Project Grande Slam: Coley's Hot Rod Shop

[nlped]

Kim says if the weather is good she is fired to make the ride. She wants to see your trucks, but she really wants to see your dads Fairlane. :Lol:

As for the Ball joints, it's just a matter of putting in the appropriate one for the spindle. CPP stuff is good, but PB stuff is the way I'll be going as far as the control arms...fwiw.
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[lolife99]

Originally Posted by CC69Rat

Just curious really right now. .. I'm considering tube arms for my GMC.
Any opinions on CPP control arms?

I have just the uppers on my red '69.
They were on my blazer when it was static dropped.
Get your caster close to +5 degrees and it will drive perfect.

I think delmo has used them on a few builds,...

My opinion,... I would rather have the Porterbuilt "Forward Series" control arms.
I consider them the best C10 control arm for coil spring or bagged trucks running the stock crossmember.

[CC69Rat]

Originally Posted by nlped

Kim says if the weather is good she is fired to make the ride. She wants to see your trucks, but she really wants to see your dads Fairlane. :Lol:

As for the Ball joints, it's just a matter of putting in the appropriate one for the spindle. CPP stuff is good, but PB stuff is the way I'll be going as far as the control arms...fwiw.
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You guys ride on up. I'll be at Dad's place pretty much all day. I'll PM the address.

Originally Posted by lolife99

I have just the uppers on my red '69.
They were on my blazer when it was static dropped.
Get your caster close to +5 degrees and it will drive perfect.

I think delmo has used them on a few builds,...

My opinion,... I would rather have the Porterbuild "Forward Series" control arms.
I consider them the best C10 control arm for coil spring or bagged trucks running the stock crossmember.

Yeah, I am going to wait for now. I may convert to PB arms when I can. My fundage is kinda tapped right now anyway, so maybe in the spring or something when I have it apart for the LS3 swap. Really .. I think I'll just wait for Nate's stuff.

[NoNeck]

I think it's supposed to be around 65° tomorrow, so come on up. Just bundle up so you don't arrive looking like these two!

POP

[CC69Rat]

.. Ed, .. you have TWO pair of gloves? !
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[nlped]

Sure DO!! LOL

[CC69Rat]

Had a rough day fellas ..

Dad bought a new compressor last Sat and we went to pick it up yesterday / today. I called a good friend of mine over to help us unload it. He bought his young (3) son over to 'help' us.

The day went on, messin around with his son, offloading the compressor, etc. We causually worked our way in to see the GMC. I showed him the progress, what's going under the front, and my Heritage wheels going on it.

I opened the wheel box to take a look, Dad, Greg (my friend) and I .. and out of nowhere.. BLAAAMMM Bla BLAM .. !! A Four way lug wrench lands on TOP of my Billet Specialties wheel. I was about to puke. He threw it in the box.

I can't be mad at Greg, or his son .. Stuff happens man but it was the LAST thing I expected. I count 14 'modifications' to my wheel.

My question is .. What's the best polish to use on Billets? I can get the damage out, in fact I worked on it for the rest of the day and I have it about half way cleaned up. It's just not polishing up like the factory polish.

1000 grit, 1500, 2000, 3000, then Mother's polish on a Power Cone. It's looking better.

Greg is my best friend man, .. I'm not posting to say I'm upset at either of them .. just sayin it happened. and it SUCKED! .

What can I use to bring back that out of the box shine? Mother's is doing really good but you can still kinda see some haze in where I've worked out the damage.

Ideas?

[Zoomin]

Pix?

Is this the sort of thing where it's going to bug the snot out of you, but no one else will notice? If they are noticeable, take it to a pro. It won't cost that much.
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[Rusbuilt]

Man I hate to hear that! But I like your attitude about it, it says a lot about your character! As far as the polishing goes flitz has a great aluminum polish!

