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Ok, I've been wanting to do this for a while now, and it looks like now's as good a time as any. I know I'm in Hawaii, but winter still sucks. It rains a LOT and potholes + 19" wheels + Lowered S2000 = .


So..... We're off. Let me just say right now, the lips are staying polished. I like the way an all black 3pc wheel looks, but I think it's a trend that will fade over time. I love black wheels, but I'm pondering a different color. The fact that my wheels are black tends to make them disappear in photos and makes them look flat in real life until you're up very close to them. I do really like black though, so they may stay black.

Here's the car all black:



Wheels look ok huh? Yeah, until you get up close to them. This is the first one I took apart today.







Granted, the area that looks REALLY bad is covered up when the wheel's put together. Still, I know it's there, and it bothers me (peep the wash and wax wacko badge). Plus, the inside was silver when new. I got these wheels for a really good price, and I think the reason was a lack of upkeep on them. These will be near new shape when I'm done.

I'm open to any ideas for the centers. I think the inner rim-half is going to get painted black. I'm not a trendy kind of guy though, so please, no Takata green or Blue wheels with orange/green flip lips.

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I'm going to use this first available post to update the progress I make on cleaning up the outer rims.

First update. I cleaned the inner rim half and rough polished the outer. For the inner I tried Simple Green with a blue scotch scrubbing pad.... no joy. Then I tried MX-7 with the same scrubbing pad... no dice. Then I tried Goo Gone with the same pad.... again, nothing. Nothing was even beginning to touch the caked on crap on these wheels. Last ditch effort, I sprayed some P21S wheel cleaner on them and walked away. I let it sit for about 2 hours and then grabbed the scrubbing pad. To my sheer amazement, most of it wiped right off. I was floored. So anyway, I've got another good session to go before the inner wheel is where I want it, but it's close.

Then I attacked the outer rim half. I used another blue scrubbing pad and more P21S to get the caked on stuff off. It worked great but obviously left a good bit of marring on the lip. Time to polish a bit. I used Adams Metal Polish #1 and also Mother's Billet Polish just to compare them. Honestly, I think the results are pretty close between the two, but the Adams stuff is 1000% easier to use. Anyway, this is just one night on one rim. I'm going to attack this one again tomorrow and I should be able to get it where I want it. I'll report back when I do. When this one's done.... I'll do it all 3 more times. (don't worry, I'm not going to make a post for every rim):





UPDATE:

Got my left rear cleaned up and initial polished today. This was just cleaning the inner rim half and ruff polishing the outer. I'll be doing the finishing polish and wheel wax once I get all four cleaned up good.









Here're some comparison shots of the two front rims. After - Before:

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Well I sent one wheel off to paint about a week and a half ago. There was some delay getting it sent off to the media blaster so it's not going to be back until sometime this week. THEN... I have to decide if it's the right color for me and then take the rest of the wheels in. I don't want to wait for the media blaster guy again, so I just did the rest of my wheels myself

I think they look really cool in raw aluminum:




And I had to put one in just to see. Kinda neat:



And in case any of you were curious what my daughter had for dinner.... turkey:

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Here's the first center. I like it, so I'm having the other 3 done to look like this. I was worried about it being too dark wen I picked out the color, but it's perfect.

Excuse the shitty picture, all I had was my iPhone.

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Here's a bunch of pictures of the first wheel together. Tell me what you think. I'm ecstatic! I tried to get a bunch of pics at different angles to show how it changes with light and angle. I seriously couldn't be happier. It was just a smidge too flat when I saw the fist one so I had the painter go just one step glossier. It's perfect. I think it changes the look of the wheel a lot. It should be a little less "bling bling" now. I like the all black thing, but it just didn't suit these wheels.

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One pic is all you get for now. Next is some front end work (Bumper or lip, I can't decide), some side skirts (ASM diffuser style) and a rear lip spoiler (3pc Mugen or ASM).

S2K000

sweet, good luck to you, hope they come out great, thats my second favorite wheel design from HRE

Luder94

I suggest doing the faces in silver (like OEM silver off Lexus and BMW wheels), but do the sides and rear of the spokes in black.

skanktwo

wussup chris (chris right?) anywayz FLITE. I must say black with polish lip has alredy faded =/. and i think u should do it silver like the guy above me said. that will look hott. or uless u like them dark go with the british black look semi flat gunmetal. Just a suggestion!

non the less get a lip before u do all this

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Haha, yes a lip will come, I just can't decide which one I want. Mugen looks great from some angles, and bad from others. APR.... same story, but in a totally different way. I could spend the big money and go with an ASM or Amuse front bumper, but that's a good chunk of money for a minor change. I'm leaning more and more to Mugen, but some angles it just really doesn't look good. I dunno. I wish someone made something like the old school "double bubble Amuse lip. That was always my favorite.


Anyway, back to the wheels. Yes I'm more and more thinking I'm going to paint the centers some shade of silver of a matte black. Regardless, if I do that, the whole center will be painted one color. I won't do the silver front with black sides thing. I like gold/bronze wheels, but I don't think these particular wheels would look good in anything but the silver to black spectrum. (If the car was white, the wheels would be too. But not on a black car). I think something like Sebring Silver would look good, and so would a matte black.

Am I redundant enough yet? haha. And yes, Chris is the name.