[Alloy Wheel Refurbishing - recommendations??]

On 02/08/2019 at 22:53, bazz54 said:

For an astonishing £20 a wheel, I quite like this outfit in Brum https://www.citywheelrefurbishment.co.uk/

That's crazy cheap!

[Alloy Wheel Refurbishing - recommendations??]

10 hours ago, Y393 said:

I paid around £70 per alloy for refurb, powdercoat including straightening at Platinum alloys in Swindon. The Fondmetal alloys are generally fairly heavy, prone to bending in potholes and the finish is not good. Because of this I went with aftermarket alloys that are lighter and can look better (wider 8j, different colours) or more to your taste. Also switching to 225/45r17 tyre size can be good to prevent pothole damage. Only downside with looking at aftermarket or nice used alloys is that it can quickly get addictive/more expensive.

Cheers for that. Yeah I take your point about the Fondmetal wheels bending etc.....I am a bit of a stickler though for keeping stuff standard in so far as possible. I've taken a look at their web site and they look a real possibility. Many thanks!

[Alloy Wheel Refurbishing - recommendations??]

3 hours ago, 99GT said:

I know a really good place in Leeds if you're ever this way. If you are, let me know and I'll give you details

Leeds is about 90 miles from me. But if they are good at what they do, I could always consider using a courier...

13 hours ago, Spaff said:

Ah that's a shame, I just assumed you'd be near Milton Keynes from your first post!

 

Any pics of how yours look now?

I used a courier to get my wheels to Milton Keynes. There is a pic of one of the wheels earlier on up this thread - both wheels that were refurbed are rusting in exactly the same places (whilst my original/untouched wheels are completely rust free.....)   

[Alloy Wheel Refurbishing - recommendations??]

6 minutes ago, Old Red Celica said:

Unfortunately the area around the valve is a place they go, on any alloy.

But there is no signs of this happening on the 2 alloys that haven’t been refurbished (I.e. the wheels that are entirely still original). Whereas BOTH of the wheels that were refurbished are rusting (quite badly) in exactly the same places.

[Alloy Wheel Refurbishing - recommendations??]

2 minutes ago, Spaff said:

Can highly recommend Mint Alloys just outside of Luton if you're down this way

 

Think I paid 312 for 4 17s, not the cheapest but did a lovely job a few years back with no sign of issues yet

Thanks very much for that . Yeah I paid Pristine £111 per wheel - I could have got them done cheaper, but I wanted a proper job doing.... 

5 minutes ago, Spaff said:

Can highly recommend Mint Alloys just outside of Luton if you're down this way

 

Think I paid 312 for 4 17s, not the cheapest but did a lovely job a few years back with no sign of issues yet

Just had a quick look on their website - look a decent outfit.......but I am up North, so too far away  

[Alloy Wheel Refurbishing - recommendations??]

1 minute ago, Old Red Celica said:

Did they remove the decorative studs (look like 12 point Allen key bolt heads)

If not there is contamination coming out. If the did remove them, did they use Stainless Steel and use something like epoxy resin to seal the holes that the bolt goes into up.

They initially wanted to paint over the plastic studs but I said no. So they drilled them out and replaced with new ones (I had a limited stash of replacement studs, which I sourced from Fondmetal)

1 minute ago, biggles933 said:

They initially wanted to paint over the plastic studs but I said no. So they drilled them out and replaced with new ones (I had a limited stash of replacement studs, which I sourced from Fondmetal)

When I said bolt holes, I mean the bolts that secure the wheel to the hub (not the decorative studs). Took a picture of the valve area......it needs cleaning, but you can see the rust underneath.

[Alloy Wheel Refurbishing - recommendations??]

1 minute ago, Old Red Celica said:

Are you talking about brown/Orange rust or white alloy rust?

It hasn't actually broke the paint yet, so I can't see what colour it is. It is bubbly though.....and spreading!

1 minute ago, biggles933 said:

It hasn't actually broke the paint yet, so I can't see what colour it is. It is bubbly though.....and spreading!

Just had another look - looks to be breaking through around where the valve is - looks brown.

[Alloy Wheel Refurbishing - recommendations??]

Hi,

 

I am looking to get my Fondmetal Tech 5 alloy wheels refurbished and am after recommendations please. 

