Good plan might be a great thing, yep, just until it smashed to pieces in unexpected manner. I hoped to be quite ahead with wheels polishing for now, but instead I caught cold and I am out of game for the fourth day in row.
However, why don’t make some remarks that may be of use for those who decided to make some polishing?
First and main: do not use coarse sandpaper. It may look like quick way to achieve result, but in fact one only get headache with removing thin but dip scratches made on your own. For fine polishing I start from sandpaper with grit not less 400 and use more coarse sandpaper (320, 240) only when I have to remove really thick layer of aluminium.
I start form dry sandpapering and do it in several iterations with sandpaper of different grit (up to 800 or 1000) and only then I begin wet sanding with grit 800 and up to 2000, if necessary. In fact finish grit number depends on aluminum alloy. Soapy water holds better on surface and also has softening effect on sanding action.
Tools like Dremel rotary tool and senders with delta sending plate are of great use. Especially Dremel, it’s indispensable for work in hard to reach places. However, be careful with rotary tools, they might easily make flaws instead of removing them.
Cast aluminum might be quite inaccurate and porous. In some cases one couldn’t achieve perfect result without totally changing the surface. Thus it’s very important to say “stop” to yourself before you went too far: some scratches and cast flaws will look definitely more natural than “valleys” of few millimetres deep after their total removal.
I still have a lot of polishing ahead, thus there will be more photos and maybe I’ll find some time for writing more about tips and tricks.