108s, Colour Coding and Seperating.....

D

DannyBoy

Active member
 South Manchester
I am fortunate enough to now have some time away from work at present! :D

One of the “to do” jobs on my hit list is to possibly colour code the inners of my 108s. Think black or dark graphite should do the trick and this brings me onto my question.

I have searched for the answer to this and whilst it appears to have been asked before there doesn’t appear to have been a reasoned reply given.

Car the inner star of the 108s be separated by undoing the nuts with the tyre still fixed to the outer or is this likely to damaged the outer? My concern is due to the loss of rigidity to the wheel as a whole? :!:

Anyone able to shed some light on this before I run off to Halfords?

Cheers in advance. :thumbsup:
 
You may find this of use: http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=8199&hilit=108+wheels

:thumbsup:

I can't see there being a problem leaving the tyres on. Maybe let the tyres down first? Just a thought. :)
 
Breaker said:
You may find this of use: http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=8199&hilit=108+wheels

:thumbsup:

I can't see there being a problem leaving the tyres on. Maybe let the tyres down first? Just a thought. :)
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Yeah I've read Phil's post. However, in that instance the rims were split with the tyres off.

Here we're talking about splitting the rims with the tyres still on. :thumbsup:
 
DannyBoy said:
Breaker said:
You may find this of use: http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=8199&hilit=108+wheels

:thumbsup:

I can't see there being a problem leaving the tyres on. Maybe let the tyres down first? Just a thought. :)
Click to expand...

Yeah I've read Phil's post. However, in that instance the rims were split with the tyres off.

Here we're talking about splitting the rims with the tyres still on. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...


Yes, I'd thought about letting the tyres down a bit, then taking the centre section off, just have to mask off the tyre then.
 
Taking the tyres off is ideal so you can get right over the rim edge. If you have oe Bridgestones on with their huge rim protection you just won't be able to get over the edge at all, and even when they are let down you won't get a really good angle at it I don't think...

I wouldn't worry as much if you now have non-rft, as if you let them down you can get a good angle over the rim edge (Falkens show alot as they sit, letting them down and pushing back will let you slip some masking material behind nicely)
Just let them down and they will be essentially 'inert' on the rim, so no need to worry about removing the centre then.

Dave
 
I have taken the stars out of mine with the tyres fully inflated on the rims. No worries about doing it at all. There is no distortion caused to a rim, by a mere 30 psi in it and the stars popped out just the same, confirming the tyre pressure does not 'clamp' them. Indeed how could it equally applied all around a near perfect cylinder?

The reason for this was an error in my refurb and the need to repolish the outer lips and then seal them. All done by removing the stars, masking off the tyre (simply with a curved thin card template).

One of the reasons I now know I can refurb all 4 rims in under 2 hours next time :D :D

Be creative - makes life more fun on these projects :thumbsup:
 
cj10jeeper said:
All done by removing the stars, masking off the tyre (simply with a curved thin card template).

One of the reasons I now know I can refurb all 4 rims in under 2 hours next time :D :D

Be creative - makes life more fun on these projects :thumbsup:
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Ah, but as I mentioned, thats on FK452's (I assume), with their tiny rim protection... the oe Bridgestones really do stick out and over the rim edge, not ideal for the initial clean up/polishing right over the rim radius, I don't think anyway.

I think anyone on Bridgestone oe's will have a harder time of it :(
 
Mr Whippy said:
cj10jeeper said:
All done by removing the stars, masking off the tyre (simply with a curved thin card template).

One of the reasons I now know I can refurb all 4 rims in under 2 hours next time :D :D

Be creative - makes life more fun on these projects :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Ah, but as I mentioned, thats on FK452's (I assume), with their tiny rim protection... the oe Bridgestones really do stick out and over the rim edge, not ideal for the initial clean up/polishing right over the rim radius, I don't think anyway.

I think anyone on Bridgestone oe's will have a harder time of it :(
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Yes - it was on 452's, so perhaps on rft's I'd let the air out and press them in a bit. Worst case would be to drop by the local tyre shop and have the beads broken on them. Couldn't cost more than £10 in the tea fund.
 
