Silverado #2 😎

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Clear coats for the birds

To be honest, these wheels were manufactured in 2002, and there was still a good amount of clear coat left on them. I'm no mathematician, but I think that's over 20 years.

I pulled these wheels out of a salvage yard in Sun Valley where they had been for an unknown period of time. They weren't taken care of to say the least. Anyhow, they should clean up well once I finish playing around with them.

 

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This should be OK for a "First pass" with the buffer.

 

[Cooter01]

Those are going to clean up so well!

 

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Those are going to clean up so well!

Thank you @Cooter01

I'm spending a lot more time on the front side trying to remove as many scratches as I can before I move on to polishing this up. The nice part about starting with a quality product is the finish CAN be restored with a little luck and a lot of elbow grease! Overall I'm really happy with the progress......not too shabby for a used $50 wheel.

 

[Cooter01]

Thank you @Cooter01

I'm spending a lot more time on the front side trying to remove as many scratches as I can before I move on to polishing this up. The nice part about starting with a quality product is the finish CAN be restored with a little luck and a lot of elbow grease! Overall I'm really happy with the progress......not too shabby for a used $50 wheel.

I agree! Better base will lead to a better finished product, you are crushing it!

 

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I agree! Better base will lead to a better finished product, you are crushing it!

Thank you for the motivation I appreciate it!!

I scuffed the face of the same wheel, then started with 220 grit then 320 grit on a random orbit sander. I don't like the finish the R/O leaves behind, so I went back over the wheel by hand and hit it with another round of 320 grit. This allows me to orient the sand marks in the same direction, which I feel makes it easier to bring out a smoother finish when polishing. I didn't do this much work on the inside of the wheel as it will hardly be seen. If nothing else, this is more therapeutic than anything.

I'll work my way up to about 1500 grit before I start polishing this side.

 

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Along the same lines, here are some Thule wheel mounts I dropped off to have the factory finish stripped. The factory finish is stripped using a salt-like corrosion process that was recommended to me. I was happy that the finish was removed, but I wasn't thrilled about the surface of the metal. It's hard to explain, but it left the surface of the metal somewhat rough and uneven.

You can see the progress in the picture below. The left bracket is how it looked when I picked it up. Raw aluminum. The second bracket to the right is what it looked like after I hit it with a scuff pad to "Even out" the surface. The third bracket to the right is what it looked like after a scuff and sand with 220 & 320 grit. The fourth bracket on the far right is how it looks after the all of the above and the first round of polishing. It's not as shiny as I would like, but these will all be coated at a later date. The goal here is just to make the surface as blemish-free as I can before the brackets are coated. Even with all this work, I'm still happy I decided to do this. I was "Over" the dull silver finish.

I still have quite a bit of work left to do on these suckers, but any amount of progress is a good thing.

 

[Cooter01]

Can't go wrong with some polish!

 

[evantwheeler]

There is still a little more left to do, but considering the condition of the wheel when I started, it's not half bad. Next up will be several rounds of sanding to remove the last of the clear along with the marks left by the scuff pads.

Oh yeah, the tires are junk so don't worry about those. I was too lazy to pull them off before I started this mess.

View attachment 1369219

Time to "Keep on keeping on."

I love these wheels, I put a set on my OBS and they just looks right! I wish someone would reproduce them in 17's or at least in a 8.5 or 9" width and with a more centered mounting surface. Your attention to detail is impressive. I've always admired friends that can focus on one project so intently and perfect every nook and cranny. Thanks for sharing!

 

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I love these wheels, I put a set on my OBS and they just looks right! I wish someone would reproduce them in 17's or at least in a 8.5 or 9" width and with a more centered mounting surface. Your attention to detail is impressive. I've always admired friends that can focus on one project so intently and perfect every nook and cranny. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you for kind words and support! I appreciate! Honestly, I feel like I never finish anything I start. It seems like I open up a can of worms and just keep chasing loose ends. It seems like it's neverending.

I agree, I like the way these factory wheels look too. GM got it right. I won't install these anytime soon though, as I just replaced the tires on this truck. Once these new tires wear out, and it's time to replace them, these factory wheels will be finished and ready to go. I'll swap these Eagle wheels out and reinstall these factory GM wheels with new tires. At least that's the current plan. Hahahaa!!!

 

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Wow it's been a LONG time since I added any updates to this thread!

Well, this isn't a huge update, but it gives me something to share.

I've been driving around with part of my dash trim missing for a long time now! Hahahaha!! The reason is because I've been waiting to install some sort of cellphone mount in the truck. The problem was, I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted. I knew I wanted something sturdy, that didn't look like a silly clamp-on mount, that mounted in a way that didn't leave some ugly clamps or hardware visible. I wanted something that would put the phone closer to me while driving, but still allow access to the stereo, the dash controls and any beverages that might be in the cupholders. Obviously I've spent FAR too much time contemplating this dilemma.

I bit the bullet and ordered a mount and bracket off Amazon. I usually try to support local businesses and try my best to find things "Made in USA." But that wasn't going to work out this time. Chinesium it is.

I hopped in the truck to pull the center console trim out so I could try and figure out a way to mount this sucker.

 

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I took everything apart and cleaned up all the crud from the prior owner and my time owning this truck. Needless to say, I've spilled a few drops of Coke here and there....

I planned on installing the mount in a manner that didn't cause permanent damage and in a manner that was concealed as much as possible. I settled on burying the mount in the back of the lower cubby. I drilled out the holes for the mount, then cut out some aluminum to use as a backing plate to try and add some more support to this sucker.

This is looking down at the back of the plastic insert located in the center of the dash. I installed the base of the bracket using three SS bolts/nuts/washers and drilled out a fourth hole for a power cord to feed through to the mount.

The picture below is looking at the mounting base installed inside the lower cubby or shelf. The support arm simply threads into this base then extends out towards the center console.

 

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I wiped everything down once again, then reinstalled the trim pieces in the truck. I wanted everything to be as concealed as possible, so I disassembled the mount and fed the cell phone charging cord up through the mount and up through the flexible bracket. This cord exits the holder directly next to the cell phone and can be plugged in to charge the phone if necessary.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the way this turned out. While I did drill four holes in the plastic piece, this piece can be replaced. You could also simply unscrew the arm from the bracket and leave the bracket installed inside the cubby. It's not visible unless you know it's there.

Total investment was $24 and about an hour of my time.

The entire assembly is flexible and can be maneuvered around with some effort. There is also a swivel on the top and a ball mount on top of the swivel where the cell phone sits.

Now to put the rest of the dash trim back in.....

 

[Cooter01]

Well what the heck, where are the finished product pictures at!

I went with a Mob armor mount and called it a day, really like these mounts.

Mob Mount Magnetic - Phone Cradle for Dashboards & Closed Cab Vehicles

The Mob Mount Magnetic is the ultimate solution in smartphone holders. This aluminum cradle phone mount comes with a powder coat finish for durability. With its unique, universal single-slide cradle, this is one of the most versatile magnetic dashboard mounts on the market.

www.mobarmor.com

 

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Well what the heck, where are the finished product pictures at!

I went with a Mob armor mount and called it a day, really like these mounts.

Mob Mount Magnetic - Phone Cradle for Dashboards & Closed Cab Vehicles

The Mob Mount Magnetic is the ultimate solution in smartphone holders. This aluminum cradle phone mount comes with a powder coat finish for durability. With its unique, universal single-slide cradle, this is one of the most versatile magnetic dashboard mounts on the market.

www.mobarmor.com

Funny you say that! I was trying to figure out how to take a picture of my phone using my phone. If I can pry my wife's out of her hands, I'll grab a quick pic. I used it today while running some errands and I'm happy with the way it turned out.

 

[Cooter01]

Funny you say that! I was trying to figure out how to take a picture of my phone using my phone. If I can pry my wife's out of her hands, I'll grab a quick pic. I used it today while running some errands and I'm happy with the way it turned out.

Sounds good!