 » Site Navigation | | | | » Recent Threads | | | |  |  |  | |  03-09-2011, 04:59 AM | #1 | | NOBODY F's with the Jesus Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Ventura California Posts: 7,824 |  Here we go again...
Most probably remember my style 5 refinishing thread where I powder coated my e39 17" style 5's with semi-gloss centers and gloss black lip/barrels. Unfortunately the gold bolts I purchased from Blackforestindustries were garbage. I basically wasted almost 300 bucks on bolts that rusted after only a little over a month. Here's what they looked like the day I got them back from the powder coater:   and here's how they looked shortly after:  As you could imagine, I was pretty disgusted. No biggie though, I happened to save my original bolts which are better anyway since the one's I got from BFI were too skinny for the holes and needed to be manually positioned while tightening to avoid them looking staggered and crooked. I'll admit, that was pretty ghetto. The factory bolts are splined and have a precision fit in the holes. So first I stripped the clearcoat off of the original bolts:  Then I polished the bolt heads which had a factory zinc coating. I accomplished this by inserting a bolt into the drill chuck on my milling machine @ 1500rpm. Then I spent 5 seconds with a wire brush to remove any leftover clearcoat. Next I used BlueMagic metal polish on a piece of terrycloth for 5sec(still @ 1500 rpm) to polish the bolt heads. I finished up by buffing the bolt heads with part of an old Tshirt for 5sec. Here you could see the results from start to finish. Left-chipped and dirty factory clearcoat. Middle-clearcoat removed, zinc plating exposed. Right-zinc plating polished and buffed: 
Last edited by cooljess76; 03-09-2011 at 05:14 AM. |  |  | | 03-09-2011, 04:59 AM | #2 | | NOBODY F's with the Jesus Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Ventura California Posts: 7,824 |
After several hours and fingers that felt like leather, I ended up with all 136 bolts stripped and polished. My plan is to have them nickel plated, then chrome plated, then gold plated. Since every electro-plating shop I talked to wanted to charge me "per bolt", I decided to thread all of the bolts into some aluminum mesh so the shop could dip it into the tank as a single unit. This should reduce cost significantly:  Rewind to a few months ago. I acquired a set of e39 17" style 19's from a local friend. The wheels are in pretty rough condition w/minor curb rash, clearcoat chipping and brake dust stains. The wheels are the same fitment as the the e39 style 5's, the barrels and bolts are the same and the centers are interchangeable. I'm hoping to trade my style 19 centers for another set of style 5 centers. If anyone's interested in trading LMK.    So since I'm redoing my black style 5's, I figured I might as well do my style 19's(hopefully soon to be style 5's) as well. I'm considering having the barrels chromed so I don't have to spend my entire life polishing them every weekend. I'm still on the fence about getting them chromed, but I'm definitely going to get these bolts chromed/gold plated as well. Might as well right? I'm not looking forward to stripping and polishing another 136 bolts since I just went through the same thing less than a week ago.  If I could pick up another set of style 5 centers, I plan on painting them gold. The black BBS caps I have on my black style 5's will go onto the gold ones and I'll pick up a set of red BBS caps for my black wheels. If I can't find anyone to trade the style 19 centers with, I'll leave them silver, but I'll still do black BBS caps on them and red caps on my other wheels. My goal is to have a set of black style 5's w/gold bolts and red BBS caps and a set of gold style 5's with polished or chrome lips, gold bolts and black BBS caps. | | | | | 03-09-2011, 05:23 AM | #3 | | Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Potomac Falls VA DMV Posts: 1,794 |
thats gonna look hot when its done. nice style 19's  maybe you should redo a set of those? haha. those are my fav wheel, then come the style 5. good luck man, you never disapoint. | | | | | 03-09-2011, 05:34 AM | #4 | | NOBODY F's with the Jesus Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Ventura California Posts: 7,824 |
Quote: Originally Posted by slow_ti  thats gonna look hot when its done. nice style 19's maybe you should redo a set of those? haha. those are my fav wheel, then come the style 5. good luck man, you never disapoint. | Thanks man but my swap project is going on 3 years now, that's pretty disappointing  I really like style 19's, but I had my heart set on gold style 5's from the beginning. The powder coater kept messing up the gold. First it came out brownish, then it came out green  Finally I told them screw it, just do them in black  This time I'm just going to paint the centers. It's not as durable as powder coat, but when I refinished my e39 17" style 42's I used paint and they came out pretty nice. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention I already have tires for both sets waiting to be mounted. 215/40/17 Yokohama Parada SpecII's:  | | | | | 03-09-2011, 05:45 AM | #5 | | Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Portland Or Posts: 2,666 |
Send the centers out for a titanium nitride coating... Its a nice heavy dark gold color ...
