I read that a person might spend a couple hours to get a wheel looking really good, provided they are using power tools and washing the wheel between applications of different grit compounds. Longer if you have to take off a clearcoat or clean up dings or curb rash.
This is correct. HOW GOOD DO U WANT IT TO LOOK? A friend of mine has a side business polishing show trucks (semi's). He gets paid by the hour and sometimes it takes him 2 weeks to polish a truck. He does not come cheap and has more work come his way than he wants. But u can shave off any polished surface on the truck. Polishing properly is a multi step process of multiple grits of rough. If u get a green bar of polish and some mothers polish and a good yellow wheel I'm sure just that alone will be shiny enough for what u want. If u want mirror polish your gonna need a few more grits and wheels and a whole lot of time.
Green bar. (I know it says stainless steel polish but its the best all around polish)
http://www.lehighvalleyabrasives.co...G0adSsihTFmyZwblMbTeNNn4qixByhoCFKrw_wcBYellow wheel. I use it on my 4.5 inch grinder and it makes a mess but does the job. An actual polisher is a much better option
http://www.raneystruckparts.com/zep...MBoCES2mcagR4LZUOmMSVVRYLAMPLxoCPRrw_wcBWhite bar optional. Will give the best final mirror polish but a mothers aluminum polish will work well too.
http://www.jmstoolsupply.com/en14whdirpoc.html?ref=lexity&_vs=google&_vm=productsearchHe also uses these quite a bit for hard to reach places in wheels and such on an air drill type polisher
http://www.pjtool.com/cylinder-buffs.aspxI wish I still had the picture of a fuel tank he did on a mid 80's 359 Peterbilt a guy was redoing. The tank had NEVER been polished. When my buddy was done it was a literal mirror. Took him many many hours.