Hey, here is a guide on polishing calais rims. Items required Degreaser 180 grit wet and dry 400 grit wet and dry 800 grit wet and dry 1500 grit wet and dry Unstitched polishing wheel Polishing compound Metho or Turps Step One Degrease the rim and remove the wheel weight Step Two Use the 180 grit paper and sand off all the machining lines Step Three Use the 400 grit paper and wet sand out the scratches from the 180. Easiest way to do this is sand at a different angle to the 180, that way it is easy to see when u have sanded enough. Step Four Repeat step three except using 800 grit wet and dry. Step Five Repeat step three except using 1500 grit wet and dry Step Six I used a 150mm loose leaf polishing mop (mean't for a bench grinder) and adapted it to suit a drill. This is the compound I used, it is an aluminium polish. Apply compound to the mop and polish away. Polish from all differnt angles appling more compound as required. If the mop gets dirty u can clean it in a bucket of warm soapy water. Continue polishing until u get the desired finish. Step Seven Use abit of metho on a rag and remove any excess polish left on the rim. You should now have something that looks like this This is only a guide of what I did and I do not take any responsibility for your actions Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

This is only a guide of what I did and I do not take any responsibility for your actions Hahahahaha, great work!

good work i wish i kept my calais wheels i can get em bak for $50 of my mate i think i might and polish them looks gewd dude great job Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

Sounds like to much effort just take them a polisher and pay $80-$100 lol

looks nice, dunno bout all that sanding though :P

Quote: Originally Posted by bigpsi Sounds like to much effort just take them a polisher and pay $80-$100 lol you lazy mofo i cant wait to do mine if i get em bak for some reason must be all tht up n go im drinking each morning ahah lol and being young lol even no they wont be going bak on my car only for burnouts Some original photos have not been recovered yet.

This method also applies to rocker covers , cooler piping ect.

top effort larry. looks good.

Does it matter what kind of metal it is in regards to cooler piping / different metals? I mean, you see this real dull piece of cooler piping, with enough sanding and polishing it will get a mirror shine like these wheels?

impressive i tried this with mine and used a little hand held orbital sander and went up to 2000 grit using just a metal liquid polish no where near as good finish, is the stone a better option than the fluid?

Quote: Originally Posted by bigpsi Sounds like to much effort just take them a polisher and pay $80-$100 lol Yeah if I could find a metal polisher up here Quote: Originally Posted by TWO89 Does it matter what kind of metal it is in regards to cooler piping / different metals? I mean, you see this real dull piece of cooler piping, with enough sanding and polishing it will get a mirror shine like these wheels? Alloys u could do the same way, as for other metals just use the right compound and spray a clear lacquer over them. I have also done windscreen washer motor, eyelid relay, switch for the bonnet light and a few other little bits and peices and they also came up really nice and makes the engine bay much nicer Quote: Originally Posted by vltrb-0 impressive i tried this with mine and used a little hand held orbital sander and went up to 2000 grit using just a metal liquid polish no where near as good finish, is the stone a better option than the fluid? Yeah I tried that originally but wasn't happy with it, this way is a much better option

THATS MAD! but, i dunno about the 180 grit paper....if i send mine down to get done, will they come up shiny like them?

Very nice work lazza!

Quote: Originally Posted by MaD_WoG THATS MAD! but, i dunno about the 180 grit paper....if i send mine down to get done, will they come up shiny like them? yer mate got his done by a polisher, came up the same as shown up there ^^ looks mint too

what motion did u use when sanding? circular or just up and down and across or all over the shop?? and what did the equipment cost you all up? ie, sand paper, polish and mop?

did you take the clear laqure off the rimms b4 doing all this i dont rember reading it... paint striper will get that stuff off easy just let it sit for 10 mins and wipe off... good thread but mate weel done

how mcuh did it cost him?

ummm I think $30-$40 was just over $100

Quote: Originally Posted by 747-031 what motion did u use when sanding? circular or just up and down and across or all over the shop?? and what did the equipment cost you all up? ie, sand paper, polish and mop? For the one 180 grit I used an oribtal for what I could then wet sanded from then on. Doesn't matter which way u sand just what ever u find easy and comfortable, What I found easy was when changing to the next grade of paper sand at a different angle that way it is easy to see when u have sanded out all the scratches from the last grade of paper. I used about 20 sheets of wet and dry for five rims (a sheet of each grade per wheel). Wet and dry $20, Polish and mop bout $30 so round $50 all up for the five rims.

Quote: Originally Posted by dvs_wgn did you take the clear laqure off the rimms b4 doing all this i dont rember reading it... paint striper will get that stuff off easy just let it sit for 10 mins and wipe off... good thread but mate weel done Most of the lacquer had already fallen off so I didn't bother