[CC69Rat]

It is one of those things that will bug me .. but honestly the spots I have worked on, you can't really even see. I'd have to point it out on most of them. Some of the deeper ones I will just live with. The main thing is the buffing, .. I just want to make sure the wheel doesn't have that 'hazy' look where I buffed on it .. then the killer deep shine the BS wheels have out of the box in other places. you know how if you stop at a gas station, the lights really bring out the haze in chrome / polished and even your paint looks crappy under those lights (?)

The main thing is Greg didn't have to come help us with the compressor. There will never be a wheel or a fluke accident come between friends .. He was in my wedding, etc. He's a good dude man. I was a kid once..

WOW though. I didn't know what to say. It sounded like the bells from the bowels of Hell ringing.. Between the wrench and the hoop of the wheel, .. BOOOOOONNNGG!

It landed on the center cap and just spun around, rattling around in the wheel. I couldn't get my hands on it fast enough.


Greg is a forum member too. Greg if you see this man, really. It's looking a lot better. No worries, stuff happens man. I'm just looking for polish to make them perfect.

[El Campo]

I have sanded all the way to 180 grit before on very deep scratches and then worked up to 2000 grit. I always wet sand though to make paper last. You will never even know the scratches are there if you are not afraid to get really serious with big grit paper. It takes some balls to do it though!!! I am no expert by any means though. The pros use a sisal wheel and black compound to cut really deep scratches if I remember correctly. I haven't tried that yet but I plan to on my Pentias.

[nlped]

Ooh geez!!! Sounds like my lil episode ain't a issue. Sorry & glad I missed that.
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[buckstoy]

Hey man, love your truck, I've got the same brakes as you and am wondering if you got your intermediate parking brake cable swedged or what you were doing with it.

On the polishing after doing a good deal of it without always getting it as shiney as the pros I think it all comes down to technique, are you just using rags and mother's or are you using some nice sisal pads? I used these (sisal pads and special rouges on bench grinder) on the engine cases for my Thruxton, the cases turned out great until I ordered a sprocket cover from Speed Merchant and the polish on it made my work look dull. I learned a good bit from this forum (I'm not affiliated but did find it helpful) http://forum.caswellplating.com/forum.php

Jason

[CC69Rat]

Thanks for the help fellas. I have been working on the wheel all weekend, I have a few of the spots worked out. I know they're there but to someone else you'd have to look really hard to see them. I'm not just working the place where the damage was, .. but kinda feathering the area out. All sanding is being done with a block (Durablocks of various shapes) to maintain the integrity of the wheel, so it doesn't look 'spooned out' on the area I have sanded. Youre absolutely right, it's scary stuff.

Here's the plan. I have the worst spot 95% gone. I have worked it out from 1000 grit all the way up to 3000 (1000,1500,2000,2500,3000 then Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish. ) The Mothers MA polish worked great but in certain light you could still see the haze that I mentioned.

I looked around everywhwre and finally found one can of Mother's Billet polish on a clearance rack at Auto Zone. Man, I tell ya .. It's 10x better than the regular Mothers polish. I also went to Home Depot and found they sell a Sisal wheel set, just small buffing little 'pods' that you can chuck up in your drill. They had a set that had a cone shape in it and a round, about the size of a tennis ball. The cone shaped one has really really helped.

On the places there the damage was, and where I sanded it actually looks as good or better than the original shine of the wheel. I think I have found the magic combination.

I have about 4 or 5 more little places to work out. One is pretty bad but it's not as deep as the worst one. I'm pretty confident I can get it out.

Needless to say I am taking my time but .. it's really getting a lot better. Made me SICK!

[Rusbuilt]

Glad to hear they are workable..

[67cheby]

ouch, sorry !

[CC69Rat]

I'm getting there. Just reading up about the flour polish thing (white bread flour) I really don't think it's that bad, and I think I can get the micro scratches out with a Nitrile glove and hand polishing on the final step. I'm getting there..

But still .. I still see that 4 way landing on it and the sound was horrible.

What he saw was a shiney something that took his Dads eyes away from him, so .. you gotta wonder what was going through his mind. Makes me sick to think about it.

