Sam Lam

I have a set of 89 wheels that do not have mounted tires. The clear coat is gone and the tire valves are removed. The face of the wheels has slight machining marks. I am wanting to just polish the wheels and not use any sandpaper. Has anyone tried polishing wheels while on the car? I had considered jacking up the rear of the car and bolting on a rim. I would have a neighbor sit in the seat and start the engine. When the engine is idling, place the tranny in D and the rear wheels would begin to rotate. Using a hand drill and a polishing pad, one should be able to polish the wheels. Right? This practice assumes one is sober and very careful not to get hurt during the process. Has anyone tried this before?
SAM

Mr Mojo

Talk to jackdaroofer, he did his, he spent an ungodly amount of time on them, something like 22 hours per wheel!

vert2go89

you are asking to get hurt trying to clean wheels that are spinning. I sanded and used never dull on my 81 wheels and they came out great. I did spend about 2-3 hours each wheel since I used several grits before final polishing with never dull. I tried jewelers rouge but that didn't work worth a dang.
If the clear coat is gone then just use 1000 grit paper to take the marks out then use the never dull.

Cozmo

That would be a good idea.

Another good idea is to take them to a local wheel shop. They can work miracles. Ask around in your area for recommendations for a good, but reasonable shop.

Chosen Won

Some people say to use Easy Off Oven Cleaner with lye or Aircraft Paint remover to remove the factory finish. Don't do it! Skip the Easy Off oven cleaner or the Aircraft Paint Remover (I have done it this way and it sucks and makes huge mess, WAY too much work too)..there is no better way to remove the clear coat than a standard drill and a polishing wheel adapter at your local Sears..you will need to buy 5" adhesive backed sandpaper pads for the adapter. Make sure to buy a couple packs of both 100 grit and 220 grit adhesive pads. Your next stop will be at local auto parts superstore and go to the automobile paint isle, buy wet/dry sandpaper in the following grits 400, 600, 800, 1000. Also stop by your local hardware store and pick up a bag of both #00 and #000 steel wool. You will strip 99% of the clearcoat with the 100 grit pads, try to use the drill in a consistent motion that follows the "grain" of the frame when possible. Progress from 220 grit pads to wet/dry and soapy warm water hand sanding from 400, 600, 800, 1000. During the wet dry phase you should make sure to sand in consistent movement that should follow grain of aluminum, DO NOT BUFF IN CIRCLES. After the wet dry phase I then move to the #00 steel wool and buff in the same motion with quite a bit of elbow grease, I then progress to the #000 steel wool and do the same thing...if you have done everything properly your frame should look fairly polished at this stage but the final steps will bring out the "ultimate polish" and give you hopefully a mirror like shine that equals chrome plating. I use a converted angle grinder with the guard removed for this buffing, you can also use a high speed buffer as long as it turns HIGH rpm. Your local Home Depot carries in the tool section a brand of products called DICO, they are in orange/brown packages and they are made for metal finishing. You will need to buy two buffing wheels, make sure to buy the ones that are very tightly stiched together as you will want to apply pressure to the frame with the wheel, the loose buffing wheels will not work the way you need them to. You will also need to buy a stick of EMERY Rouge, TRIPOLI rouge and for optional last step you may want to buy JEWELERS ROUGE (and a 3rd buffing wheel if you buy third stick of rouge). Fire up your buffing wheel and apply EMERY rouge to wheel, polish the frame in consistent movement, reapply rouge as necessary, progress to TRIPOLI rouge and fresh buffing wheel and then finally JEWELER'S ROUGE with a fresh wheel. DO NOT MIX rouges of different types on the same wheel, you will get inconsistent results. I use Wemol for maintenance but occasionally will pull out buffer and give the aluminum a quick hit with EMERY rouge.
If you follow these steps you will be thrilled with result. It sounds like a lot of steps but if done properly it won't take as long as you think. The basic steps I have outlined are necessary on any aluminum, and may vary a little as I have found. This is THE WAY to do this correctly in my opinion, do not believe there is any big secret shortcut - polishing aluminum is big commitment. The biggest thing I have learned is using the drill and polishing adapter to strip the clearcoat - switching to this method save me a HUGE amount of time.

This will also work for TPI or any other aluminum you want to polish

You can also purchase the stuff you need at
www.caswellplating.com. I like the package deal here, but I think it is missing the last rogue. The last rogue is where you get the mirror finish. http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/alwheel.htm




[Modified by Chosen Won, 5:39 PM 4/24/2004]

Sam Lam

Chosen Won: Thanks for the details given in the above posting. This information took considerable time to input for me! Thanks and I will follow your directions on this! If about 3 months from now, you see a red 89 in the St. Louis area with shiny wheels, give me a wave!!
SAM