Si Speed's Guide To Wheel Curb Rash Repair

[Si Speed]

NOTICE: For your benefit, please read this entire article before attempting to perform the procedure.

I provide this for those of you who have rims that are a little raggedy and you either can't let them go or simply can't afford new rims, or if you're like me and you got a steal on rims that were in this unwanted state.
I take absolutely no responsibility for any further damage done to your wheel(s) during quest to repair it.


Items Needed
-Well Lit Area
-Dremel and Cylinder-Shaped Grinding Attachment
-Safety Glasses
-80 Grit Sandpaper
-150 Grit Sandpaper

INTRO: First off, if you don't know how to be steady with a Dremel, stop reading now. For the rest of you, I highly recommend that you have the tire off the wheel. You will be working at many different angles and I don't even think a proper job couldbe done with the tire still on. Keep in mind, this is to fix minor curb rash, it won't fix a bent, warped, or straight-up fu*ked up wheel.
The amount of time it takes to do this procedure depends entirely on how much damage you have and how many wheels you're operating on. It could take 10 minutes or 12 hours and anywhere between. Recognize that not ALL repairable curb rash requires the Dremel. Use your best judgment to decide. I know you can do it.

Step 1: Place the damaged wheel on a hard level surface about belly button height, or wherever you're most comfortable. My shop counter just happened to be perfect for me. *hint hint*

Step 2: Pick the first infected area for surgery, preferably the worst area, that way if you screw up and fu*k up the wheel, you won't have wasted your time fixing the less damaged areas, which we'll get to later on.

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d53/si_lude/Wheel%20Paint%20Guide/DSC00252.jpg

Step 3: Sand it down thoroughly with the 80 grit sandpaper. If the wheel is painted, make sure the area of operation is paint-free. In other words, sand it until you get down to the bare metal.

Step 4: Put on your safety goggles. Take the Dremel, set the speed on 5. If your infection looks similar to what's in the picture in Step 2, you can lay the side of the Dremel attachment flat on the lip using a moderate amount of pressure and moving it from side to side at a steady pace. Make sure to go on out past the cancer to keep from forming a groove. Stop with the Dremel every 20-30 seconds and using the 40-grit sandpaper, go over the whole lip (This is where it's really good to not have a tire in the way) and sanding the top of the lip as well to keep the edge as close to the stock rounding as possible. You want to use the Dremel as little as possible to reduce the risk of severe damage or wheel death.

Your's truly, hard at work:
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d53/si_lude/Wheel%20Paint%20Guide/DSC00254.jpg

NOTE:In severe cases where you're just trying to make it "not so bad" like sticking a Band-Aid on 3rd degree burn, then you'll be using the Dremel more to attempt to re-form the natural lip.

Step 5: When you've cut out as much cancer as possible, go back over it with the 150-grit paper. You should have something like this:

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d53/si_lude/Wheel%20Paint%20Guide/DSC00255.jpg

Step 6: Repeat the process on any other major damage on the lip. Some damage on the spokes may also be repairable by this same guide, but just remember that screw ups will be much harder to correct.

Step 7: For the very minor damage that doesn't require the Dremel, simply use the 40-grit paper to fix it and go back over it with the 150-grit.
Here's a sample of a sandpaper-repaired spot:

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d53/si_lude/Wheel%20Paint%20Guide/DSC00253.jpg

NOTE: This same process could possibly be used to grind down welds if you get a crack fixed. Just a thought.

NOTICE: Stay tuned for the Grand Finale of this guide which will include a detailed guide on painting the wheel or polishing it once the wheel has been repaired. I'll post the link at the bottom of this guide when I get it posted.



Last Words: If anyone wishes to post this guide on another website, please include a link to this one since I was nice enough to take the time to make it and post it for you all to benefit from.

[yogi_pahl]

sweet job im going to have to do it this week end.

[Si Speed]

It's going to take me AT LEAST a week to get the paint and polish threads up. I'm doing the paint first since I'm have to get the tires off my current wheel swapped over to the SH's when I'm done painting them.
After that, I can strip my current wheels and polish em up. That thread might take another week or so but they're all coming.

[PreludeBoy95']

very nice write-up

[Si Speed]

David, now that I think about it, you may not wanna do it to your rims unless you have a way to chrome them back.

[muha22752]

looks good ill deffinatly be using this

[Si Speed]

The prep work is taking longer than planned. I'm sanding the original paint down to the bare metal so this is taking a while.
Good news is, the paint I got is pretty damn close to original color, but has a little more flake in it so they're a little brighter and not so dull.

[mizlude]

more now!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Si Speed]

Well, I've got most of the paint off the first wheel - the one I'm using for the guide. It should be ready for paint Monday night.

[soto2635]

nice write up

[thomasz]

Now, I am going to consider this problem.

[Brash22]

Off topic, but is that your kitchen? My oldies would never let me grind stuff in the house! Even my missus whom I live with wouldn't let me!

[Si Speed]

I'd shoot myself if I had to eat in there...
That's my shop. There's so much **** in there, it's unreal. That counter I'm at, it took over 2 hours just to make room to put a wheel up there. When my dad built those cabinets, he just used normal counter top.

[Brash22]

Fair enough, the fridge threw me off. But we always had a fridge in the garage at my parents place. We will when I have a garage too.

[Si Speed]

Fair enough, the fridge threw me off. But we always had a fridge in the garage at my parents place. We will when I have a garage too.

That's where the beer is. :friday:

[Drew]

i have a question. yea, what about a wheel like mine? what i mean is, on a colored rim from the factory, is it painted after its been casted, or is the metal that color prior to casting? i don't want to be sanding down my rim and all the sudden it turns silver on me.... you know what i mean?

[Brash22]

They paint them afterwards as a part of the finishing process. Your hardest task will be finding paint to match your colour.

[Si Speed]

i have a question. yea, what about a wheel like mine? what i mean is, on a colored rim from the factory, is it painted after its been casted, or is the metal that color prior to casting? i don't want to be sanding down my rim and all the sudden it turns silver on me.... you know what i mean?

They paint them afterwards as a part of the finishing process. Your hardest task will be finding paint to match your colour.

Colin is right. Worst thing would be to have to repaint all of them just so you could fix one but like I keep saying, if you can get them powdcercoated, do that.

[gaborn73]

nice write up! thanks!