New Powder Coated MG ZR Hairpin Wheels

Bought a spare set of MG ZR Hairpin alloys, way back at the start of the year, with the intention of spraying them black myself.

After a LOT of consideration, I decided to have them powder coated. That then raised the problem of where to get it done. A number of recommendations were made to use City Powder Coaters, in Birmingham.

This is the place I used, and I have to say the finish is fantastic for the price, £25 per wheel inc refitting the tyres and balancing. The guy that I spoke to was a really nice bloke, always willing to help and let me examine the wheels at every stage of the process, which I imagine most companies would not allow without becoming agitated.

I'm still deciding what to do with the centre caps, but to be honest, I quite like the look with them missing. Almost a race feel to it, which is the direction I'm taking the styling.

Anyway on with the pictures, first up is how the wheels looked when I got them home. Look ok, but I'm a detailer so there is room for improvement.

MG ZR Hairpin Alloy 16"MG ZR Hairpin Alloy 16"

The detailing began with a light jet wash to loosen up the tyre soap and dust from the factory, then a hand wash using a microfibre wash mitt and some Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo and Conditioner. They were then dried with a microfibre.

After that, two layers of Meguiars Step 3 Carnauba Wax was applied, this should hold off the brake dust and grime for as long as possible. Then finally, two coatings of Meguiars Endurance High Gloss Tyre Gel.

This left the wheels looking like this.

MG ZR Hairpin Alloys 16"MG ZR Hairpin Alloys 16"

MG ZR Hairpin Alloys 16"

All cleaned up they looked absolutely awesome, very high gloss finish and a deep black. Exactly what I wanted.

So having spent ages cleaning them, I eagerly set about fitting them. Finally here are the photos of the wheels fitted to the car.

I think they look really good, they tie in with the rest of the car, giving it that aggressive race look that I was aiming to achieve.

(Note: Some eagle eyed readers will notice the tyres are low in the photos, directly after taking the photos I went to the garage and blew them up to the correct pressure)

Rover 25 Solar Red ModifiedRover 25 Solar Red Modified

Rover 25 Solar Red Modified

Rover 25 Solar Red Modified Rear ViewRover 25 Solar Red Modified Rear View

MG Rover 25 Painted Calipers Black WheelsMG Rover 25 Painted Calipers Black Wheels



Steering Wheel Radio Controls

Been driving for a while now with a big hole in the new leather steering wheel, so I though it was about time to get my thinking cap on and sort it out.

I bought the steering wheel radio controls ages ago to go into the gap, just had no idea how to wire them up as I had been sent a bundle of wires, the controls and a couple of screws.

Luckily I still had my old steering wheel, so I played around with that to try and figure out what was what. Turns out I had been sent too many wires, and an extra connector.

So to start off I had to remove the controls from the connector they came with, so I could fit them into my steering wheel. Getting the wires out of the connectors though was a bit of a game, plenty of prodding and pulling and they eventually came out and left me with this.


Next job was to remove the airbag, after that it was a case of unplugging the connector and shoving in the wires in.


After that all that was left to do is screw it to the wheel, this was easily done, two small screws and its job done.


Just a case of replacing the airbag and connecting the battery up.  Here they are fitted.



After having replaced the headunit, I was curious to see whether they would still work, but sadly they don't. In the future I may invest in a converter so that they will work, but for now I'm just happy to have filled the void in my wheel.

X-Power Caliper Vinyls and Brake Paint Refurb

Due to the impending refurb of my spare set of alloys, I wanted to tidy up the brake/wheel area.

Using some Halfords Brake Cleaner I got most of the crap off the calipers, then took a wire brush to them, and finally sanded the main face. I sanded the main face ready for the white X-Power vinyl decals I acquired to go there.

I got the vinyls from a member of theMGZR.co.uk (Dazzer) who runs his own custom vinyl business, very nice chap. Got them specially made up the right size for the 1.4 calipers.


I repainted the calipers in the same Hammerite smooth red as before.



The calipers needed two coats of paint to get them looking as good as they could be, wanted to give them a good going over so they last a fair while.

Whilst I was there I noticed my new mintex discs had gone rusty in the non contact areas. This was making the wheel area look very untidy. So I painted them with black engine enamel, which not only covers up the rust but should prevent any more rusting.

All in all the wheel/brake area looks a treat now, makes it look very fresh and a bit sportier/newer.

(Note: In the pictures the before shots are of the opposite side to the finished shots as I forgot to take pictures of the process on just one side.)


Before 




Painted



Applying the Vinyl



Finished



Finished - Wheels On