In these times of political correctness it has become quite fashionable to jump on the Green movement's bandwagon. But for folks who are into enjoying customized classic trucks, the notion of maintaining something vintage instead of throwing it away to buy something new is old hat. The quickest and most effective way to improve the appearance of any vehicle- whether it's a car, truck, or motorcycle-is to swap out the wheels and tires with a distinctive style that expresses the individuality of its owner. That said, the fastest way to tell the world that the owner slob who doesn't take pride in himself or anything he owns is to neglect the appearance of his custom wheels and tires. Of course, just like the poor guy who exits the men's room with an undetected stringing wad of toilet paper stuck to his shoe, maybe the slovenly owner hasn't quite learned to train his eye how to appreciate subtle details.
This might not have been the best way to describe a neglectful person- but beyond the obvious cosmetic advantages of maintaining one's custom wheels and tires, there is the preservation factor. Unlike disposable toilet paper, a particular style of custom wheel or tire might not always be available for one to buy.
To help our valued readers save time, produce professional results, and extract the maximum amount of enjoyment from their rolling stock, we enlisted assistance from the fine folks at Mothers in Huntington Beach, California, who produce a premium line of polishes, waxes, and cleaners.
1.For starters we used Mothers...
1.For starters we used Mothers California Gold car wash, because one of the most important steps when it comes to detailing is beginning with the mildest cleaning product first.
2.Mothers California Gold...
2.Mothers California Gold is pH balanced and doesn't attack billet metals and painted surfaces like ordinary dish soaps that contain harsh detergents.
3.Tree sap, canine urine,...
3.Tree sap, canine urine, and general oxidation are some of the most destructive elements a billet aluminum wheel can be exposed to.
4.Presoaking the dirtiest...
4.Presoaking the dirtiest surface of the wheel with California Gold's thick, rich lathery suds lifted most of the grime from the wheel's face.
5.For the scum-like brake...
5.For the scum-like brake dust, we used Mothers Wheel Mist All Wheel cleaner to make short work out of a chore most would consider a displeasure at best.
6.Even before we started to...
6.Even before we started to scrub Mothers All Wheel off of the wheels after they had been sprayed, All Wheel's potent cleaning action was quite evident.
7.This is a bottle of whitewall...
7.This is a bottle of whitewall bleach that we purchased from Pep Boys. It's a good idea not to let it stand on painted surfaces or contact one's skin.
8.In the old days, the labor-intensive...
8.In the old days, the labor-intensive process of scrubbing wide whitewall tires until they were clean was probably what lead to the popularity of pinwalls and even worse yet: blackwall tires. Today, wide whites can easily be cleaned with a Mothers whitewall brush and whitewall bleach.
9.For stubborn stains on the...
9.For stubborn stains on the black portion of the sidewall we used a super-gnarly scrub brush obtained at our local Wal-Mart.
10.Mothers advises, and we...
10.Mothers advises, and we agree, that it's a good idea to thoroughly flush in between each step-and don't allow the area to dry until it is ready for tire dressing and wheel polishing.
11.Using compressed air is...
11.Using compressed air is the best way to go when it comes to drying things out.
12.Once the billet wheel was...
12.Once the billet wheel was completely dry we used a Mothers Mini PowerBall. In our opinion the Mini PowerBall works best when the short shaft is removed and the Mothers extension is installed.
13...and the Mothers extension...
13...and the Mothers extension is installed.
14.Mothers also sells the...
14.Mothers also sells the original PowerBall, but for our intricate wheel we preferred the Mini Ball.
15.One of the best products...
15.One of the best products going for machine-polishing aluminum is Mothers PowerMetal.
16.Attached to a cordless...
16.Attached to a cordless drill, we used a liberal amount of PowerMetal and the agility of the Mini PowerBall to polish out the entire face of the billet wheel.
17.It was a good idea to keep...
17.It was a good idea to keep the Mini PowerBall away from the tire, or the PowerMetal would have left a white colored stain.
18.Using PowerMetal to polish...
18.Using PowerMetal to polish stainless steel in the same manner as we did the aluminum was equally effective in obtaining a highly polished luster.
19.Once the entire wheel was...
19.Once the entire wheel was worked over with PowerMetal it was allowed to dry and then wiped off with a micro-fiber rag.
20.With the wheel polishing...
20.With the wheel polishing completed, we carefully sprayed on Mothers Tire Shine.
21.Chrome requires a different...
21.Chrome requires a different type of polish, such as Mothers Chrome Polish.
22.This chrome-plated rim...
22.This chrome-plated rim from Stockton Wheel looked better than new after we used Mothers Chrome Polish on it. The tire is from Toyo.