stock wheel striping & recoating

Dan B

Junior Member
tires are off wheels...wondering what products to use to strip/clean & re-coat stock wheels, & where to get the products. thanks
 

SY2932

Administrator
Re: stock wheel striping & recoating

"Aircraft remover" is the way to go, pretty much all the automotive chain stores have it. It can be had in aerosol or metal can form. For best results, the temperature should be over 70 degrees when you apply it and be sure to wear gloves... Some folks like to get a big container large enough to set the rim in and put it face down in the stripper.

As far as protecting the surface afterwards, Zoop seal is one of the more popular sealers out there. However, I have no experience using it. The Eastwood Company has a product known as diamond clear that I have used with decent results. On buffed aluminum, it will dull the surface slightly. Shouldn't make a difference on a stock finish though.
 

Dan B

Junior Member
Re: stock wheel striping & recoating

that is some damn good information man, thank-you :tup:
 

Aeroking

e.i.
Re: stock wheel striping & recoating

Yeah i did, aircraft stripper, scotchbrite pads, with soap/water, then Duplicolor Spray clear.

Before
Syclone%20Wheel%20net.jpg



After
01.07.07-16.JPG
 
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ShuggsRR

Donating Member
Re: stock wheel striping & recoating

Aeroking said:
Yeah i did, aircraft stripper, scotchbrite pads, with soap/water, then Duplicolor Spray clear.

Holy crap! NICE!!!!
 

Aeroking

e.i.
Re: stock wheel striping & recoating

they were actually starting to pit, thats why i scuffed them with the scotchbrite, from a foot away, you can see some high/low shadows, but beyond that they look good.
 

syclomatic

Syclone #2481
Re: stock wheel striping & recoating

I am thinking about doing the same thing in the next few days, but what would i do if i wanted to polish the wheels, i have never worked with aluminum before. Also, what finisher would be the best for polished wheels?
 

Aeroking

e.i.
Re: stock wheel striping & recoating

a friend of mine polished his

09.10.06-10.JPG


if i rememer correctly, he used like 3000 grit sand paper, and then a buffing kit from Eastwood Company

alot of guys on here polished they'res so i'm sure you'll get good instructions.
 

SY2932

Administrator
Re: stock wheel striping & recoating

Aeroking said:
alot of guys on here polished they'res so i'm sure you'll get good instructions.

Yup, not to much to it if you aren't afraid of a little elbow grease:





You won't need anywhere near as much equipment to do a set or rims as to do this:



I did a "how to" buff this past summer here. That will give you an idea what is needed if you decide to tackle it yourself.
 

rodent

Member
Re: stock wheel striping & recoating

I just did mine last night with the wheels on the truck. Used a can of aircraft stripper (spray can) and went to the carwash. Had to do it twice and there's still some spots that I'm going to have to re-do. I think a stiff nylon brush would help get the old cear coat and would not scratch the alum. like the scotch brite does. I do have some white spots that I will have to try and work out in the alum. A good polish should work nice on the lip but should not be use on the machine part of the wheel to avoid black hazing. I should got two cans of stripper.
 

ShuggsRR

Donating Member
Re: stock wheel striping & recoating

rodent said:
I just did mine last night with the wheels on the truck. Used a can of aircraft stripper (spray can) and went to the carwash. Had to do it twice and there's still some spots that I'm going to have to re-do. I think a stiff nylon brush would help get the old cear coat and would not scratch the alum. like the scotch brite does. I do have some white spots that I will have to try and work out in the alum. A good polish should work nice on the lip but should not be use on the machine part of the wheel to avoid black hazing. I should got two cans of stripper.

Can you post some pics?
 

SY756

New member
Re: stock wheel striping & recoating

Aeroking said:
Yeah i did, aircraft stripper, scotchbrite pads, with soap/water, then Duplicolor Spray clear.

Did you use the spray or in the can and brush it on? I have some in the can but was wondering what technique you used. Did you use a large container and let it sit for a bit or just brush it or spray it on and then use the scotchbrites? BTW looks good.
 

Aeroking

e.i.
Re: stock wheel striping & recoating

i used the canned stripper. looks like glue. i put it on heavily, with a paint brush, you can do it once or twice, depending on how heavy you put it on, cause you might have some clear left after once. I washed with water between coats, and the used thinnerto clean, before another coat of stripper until all the clear was off.

the only reason i used scotchbrites was because my wheels were starting to pit due to corrosion. If your wheels dont have pits, then the stripper and clear is all you need. I just used scotchbrites because i wanted to clean out the pits, without ruining the grain, like sand paper would do.

It took some generous coats of clear (enamel spray) to create a smooth finish over the grained surface. Not too generous, but a nice even coat.

i used that Duplicolor touchup Brush/RollerBallTip little bottle to paint the GMC on the caps, and to paint my "Syclone 4.3 Turbo" on my intake. Good stuff.

Duplicolor Clear Enamel
Duplicolor ScratchFix Brush/RollerBall

BTW this may sound stupid, or repeatative, but if your gonna run an abrasive across your wheels (scotchbrite/sandpaper/polisher) do it with the circular grain, NOT against, or you'll ruin the grain look.


Stripper i used looks like this.

strippers2.jpg
 
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SY756

New member
Re: stock wheel striping & recoating

Thanks, that's what I wanted to know. Really like the way you're wheels came out and don't want to mess mine up. There are probably some pits and stuff so I'll use the scotchbrite. Thanks again. I'll take some before and after pics.
BTW, what the hell is in that jar??? :)
 
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Aeroking

e.i.
Re: stock wheel striping & recoating

SY756 said:
BTW, what the hell is in that jar??? :)

i dunno, i grabbed the pic from the web, the stipper i use, looks like that one. thats why i got it.
 

rodent

Member
Re: stock wheel striping & recoating

If I had to do it over again, I would of just did the bucket dip method (no tires). There was still spots of clear coat left that I couldn't get off unless I did another application and I did it 3 times already. The rough cast parts also had some clear that wouldn't come off. I suppose if I did enough applications, it would of all came off eventually. The stripper doesn't feel that great when it gets on your skin from the high pressure rinse spray either. I tried not to get it on my paint. For a clear coat, I used the wheel clear paint since it seams to hold up better than others. The wheels still came out much better than before.

The bad thing is I just found out they were all bent. :( I already ordered some 17's for my winters and are waiting to be installed. Be sure your wheels aren't bent first before you spend all the time stripping/clearing them.
 
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