 

The short story is this:  a tyre fitter gauged 2 of my completely unmarked and in beautiful condition alloy wheels, which necessitated my having to get them refurbished. After some considerable research, I had them refurbished at Pristine Alloy Wheels in Milton Keynes nearly 3 years ago. To be fair, they looked amazing when they came back - see the attached pictures.

 

But fast forward to now and despite the wheels having never been anywhere near a curb or chipped in any way whatsoever, lots of horrible rust can clearly be seen coming through from underneath the paintwork (mainly around the hole where the air valve is, and also around the bolt holes). In fact I first notice clear signs of rust coming through about only 18 months after the wheels had been refurbished.

 

I am absolutely disgusted with this to be honest - the other two wheels that weren't/have never been refurbished, are still unmarked and completely rust free. So you can draw your own conclusions here.....

 

Now a place called Radar International look to have done a good enough job in refurbishing the the alloy wheels on my friends old Audi TT and 12 months on, they still look to be in good condition with no signs of rust (she paid in the region of £90 per wheel to get them done).  But having contacted Radar International for a quote, the price they gave me for refurbishing my wheels is £125 + VAT for each wheel, which seems steep to me and is disproportionately higher than what my friend paid.

 

What do you think guys? Grateful for your views and any recommendations please.

 

Thanks.

 

       

[Subframe and floor pan rust]

19 hours ago, bazz54 said:

I'd plan to do the job in a number steps; concentrate on a limited area(s). There's quite a few days work in doing the whole floor. I did the back end one year and the front the following year. The primer I recommended needs 16 hours to dry, some others may be faster, but it is probably best to work on two limited areas at once so you don't get held up. Have you looked at the various previous threads which point out the particular areas on the rear subframe which are the problem parts?

 

I'm pleased to say that 2019 is going to be a largely paint-free year here , having been busy over the last 2 or 3 years.

Yeah I have taken a look at the previous threads. I'll do it over a few weekends - there's no rush as it isn't particularly bad just yet (it is a case of prevention is better than cure!!). Thanks again ;-) 

[Subframe and floor pan rust]

22 hours ago, 99GT said:

Axle stands I just bought the Halfords ones when they were on offer. Plenty good enough.

 

Position under the subframe at the rear and main chassis rails at the front. That's what I do on the gen6 anyway. I wouldn't trust the jacking points on the sills.  

Thanks :-)

26 minutes ago, ams said:

The sills have been rotting on some of these for a while now, more than 5 years when I first found a rotten one after taking the side skirts off, looked fine with the skirts on

Hopefully going to make a start on this next weekend - I'll take a look at the sills then. Thanks!

[Subframe and floor pan rust]

31 minutes ago, bazz54 said:

Celica with sill covers removed

That's brilliant - thanks very much for all the advice, which is much appreciated! My next dumb question was where should I position the axle stands when I tackle the subframes/floor pan etc, but the jacking points seem the obvious spot.   

1 hour ago, Bumblebee said:

buy a cup type wire wheel but please  please also buy a quality pair of safety goggles , impact rated as not all are , I have lost count of the amount of times I have had bits of wire break off them and end up in my leg even going through overalls and jeans . Oh and some dust masks and a decent pair of gloves.  

Thanks very much for that ;-)

[Subframe and floor pan rust]

35 minutes ago, bazz54 said:

Has anyone taken the sill covers off yet? There well be rust starting under there too.

Sorry, I am showing my ignorance now - what/where are the sill covers??

 

Just ordered a 115mm angle grinder, but need to order a wire brush - who knew there were so many/types! Any recommendations as to which one I should go for?? Also need to order some axle stands as well...

[Subframe and floor pan rust]

12 hours ago, bazz54 said:

£2.6k is mega money; is the car worth that much?

 

What did the MoT tester say about the condition at the last test? The thing about rust is that it's hard to tell how bad it is just by looking at it. Sometimes it doesn't look bad when it actually is, and vice versa. On the Gen7, we know now that the rear subframe tends to be the first thing to get you an MoT fail. Until you start to brush and poke it, you don't know what you've got.

 

I have a low mileage 7 which is now 17 years old and I've spent a lot of time doing the following;

• clean as best possible with a wire brush on an angle grinder
• paint using zinc phosphate primer* (at least 2 coats)
• apply topcoat*

I never use underseal; I think it just hides what's going on, and I'm really pleased with the outcome of what I've done on the 7 and the same was done on my 21 year old family saloon also.

 

Regarding*, for quite some years now I only ever use the zinc phosphate primer made by Johnstones and the top coat on that is Johnstones metal cladding paint. I first discovered Johnstones when I bought some "Red Oxide Primer" from Screwfix and found it was brilliant stuff (the term "Red Oxide" now only refers to the colour of the paint, though in the past, it referred to lead-based paints, which are now illegal). Looking in to it, I found that it was actually made by Johnstones, and I then found a (one-off) seller on ebay offering 5L cans of both the primer and the top coat at a knock down price. Those are pretty much used up now, but money well spent.

Thanks very much for taking the time for the comprehensive response Bazz. The car is worth a lot more than £2.6k - it has only had 1 previous owner only (I have had it for the last 8 years) with currently only 64K on the clock. It is completely standard/unmolested and has a full Toyota service history with a fully stamped up book.....and is immaculate....apart from the underneath that is! I have spent a lot of money maintaining it over the years including replacing the wheels (managed to source some direct from Fondmetal, as Toyota had none left), the front headlights, rear lights etc etc etc. The only modification I have made is to install a GT86 head unit including Toyota Touch and go sat nav (and a reverse camera) the head unit isn't great sound quality wise, but I wanted to stick to a Toyota head unit.

 

I had never had cause to look underneath the Celica until fairly recently - I had been looking to buy a Ford Focus RS MK 2, which are renowned for rusting underneath and so had been looking underneath a lot (and seeing a lot of rust). Because I had been looking underneath so many RSs, I decided to look underneath the Celica......and got a shock!

 

I took it to Toyota and asked them to take a look underneath. They took the view that the car just needed some TLC....but it needed doing sooner rather than later otherwise I would be looking at a big job if the rust was allowed to progress. After doing some research, I identified a reputable Celica specialist/restorer, who gave me the £2.6k quote. I do however think paying that kind of money is excessive in view of the rust that is present. It has never previously been picked up on any MOTs - I did ask Toyota if it would be a factor for the next MOT and they said that it wouldn't. I guess I am looking to tackle the issue now before it becomes a real problem at some point down the line.

 

I actually took it to a classic car specialist yesterday, who after having a bit of a poke around (particularly on the rear back floor pan), gave me the thumbs up and advised me to do the job myself as it would save me a stack of cash. So I was ready to have a go at it myself when I decided to get enthusiasts view first - as they are the people who know the car best!

 

I appreciate you view, which gives me a bit more confidence in tackling the matter myself.

 

Many thanks for your thoughts and advice.  

 

        

6 hours ago, 99GT said:

Wire wheel on a grinder will clean that up, then some rust treatment brushed on like Bilt Hamber then whatever paint or underseal you want. Bit of time but minimal cost to do yourself.

 

That spare wheel well looks suspicious though. Looks like that might go through on harder inspection. Hard to tell from pics though

Cheers for the response.

 

Yeah I was concerned the most about the spare wheel well. I took it to a classic car restorer yesterday to get his opinion - he was also not sure about the spare wheel well but after getting underneath and having a damn good poke around and a scrape, he gave me the thumbs up and said it was ok/not a problem (it looks worse that it actually is).    

[Subframe and floor pan rust]

Hi guys - after a bit of advice please.

 

I have been toying with the idea of having the underneath of my car restored (complete strip, shot blast subframes/floor pan and paint/seal etc) for some time now to the extent that I have had a a couple of garages take a look and also received a quote for the work (£2.6K). Thinking about it though, I just don't think I can justify spending that kind of money as the rust doesn't seem bad enough to warrant it. As such, I am thinking about have a bash at it myself using some axle stands, a wire brush and some paint!! 

 

To that end, I would welcome club members views please - do you think the rust is bad enough to justify a £2.6K outlay......or do you think having a go myself is the right way to go?  

 

If you do think having a go myself is the right thing to do, what paint would you use on the rear floor pan (the rust is only superficial and not as bad as it looks - it is solid enough underneath the rust).  

 

Many thanks.