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Okay I got another coat of powder on them. They are starting to look really, really good now. I grin every time I look at them.
Still haven't applied the clear powder coat yet. Another 6 hours invested to get to this point.
I am planning on sanding these down one more time to get them a little closer to perfect. Since the powder guys don't mind shooting them again I figured I should just do it. The average person won't notice the few imperfections but I would every time I washed the car so for 4 hours more of sanding I hope to alleviate that.
A shot with my tired old wheel for comparison.
And a closeup of each wheel.
For the curious here is one getting the powder applied. The booth normally is an automated system with fixed position spray guns and conveyor system. They have to manually spray my wheels. It takes them about 2 hours to clean them, bake them dry, spray them, then bake the powder. (when I put them in the car they were still warm )
So I am back to sanding one more time with 220 grit paper. They expect to have time to apply the silver powder again a week from tomorrow.
Wow - those are looking incredible! I doubt I'll be able to tell a difference between current state and the finished product, but kudos to you for chasing perfection! Can't wait to see them mounted up! I just snagged my first Jaguar last week, and one of the biggest selling points was the Apollo rims. Previous owner had them professionally refinished a few years back and they still look fantastic!
Okay so I sanded all four wheels last weekend and got them ready for another coat of powder. Another 6 hours or so of hand sanding with 2x2 inch squares of paper. Am really glad I won't be doing that anymore.
Here is what each wheel looked like going in this time. Pretty much no exposed metal just smooth sanded powder. A nice uniform surface.
Coming out of the oven with a fresh coat of silver they looked beautiful. So I gave the guys a thumbs up to coat them with the clear powder.
For dramatic effect I will unveil the final product in my next post....
Wow - what a story in persistence and pursuit of perfection! My recently acquired XK8 has Apollo’s (that were refinished by previous owner), and I think the wheels truly make the car. Mine have some very minor imperfections but look great on the whole. Yours look Perfect- both in level of finish but also the color (mine are a little lighter in contrast). Nevertheless, can’t wait to see them mounted up on the car!
Last edited by DKRanger22; 10-10-2019 at 10:13 PM.
Awesome job, rothwell! I admire your persistance. The end result was well worth your efforts and may the rims look great for years to come.
Now for a quick question... Mine are chrome. Was that ever an option on a 2004 or is it a later mod???
I know that the Apollos became available as of 2003, however I believe the factory did not offer a chrome version ever. I am guessing that yours were chromed by the original dealer, though I don't think we have definitive proof of this.
From what I can find the Apollo was no longer offered on 2005-2006 models as an option (but you could still buy them). So I consider ours fairly rare. That rarity was one of the reasons I wanted to save this set. In the 6 years I have had my XK8 I have never seen a full set offered on ebay or craigslist, just single wheels and usually rear ones.
Great Job!! Your patience and persistence are to be commended.
My luck would be that I get them mounted, and some local would immediately run into me and total my car as soon as I took it out for the first test drive. I hope the drivers up your way are better than the ones down our side of the state.
Great Job!! Your patience and persistence are to be commended.
My luck would be that I get them mounted, and some local would immediately run into me and total my car as soon as I took it out for the first test drive. I hope the drivers up your way are better than the ones down our side of the state.
I think we have it bad up here too. We have been hit 7 times since we moved to Florida in 1992. A few of them were really bizarre. Once I got rear ended by a very elderly woman who fell asleep while driving. Another time we got rear ended while midway through an automated car cash when the woman behind us decided to turn and yell at her kids in the back seat, knocked her SUV in drive and mashed the gas pedal at the same time. She drove up out of the track and plowed us while we were covered in soap suds. I think all would agree that there are some drivers who really shouldn't be.
I know that the Apollos became available as of 2003, however I believe the factory did not offer a chrome version ever. I am guessing that yours were chromed by the original dealer, though I don't think we have definitive proof of this.
From what I can find the Apollo was no longer offered on 2005-2006 models as an option (but you could still buy them). So I consider ours fairly rare. That rarity was one of the reasons I wanted to save this set. In the 6 years I have had my XK8 I have never seen a full set offered on ebay or craigslist, just single wheels and usually rear ones.
