Shining Polished Alumium Wheels
 

Hi there:
I'm doing clean up on a 2001 Corvette convertibleI just purchased. The car is low miles, in pristing condition but the wheels could use a little attention. This car had the polished alumium wheel option and if I understand correctly, the wheels are clear-coated. This rules out Adam's metal polish or Mother's or whatever because of the clear coat. I've seen where some people have applied paint remover to get rid of the clear coat and polsih them from there but I'm not sure I want to do that. Does anyone have a recommendation for something to clean and restore the polished wheels without disturbing the clear coat or do I need to bite the bullet and strip them over the winter?
Thanks and Happy Holidays
Charles

Well, what exactly is wrong with the wheels? Are they scratched? Chipped? Clear coat flaking? Or are they just dirty?
If they're just dirty clean them up with hot water and some car wash soap then apply car wax of your choice. If the clear coat has swirls and looks dull, you can use any polishing compound that you would use on your cars paint and it will help.

:iagree:treat the wheels like your paint. I use a bottle of Meguairs paint cleaner (I think this has been discontinued) to clean then a sealant or wax. My wheels are starting to show some pitting of the clearcoat so I will next have to have them stripped, repolished and re-clearcoated. I am going to stay with a clearcoat finish as I think it easier to keep them looking good.:cheers:

I like the look of bare, polished aluminum wheels, BUT they are a PITA to keep looking good.

It's really difficult to maintain the clear coat on wheels that are 12 years old. The clear coat is " Paint " the problem is the clear coat is thin. Once the clear coat is breached, the aluminum will oxidize. If you try to remove the oxidation, you will make the breach bigger, exposing more aluminum to the air.. this is non reversible... The only thing you can do is apply some non ammonia type Windex, to clean what is left of the clear. you can't use polish, or cleaner because this will attack the feather edge of any breach, only making it bigger.. You can spend the money to have them stripped and re cleared...but that is expensive , and the cost would go along way to buying a new set of after market wheels, or reproductions which I do not recommend. These wheels have been subjected to abrasive brake dust, road grime, acid rain, etc. for 12 years.. This dust eventually eats through the clear coat.. So you are caught between a rock and a hard place. You could strip them yourself, and then polish them, But I will guarantee you that you wont be happy, because this is a very labor intensive procedure.

I, on the other hand, have raw forged aluminum wheels.. CCW 505's... Ive taken care of them from the very first day applying Zaino wax to them before I even put them on the car and for ten years.. they have 80,000 miles on them. My car sees no road salt, and its rare that I drive in the rain. but if I do, I blow dry the wheels, and wipe them down with detailer, before putting it away..I also wax the wheels several times a year over the last ten years, but there has never been a clear coat on these wheels. if you are " On top of them" from the start, its very east to take care of them, also if the wheel design allows you to clean them easily, it makes the process easy, if the wheels are busy with bumps and rivets etc. it makes the process hard.
Here is a photo of my ten year old wheels with 80,000 miles on them. These are raw unprotected forged aluminum. BTW I use Zaino car polish on them.


http://evil-twin.smugmug.com/Cars/My...DSC00959-L.jpg

:iagree: Those look great! I stripped a set of C5 thin spoke wheels, and they make the clear coated wheels pale in comparison.
http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/...forsale005.jpg

Same here. I stripped the clear coat, and polished them to a brilliant shine. All I need is a fresh coat of metal polish 2-3 times a year.

"You can spend the money to have them stripped and re cleared...but that is expensive , and the cost would go along way
to buying a new set of after market wheels, or reproductions which I do recommend. @ 700.00 dollars":D
http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/a...7ScIQ60_57.jpg
:thumbs:"Chrome allows less cleaning time = More driving time!":thumbs: "Might look sharp on a Vert!"



007
:cool:

Nice miss quote.. and for that Ill add that @ 700 your reproduction wheels will easily bend on a good pot hole ... because they are cheaply made, and that's why they are so cheap.. when a wheel manufacturer focus is on being cheap, there is no room for quality. These cheap wheels are the worst possible thing you can put on your car unless you never drive it. Ive received many Pm's about reproduction wheels bending over the years here. Many people are posers and don't understand that cheap and quality do not go in the same sentence... Because wheels are a critical safety feature and effect handling, ride and tire longevity.. its a high cost decision to buy cheap wheels
, and for sure the wrong decision, Talk about lack of quality.. the barrels are not even polished or chromed... You can put a nice dress on a pig, but at the end of the day its still a pig.

I'm with Evil Twin...

I have had my bare aluminum wheels 5 years now.... A little spit polishing with Adam's polish here and there, and they still look like new :thumbs:

If they get scratched from a rock or something I sand off the scratch, and polish it back to a brilliant shine ! :cheers:

I don't recommend bare aluminum for a daily driver, but for a weekend car like mine they are easy to keep in perfect shape. :yesnod:

Toque

http://www.toquez06.com/ccw/ccw6.jpg

'I suppose I should have looked into what made a good wheel, 'A Good Wheel.' I did not realize I was buying a POS or miss-quoting. My apologue. Thanks!



007

While I agree with what you say 99% of the time, the factory rims aren't exactly the shining example of top quality. I've probably read more threads about cracked factory rims than bent aftermarket rims.

Learn something everyday !Did not know the rims were clear coated.

Thank you all, very much, for the very informative responses. Great pics!
I'm not afraid of some hard work in stripping and polishing the OEM wheels but I'm getting up there in years and lack any sort of garage facility with a lift or good jacking equipment so taking off the wheels, demounting the tires, etc., etc., turns into more of a job. That being said, the winters in MI are long and one has to have something to do............. ;)

The rims are in pretty good shape considering the age, very little abrasions or curb rash. The car is low miles and wasn't driven much the last few years. That being said, the clear coat is getting a little foggy and there are signs that it will flake here and there. I suppose that a new set of wheels are always an option. However, having just had every fluid, filter, etc., under the sun replaced (because I wanted a baseline and the car had been sitting so who knows when some of the service was done last - CarFax doesn't show everything - plus took care of a synchro issue and laid out a few dollars for a HallteK cold air system, I'm approaching budget limits, especially if I have to replace tires too. Have to think about this....
At any rate, Season's Greetings to all and thank you for the prompt and helpful responses. It's a pleasure to be part of a community like this.
Charles

Your 505's look like 505A's to me.

I agree, right now I am looking at some after market wheels to replace my factory C-5 thin spokes. WHY Not because they are a pain to clean or they got bent in a chuck hole, one of the rears is cracking right where the spoke meets the outter edge of the rim, so I guess my GM wheels are also not " a shining example of top quality ".

Let's see, my cheap wheels may bend, my factory wheels WILL crack, I'll have to think about it, NOT.

I did not remove the tires when I stripped mine. You can jack the car and do one wheel at a time, as I did. A perfect winter project!

If that pic is recent you really need to look into lowering that 4x4 of yours...:hide:

:D:D j/k, you have the wheels that I want to eventually have on my car. Yours look just as good as Toque keeps his, and that's saying something. :cheers:

I'm seriously considering doing this over the winter, one wheel at a time to get rid of the road rash and restore the flawless shine to my wheels. How difficult was the stripping process? Did the clearcoat come off fairly easily or did you have to work at it?

I have a bent aftermarket wheel, whereas the 13 year-old factory wheels were still in good condition when I sold them several weeks ago.

Luckily the guy who balanced it for me in Arizona on my last trip out there was really good. Between rebalancing the wheel and a good four-wheel alignment the shake I had to deal with on that trip is gone. I wouldn't think or know the wheel was bent if I hadn't seen it for myself. :yesnod: