Restoring an old car is a labour of love and involves a lot of steps. Getting your rims restored is often the final touch in bringing an old car back to its former glory. Here are some of the steps involved. 

Removing the rims 

Take your car to the auto shop. The auto shop will remove the rims and examine them for damage. Often cars that have been stored or maintained in bad condition may have a range of scratches and dents on the rims, as well as rust and general wear. The auto shop will usually take the rims to a powder coating facility, either in-house or to an external provider. The car will not be drivable until the rims are replaced, so it's important to either organise a second pair of rims to put in place for the next few days or some alternate transport. 

Sandblasting the rims

The powder coater will then sandblast the rims to remove any buildup and create a rough surface for the coating to adhere to the rims. If there are particularly damaged sections such as rust spots, these might get a focused sandblasting with a fine nozzle. This tends to be less disruptive than buffing by hand and can leave more of the original material, which makes it an ideal way to restore old pieces of badly damaged metal work. 

Repairing the damage

The next step is to fill in the damage. The powder coating will pack into any crevices until a smooth surface is obtained. This will be down in a base material that is strong and durable, such as aluminium. 

Getting powder coating

Once there is a smooth surface the powder coater will put a display coating on the rims, which can be a shiny material such as chrome or a matte finish with a plastic product. After this coat is applied it is left to cure for a period of time, and then a protective coat is applied to ensure that the coating looks good for as long as possible. This makes the rims easier to clean and maintain.

After the protective coat has dried the rims can be reapplied. 

Powdercoating an old pair of wheel rims can help your car look great and highlight the vintage restoration work that you have completed. Why not contact a powder coating firm to explore how much it will cost and how long it will take to repair your wheel rims?