Refinishing Wolfsburg addition 2 piece BBS RX II Wheels

[tyler_01_TDi]

I recently purchased a set of BBS RX II wheels that need refinishing. I have read a bit of info online about the process and was hoping to get some advice from someone who has refinished these before.



First, getting the triple square bolts out. I have read that sometimes these can be a real bear. Is there a sure fire way of removing these bolts without damaging them? I saw a picture of an entire wheel in a kitchen oven. My neighbor happens to be remodeling their kitchen – I could probably get their old oven to evenly heat the wheels if this will help. Any suggestions would be appreciated.



Once the wheels are apart I was thinking of just having the centers blasted and powder coated. I'd like to restore the brushed finish on the barrels so, to remove whats left of the original finish from them without being too aggressive, I was thinking of using a chemical stripper. Once the brushed finish is restored I was thinking of having them powder coated as well (If there is such a thing as clear powder coat). Questions: will chemical stripper remove the old finish? Will the tolerances of the wheels allow for the thickness of powder coating (Aka - will I be able to get the center back into the barrel after powder coating)?

 

[LNXGUY]

I'd media blast both the lips and the centers.. Use something like walnut so it won't pit as much. Then it's nothing but some elbow grease to polish the lips. Or you could get a shop to do that for you.

 

[volmaniac]

I used this stuff to take the clear coat off the barrels:

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/ac...t-remover/_/N-25uj?itemIdentifier=660022_0_0_

It is an aggressive solvent (methylene chloride) so follow the directions to the letter and use personal protective gear (proper chemical resistant gloves, eye protection, etc.).

I took my time with the triple square bolts, they have loctite (blue I think) on them. I did not need an oven to separate the barrel from the center once the bolts were removed (tapped it loose with a rubber mallet).

I made sure the barrel and center went back together as a unit.

Can't help you on the thickness sorry.

 

[tyler_01_TDi]

I was considering the oven just for getting the bolts out, not so much for getting the center out of the barrel. Did the bolts come out no problem for you or did you break/ strip any of them? Did you just use a breaker bar with no heat/ penetrating oil?

I used this stuff to take the clear coat off the barrels:

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/ac...t-remover/_/N-25uj?itemIdentifier=660022_0_0_

It is an aggressive solvent (methylene chloride) so follow the directions to the letter and use personal protective gear (proper chemical resistant gloves, eye protection, etc.).

I took my time with the triple square bolts, they have loctite (blue I think) on them. I did not need an oven to separate the barrel from the center once the bolts were removed (tapped it loose with a rubber mallet).

I made sure the barrel and center went back together as a unit.

Can't help you on the thickness sorry.

 

[volmaniac]

I did not use any heat or penetrating oil for removing the bolts, but I can see that might help. I just kept plenty of pressure on the bolts and was careful when turning the breaker.

 

[tyler_01_TDi]

Bump - Anyone have experience with reassembling powder coated wheels?

 

[LiLredTDI]

Here look at post #73.

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=283624&page=5

Sure you want these rims? They look great but are a motha to clean.


My rims were trashed by some crackhead when i got them (all 4 $50)

This in not rocket science but time consuming. Remove all bolts, flip rim over on old tire and use BFH and 2x4 wood block to tap around perimeter. It will fall right out.

Chemicial strip barrel and center. Sand out any curb age or nicks from lips and polish. Use body filler on centers if there are gouges.

Polish lip. Caswell Plating found on the web has all you need or a cheap-o kit from HF.

GET ENTIRE THING CLEARED!!! At least 4 coats of clear!!!!!

Another thread with wheels finished.

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=285926

 

[RedTDIowner]

Sure you want these rims? They look great but are a motha to clean.

My rims were trashed by some crackhead when i got them (all 4 $50)

This in not rocket science but time consuming. Remove all bolts, flip rim over on old tire and use BFH and 2x4 wood block to tap around perimeter. It will fall right out.

Chemicial strip barrel and center. Sand out any curb age or nicks from lips and polish. Use body filler on centers if there are gouges.

I bought a set of these wolfsburg rims for $40 but after reading this and other threads about them I am not going to sink a bunch of money into them. I will just sand and buff them down and then spray paint them. I won't waste a bunch of time and money removing the torx bolts to sand blast and powder coat them. By then I will have close to $500 in them and could have bought a nice set of rims.

 

[RedTDIowner]

UPDATE: As you will recall I had bought the Wolfsburg BBS rims and had planned to sand and spray paint them but with very limited time due to deer season and being busy with medicare season I decided to go another direction. It was going to take too much time to remove the torx bolts and take them apart to sand them down and spray paint them so I had them sandblasted for $100 and then powder coated for an additional $120. They look pretty darn good for having less than $300 in them.

 

[dirtride]

Very nice! Couldn't find the Wolfsburg caps, huh?

 

[ConvergenceFreak]

Looks great. Thanks for the info. I have a set myself to deal with!