I searched high and Low for info on how to refurb a set of RM`s or RS`s, got some sound advice and found some reasonably detailed info.....I put it all together and done a set myself......never before attempted and the results came out pretty good i think , have a look it may give you inspiration to save another set of BBS wheels, hope this may help someone along the way Firstly get a decent (ish) set of RM`s or RS` ones that are good and true without any major damage to the rear baskets, these are mine, imported from Germany for 200 the only tools you will need are a decent rubber mallet, a decent ratchet and an 8mm 12 point socket, halfords do one for 2 !!! and of course the sealant for when you put the outer rims back on and seal the inner bead to stop you losing air!! Tyres stripped off for about a 5, i soaked the rears of the bolts overnight with wd40 prior to undoing any of them Ready to start the arduous task of undoing all 120 bolts!! if your carefull and lucky!! none will break off in the rim All bolts out succesfully, repeat this another 90 times and your making progress, i found it good fun, but it all depends on your disposition i suppose Time for the mallet, strike the inner wider part of the rim, you will hear the note change as the 2 parts start to seperate, dont be scared to give it a fair whack, they are as strong as anything! 2 halves of the rims seperated Note the relative lack of sealant used by BBS themselves, these had neve been apart till i got them, original BBS bolts and all All ready for paint strip, re-paint or powder coating, i decided on powder coating mine gloss Black, but the choices are vast as to the finish or colour you want. Back after a week at the powder coaters (cost me 120 for all 4 to be done) While they were away i stripped and re-polished all the original stamped 120 BBS bolts!!!!! not an easy task but worth it i think. Also re-painted the silver centre caps gloss black to match Purchase of new polished alloy outer rims from a guy in Germany called Danny Bergert @ Get-Connect.de, making the rims 7.5j and 8j when finished these cost me 270 for 2x1.5 inch lips 2x 2` fully polished lips, the tube of sealant and 120new chrome bolts (which i didnt use in the end as i re-used the BBS stamped ones) all i will say is the quality of the parts and service i recieved were 100%, our British counter parts could do well to offer such decent pricing and courtesy instead of trying to rip us off all the time!!! Re-assembly can now begin, dont use too much sealant, run a thin bead around the inner natural recess of the rim, i also went for a smudge between the bolt hole as per how BBS had done on the original seal, some say bolt the 2 halves together "dry" but this is conflicting depending who you ask!! Once the rim is offered i "turned" it back and fourth a few times to even the sealant out, ensure you align the bolt holes up at this stage!! The task of offering all the bolts back up can now begin, dont go too mad to start with just get them all down reasonably tight as the torque wrench will come out later to tighten to recommended lb ft Quite hard to see but a decent size bead needs to be run around the inner "join" of the 2 halves, i just smoothed this in with a finger, left it over night to dry then re-applied anther layer just to be on the safe side. You should now be well on the way to having a stunning set of BBS RM`s, final task is to torque up all the bolts as you would a sump gasket or head bolts so to get even pressure on the rim, torque between 14 and 18 ft lb, this is plenty tight enough on these rims, the RS version people recommend higher but RM`s will be fine on this torque setting, give em a wipe over and fit the centre caps, leave them to "cure" overnight and then get the tyres fitted
ok ok heres a couple, it will look better once it has coilovers on and is a bit lower , just saving up for them!
Good work Nick. But tell me how do you find the time to do that when you make out you are always busy at work?
well craig.......................i use my time wisely and i do get a fair few days off you know, especaially if im "on a mission" for something for the Dubs..
great work there and exactly what ive been looking for! Going to refurb mine this week and needed a guide like this as I wasnt to sure on splitting the rims. cheers
Good work and have to agree with getting parts from Germany or the States now - so much cheaper! What type of sealent was supplied?? Did you lacquer the whole wheel after putting together?
Cheers, "supercharged" the sealant i used came from Germany with the outer rims, it didnt have a name on the tube! but i can only describe it as liquid rubber! its so sticky its un real but when it dries its like tyre rubber! 100% leak free sealing too, the rims arent laquered at all, just powder coated and polished outer dish, i find them easy to maintain, just give em a good wash once a week at least in meguiars car shampoo and give em a blast of a decent metal polish every few weeks, they stay nice and shiney, i got RS versions on my VR and they are completely polished spokes an all and been on car a year, they still look fantastic with this regime of cleaning them.
Great guide Ive just purchased a set of RM's. The outer lips are ok, but i'm going to change the bolts for polished stainless ones. My question is, will it be ok to change and replace one bolt at a time ? Will it effect the sealant ?
Cheers guys That's good to know, as I don't want to split them atm. So are you gonna get a set for the mk3 Stu