I tried my hand at polishing some wheels tonight. They aren't for my Bronco. I will probably never have any wheels for my Bronco that would require polishing! I just figured I would share with you guys in case anyone has some wheels they are thinking about polishing!

The wheels are some used wheels I picked up off of craigslist for my mother-in-law. I got them for $125 for the set. They have seen better days for sure but they are straight, decent style and the right lug pattern and backspacing to fit her car. I wasn't sure I could bring them back and I know I could have done more on them but they are good enough for now! I am very pleased with the results for a first timer!

I started with rinsing the wheels off. Then I blasted them with brake cleaner to see if that would do anything...it didn't. Then I scrubbed them with a bristle brush and A to Z wheel cleaner from eagle one. They looked a lot better already! Then I started with 400 grit wet sandpaper to the non-painted surfaces. Followed that up with some 800 grit wet and, finally 1000 grit wet. I definitely could have spent more time with the 1000 and probably gone to 1500 or even 2000 grit but this is just a stock Impreza, not a show car! I finished them off with a powerball and Mother mag and aluminum polish. Not bad for a couple hours work! Sorry for the crappy cell phone pics! Yes the close up shots are the same wheel and pretty close to the same angle(look at the dot stamp)!!

If you are considering doing this I would recommend it! The wheels look 10 times better then before and I didn't spend nearly as much time as I could have. Just be patient and you can make your wheels look better than new!

Nice work - they look new again. I have a powerball and polish and really like the results for keeping them shined up a couple times per year. Good to know that wet sanding is not just for autobody. You are a nice son in law.

looks good! I did the same thing with the foose powerball and some eagle one neverdull and some mothers metal polish and a lot of elbow grease on my slotted mags for my F100
It sure pays off when you can make them look as good as or even batter than new.

good job on da wheels .. if anyone out there needs any polishing supplies i have everything you need to start your business or just do it your selfers straw wheels ,soft cloth wheels .sand 120,200,500 .rouge black and green ,air tools to operate all these ,and 1hp buffer/grinder on stand . . fun but dirty job