Don't know how available it is in FL....
Dave __________________
Dave - PDX
1995 318ti - Active Black and Tan.
2005 330xi - Mtech 1 - 6spd - Orient Blue/Black | | | | | 03-09-2011, 05:50 AM | #6 | | NOBODY F's with the Jesus Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Ventura California Posts: 7,824 |
Dave, that's a great idea! IDK why I didn't think of that. Thanks, I'll check pricing. BTW, I live in Cali  | | | | | 03-09-2011, 05:54 AM | #7 | | Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Portland Or Posts: 2,666 |
Quote: Originally Posted by cooljess76 Dave, that's a great idea! IDK why I didn't think of that. Thanks, I'll check pricing. BTW, I live in Cali |  Don't know why I thought Florida, must have been thinking of John.. Dave __________________
Dave - PDX
1995 318ti - Active Black and Tan.
2005 330xi - Mtech 1 - 6spd - Orient Blue/Black | | | | | 03-09-2011, 05:57 AM | #8 | | Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Potomac Falls VA DMV Posts: 1,794 |
Quote: Originally Posted by cooljess76 Thanks man but my swap project is going on 3 years now, that's pretty disappointing I really like style 19's, but I had my heart set on gold style 5's from the beginning. The powder coater kept messing up the gold. First it came out brownish, then it came out green Finally I told them screw it, just do them in black This time I'm just going to paint the centers. It's not as durable as powder coat, but when I refinished my e39 17" style 42's I used paint and they came out pretty nice. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention I already have tires for both sets waiting to be mounted. 215/40/17 Yokohama Parada SpecII's: | very nice. i get my car back saturday, itll be done finally. lol. ill be sure to post pics of the style 19's. im thinking about a white face. idk. im torn. and i was about to buy those tires but i got Bfgoodrich g-force KDW 2's. im subscribed to this thread though!!
Last edited by slow_ti; 03-09-2011 at 06:07 AM. | | | | | 03-09-2011, 10:56 AM | #9 | | NOBODY F's with the Jesus Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Ventura California Posts: 7,824 |
Quote: Originally Posted by slow_ti ill be sure to post pics of the style 19's. im thinking about a white face. | Can't wait to see it! White centers will look sick! Personally I like them without caps | | | | | 03-09-2011, 01:37 PM | #10 | | Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Potomac Falls VA DMV Posts: 1,794 |
Quote: Originally Posted by cooljess76 Can't wait to see it! White centers will look sick! Personally I like them without caps | Yup. That was my inspiration! Thanks Jess. Good luck again! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk __________________
Im guessing im the youngest member on here with a S52 power'ed Ti at 16 years old! | | | | | 03-09-2011, 05:51 PM | #11 | | Moderator Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Maryland Posts: 3,220 |
Jess, you sure do know how to do wheels. I wish I had some 2 piece wheels to play with. Dare I bump your swap thread? | | | | | 03-10-2011, 03:16 AM | #12 | | Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: nj Posts: 1,099 |
Quote: Originally Posted by cooljess76 Can't wait to see it! White centers will look sick! Personally I like them without caps | Pure sex in my opinion.. __________________  318ti MZK2 | | | | | 03-10-2011, 03:31 AM | #13 | | Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Potomac Falls VA DMV Posts: 1,794 |
Quote: Originally Posted by 318_mzk2 Pure sex in my opinion.. | the white or no caps? ahah | | | | | 03-10-2011, 03:45 AM | #14 | | Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: nj Posts: 1,099 |
the white centers..wit no caps lol __________________ 318ti MZK2 | | | | | 03-10-2011, 03:58 AM | #15 | | Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Potomac Falls VA DMV Posts: 1,794 |
haha, thats my plan! although, i have caps. hah | | | | | |
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