Thanks for the input will go with the de-flated tyre approach! :wink:

Next question, which colour on a silver car? Thinking grey as stated, but wondering about black and if I' to be really anal wondering about what shade of grey! Hmmmm.....
 
I went through a long decision process here and even had guys like Herminator do me some colour mock ups. Ended up with a smoked chrome.

My feeling was that the very dark were too overly used and perhaps track focussed, that said they work well on Rob's above - perhaps it's because he has black lights and interior to theme to??. I've said before about mods that I have a very strong belief in a theme of the car, but it's all about personal choice.
 
I may carry this out tomorrow. Before I do can anyone shed any light on the following:

(a) Can the 12 point screwdriver attachment required for seperating the rims be acquired from Halfords or is it a specialist item?

(b) Assuming I do this myself which looks likely is there anything to worry about using rattle cans from a paint durability point of view? Am I correct to assume most quicky refurb companies (not specialist like Lepsons etc) employ the same method to paint wheels?

(c) Should I sand down the faces first then apply primer and if so is any specific primer required?

(d) After the rim has been seperated and reattached will the wheels need a fresh balancing?

Thanks in advance. :thumbsup:
 
DannyBoy said:
I may carry this out tomorrow. Before I do can anyone shed any light on the following:

(a) Can the 12 point screwdriver attachment required for seperating the rims be acquired from Halfords or is it a specialist item?

(b) Assuming I do this myself which looks likely is there anything to worry about using rattle cans from a paint durability point of view? Am I correct to assume most quicky refurb companies (not specialist like Lepsons etc) employ the same method to paint wheels?

(c) Should I sand down the faces first then apply primer and if so is any specific primer required?

(d) After the rim has been seperated and reattached will the wheels need a fresh balancing?

Thanks in advance. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

a - No they don't sell them. You need a toolshop or internet. Search 12 point or star drive. Buy a good quality tool and use it properly else you could strip a spline. The set I selected had one I used to 'crack' them and then a 2nd used in a pwere driver to spin them out (you have 80 to do..)

b - I wouldn't use this on the stars. It has no durability compared to specialist finishes and IMHO would be difficult to achieve a quality look on such surfaces. You might be OK if you apply a couple of coats, and then decent lacquer/clear coat. Would be fine on the inners, but suggest specific wheel paint (steel wheels, etc.) lips really need polishing to mirror shine then clearcoat.

c - you should always do this to apply paint if you expect it to stick properly and last. You may be just fine on the inners if perfectly clean.

d - No - because it will be back in the same position due to the valve position and matching hole in the star.
 
You can use tin paint, just get good tinned paint.

Try www.wheelpaints.co.uk

Aerosol clearcoat & primer:
http://www.wheelpaints.co.uk/category_Aerosol_clearcoat_Primers_1.htm

Aerosol Deutsche Silver (this is what the inners are):
http://www.wheelpaints.co.uk/product_details_7.htm



The main benefit of proper two pack paints, or powder coating, is hardness and speed, but powder coating isn't as visually appealing as a two pack paint, and the finishes are more limited.

There is no reason, if you don't have a big vented room and a business to run, with running paints that cure slowly (aerosol types), as long as you do the same level of prep, cleanliness, and follow the guidelines for use well, you should get a very good finish.

Imagine being able to spray, dry and then remove/cut back a wheel/panel in two hours, or waiting two days for the same finish to be applied/flash off/cure etc... that is why larger companies with a booth use two pack and powder, it's fast and strong, so rapid turnover = more money.


Go with *good* aerosols and do a *good* job and it should be ok! I've had powdercoated wheels chip badly, and had bubbling after a year underneath... yet I've seen aerosol recon wheels going strong after two years with good waxes and cleaning!

Dave
 
Painting the centers a different colour would be tricky to get looking good. Jeepers works since it's very close to the body colour. I'm not a fan of black centers though, the spokes are open enough.
White on a white car could look good, but for a silver car I'd stick with silver.
 
I only intend to refurb the outer polished rims and the inners on mine, the 'star' front piece is in good condition.
 
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