Has anyone restored their wheels themselves? The laquer is very damaged on my wheels and I want to restore them to how they were. I`m considering sanding of the laquer, buffing them with cutting compound, and spraying on new laquer????

 

i haven't restored a set myself, but will be doing so this spring/summer. sanding seems like it would take forever and i personally wouldn't go that route. there are speciality paint strippers formulated for alloy wheels as well as clear coats for refinishing. suggest going to the eastwood company and search their product line. captain lee's also has a stipper for aluminum alloy wheels - here's a couple suggestions...

http://www.halonmarketing.com/mall/C...at_Remover.php

http://www.eastwood.com/diamond-clear-gloss-set.html

i'm sure if you "google'd" the topic, there are plenty of how-to articles on the subject.

 

I have done a set many years ago. I will warn you that it is a lengthy process but the results can be amazing. I started with some decent shape 84 wheels. Purchased a product from Ecklers (Naval Jelly). The jelly was applied with a brush and left to sit for a few minutes before rubbing off. Steel wool was used in the direction of the lines on the wheels as not to create any other lines in the metal. Next I used another product which I have no idea what the name is to clean the metal. After this I used some turtle wax compound to buff it up some. Then the final coat which I applied twice was another turtle wax product designed to polish metal. The end result was a chrome finish on the wheels and I must say I was very satisfied. This process however created an issue when it came to cleaning. Every car wash I had to spend 1hr on the wheels buffing them back up because I knew how much they really could shine. They are now in a box and I have not seen them in at least 5yrs. Hopefully this at least gives you somewhat of an idea to do.

 

Thanks for the advice. Did you take the tyres of before applying that strong chemical? (naval jelly)

 

I did the worst wheel on my 87. That was a LOT of work. I first tried sanding. Then went straight to a stripper chemical. It only slightly softened the finish. The finish is so tough it took several coats and a lot of rubbing with a course steel wool to remove it - not to mention a scraper, and that was only on the easy to reach surfaces. In the end I buffed the exposed aluminum by hand and put on a heavy coat of wax to prevent oxidation. Yes it looks better but I was shot out.

The folks here that refinish wheels charge quite a bit for it and I now know why. Good luck.

 

Id use some aircraft paint stripper...follow their directions and use eye/hand protection. The plastic emblem, remove it.

I tried using some light scothbrite to remove some stubborn stuff, it was a mistake. the clear didnt cover it up so at that point I was commited to polishing them completely, LOT of work.

 

I used the aircraft stripper, steel wool and lots of elbow grease on my 88 wheels that had bad clear coat.
If you can spend several hours per wheel they will come out great.
I won't do it again, just took too much time.

 

I did my '85 wheels a couple of years ago. I didn't use any chemicals to remove the deteriorating clear coat for fear of leaving some permanent stains on/in the aluminum. I also didn't want to damage the black powder coat finish in the centre and at the fins. So with lots of elbow grease (probably 4 - 6 hours per rim) and starting with 300 grit and progressing to 2000 grit, I achieved that nice chrome-like finish. In doing so, however the sanding removed the slightly visible machine grooves that appear in the aluminum so you will lose that part of the original look. For a final polish I used Auto Sol recommended by a couple of body shop guys I know. I asked them if they would re-clear coat the rims and they discouraged it saying that it is really hard to get the clear to stick like a factory finish and I'd likely be doing the whole thing all over again in a couple of years. So my rims are what is referred to as a raw finish. The rims get a good cleaning with Auto Sol when I take it out in the spring and the finish stays shiney for the season.

 

OK....the thread is worthless without pics....so here goes.

Here is a shot (crappy cell phone camera, sorry) of one of the wheels I restored on my 84. Not bad, if I do say so myself....but it wasn't easy. Figure on about 5-6 hours per wheel. And on the 84-85 wheels, the centers and outer edges have to be masked and painted if you want an OEM look.

I did the sanding method. Started with 200, then 600, then 1000, then 1500, then polish with Mother's.



Soooo...you have two choices: Shell out bucks for new wheels, or sweat equity to make the old ones look new.

