You just got back from a VW swap meet, and you are elated. You found a set of wheels for your VW and the price was right. You know one of the biggest things that sets your car apart from the crowd is a set of nice wheels, and these are the ones you have been hunting for.
Now, the reality sets in.
Those wheels you have carted home are not quite ready to have tires mounted and installed on your car. They look like they have been under water for years. They're oxidized. There are gouges where some unthinking individual, in the wheel's previous life, has come too close to a concrete curb, and they are stained from years of neglect. But, they are the wheels for your dream VW.
I found a set of the old Cal-Parts wheels, which look like the old five-spoke American mags that were all the rage on the muscle cars of the 1960s. I knew that they would be the perfect period addition to my original Meyers Manx, but, like most mag wheels, they were in sorry shape.
So, I headed over to see Tom and Liz Kidd, at Mag Masters, in Santa Ana, Calif., to see what they could do for my "diamonds in the rough,"
Mag Masters has been in business for over 20 years now, and have the reputation of being able to do the impossible. They can repair and polish all but the most destroyed of magnesium or aluminum wheels. If anybody can restore these old wheels to their former glory, it is Mag Masters.
As well, Mag Masters can actually polish your wheels, with the tires still mounted. While I was there, I saw carburetor manifiolds, Harley-Davidson Motorcycle engine cases, engine blocks and even a complete Chevy Powerglide transmission.
Believe it or not, if you make an appointment to have your custom wheels polished, they can even offer same-day service!
SOURCE
MAG MASTERS
1419 East Edinger
Santa Ana, CA 92705
(714) 541-9777
Fax (714) 541-9773
www.magmasters.com
E-mail: magmastr@earthlink.net
Evil Ways Customs
Escondido, CA
(760) 480-2288
This is what I dragged home, the result of a trade for some other wheels I had. They came off an old kit car, and the previous owner didn't care for them. |
Here's an interesting before and after shot on the same wheel. |
Mag Masters starts off with 120-grit sandpaper to remove any major debris. |
Using a Sissal wheel and some Brown rubbing compound (different color compounds are different grits) |
Mag Masters finishes off with some Green compound on a buffing wheel. It's a lot like bodywork; you have to start with rough stuff, and finish off with the fine sandpaper, only, in this case, they are using compound specifically made for this purpose. |
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Now, all we need to do is clean and mask off the polished areas, and paint the spokes. I had my friend Lonnie Ho, at Evil Ways Customs in Escondido, Calif., wield the spray gun on these. First, we wiped the wheels down with Acetone, to draw out any leftover polishing compound out of the wheels. Next, we used some "rattle can" self-etching primer, to give the final finish some "tooth" to bond to, and finished up with a coat of gray. |
Finished and ready to have tires mounted and then onto any pre-1967 car, Type II or Type III to give it a look different than everyone else's. |