1997 Accord Special Edition Rim Restoration

[Marasmus Hondas]

Operation: Special Edition Rims 

Project: The Specialization of The Accord

 

I was lucky enough to come across a kind gentlemen who owns a junkyard, in it, were four non-bent aluminum SE rims. Of course, having sat in a junkyard for a number of years will yield some damage and deterioration. This post is both my findings in experimenting with different techniques and brands of clear coats and my next step in upgrading my 1997 Accord.

 

Rim 1 and 2 were both very similar in the damage they had suffered, both cosmetically and physically. With widespread clear coat destruction and aluminum corrosion on the face and back of the both. The edges of both were scratched up pretty good, necessitating the need for a body filler. I sanded them down consistent with the instruction on my Bondo container, from there I sanded down the Bondo and continued to work away at the existing corrosion with the sand paper grits as shown below. With very similar damage and processes in their repair, I expect very similar end results, even with the different brands of clear coat.

 

Rim 1: 

Before:

 

Rim 2: 

Before:

 

Rim 3:

Before:

 

Rim 4: 

Before: