot and Andyborofc have, but with a little more detail and no lovely dish! They are very flat, much flatter-faced than the Evos. Will - I think I spent about �20 per wheel on Paints, and about �25 on Nitro-Mors & Abrasives. So just over a hundred quid, I guess. I already had the wire-brushes and plenty of sandpaper, and bought a Flap Wheel. I had a quote for blasting & powdercoating from Armourtex in East London, they were about �40 per wheel iirc. However, due to the design of the wheel (they look best when the sharp edges are retained), I decided against Powdercoating. Besides, it was summer and the weather was great Stempies - this is the third set I've done. I will think twice before doing a total stripdown again, the prep really was a long job. Pictures of wheels on the car were taken today, this is how the car looks from now on. Edited by NEIL, Fri Oct 30, 2009 5:47 pm.



kentronix	Fri Oct 30, 2009 5:23 pm Post #6
Admin Posts: 16,347 Group: Admin Member #147 Joined: January 20, 2006	They look great, real sharp !! Great write up too, its really hard to work out the speed you should move the can, handy having the video.



NEIL	Fri Oct 30, 2009 5:28 pm Post #7
Fewer Posts than Kenny Posts: 16,149 Group: Members Member #63 Joined: November 18, 2005	Kenny, it's best to go too fast than too slow, that way you can go back over certain areas. Main thing is to keep the trigger pulled hard the whole time, minimises the risk of the aerosol 'spitting' drops onto your painted surface!



aemt	Fri Oct 30, 2009 5:40 pm Post #8
Member Posts: 2,900 Group: Members Member #3,171 Joined: September 1, 2008	They look great Neil. All credit to you for the effort.



stwat	Fri Oct 30, 2009 5:56 pm Post #9
Moderator Posts: 12,382 Group: Moderator Member #28 Joined: November 11, 2005	So thats what those wheels are!! I have often wondered. Cracking work there, Neil I really need to get both my sets sportlines sorted.



chrismatheou	Fri Oct 30, 2009 6:11 pm Post #10
Enthusiast Posts: 1,463 Group: Members Member #789 Joined: January 4, 2007	They're seriously cool mate, proper sharp and nicer than the standard 15 holes and 16v wheels imo.



whatleytom	Fri Oct 30, 2009 6:24 pm Post #11
Member Posts: 63 Group: Members Member #4,454 Joined: July 28, 2009	Those do look nice. Are your old ones for sale? Tom.



olliecampbell	Fri Oct 30, 2009 7:33 pm Post #12
Member Posts: 168 Group: Members Member #4,083 Joined: April 24, 2009	Brilliant little guide thanks. Just looking for a set of standard 8 holes to do this myself



Martrider	Tue Nov 3, 2009 12:20 pm Post #13
Longest build time in history? Posts: 1,531 Group: Members Member #2 Joined: November 2, 2005	Great write up and well done for all the effort - There are lots and lots of media blasting companies around though that would have made short work of that old paint, just have to be careful who you choose as some blasting on Ally, especially cast can leave a rather potmarked surface. But i would not expect to pay more than about �5 per wheel to get the pain removed. Would have dramatically reduced your costs on nitromors! lol But this is the REAL way to do it and nobody should be a afraid of doing it themselves. This is a great addition to to our write ups. We done dude, and the results definitely show the amount of work that went in.



NEIL	Tue Nov 3, 2009 1:44 pm Post #14
Fewer Posts than Kenny Posts: 16,149 Group: Members Member #63 Joined: November 18, 2005	Cheers Mart, but I must have called 6 or 7 Sand/Media-Blasting companies that were within 20 miles of me. Not one of them were willing to just blast the wheels - they all want in on the (now enormous) Wheel Refurb market, and were quoting �35+ for Blast+Powdercoat to about �60 for Blast+Paint. Tom, I'm afraid my old ones sold so quickly, I didn't actually get to put an ad up on here!



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