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    Polish Turbines?

    Since the turbine wheels are made out of an aluminum alloy can they be polished to a mirror shine?

    -Colin
    sigpic
    1989 Ford Crown Victoria
    99K

    #2
    They have a clear coat on them that needs to be sanded off first but yeah I don’t see why not. I started to sand one of mine when I got mine because they were pretty dirty but quit soon after. The worst part will be getting to every spoke.


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      #3
      Look into vapor blasting or vapor honing.
      I believe that leaves aluminum pretty dang shiny afterwords.

      Chrome orPolished aluminum turbines would look sweet. Just a bear to keep looking that way with all the inlayes between the fins.
      ~David~

      My 1987 Crown Victoria Coupe: The Brown Blob
      My 2004 Mercedes Benz E320:The Benz

      Originally posted by ootdega
      My life is a long series of "nevermind" and "I guess not."

      Originally posted by DerekTheGreat
      But, that's just coming from me, this site's biggest pessimist. Best of luck

      Originally posted by gadget73
      my car starts and it has AC. Yours doesn't start and it has no AC. Seems obvious to me.




      Comment


        #4
        you'd want to get them re-coated after polishing otherwise it will get crusty very quickly.
        86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
        5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

        91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

        1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

        Originally posted by phayzer5
        I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

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          #5
          Yep, I planned on clear coating them after I was done.
          The idea I had was to Polish the outer rim and clear coat it and then sand and paint the spokes gloss black.
          I know I have seen this done but I can't find any pictures of it.

          What kind of tools and supplies would I need to Polish the outer rim?
          sigpic
          1989 Ford Crown Victoria
          99K

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            #6
            I did mine in 2006. They are still rolling!

            I used paint stripper to get rid of the remaining chipping clear coat. After that, I sanded the inner parts with something like 400 grit or maybe a red scuff pad. Took a while. I used cheap spray gloss black paint direct to metal and it still on there surprisingly. The rim got some polishing compound and that’s it. It dulls out over time but you can polish it again. Spray paint doesn’t like to stick to polished aluminum.

            Last edited by Tiggie; 04-16-2020, 04:51 PM.
            1990 Country Squire - weekend cruiser, next project
            1988 Crown Vic LTD Wagon - waiting in the wings

            GMN Box Panther History
            Box Panther Horsepower and Torque Ratings
            Box Panther Production Numbers

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              #7
              Originally posted by Mr. Land Yacht View Post
              Yep, I planned on clear coating them after I was done.
              The idea I had was to Polish the outer rim and clear coat it and then sand and paint the spokes gloss black.
              I know I have seen this done but I can't find any pictures of it.

              What kind of tools and supplies would I need to Polish the outer rim?
              Put rear of car up on jack stands put transmission in neutral...maybe drive. Hold sandpaper to outer lip. Sandpaper grits depends on how messed up wheels are currently. Id start with a minimum of 320 on your makeshift lathe and work your way up to 2000/3000. Water can help out. Make sure not to stub a finger. It will work and work easily and proved an excellent result.

              Originally posted by Tiggie View Post
              I did mine in 2006. They are still rolling!

              I used paint stripper to get rid of the remaining chipping clear coat. After that, I sanded the inner parts with something like 400 grit or maybe a red scuff pad. Took a while. I used cheap spray gloss black paint direct to metal and it still on there surprisingly. The rim got some polishing compound and that’s it. It dulls out over time but you can polish it again. Spray paint doesn’t like to stick to polished aluminum.


              Oh boy I would love those in 16's or 17's.
              ~David~

              My 1987 Crown Victoria Coupe: The Brown Blob
              My 2004 Mercedes Benz E320:The Benz

              Originally posted by ootdega
              My life is a long series of "nevermind" and "I guess not."

              Originally posted by DerekTheGreat
              But, that's just coming from me, this site's biggest pessimist. Best of luck

              Originally posted by gadget73
              my car starts and it has AC. Yours doesn't start and it has no AC. Seems obvious to me.




              Comment


                #8
                Turbines in 17s would be nice period... much less for our cars.

                Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
                rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)
                Originally posted by gadget73
                ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.
                Originally posted by dmccaig
                Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Still in 15", but some of the Lincolns got the rims painted body color with the spoke/lip areas polished. If I had a brighter color car, I'd consider it; but also I'm going to big brakes so my turbines will be sold eventually anyway (or maybe they'll fit my trailer?). I'm mostly waiting for 2 sets of 15" tires to wear out at about 10,000 miles a year, lol.
                  Last edited by bgreywolf; 04-17-2020, 05:52 AM.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    The problem with polishing any aluminum wheel to a mirror shine by any means that could be cheaply done at home will cause you polish the sharp edges away unevenly possibly ruining the look of the wheel and effecting the balance causing the wheel to require much more weight than should be needed.

                    I used a wheel hub mounted to a bench then used a drill mounted to a bicycle stand to polish wheels that came off of my 2000 MGM while I was able to get a mirror shine it did also polish away the sharp edges. ( I just had to use a piece of wood to slow the wheel and tire down to get it to polish)

                    If I had to do it all over again Which I do on my Vic I will just spend the 135 bucks or so each wheel and have them professionally reconditioned.
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                    2007 Ford Crown Victoria LX Sport

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                      #11
                      I would echo EaOutlaw1969's comments about just pay to get them done.

                      Quite a few years ago I polished the outer rim on my 99 MGM HHP rims and painted the spokes. Although they looked pretty good right after and still look decent on my Dads 00 MGM (sold my car last year), it was a TON of work.

                      I had my rims sandblasted (as walnut shells and other less abrasive methods were ineffective against the clearcoat), which removed all the crap and pitting, but left a very rough finish. I just sanded the rims by hand starting with 80 grit and working up to 1500 wet sanding, followed by polishing with an electrical drill. A home made wheel spinner set up would be much better though.

                      However, if I have to do it again, I'd just pay the $400-$500 to get it done professionally.

                      Just my two cents worth.
                      sigpic

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                        #12
                        I'm doing this right now and finished the first rim:




                        It took me 8 hour for the first rim. Sandblasting, repair some edges, powder coating, sanding/polishing.
                        I thinks its an 80% solution...



                        It's only missing the clear powder coating.
                        1988 Lincoln Town Car
                        1975 Lincoln Continental Mark IV

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                          #13
                          I would die for that in 17” variety.


                          So awesome looking.

                          You doing the powder coating yourself?


                          Originally posted by Karotte View Post
                          I'm doing this right now and finished the first rim:




                          It took me 8 hour for the first rim. Sandblasting, repair some edges, powder coating, sanding/polishing.
                          I thinks its an 80% solution...



                          It's only missing the clear powder coating.
                          ~David~

                          My 1987 Crown Victoria Coupe: The Brown Blob
                          My 2004 Mercedes Benz E320:The Benz

                          Originally posted by ootdega
                          My life is a long series of "nevermind" and "I guess not."

                          Originally posted by DerekTheGreat
                          But, that's just coming from me, this site's biggest pessimist. Best of luck

                          Originally posted by gadget73
                          my car starts and it has AC. Yours doesn't start and it has no AC. Seems obvious to me.




                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by 87gtVIC View Post
                            I would die for that in 17” variety.


                            So awesome looking.

                            You doing the powder coating yourself?
                            Yeah powder coating is a great way for refurbishing metal party around the car... very durable and I don't get warm with wet painting
                            1988 Lincoln Town Car
                            1975 Lincoln Continental Mark IV

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Click image for larger version

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                              I do my own powder coating as well. Fun times. Did all this earlier today.


                              I don’t have a blast cabinet big enough for wheels though so I had to shell out big time for getting a Couple of set redone.
                              ~David~

                              My 1987 Crown Victoria Coupe: The Brown Blob
                              My 2004 Mercedes Benz E320:The Benz

                              Originally posted by ootdega
                              My life is a long series of "nevermind" and "I guess not."

                              Originally posted by DerekTheGreat
                              But, that's just coming from me, this site's biggest pessimist. Best of luck

                              Originally posted by gadget73
                              my car starts and it has AC. Yours doesn't start and it has no AC. Seems obvious to me.




                              Comment

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