Removing wheel clear coat?
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 157
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From: Springfield MO
Removing wheel clear coat?
Long story short, I have some clear coat issues with a couple of wheels. My local wheel & tire guy, who I trust, recommended that I have the clear coat removed and the wheels polished by a place in town that specializes in that sort of thing.
Is removing the clear coat a good idea? Will I have long term issues with the wheels? Harder to clean?
BTW, I'm talking about OEM chrome aluminum 5 spoke wheels on my 2004 C5 convertible.
Thanks in advance,
Is removing the clear coat a good idea? Will I have long term issues with the wheels? Harder to clean?
BTW, I'm talking about OEM chrome aluminum 5 spoke wheels on my 2004 C5 convertible.
Thanks in advance,
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 10,554
Likes: 33
From: Not on either liberal coast.
Long story short, I have some clear coat issues with a couple of wheels. My local wheel & tire guy, who I trust, recommended that I have the clear coat removed and the wheels polished by a place in town that specializes in that sort of thing.
Is removing the clear coat a good idea? Will I have long term issues with the wheels? Harder to clean?
BTW, I'm talking about OEM chrome aluminum 5 spoke wheels on my 2004 C5 convertible.
Thanks in advance,
Is removing the clear coat a good idea? Will I have long term issues with the wheels? Harder to clean?
BTW, I'm talking about OEM chrome aluminum 5 spoke wheels on my 2004 C5 convertible.
Thanks in advance,
The latter would be a little odd.You can remove the clear coat from polished wheels, keep them polished with just a little regular polishing routine and maintain them looking as new. That's how many after market high end wheels come. They're not clear coated. They will require preventative maintenance to keep them from oxidizing though. A good polish like WENOL is easy to apply and buff off. Or there's those polishing ***** from MOTHER'S.
If you remove the clear coat from "chrome aluminum", you have just chrome. Again, I'll say that would be a little odd. But, if you really have a clear coat over chrome, then you'll just have chrome plated wheels. They still need a routine maintenance to keep them looking good.
Last edited by hotwheels57; May 21, 2010 at 04:11 PM.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 157
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From: Springfield MO
Are they just clear coated oem polished aluminum or are they clear coated oem chrome? The latter would be a little odd.
You can remove the clear coat from polished wheels, keep them polished with just a little regular polishing routine and maintain them looking as new. That's how many after market high end wheels come. They're not clear coated. They will require preventative maintenance to keep them from oxidizing though. A good polish like WENOL is easy to apply and buff off. Or there's those polishing ***** from MOTHER'S.
If you remove the clear coat from "chrome aluminum", you have just chrome. Again, I'll say that would be a little odd. But, if you really have a clear coat over chrome, then you'll just have chrome plated wheels. They still need a routine maintenance to keep them looking good.
The latter would be a little odd.You can remove the clear coat from polished wheels, keep them polished with just a little regular polishing routine and maintain them looking as new. That's how many after market high end wheels come. They're not clear coated. They will require preventative maintenance to keep them from oxidizing though. A good polish like WENOL is easy to apply and buff off. Or there's those polishing ***** from MOTHER'S.
If you remove the clear coat from "chrome aluminum", you have just chrome. Again, I'll say that would be a little odd. But, if you really have a clear coat over chrome, then you'll just have chrome plated wheels. They still need a routine maintenance to keep them looking good.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 157
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From: Springfield MO
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 898
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From: Dallas, TX
See if you can find a good body/paint shop and have then re-cleared after polishing. Then you can care for them just like any other painted surface.
Long story short, I have some clear coat issues with a couple of wheels. My local wheel & tire guy, who I trust, recommended that I have the clear coat removed and the wheels polished by a place in town that specializes in that sort of thing.
Is removing the clear coat a good idea? Will I have long term issues with the wheels? Harder to clean?
BTW, I'm talking about OEM chrome aluminum 5 spoke wheels on my 2004 C5 convertible.
Thanks in advance,
Is removing the clear coat a good idea? Will I have long term issues with the wheels? Harder to clean?
BTW, I'm talking about OEM chrome aluminum 5 spoke wheels on my 2004 C5 convertible.
Thanks in advance,
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 10,554
Likes: 33
From: Not on either liberal coast.
With clear powder coat, once the wheel surface is polished, it'll remain that way unless the clear powder coat is somehow damaged or chemically degraded. It's more chip resistant than clear paint coat.
Last edited by hotwheels57; May 21, 2010 at 04:50 PM.
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Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 157
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From: Springfield MO
A powder coated clear coat will be much more durable than painted clear coat. You've probably seen painted clear coat wheels that actually have no clear coat left on them. Climate, UV rays, incorrect wheel cleaners, harsh soap cleaning, chemical degradation will eventually remove/damage a painted clear coat. Many manufacturers use it though because it's less expensive.
With clear powder coat, once the wheel surface is polished, it'll remain that way unless the clear powder coat is somehow damaged or chemically degraded. It's more chip resistant than clear paint coat.
With clear powder coat, once the wheel surface is polished, it'll remain that way unless the clear powder coat is somehow damaged or chemically degraded. It's more chip resistant than clear paint coat.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 10,554
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From: Not on either liberal coast.
Not sure which manner you're referring to? A body shop can strip the original painted clear coat, but maybe not be capable of re-polishing the aluminum before they apply a new painted clear coat.
A body shop probably will not be set up to clear powder coat your wheels though. For that, you need a powder coating shop. And you should get references for powder coating shops. Some may be good at powder coating your chain link fence, but not for your wheels.
You should consider having the wheels re-polished before you try either manner.
You might contact CALCHROME which has the ability to perform all types of wheel restoration, polishing, chrome, etc. They may have a set of your wheels in stock on an exchange basis. If not, they can re-finish your wheels in whatever you want...
http://www.calchrome.com/calchrome_custom.php
A body shop probably will not be set up to clear powder coat your wheels though. For that, you need a powder coating shop. And you should get references for powder coating shops. Some may be good at powder coating your chain link fence, but not for your wheels.
You should consider having the wheels re-polished before you try either manner.
You might contact CALCHROME which has the ability to perform all types of wheel restoration, polishing, chrome, etc. They may have a set of your wheels in stock on an exchange basis. If not, they can re-finish your wheels in whatever you want...
http://www.calchrome.com/calchrome_custom.php
Last edited by hotwheels57; May 21, 2010 at 04:58 PM.
Race Director
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From: Not on either liberal coast.
My bet is they're oem polished aluminum wheels...
Banned Scam/Spammer
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From: Machineguns, because I don’t compromise
Speaking from experience...
Personally, I've never clear coated polished aluminum and I never will. It takes a little away from the character/glow of perfectly polished metal.
If you're going to drive the car on rainy days the finish will deterorate over time, but for the simple maintenance just get a Mothers Powerball and a drill. Hit the wheels once every 2-3 months and they'll stay pristine.
If the car never sees rain you can go two years without retouching.
If you're going to drive the car on rainy days the finish will deterorate over time, but for the simple maintenance just get a Mothers Powerball and a drill. Hit the wheels once every 2-3 months and they'll stay pristine.
If the car never sees rain you can go two years without retouching.
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2007
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From: . New York
Dont mind Josh there 
He is currrently hand polishing every single part of his engine (see avatar), so having to keep non clear coated wheels seems like a vacation to him
If you want to keep them (because it may be cheaper to just buy a set of used wheels in good shape) I'd strip em, have them polished by someone who knows how, and then re cleared.
I didnt even know we had "clear power coating"? That the same thing (goes in the oven)? Must be nice.
He is currrently hand polishing every single part of his engine (see avatar), so having to keep non clear coated wheels seems like a vacation to him If you want to keep them (because it may be cheaper to just buy a set of used wheels in good shape) I'd strip em, have them polished by someone who knows how, and then re cleared.
I didnt even know we had "clear power coating"? That the same thing (goes in the oven)? Must be nice.
Racer
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 444
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From: Waynesboro VA
I stripped mine with airplane stripper and polished them by hand and they look a lot better. The wheels have more of a shine almost like chrome. This is a job though, the factory clear coat is as tough as nails and will take several coats of airplane stripper and some hand scrubbing with a non scratching scrubbing pad to remove it. It took me the better part of two days to do this. I think the final result was worth it though. Do not try this with normal paint stripper it will not even phase the clear coat, buy the good airplane stripper it is well worth it.
Race Director
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From: Lake Havasu City, AZ
Get the highest content methylene choride paint stripper you can find at Lowes/Home Depot etc.
look for a post by or PM C5 Naples... he hand polished his wheels after stripping them. They are incredible.
a professional metal polishing shop will likely charge you $75-$100 per wheel for polishing them.
look for a post by or PM C5 Naples... he hand polished his wheels after stripping them. They are incredible.
a professional metal polishing shop will likely charge you $75-$100 per wheel for polishing them.
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The real benefit of the clear coat, besides protecting the wheel, is that you don't have to keep polishing the raw aluminum to keep it looking good. Take the clear off, and you will need to polish the wheels to keep them looking very good. If you don't mind that extra work, then just leave the clear off. Me - I think I would want the clear on.
Le Mans Master
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I use to polish motorcycle rims, the best and only stuff to use to remove clear coat FAST is aviation grade stripper. This stuff is super toxic, so wear gloves, and not rubber gloves either, it'll eat right through them. Once done, give the rims a good bath to remove any exccess material. Polish the rims then use zoopseal. zoopseal is similar to a clearcoat. It basically protects the rim from the elements and makes it easier to clean.
Melting Slicks
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great post. my wheels are in rough shape and this will be a winter project for me...eventually
let us know what you decide and some before and after pics too
I am going to take your suggestion. I've seen your pics and what you do with metal so I'm on board. thanks for the tips
This saves me asking what type of stripper to get
let us know what you decide and some before and after pics tooPersonally, I've never clear coated polished aluminum and I never will. It takes a little away from the character/glow of perfectly polished metal.
If you're going to drive the car on rainy days the finish will deterorate over time, but for the simple maintenance just get a Mothers Powerball and a drill. Hit the wheels once every 2-3 months and they'll stay pristine.
If the car never sees rain you can go two years without retouching.
If you're going to drive the car on rainy days the finish will deterorate over time, but for the simple maintenance just get a Mothers Powerball and a drill. Hit the wheels once every 2-3 months and they'll stay pristine.
If the car never sees rain you can go two years without retouching.
Get the highest content methylene choride paint stripper you can find at Lowes/Home Depot etc.
look for a post by or PM C5 Naples... he hand polished his wheels after stripping them. They are incredible.
a professional metal polishing shop will likely charge you $75-$100 per wheel for polishing them.
look for a post by or PM C5 Naples... he hand polished his wheels after stripping them. They are incredible.
a professional metal polishing shop will likely charge you $75-$100 per wheel for polishing them.