toofast02

I just bought a C5 convertible and the polished aluminum wheels have pits on the inside-not on the face. The car came from Philly so it may be corrosion from road salt and chemicals. I live in Houston so this is not a common problem.

I've tried wheel cleaner (did nothing) and 800 grit sandpaper which didn't remove the pits but did do a nice job of taking the polish off!

I've heard about wheel polish like Mother's and Meguirs. I've also thought about trying one of those 'Powerballs' that Chip Foose is always hawking on TV.

You guys know a lot more about Vettes than I do, what do you suggest?

jlsru

I use Nano Mag wheel cleaner made by Eagle One.Works pretty well for me.

bobby777

Try to find a product called Pit Gone-

RSchleder

It may simply be the clearcoat that's screwed up. The first thing to do is remove the clear coat and then decide the best course of action.

dougbfresh

Strip wheel, polish-reclear. Easier, strip wheel, powdercoat it.

Vetteman Jack

Most likely the clearcoat has the pits in it.

Jims79

That's what what you sanded not the aluminum. But to get to the aluminum you need to take all the clearcoat off. I did this and it takes a few hours per wheel. So it a weekend long job, take your time. I did one wheel at a time. First. Remove all the clearcoat ONLY on the inside of the wheel. Tape off the outer rim in between the spokes and the inside rim. (Not to take any of the clearcoat of the outside rim.) Once the clearcoat is removed you can sand the aluminum w/1000 then 2000 grit. After that use mothers or blue magic and the wheels will look like new again. G/L

stanfan

I bought some used oem polished alcoa aluminum thinspoke wheels. They look very nice on my 'vert (big improvement over the wagon wheels), but there is some pitting in the clearcoat on the barrels of the wheels. I'd like to get the wheels stripped and re-clearcoated. What type of shop would do that type of work? Body shop? Any notion of what the cost should be for such a job? Thanks

jrose7004

rws.1

search for a post b C5 naples.....
Strip and polish....

Dave68

The type of corrosion you see is most likely "pitting corrosion" and yes, it is the aluminum that is corroding, not the clear coat. Typically, the pits are covered by white blisters of "hydrated gelatinous alumina" (Al(OH)3. The "blister" is almost always larger than the underlying pit.

Look up "aluminum polishing services" in your area for a shop that specializes in this sort of work. It is somewhat labor intensive, so expect to pay a fair amount of money.

Dave