Saving OEM Wheels
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,830
Likes: 3
From: Granada Hills CA
Saving OEM Wheels
Are there options for saving my original wheels?
The clearcoat is shattered and peeling off. I like the style of wheels and would keep them if I could get them cleaned up.
Do they re-clearcoat them after they are cleaned up?
Is powder coating an option?
The clearcoat is shattered and peeling off. I like the style of wheels and would keep them if I could get them cleaned up.
Do they re-clearcoat them after they are cleaned up?
Is powder coating an option?
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 780
Likes: 0
From: New Port Richey Florida
I bought a kit from Eastwood to remove the clear coat and refinish, but after I got the clearcoat off and polished them they looked so good I haven't put the clear coat back on, I just cleaned them with steel wool and polished with Mothers mag cleaner. Wheels look great and I might put the clearcoat back on if I feel ambitous some day, but I know a lot of the guys just keep them polished then you don't have to worry about the clearcoat peeling or yellowing. Good luck/ MERRY CHRISTMAS
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 16,795
Likes: 62
From: Lake Havasu City, AZ
Depends how much you like them and want to pay...
A wheel refinisher can do it all for you.
You could also strip, polish and re-clear yourself or
strip and polish and have a body shop re-clear
or strip, have a metal polishing shop clean up the wheels and have the autobdy shop re-clear..
A wheel refinisher can do it all for you.
You could also strip, polish and re-clear yourself or
strip and polish and have a body shop re-clear
or strip, have a metal polishing shop clean up the wheels and have the autobdy shop re-clear..
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,830
Likes: 3
From: Granada Hills CA
Depends how much you like them and want to pay...
A wheel refinisher can do it all for you.
You could also strip, polish and re-clear yourself or
strip and polish and have a body shop re-clear
or strip, have a metal polishing shop clean up the wheels and have the autobdy shop re-clear..
A wheel refinisher can do it all for you.
You could also strip, polish and re-clear yourself or
strip and polish and have a body shop re-clear
or strip, have a metal polishing shop clean up the wheels and have the autobdy shop re-clear..
Anyone have wheels with no clear coat? If so how is the maintenance?
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,791
Likes: 3
From: Maine
I've looked into this. This year I am going to strip the clearcoat off my 96 sawblades. The later C4 wheels have machine grooves which helps the clear coat stick to the wheels. If they are not going to be reclearcoated these machine grooves need to be wet sanded out and the aluminum then needs to be buffed with an aluminum polish to a good shine, then a final coat of wheel wax should keep them looking nice. Buff them enough and they will look almost like chrome. If you use wax made for polished aluminum it should keep them shiny. You may need to buff and wax them a couple of times a year but overall they are not too hard to keep looking nice without the clearcoat. What I like most is there is no clearcoat, paint, or chrome to peel off. The other option is to have them refinished at a wheel shop for about $150 per wheel.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,830
Likes: 3
From: Granada Hills CA
Thanks for the input.
Strip, wet sand, polish, wax sounds like that's the way I might go.
I like the wheels on the car and if they can be made presentable that would be the ticket for me.
Strip, wet sand, polish, wax sounds like that's the way I might go.
I like the wheels on the car and if they can be made presentable that would be the ticket for me.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 918
Likes: 5
From: Gainesville FL
Which Eastwood kit did you buy? I saw that they have two - one is the wheel buffing kit and the other is the wheel smoothing kit. I have the stock 89 rims that have some peeling of the metal itself, not just the clearcoat. I'm hoping to save these original rims if possible.
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