 

Looks good Friz..on the 88-90s all the machining marks/ribs have to be taken down and that is a pain to do right prior to polishing otherwise they look like hell. Anyone who tells you take a wire wheel and mothers to polish wheels...dont listen to em its a lot of work. As said above, those sanding steps followed by multiple passes with different buffing wheels/compounds.If you got a spot you missed or deep scrathes you start alllllllll over again; no shortcuts to a nice polish job unless you have commercial equiptment

 

Good points....seriously, if I had it all to do over again I would have just bought new aftermarket wheels.....especially given the current shortage of 16" tires. When I bought my Kumhos in 2004, there were plently of selections available....now it's down to just a couple.

So...unless you're just an absolute purist or have way more time than money, pick up a nice set of 17" A-Mold copies off eBay.

 

I left the tires on, and like others wanted to keep the black in the fins and center. I was just very careful and the results are much like the ones posted. I however did not sand enough to remove the machine lines. I scrubbed the wheels with the steel wool in the direction of lines as not to create any stray lines. When I get a chance, I will try to uncover the wheels in their boxes and take a picture. They have been hiding for over 5yrs now.

 

Thanks for all the advice, now i`m not sure what to do. I`ve had a quote from a guy who refurbishes them for Ł60 ($120) a wheel. You cant buy new wheels for corvettes here very easily and the shipping from the US really pushes the total price up.
Thanks again.

 

There a many routes you can take with that wheel that Frizzle posted....if that is the wheel you are looking to refurbish, let us know if you want factory or polished look (like Frizles)

If you want the "CD" cut look, the only way to do that correctly is to "re-cut" the face with a lathe and a special cutting tool. The Lathe is indexed to cut along the radius of the wheel and the tool leaves the grooves that give it the "CD" look.

Easier......Polishing wheel (on a Drill or heavier buffer) and Jewelers rouge (many polishing compounds fall under that generic term) You first sand the clear coat off and then you polish the grooves out and moving from a rough grit polish to a fine grit....you get a luster.

As pointed out in this very thread......

If you want that chrome luster, you'll have to re-polish every month. (but it is a quick job since you are only removing an oxidation layer)

or

You could come back with a clear coat over the polish, you lose a bit of shine with the clear, but it is a more permanent lower maintenance technique. The Cheaper the clear coat the more porous and the quicker oxidation will "leach" under and permeate through....then your wheels look like crap again. So if you re-clear coat, spend a bit on which clear coat you buy.

 

I broke down and re-finished the wheels on my 88 a couple of years ago. I used lots of aircraft stripper which worked very well. I then used various buffing and polishing compounds on a drill then I finished by spraying on a clear coat. I left the rubber on and removed the center cap emblems. They looked great, but I now regret applying the clear because it has already started peeling. I am planning on redoing this again when it gets warmer. Getting the old clear out of the recessed areas was the most difficult part closely followed by the amount of time required to buff and polish.

Mine aren't chrome looking, but much closer to factory looking. I do like the looks of the chrome wheels though and may break down and purchase some when I win the lottery.

Ron

 

I started on one wheel this afternoon. Word to the wise. The stripper does NOT like 45 degree temps. I stripped the wheel 3 times and I know I will end up having to do it in my garage with the heater going. That much stripper is easier handled in the open though.
I started on the center pieces (89 17" wheel) by removing the emblems and stripping them inside. They came out much better and have polished one already. If one has a bit of a black splash mark can I sand with 1000 grit or or to try and work it out?
I wanted stock wheels on our 86 to replace the chrome ZR1s but went with the 89s because I think they are the prettiest stock C4 wheel.
Anyone know what size allen screw I need to buy to attach the center caps? That is the only thing these didn't come with. I almost choked when I saw what Ecklers charges for new center caps for these wheels.
Here is a pic. The spot is right next to the hole where the screw will go.
Thanks for any advice.

For those that come around looking for info here is what the wheel looked like before and then during the stripping process. I'll post a post pic once I have finished stripping then another after polish.