[72BlckButy]

Man... I've been tensed up reading this page on your build thread. Can't get my body to release the tension. You are handling the situation the only way you can.

[CC69Rat]

I can't explain it man .. He's just a kid. It could have easily been anyone, it's just something that happend. Nothing I can do to make it better other than just try to work out what I can. I'm really suprised it came out as good as it has.

One things for sure .. I know how to polish Billet wheels now.

In all seriousness, I have no hard feelings. All I can do is move forward. Some idiot could have pulled out in front of me and totaled the truck or something. Things happen, and all things for a reason. I think it was a test for me.

My wife and I are trying so hard to have a child. I think the Lord wanted to see just what would happen if I did have a child, where would my priorities lie? It may sound kinda goofy, but I really feel that way.

Kids are a beautiful thing man. Greg is a great friend, I have known him a LONG time. No truck, wheel, etc. will come between friends. It sucks that it happened, I just have to move on.

[lolife99]

Just a thought.
Would you ever consider powdercoating the center of these wheels?
You could put your own spin on these cool BS Heritage wheels and eliminate the need for polishing wheels on a "semi-daily" driver.
(and it might cover up the blemishes that are killing you)
They would then be one-of-a-kind!

[shawno72]

Sorry to hear that Chad, glad you are handling it the way you are.

[CC69Rat]

Originally Posted by lolife99

Just a thought.
Would you ever consider powdercoating the center of these wheels?
You could put your own spin on these cool BS Heritage wheels and eliminate the need for polishing wheels on a "semi-daily" driver.
(and it might cover up the blemishes that are killing you)
They would then be one-of-a-kind!

Yeah, I thought about that but the dings are all over the wheel. I have 4-5 in the outer lip, one of the spokes caught it pretty bad (on top of the spoke) then around the raised parts of the holes. If I did powder, I'd have to do the whole wheel to really make it look right instead of the contrasting trim like Keith has on the Hazel truck. I like that look, I really do .. I just don't think it would help the situation I'm faced with. The center part of the 4 way landed around the center cap too and you can see where the round'ness of the bar (luckily it was chromed and not my rusty old steel one I found under the seat of my GMC!) .. it just hit there and kinda slid down the spoke. Then the 'arms' just rattled around in there. <full body shiver>

Originally Posted by 72BlckButy

Man... I've been tensed up reading this page on your build thread. Can't get my body to release the tension. You are handling the situation the only way you can.

I cant sleep till I know it's better. I have been doing a lot of research today. I am a perfectionist so I tell ya, if it can be fixed, I'll get it. Again, not working the spot .. I'm trying to kinda feather the damage out. One nick on it becomes a 3-4" repair. The wheel will make you sick to see it right now. Sanded spots all over it.

Originally Posted by shawno72

Sorry to hear that Chad, glad you are handling it the way you are.

Yeah, I could have kicked and screamed but it wouldn't make it better. Plus, Greg's about a 3rd degree black belt. It's COOL bro! ..

Kididng. He didn't mean too. It'll all come out. It's just going to take some time. I'll try to get some pics tonight. I'm almost finished with it actually, but I wore my sandpaper out. I had to stop last night about 10:30.

[nlped]

You sir are one very calm fella... I have kids already and it makes my eye twitch just reading about it... You are going to make it look better than new, and then you have to slick up the others

[El Campo]

Yea billet wheels are beautiful but they suck haha. The beauty of them is that you can fix them though!!! If those had been chromed instead of just polished and had got scratched you would really be screwed. At least you figured out how to polish them as you will be doing it constantly from now on lol. Are you putting some sealer on them? From my experience the sealer is a real life saver in the amount of future work it saves you. If I were to do it all over again I would send my wheels to Schott and have them ceramic coat them so as to never worry about them again.

[CC69Rat]

I stepped down to 800 grit tonight and WOW. I have four of the worst spots completely gone. Pop if you recall the deepest one up on the spoke? Yeah.. gone.

I feel much better about it. If I got the deepest one out.. the rest is coming out too. It will just take patience.
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