| Author | Message | ||
     Vladimir Ivanovich Kirillov Prolific User Username: soviet Post Number: 245 Registered: 2-2013 |
http://au.rrforums.net/forum/messages/17000/17421.jpg I have now removed all four wheels off the Camargue and stored the hub caps/wheel covers in a safe place where they can't be stolen. I called these Corniche wheel covers because I first saw them on a Corniche but does anybody know what the correct name for them is. They appear rarer than the ring and cap type usually seen on Camargues and Corniches. Also, after I pulled them off, I discovered two things about them. First the inside part which is clipped onto the outside part is mild steel and the outside part is stainless. Secondly, the outside part on two of my caps have dents which I want to remove. One of the wheel covers has on the inside part of the cap two pips where some clot, not having a clue, has attempted to remove the wheel cover from the car with a lever and created these two pips which I should be able to remove. The thing that has me troubled here is the dents I want to remove from the outside stainless part of the wheel covers is stainless and I have never panel beated stainless ever. I saw a video on Utube showing a stainless trim being repaired by laying it on a thick piece of aluminium and the dent being removed with iron chisel and punch. My concern here is to remove the dents without causing more dents. This workman also sanded the stainess down using 280 grit to see the high spots after using his method of dent removal. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also, the plastic centre badges appear to be glued in place. I am missing one and one came with the car in the glove box which has detached itself from the wheel cover. I don't know what glue is used but it appears grey. I was going use black Sikaflex to glue these badge back on as that stuff is used to glue roofs onto cars these days and one restorer said to me once that its a stronger bond than weld and a total mongrel to remove once on. I am a bit concerned about the bond of the other badges on the other wheel covers flying off so I have thought about removing them and re-glueing them but then theres the problem of getting them off without cracking or breaking them. Naturally ths totally re-enforces my illogical but vehement hatred at all thing plastic. Does anyone have any ideas on this caper? | ||
| Nigel Johnson Prolific User Username: nigel_johnson Post Number: 141 Registered: 12-2008 |
Hi Ivan, I've been successful at removing dents from the stainless trims. We use 1/2 inch polypropylene sheet at work. Cut into 1 inch strips and shaped at one end you should be able to press the dents back without damage to the trim. Hard wood does the job too. Gentle persuasion my Dad called it. Regards, Nigel. | ||
| David Gore Moderator Username: david_gore Post Number: 1587 Registered: 4-2003 |
Hi Vladimir, Personally I would call your wheel adornment a wheel trim or a wheel cover but no doubt there is a unique R-R description that I am not aware of. Now to your more pressing problem and this statement provides a clue to a solution to your problem....... First read this thread to give you an idea of what is involved in separating the stainless and spring steel components of R-R hub cap/wheel trim disc; this may be necessary depending on the location of the damage you want to rectify: http://au.rrforums.net/forum/messages/16999/15182.html Dent removal on stainless steel components requires different techniques to ordinary steel components due to the inherent spring-back of formed stainless steel and the bright "mirror" finish of most decorative stainless steel products. In the situation of the Camargue wheel trims, extreme care has to be taken in rectification as these are irreplaceable if the rectification is not done properly. For this reason, I suggest using a hand-operated fly press using a metal former as the movable die and a rubber pad as the fixed under die. The hand-operated ram with a suitably sized die is carefully applied to the dent and the metal pushed back into shape against the resilience of the rubber pad with a series of strokes creeping up to the amount of over-bending required for the metal to resume its original shape. If you do not have access to a suitable fly press, a substantial industrial floor drill can be adapted for this purpose using the hand feed and depth gauge to apply and record the forming pressure. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_pad_forming There is no way I would ever consider the use of a chisel or punch and hammer to try and remove deformation from stainless steel as permanent unrepairable surface damage is inevitable due to the difficulty of controlling the force applied to the chisel/punch and the small contact area. The secret of removing the deformation is the controlled gradual application of force to the damaged area until it has been gently pushed back into shape. You have to creep-up on the degree of over-shaping needed to overcome the spring-back - every component will be different and there is no formula that will reliably calculate the allowance necessary to overcome spring-back. The skill and patience of the operator is the only successful method. I would be doing the rounds of the car wreckers and collecting some cheap stainless steel wheel trims to practice on until you have the confidence to move onto the Camargue trims. These practice rims will also be useful for learning the polishing skills needed to restore the original polished appearance of the stainless steel. Polishing stainless steel uses similar techniques to polishing a painted car panel starting with fine abrasive automotive wet and dry abrasive paper and then using cloth polishing mops with specialised stainless steel polishing compounds. IT IS ESSENTIAL TO KEEP ONE MOP FOR EACH GRADE OF POLISHING COMPOUND AND STORE THESE SEPARATELY IN CLEARLY MARKED STORAGE BAGS BETWEEN USE. Any dust or coarser abrasive contamination means you have to go back a step or two and start again to remove the resulting scratches from the contamination. IT IS ALSO ESSENTIAL TO AVOID TRYING TO EXPEDITE THE POLISHING PROCESS BY APPLYING EXTRA PRESSURE TO THE MOP; STAINLESS STEEL IS A NOTORIOUS POOR CONDUCTOR OF HEAT AND EXCESSIVE HEATING WILL CAUSE "OIL CANNING" [LOCALISED BUCKLING] OF THE METAL SURFACE AND THIS CANNOT BE ELIMINATED FROM ALMOST ALL FORMED STAINLESS STEEL ITEMS. Above all, be very wary of using "Professor Google" and "Master YouTube" to teach you how to polish stainless steel, it is still "an art and not a science" where practice makes perfect. I have covered the two main mistakes above and the rest come from practice and experience in making mistakes on items that can be thrown away afterwards. Depending on the condition of the wheel trims, you may not need to use abrasive paper and can go straight to the mop polishing with the appropriate grades of compounds. There are a number of Australian companies that will help you with advice on polishing mops and compounds specific to mirror-finishing stainless steel and you should talk to a number of these before ordering what you need. Just do an internet search for "Australian Stainless Steel polishing supplies". Cannot help with the badge glue but I have a high regard for Sikaflex building products and I would be contacting their technical service specialists for advice on appropriate products. Also do not overlook the universal cable ties for keeping the wheel trim attached to the wheel if it is dislodged by rough roads or rim flex from enthusiastic cornering If you need more advice either PM me or post on this thread. P.S. Get ready to look like a coal miner coming up from a shift in an underground coal mine when doing the mop polishing, you get covered in polishing compound and lint from the mops. | ||
| Nigel Johnson Prolific User Username: nigel_johnson Post Number: 142 Registered: 12-2008 |
Superb advice David. The painted steel part is called a "painted trim ring". That is from my friend Mike Bond who was the Service Department Manager at Crewe. Regards, Nigel. | ||
| Vladimir Ivanovich Kirillov Prolific User Username: soviet Post Number: 247 Registered: 2-2013 |
Thanks David and Nigel. David splendid information as usual. I think my sixth sense kicked in when I saw that panel beater on Utube straightening that Holden stainless trim (Hence the post). There is nothing like the horror of attempting to get a dent out of something virtually irreplaceable and then absolutely stuffing it up to the point that you know you would have been better off not going anywhere near it. I have now had an opportunity to go all over the underneath of the Camargue and to my great pleasure I can tell you that this car has virtually no rust in it which is surprising considering it was delivered to Hong Kong, spent time in London and then spend considerable time in Nebraska where no doubt the salt gets laid on the road in winter - we all know what that does to a car ! Obviously, Crewe rust proofed this Camargue very well. | ||
| Hansen Unregistered guest Posted From: 75.61.64.237 |
Vlad... While your photo does not clearly show the wheels and thus the subjects of your inquiry, I would note that the glued on "black with RR logo devices" (maybe 4" diameter) occasionally appear for sale on either the EBay US or EBay UK sites, which I monitor out of idle curiosity. Next time that I see them, I will alert you. Christian (Message approved by david_gore) |
