TEN FOUR MAGAZINE - TRUCKING ON-LINE MAGAZINE FOR TRUCKERS

AUGUST 2004 SHOW & TELL
WHEEL APPEAL
By Roving Reporter Suzanne Stempinski

You’ve been working on dressing up your truck - cleaning, polishing, getting all the bugs and dirt off, your color scheme is terrific, your concept is clearly defined, and you’ve got great ideas for some chrome and stainless accessories. So now what? Take a close look at your tires and wheels.

Start with the wheels. Again, they should be clean, clean, clean. That means inside and outside – whether they’re polished aluminum, painted, chrome or Alcoa’s DuraBright® material that never needs polishing, they all need to be free from dirt, grease and rust. If you have time (the most successful show truck participants make time) you’ll want to dismount all your wheels to polish them to the best possible shine. It gives you the opportunity to inspect your wheels for cracking or worn areas around the lugs. You’ll also be able to take a good look at your brakes and make sure they’re safe to continue protecting you and your cargo down the road. It’s a great way to stay on top of maintenance items while you’re working to display your truck to its best advantage.

Many polish shops have machines designed to sand and polish aluminum wheels to a mirror finish. Then, future touch-ups can be done by hand. Clean the wheels inside and out, front and back, holes and all. If you don’t want to polish out the holes, depending on whose wheels you have, you may be able to insert color-coordinated trim rings that “sleeve” the inside of the holes. Or, you may want to paint them to match your truck. But remember, once you start painting any parts on your truck, you’ll need to carry touch-up paint for those last-minute rock chips.

How about those tires? Do they have good tread depth on them? Are they cracked or peeling? Do they match? Aside from the obvious safety issues, the judges will be looking at your presentation. Be sure all the dirt and grit are off the sides of your tires. Try wiping them thoroughly with turpentine or mineral spirits. Paint the raised lettering with model paint and small brushes or paint pens. You can find them at any Wal-Mart or a craft store. Take your time and keep your hand steady. Depending on how detailed you want to be, each tire can take anywhere from 15-45 minutes or more to paint. And that’s if you only put on one coat of color. Heat and humidity will make a difference in the flow of paint pens, so working in the cool of the morning or at the end of the day in the summer will make paint pens flow easier. Paint your lettering and be sure it’s dry before you apply tire dressing. If you don’t curb them, your tires should look good for 2-4 weeks, depending on the enthusiasm of your washes!

Tire dressings are available from many manufacturers and polish companies. Do not use a product that contains alcohol. It will eventually dry out your rubber and leave ugly surface cracks. Some products are designed for your vinyl dash as well as your wheels. Ask what products will do the trick without turning your tires brown. If you’re doing most of your cleaning and polishing before you get to a show location, you’ll want to wait until you’re parked before applying the tire dressing.

Did you ever wonder how those show trucks get all their tires with the brand names lined up at the same angle? And no, it’s not from driving around the parking lot until the names line up just right (sorry, but people do ask). Grab a jack (or borrow one from a neighbor) and make sure your off-side wheels are chocked. Be sure the jack you use is rated for the weight of your vehicle. As you rotate your wheels and tires, this might be the time to paint your outside tires (if you haven’t already done them while the wheels were off). Be sure to pick the rocks out of your tread – judges love to see shiny tires, but shiny rocks don’t earn bonus points! Apply tire dressing to the entire tire – front, rear, and tread – but be careful not to get any tire dressing on the wheels – it will leave greasy marks and dull your shine. Some products, including tire foams, work well on a big sponge for an even application. You’ll need to release your air brakes to rotate drive and trailer wheels. If you have help, one person can be jacking wheels, the other can be getting the alignment just right. If you’re doing it all by yourself, ask a neighbor at the show to help you with the staging. You’ll probably make a friend while you’re at it!

If you want to see great examples of shiny show trucks, tires, wheels and much more, mark your calendar for August 5-7 when Stars & Stripes puts on Truckerfest at Hot August Nights in Reno/Sparks, NV. This fun-filled event combines amazing big rigs with more than 5,000 street rods, muscle cars and more. Truckerfest will be held at the Alamo Petro and will include great entertainment, trucker games, free dinners for CDL holders and truck “cruises” from the Alamo Petro through downtown Reno. For more information, call (916) 786-3073 Ext. 10. See you there!