"Welcome to big Kahuna burger, can I take your order...?"
"yeah, Can I have two of th...?
"Hello...?"
The unenthusiastic voice of a pimple-faced kid booms over a loudspeaker. He's talking to you, but the Sequoia-driving soccer dad who just ordered can't see your slammed FD3S behind his wife's sky-jacked throne...or the need to pull ahead while digging for change through the tank-on-wheels. you pull closer. your RE Amemiya front bumper coming to rest within inches of the suburban assault vehicle's honor-roll student bumper sticker and your Racing Hart C2s mere millimeters from the drive-thru's curb. you try again:
"yeah, can I have two of the origi..."
"Please pull closer to the intercom and go ahead with your order," sings the monotone voice.
This time you lay on the horn, "Move!" you exclaim in thought, as Mr. Mom's eyes momentarily flash in the rear-view mirror before scrambling to find the gear selector. He pulls forward. Finally!
"yeah, sorry," you begin, inching closer to the loudspeaker, "I'd like two original Kahuna bur..."
Then you hear it.
big Kahuna boy hears it.
Mr. Mom hears it.
And without looking, you all know exactly what it is.
The unmistakable sound of forged aluminum grinding against industrial grade concrete; a mixture of First Place show finishes being flushed down the proverbial tubes and the point-and-laugh sneers of your friends the next time they look for inspiration in your once perfectly-polished hoops.
"Uhh...Hello?", asks the voice behind the ridiculous screen, holding back a chuckle.
you've lost your appetite.
Mr. Mom pulls off after having shared a quick laugh with burger boy, and you floor it; sliding across the parking lot and onto the freeway.
You feel naked as you blow past commuters at license-suspending speeds, sensing they can all somehow see what had just occurred to your once-perfect rims, just moment's prior. you can even hear them mocking you. With head hung low, you pull into the drive of your neighborhood performance shop, prepared to part with even more hard-earned cash.Sacrifice is not an option. you need new wheels.
Or do you?
Here is the set of our Racing...
Here is the set of our Racing Hart C2s. Their nail gouges (see text), curb rash and pothole damage is quite apparent.
While rolling his prized 350Z into a studio for a cover shoot years ago, fearless 2NR leader Jason Mulroney put his Racing Harts through a similar ordeal. As it crossed the facility's threshold, two nails protruding from each side of a door frame grabbed hold of their lips, the weight of the car forcing the nails as far into the forged aluminum barrels as possible. It was the final straw to years' worth of abuse endured by the rollers. From generous coatings of curb rash to the random California freeway pothole dent, Jason's Racing Harts were declared a total loss and retired to storage-locker limbo-at least until the mention of a wheel repair tech article was made over lunch one day.
"but does that really work, mate?" he asked with a signature british twang, in response to the idea. "because if so, I have a set of wheels I was ready to part with. you could try having them fixed..." he offers, interrupting himself with a swig of Guiness.
Without a moment's hesitation, a call was placed to Albert of The Wheel Supply in Walnut, Calif., and within minutes the begotten C2s were shown the light of day again, and we were on our way to seek the truth about wheel repair (and looking forward to some reincarnated rims!).
Once inside the dimly lit facility, Albert introduced us to his business partner, Marco, and resident tech, Alex. "We can fix them." he offered with a grin, "but we do it old-school style. There's nothing special about the process-it just works." Good enough for us. Lugging our cylindrical friends to the shop's processing area, Alex got to work.
When"Oh Sh*T!"Really Hits The Fan.Albert tells us the damage to our Racing Harts wasn't too extensive, compared to a lot of wheels he's seen, which begs the question: How bad has he seen wheels? This Mugen RNR is a classic (pun intended) example:
 "The first step," Alex explains,...  "The first step," Alex explains, "is to remove the valve stem and center caps. Clean the wheel of anything removable -decals that can be saved; anything." |  |  Next, Alex masks off the wheels'...  Next, Alex masks off the wheels' spokes, isolating the parts that need to be prepped for repair. |
 "These wheels are anodized...  "These wheels are anodized and clear-coated," Alex points out, "The first solvent we use removes the clear-coat; the second, the anodized finish. The process is the same with paint and chrome. Everything should be taken off reverse of how it was put on." |  |  For large dents, The Wheel...  For large dents, The Wheel Supply straightens wheels with a hydraulic press (see sidebar). In our case, just a little finesse with a hammer and protective cover was needed. |