Need help, Chroming my style 132 rims
 

Hey guys,

I need some help or advise on the best option to chrome my style 132 rims. I read in a thread that it will be not smart to do it but, I already started before I read that threat, no turning back. I sanded one of my rims already and it took me two days, see picture below. What I want to know is if there is a product out there that can make the chrome looks better. I am using a Dupli-Color chrome kit. Let me know what you think about this Mod. It will take me about a week to finish, maybe more.

WTF!!! DUplicolor! The only way is to get them triple coated chrome by a factory that specializes in this. thumbs up for the enthusiasm but I dont think your quite capable to get the results you desire. look into shops around your area and take the tires off the rims.

Everyone has their own bag, but what a strange "mod" for a fine set of wheels, imo.

As Justin suggested, a decent chrome plater is simply not that expensive...
"Chrome" is an electrochemical process, not found in a kit. The buffing/polishing step is
as important as the chemical bath steps and the finishing work.
Good Luck on the "home chrome" job...
Yes, you may be able to "turn back" or fix your wheels, at a quality finishing join.

A couple of sites that explain the "chrome" process:
http://www.verneschromeplating.com/chrome-plating.html

http://freepages.pavilion.net/nickfull/chrome.htm

Hi ArmyX5,
I take my hat off to you for trying to acomplish such a long and patient job.
Since you already started on a wheel,although from the last photo you posted, its difficult to see exactly where you sanded it!
You say you want to chrome this,but as already explained to you chrome is an electrochemical process and you will never achieve even the slighest resemblance by spraying it.

I dont know if this helps you ,but its worth a shot!I have polished quite a number of rims before,and since you already sanded down one wheel,you have done the hard work already,so why dont you polish it ?
If you sanded the wheel down to the bare aluminium,for it to be prepared to be polished with white polishing compound soap,you just need to ensure that the wheel surface is free of scratches made by sanding.I always use wet sand paper 500,800,1200,1500 after the dry sand paper.You will get a perfect base for polishing..
Contrary to what many say(who probably never done it,just read it on Forums) ,after polishing ,your wheel will not corrode and you can use normal car wax on it to protect it ,then once a year or so,just to take the grime off just use a normal metal polisher(like autosol) and your wheel is new again.
Like I said its a very patient job,and may take you 1-2 weeks but the end result is gratifying :thumbup:

Thanks guy for a quick reply. POWERS1, that is exacly what I wanted to do. I just need to buy the extra fine paper. Also, the rims them self have this small grooves all over. They are going to be a pain to sand off.

FYI - Chrome plating weakens wheels FWIW

What do you mean? I just want to polish the wheels up natural aluminum and put a clear coat on it. Will do weakens the wheels?

From your orig post, you said you were going to "chrome" your wheels with the Duplicolor kit...

Real "chrome" plating, usually a layer of Cu/Ni/Cr can have considerable
effect on certain cast and aluminum alloy/light alloy wheels.

What was wrong with the original painted and clear coated finish on
your 132s?

Weaking meant: chrome plating...



Removing Paint, wetsand, polish, etc is doable....but I can only imagine the time required to do it.....Not saying it can't be done, as anything can be done with time, but given the choice, I would just find a local bikehead to do it for $$

The other advantage of polished wheels ,is that if you kerb them or hit them on a pavement(not sure if kerb is an american word,someone here already questioned me on it!)...you dont have to spray them!Just sand it off and polish it again.

You can get all small grooves out with a round orbital polisher.You can just eat away at the aluminium as it is soft!If its a small groove,you will hardly notice it after polishing.
Just finish you sanding off with wet paper ,because this will remove the scratches..and the smoother and scratch free you get the surface,the better the polishing will come out.
A good tip before polishing...warm the wheel surface with a hairdrier before,as this will give you a brighter finish and easier polishing..
Anything else,just ask...
Good luck mate!:thumbup:

I apologize for giving the wrong wording. I do not want to chrome my rims, just polish them. The reason I am doing this is because I had a couple of "kerbs" on them and tried to fix them in the process, I messed up one of the rims. I have a couple of days off from work so, what better way to spend my days off than to do something hard. I am on my third day now and don't see the end on my first rim, lol. Tomorrow I will make the decision on weather keep going or take the rims to the pro for a new paint job.

updated pictures
 

this is my updated pictures.

the first and sencond are of different angle. The one on the left is sanded to the bone and the one on the right is the original paint.

picture number 3 is the sanded rim with a coat of the Duplicolor paint. I am liking it and thinking on painting all four the same color. I just need to see if I have to sand the other three down to the done to get the same result as the first. I will paint one with the original paint on it and see how it look. more to follow.

From the 3rd picture the paint turned out unexpectedly nice.

But honestly, I would have just repainted them back to the OE silver colour, after you had already gone and sanded them.

That is a hella lot of work btw, good job!

It can't be seen in the 3rd pic, but from some of the prior pics where you used the Dremel, there are definately some deep gouges that can only be taken out by hand or using a block. Don't halfass it by using tools like a Dremel...any good paintjob is 90% prep 5% paint and 5% final/wet sanding. Ever watch Overhaulin? They spend 30-40 minutes (4-5 days in realtime) doing bodywork and prep, about 10 minutes (few hours in realtime) doing the paint, then 5 minutes (another day) doing the final paint work before the reveal.

The paintjob in the 3rd pic looks nice from here, but I'm sure in person there are Dremel gouges and sanding lines showing through in the paint. The true test is after a few months, a year, etc when it's been washed, washed and washed again to see how it holds up to chipping, scratches, dulling, etc. Take your time on the last 3 and then put your first rim on the right rear or somewhere where you'd see if the least...the worst projects are done on tight schedules while still expecting perfect results.

Thanks for the advice. I am still thinking about painting them back to the orinal color if I don't like the result.

good luck and cant wait to see final pictures

Any updates? I do like that darker finish.