I have cleaned up and repainted the two rear wheels. After-market modulars and 8-spokes are prone to rusting, especially in the joint between the rim and the wheel centre. After painting, I applied a bead of clear silicone sealant deep into the joint to keep the water out and the rust away.
With the wheels removed, the brake drums and hubs were cleaned up, including the removal of all the paint thickness, dirt and rust, to ensure a tight, true fit for the spacers. The hubs and drums were given an even but not too thick coat of matt black spray enamel. Once dried, copper grease was painted onto the outer diameter of the hub and the drum face to prevent any possibility of rust or adhesion to the spacers.
The passivated steel billet spacers were then fitted, tightened well with thread lock on each stud to prevent unseen nut loosening in service (reputedly not uncommon on spacers), given a coat of copper grease on their faces to prevent rusting on the contact area with the wheel, and then fitted with the refurbished wheels.
The results are good, with the wheel centres being roughly flush with the drive flanges and the tyre side walls protruding, but not excessively, from the line of the body panels. They fill the whelarches much better than before, and the extra 60mm of wheel track should help offset the raising of the CoG from the 1-ton and parabolics suspension setup. I’ll be fitting the front spacers in just the same way as soon as the next pair of wheels are refurbished, which is another advantage of having two spares.
looking better each and every time i look, well done.