Cleaning a set of Borrani Wheels

E

Eisen Hulk

New member
I figured I would post this in the pro section, considering that four hours ago, I had never even heard of Borrani wheels. I was contacted by someone here in town that was referred to me by another client, because he has a set of Borrani wire wheels that he's wanting to sell. I went over to take a look at them and they're just...dirty. The usual stuff; brake dust and road grime. Nothing too severe. I thought they were uncoated aluminum, but he thinks they're magnesium alloy possibly. The model type is: Borrani RW 3801



Anyone have any experience with this particular model? I'm curious as to what types of cleaners and polishes I can use on them. I've been googling them, but I can't find any solid information.



Thanks in advance.



EH
 
You have the model #, call the manufacturer and find out exactly what they're made of, they should even be able to give you some cleaning advise as well.



Let us know what you come up with.



Josh
 
I just sent Borrani an email. I'll keep you guys posted. I just figured someone has some real world experience with these.
 
You mean like these?

WheeB4a.jpg




Wheels1.jpg




I just used p21s wheel gel, let it dwell, did some mild rubbing, washed off, and then hand polished the alimumn parts. The spokes apeared to be Mg coated.



The replacement cost of GOOD vintage borrani are staggering 50,000 each for this ferrari I did.



Cheers,

GREG
 
That's it, Greg. I figured the p21s wheel gel would be ok, but I didn't know about a polish that would be gentle enough. Anything you recommend for the spokes?



Thanks for your input.
 
I used flitz and a microfiber on the Alum, I just used a toothbrush for the spokes, they were not alum, seemed coated/painted so polishing was not necessary.



I would also guess that blue magic polish would be okay???



Got any pics of the wheels in question? If the spokes are alum you have a TON of work to get them to shine. Get the gunk off first and see what you have to work with, they might be pitted?
 
I'm out of town right now on business, but I'm supposed to pick up the wheels later this week.



Once I have them, I'll snap some pics and post them. Maybe that'll help out a little more.



I really appreciate you taking the time to help me out with this.







Greg Nichols said:
I used flitz and a microfiber on the Alum, I just used a toothbrush for the spokes, they were not alum, seemed coated/painted so polishing was not necessary.



I would also guess that blue magic polish would be okay???



Got any pics of the wheels in question? If the spokes are alum you have a TON of work to get them to shine. Get the gunk off first and see what you have to work with, they might be pitted?
Click to expand...
 
Okay, guys. I have an update as well as another question. I have been corresponding with someone at Borrani, and it looks like p21s will work just fine as the cleaner, just like Greg mentioned above. Nothing really special about the wheels that would make you use any exotic cleaners/polishes on them.



I've never been asked to detail a set of wheels only, so my question is this: What would you charge for this job if it were you? I'm thinking $75 per wheel. Does that sound reasonable?
 
Are they super dirty? I think with these wheels you are b/t a rock and a hard spot. They are wheels and unless the owner truly understands the value you are going to have a hard time getting 75. However you are accepting a huge responsibility to not damage yet clean them.



I would give an estimate but tell him you will have to charge hourly for this speciality job. I would make sure you sell your services and the benefits.



Too bad you dont have a steamer, this might really help if they are grime laden.



let us know how it works out
 
Very good points, Greg. I think he understands the value...He's owned 3-4 Ferrari's in the past, and he actually pointed out to me that these wheels are about $1500 per.



I'll see if I can track down a steamer....I'll let you know what happens.









Greg Nichols said:
Are they super dirty? I think with these wheels you are b/t a rock and a hard spot. They are wheels and unless the owner truly understands the value you are going to have a hard time getting 75. However you are accepting a huge responsibility to not damage yet clean them.



I would give an estimate but tell him you will have to charge hourly for this speciality job. I would make sure you sell your services and the benefits.



Too bad you dont have a steamer, this might really help if they are grime laden.



let us know how it works out
Click to expand...
 
okay 1500 sounds right. I was about to say WHAT! Sorry for just reading that wrong EisenHulk. Definitely post pictures of your progress!
 
Will do, Tyler. I picked the wheels up last night, and I'm probably going to start on one before I leave for vacation tomorrow. I'm probably going to use a heavy dose of p21s wheel gel, and then use Wolfgang aluminum polish and Wolfgang sealant to finish them off. This should be fun. I'll keep you guys updated. I also decided to charge $40 per wheel, especially considering that he doesn't want them perfect. I estimate that I'll still have to spend around two hours per wheel. I think I'm going to pressure wash them to start off to try and remove as much of the heavy grime as possible.



It's nice to talking to someone (the owner) who really knows their stuff. He said the wheels are at least 25 years old, and could be as old as 45 years old. Crazy stuff.





Twinscroll said:
okay 1500 sounds right. I was about to say WHAT! Sorry for just reading that wrong EisenHulk. Definitely post pictures of your progress!
Click to expand...
 
Another update/question. I have searched for this, and I can not find an answer. I picked the wheels up last night, and I noticed paint run on one of the wheels. I asked the owner about it, and he said a painter was painting the basement and he/she probably accidentally dropped some paint on it. How in the world do I remove paint from this aluminum alloy wheel without damaging it? I am TOTALLY clueless.
 
Twinscroll said:
okay 1500 sounds right. I was about to say WHAT! Sorry for just reading that wrong EisenHulk. Definitely post pictures of your progress!
Click to expand...





For the wheels Hulk is working on that might be correct. The wheels I was working on cost much more because they were on a 1963 Ferrari GT WWB and orginal to the car. Borrani wheels vary in price depending upon type. Mine were two types of metal and painted in places. Borrani wheels are not like Avanti where the price is high but set.
 
Forgot to post pics. I'm sorry, but I do not have any before pics....I started cleaning the wheels, and just completely forgot to snap a few. Needless to say, they were in pretty rough condition. Enjoy.



Borranis1.jpg




Borranis10.jpg




Borranis11.jpg




Borranis3.jpg




Borranis5.jpg
 
I was just thinking that you "might" be able to use some Royal purple jelly which is a type of rust remover, bondo makes a version of this and remove the rust also. Swab it on with a Qtip and rise off after the rust fades. If you then put some sealant on the spokes you might keep them looking better longer. If these wheels are going on a trailer/garage queen it should work well.



I had some Borranis I worked on and I got a wool LC ball that I attched to a drill and polished away, you will be amazed at how much Oxidation will come off.



cheers,

GREG
 
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