Thanks for the feedback. I am sure you are right that the rims were chrome plated at a later date. My rims still look great, but I do think the chrome is a bit "tacky". Certainly a little jealous of your great looking powder coat color. I have only had the car for less than a year and have more pressing fixes. Rims have to wait.
I'm quick to blame the local senior drivers(since I am one, and see so many examples), but recently was backing out of parking space, when I suddenly saw nothing but CAR!!!! in my F-Type backup camera. I had started back about 1' and a 24 yr old(approx) pharma rep visiting docs in the medical office had come straight back about 4' directly behind me. I couldn't prove it, but when she got out of the car she had her phone in hand and was talking to someone on it. I asked if she had called the cops. She said she would call her office and then the cops. 20 min, later, she was still on the phone. When I asked about the cops, she said she had not called yet so I called. Cop showed up in 5 minutes. Over the next 45 min. he had to stop her from talking 3 times to take information. She never put the phone down. When I started to leave, I waited until she was clear the lot. She was still talking on the phone as she drove out of the lot. The insurance Co. split the cost as they said it could not be proven who was at fault. The cop just shook his head as he left the scene.
I had parked in an unoccupied area when I first arrived in the lot as usual. she came in later. Got to find a more remote Doc.
I spent the day today prepping the wheels for the big swap. Removed each existing wheel and cleaned them well. Did this so I wouldn't have to do it after the swap.
After the cleaning I thought that the existing wheels still looked pretty good after 16 years and 99,570 miles (getting close to the big 6 digits!).
Here's an existing wheel with Adamesh lugs which are looking pretty tired at this point.
Turned out that the powder coating guy forgot to protect the center bores so the last coat of silver and clear got on the bores.
I had to sand that back off (more sanding? Noooo..... ) Then I test fit each wheel so there will be no mounting troubles during the swap.
While I was fitting them I found a scratch on one of them. Kinda glad that first scratch is behind me.
Here's one test fitted.
And a closeup of the new lugs and center cap.
The new color is definitely darker than the original.
I had trouble finding a shop to do the swap.
My regular tire shop said they lacked the proper plastic tools to protect them while mounting the tires. Strike 1.
Then I found a shop that specializes in powder coating wheels, doing the complete removal, refinish, reinstall in their shop. However they won't do mine because they did not do the powder coating. Strike 2.
Finally I found the best wheel shop in the bay area called Wheel Tec and they will do the swap for $35 a wheel. Not cheap but expecting it will be done right.
I will be making an appointment to go sometime this week for the swap. Will take some pics there if they are cool with it.
Before I go I plan to take a few BEFORE pics so I have a good comparison.
Here's a before pic. Existing wheels still looking pretty good.
The guys at Wheel Tec are very professional. They claim their equipment is top of the line. So here goes...
The big metal claw had me concerned. Turns out that it never actually touches the wheel. I think it is more of a safety fixture.
The parts that do the work are hard plastic. All the wheels made it through without a scratch.
Balancing was done with Hunter road force equipment. I was told that all wheels balanced under "4" which was excellent.
Looks pretty good so far...
It was awesome to see the guy take such care in remounting them. He never used an air tool, and used a torque wrench on each lug. Wheels were cleaned and tires dressed as if it was at a detail shop.
Almost done. Just gotta pay the bill which was about $150 plus I tipped the tech $20 for taking such good care of everything.
And here is the final result. Wheels are a darker shade for sure. Way more shine and depth to the finish.
The improvement might seem subtle in pics but in person it is outstanding. Makes the car look like stunning.
So hats off to Wheel Tec for their stellar service. They have a new customer going forward for sure.
This whole long process has been quite a learning experience and test of my fortitude, but with a payoff to match.
I think a proper ending to this story would be to say thanks again to James.
The following 6 users liked this post by rothwell:
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Well, it’s settled: you have the best looking set of Apollo’s on the planet! I’m jealous, but then again, consider myself lucky to have a set to begin with!
Congrats on a great outcome! You certainly have patience, attentention to detail and a drive for perfection.
10-02-2019, 06:51 PM
)
) Then I test fit each wheel so there will be no mounting troubles during the swap.
Strike 1.
Strike 2.
