Re-finishing aluminum wheels

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Nov 8, 2008 | 06:10 PM

tseekins

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From: Maine, Virginia

Re-finishing aluminum wheels

I have aluminum wheels on my '88, not factory and they are slightly pitted and the finish is all but gone.

Is there a relatively inexpensive way to refinish the wheels and restore the old shine?

I've used all sorts of polishes, compounds, cleansers and elbow grease.

Any advise would be appreciated.

Thanks

Tim

Nov 8, 2008 | 10:06 PM

bomberboat

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From: bull shoals , ar

mothers or mc guiers mag wheel polish works good on wheels that have oxidation . now some wheels have a clear anodizing on them can't do much with them it's a bit*h to get off. in between polishing plane rubbing alcohol will help some. if there pitted would cost more to have them redone than a new wheel cost when i polished , buffed alum wheels 20 yrs ago prices were never less that $40.00 and went up to $100 per wheel if i needed to remove any clear coating. if you can post a big clear pic of the wheel it might help some.

Nov 8, 2008 | 10:09 PM

95F350XL

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From: Belle Mead NJ

You could always sand em down and spray em silver, or metallic silver, then clear coat it.

Nov 9, 2008 | 09:32 AM

Supercab

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From: Palm Bay, Florida

Do a search....there was a thread on here a few months back from a member who refinished som GEN1 lightening rims with paint & clearcoat.....

Nov 9, 2008 | 01:56 PM

tseekins

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From: Maine, Virginia

Quote:

Originally Posted by Supercab

Do a search....there was a thread on here a few months back from a member who refinished som GEN1 lightening rims with paint & clearcoat.....

Thanks, I did that search and found tons of threads concerning aluminum wheels. It's either going to be a ton of work or a ton of money.

I was looking for the "easy button" on this one.

I'm not willing to put forth either at this point.

Tim

Nov 9, 2008 | 02:10 PM

StealthWyvern

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my rims were so bad that after I stripped the clear and polished liek no other they still looked like crap. I even lightly sanded the wheel and hit it a sotch brite pads, then polished again. It looked a lot better then what it started. However to make a long story short I painted them silver.

Edit: I just found a few pictures to show how bad it was.

http://www.msprotege.com/members/Ste...k/DSCF0775.JPG

Not the best job but it sure does look a lot better imo. Their is no clear on this rim.
http://www.msprotege.com/members/Ste...k/DSCF0774.JPG

Quote:

Originally Posted by 95F350XL

You could always sand em down and spray em silver, or metallic silver, then clear coat it.

Nov 9, 2008 | 03:31 PM

tseekins

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From: Maine, Virginia

[quote=StealthWyvern;6745612]my rims were so bad that after I stripped the clear and polished liek no other they still looked like crap. I even lightly sanded the wheel and hit it a sotch brite pads, then polished again. It looked a lot better then what it started. However to make a long story short I painted them silver.

Edit: I just found a few pictures to show how bad it was.

http://www.msprotege.com/members/Ste...k/DSCF0775.JPG

Not the best job but it sure does look a lot better imo. Their is no clear on this rim.
http://www.msprotege.com/members/Ste...k/DSCF0774.JPG

Nice job, looks alot better than mine. I should shoot mine and see how they turn out.

Tim