Refinishing Vintage Wheels
I have a set of American racing wheels on my truck. They are the 200s wheels. I am fixing to get some new tires and I am wanting to refinish the wheels while the tires are off. Can anyone tell me what the finished product should look like if I wanted them to be original. Mine currently just look like dull cast aluminum/magnesium. I believe this is the correct look for my spokes, but I think the lip should be polished. Was the lip polished from the factory? Or was is it more of a as machined look? What would be the best way to replicate an original finish?
Here is what I think I am going to do, tell me if you have any suggestions or if you think I am on the right track. I plan on starting to sand the lip of my wheel with 600 grit, followed by wet sanding with 1000, 2000, and then finally 3000 grit. I am then going to polish the lip out to a shine. I intend to practice on the back of the wheels first. For the spokes I am going to cover the lip with 4 or 5 layer of duct tape and then have the spokes media blasted. Nowhere local does glass beading, so I am planning on plastic beads.
Does this sound like the right procedure? Anyone have any pictures? Anyone ever done this personally? Suggestions on polishing procedure?
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