Hi guys,

 

Got these wheels on my zed, the silver rim part is fake its a type of tin stuck over the actual wheel,

I have a few scuffs on these parts, so spoke to spit and polish {wheel refurb company next door to where i use to work}

They said pull the tin parts off and they will powder coat the black part again, and machine the silver part back into the actual wheel and said it will look like a cd face,

 

Which sounds good, so pulled off the tin parts today and they are just black for the minute and look better with no scuffs.

 

But the bit i need help with is they have allen key bolts all round, and they are fake (plastic) and i take it they will need removing so they can powder coat,

 

But when i went to remove 1 they just snap, seems they are just pushed in maybe with glue,

 

Any tips what to do, can i buy new plastic imitation allen key bolts, or replace with stainless and cut threads in and bolt them in,

 

(They dont do nothing just their for show) but if i remove them gonna have holes all the way round.

 

just hoping someone may have reconditioned something similar cause cant find anything on google.

 

Any help appreciated, Thank you.

 

 

 

Hi guys Decided to try do some work to my wheels myself,

 

Some wet and dry paper from 60 to 2500,

autosol metal polish and cotton cloth,

halfords can of grey primer, and gloss black,

 

pulled tin lips off which were black powder coat underneath, and pulled all the allen keys out (decided to leave these out for the moment)

 

will get them done in the shop 1day but i think they look ok for the moment,

 

I aint the best sprayer and never polished any metal before, and dont think i willbe polishing anymore in a hurry, my hands were bleeding, and have no finger prints left..5hrs on each wheel all by hand never again,

 

well here is some pics:

 

one wheel with lip removed and powder coat:

 

 

a pic of starting to remove powder coat:

 

 

And one finished:

 

 

Couple on the car:

 

Lots of pics lol,

 

Cheers for looking.

Edited January 14, 201213 yr by Terry

You should remove the plastic. It could lead to trouble and flake off. Snap the heads off and get a slightly undersize drill bit and drill out (sounds aggresive) the rest of the plastic, use a reamer if you have one (Blind). Once your wheels are done look at Pro-Bolt. They provide almost every size and design of 'dressing bolt/screws.' They also come in a variety of materials. You might also consider screwing Threaded Inserts into the hole instead of 'Tapping' the holes. Look like lovely wheels; and if a jobs worth doing...........

You should remove the plastic. It could lead to trouble and flake off. Snap the heads off and get a slightly undersize drill bit and drill out (sounds aggresive) the rest of the plastic, use a reamer if you have one (Blind). Once your wheels are done look at Pro-Bolt. They provide almost every size and design of 'dressing bolt/screws.' They also come in a variety of materials. You might also consider screwing Threaded Inserts into the hole instead of 'Tapping' the holes. Look like lovely wheels; and if a jobs worth doing...........

 

Snapped 1 off today and the inside, i just collapsed it with a pick and pulled it out,

 

I will Look into pro bolt, thats exactly what i needed as i couldnt find anything on google myself, Thank you.

 

Was hoping if i can find the right size bolt just tap the hole and thread them in, or do you reckon i would be better off with threaded inserts,

 

The wheels are really nice just getting scruffy, problem is they have 255 tyres on the rear, and are a little stretched. and with the tin bits stuck on instead of scratching the wheel it makes a hole in the tin part.

 

Thank you for your reply mate.

As long as your careful you could tap the wheel itself. When you find a replacement bolt to fit, use 'Thread Lock' or a small amount of superglue on the thread as you put them in. Good luck and post a thread after you have finished them.

 

Ta.

Just had a thought, if it goes wrong I'll have ya wheels,lol.

Just had a thought, if it goes wrong I'll have ya wheels,lol.

 

I hope it dont go wrong, been looking and the ones in my wheels are decorative push fit plastic bolts, seems you can buy them, and looks like they sell for around £100.

 

For plastic bolts.

 

I will pull 1 out and try to match it with something lol.

Cheers for your replys,

and i will get some pics up once their done but it will be after christmas.

To poor at the moment..

Easier solution, but not as good, you could just remove the plastic bolts, cut the heads off some stainless bolts and glue them in the holes with some reet good glue, that's all mine has from standard, I tried unscrewing one when I first got the car 5 years ago, superglued it back in, still there!

Should be pretty easy to drill and tap tho, it's ony alloy, just don't over tighten, and as said, a bit of threadlock too...

Should be pretty easy to drill and tap tho, it's ony alloy, just don't over tighten, and as said, a bit of threadlock too...

 

I have been looking in a few places and found westfield fasteners they seem the easiest place to actually find what you want, they sell m6x10mm allen head bolts, stainless steel and about £20 for 100 of them,

 

Bloody real bolts a quarter of the price of fake plastic bolts, lol.

gonna try and tap a thread in the wheels, so atleast if they need doing again can just unbolt them and bolt new ones in again.

 

Cheers for reply mate.

20 quid? Can't go wrong... It'll take a while as there's so many of them, but it'll be worth it, maybe get a mate who could help, twice as quick then!

20 quid? Can't go wrong... It'll take a while as there's so many of them, but it'll be worth it, maybe get a mate who could help, twice as quick then!

 

And some more pics:

 

was only allowed 10:

 

:sweatdrop: No replies at my pics :no:

 

Maybe its because i accidently quoted to my 1st post so pics are right at the top...and no1 saw them lol.