Finishing the 91 RS Project

[alwaysmessedup]

nice progress , what color blue is that?

[d2harris]

Thanks! Here is the process (*Note- this is VERY time-consuming....to the tune of at least 4 hours per wheel):

1) Grind off the factory clearcoat with an orbital sander and 80 or 120 grit
2) Sand with 220 and then 320 grit dry until you have a smooth non-swirled surface (use a back-and-forth motion and stick to one direction when sanding)
3) Wet sand to remove all scratches from the previous grit using 400, 800, 1000, 1500, and finally 2000 grit (work your way up through these grits until you get a very shiny, smooth surface)
4) Buff entire wheels with rubbing compound (I prefer 3M Perfect It II rubbing compound) and then polish with your favorite aluminum polish. I have not done the final polish but I plan to use the rubbing compound again on the painted (gray) center parts of the rim and then use aluminum polish on an orbital buffer to hit the flat polished bare aluminum spokes and rim.

Because these are bare metal aluminum they will require periodic upkeep such as aluminum polish when needed.

I hope this helps.

Thanks for the response, I have never sanded anything. Might have to take them to someone to do them for me.

[WMCCjames]

The car looks great!

[CruzinQueen]

The car is the original dark teal metallic. Depending on the lighting it looks anything from blue to green. It really is surprising the difference in color between a faded one and a fresh paint job. The color is a gorgeous almost flip-flop paint.

Thanks again everyone!