how do i clean up stock wheels?

[turbogimp]

hi i am on a budget (who isn't when you have 3 kids and a wife) and was wondering the best way to clean up stock alm.wheels? the prev. owner(s) i belive painted them and poorly too. i also thought about polishing them. what is the best way to do this? what metareals would i need? do i need to sand blast them? any info or advice would be greatly helpfull.



thanks in advance

 

[racemybuick]

POWER WASH!!! HAHAHA. Now it is time to visit your local home depot or other hardware renter, and get that power washer with the interchangable tips. Give it a good blasting, making sure to remove any and all paint. Take a look when you think you are done and then you can decide how to bring back that luster! Each wheel is going to take a while, so be prepared to spend a saturday on the thing. Good luck, HTH!!!

John

 

[racemybuick]

P.S. Got any pics of that ride? I got some friends up in syracuse, send me an email! I'd like to see that car someday!

Racemybuick@aol.com

John

 

[edchapman]

For after you get the wheels clean the first time.
My stock 84 T-Type and 87 GN wheels get waxed when I
wax the cars and cleaned often with McGuires final inspection
spray. My 87T wheels I use wheel cleaner on before washing.

bye, Ed
http://edchapman.tripod.com/cars.html
84 T-Type WH1 15.4@89 stock, 87 T 14.1@97 stock, 87 GN stock 399/400 points

 

[49-blues]

Try Eagle One aluminum wheel cleaner- works great!

 

[Bat]

Which wheels do you have?

T or GN. Mine is a T and the wheels had a factory coating on then. This is what I did and you should find a spot to test any method and see what works for you. I used paint stripper on each wheel then a fine sand paper with a buffer wheel and hand polish for a shine. They came out with a shine and with more time( lots of rubbing) could look like chrome.

 

[racemybuick]

BAT, did you use any coating after the stripping? As I have found with most aluminum rims, once you remove the original coating, they corrode extremely easily. DO you have pictures of your wheels? I also have the t wheels, but mine are in almost new shape.

John

 

[Bat]

I used parts store products and so far they still look good. I have film in the camera but, haven't finished the roll.

 

[turbogimp]

ok so i got the power wash but, that is not enough to remove the old nasty paint. i have t wheels. you can check out a pic of my car at http://members.aol.com/wh1regal/john.html the main question that i have now is after i strip the paint and start to polish the wheels do i need to coat it with some kind of clear coat or will a wax do the job? i dont want to have to polish the wheels every day or want them to corrode badly. thanks

 

[redhotrod]

http://www.eastwood.com/department.asp?dep_key1=mfb&SKW=FBUFF
These guys have exellent products for the diy'er. Look for the diamond clearcoat to protect your wheels after cleaning them up.
good luck

 

[tbucket1984]

Hey gimp he's got a good idea with eastwood they have good stuff, I have used por 15 wheel polishing kit and it's great. They have the stripper, seperate clearcoat and everything. Plus it's guarenteed a lifetime. Go to www.por15.com to check it out.

 

[turbogimp]

Cool thanks, now i just need to figure out witch one i want to go with.

 

[fullahotair]

turbogimp,

I live in syracuse as well, if you need any help on your car, let me know.

Nathyn

 

[turbogimp]

hay Nathyn,
I have been talking to Nathan from CNY are you the other nathyn he was talking about? What about John with his T and GN. e-mail me we'll talk alittle more.

later John

 

[fullahotair]

thats me.

drop me an email... speedst83@aol.com

 

[mike85gn]

A friend of mine had his stock wheels reconditioned to absolutely mint condition for $400 CDN. Might be worth looking into in the long run.

Here's a pic with the reconditioned rims:

 

[fireberd350]

A buddy of mine has 4 T wheels in GREAT condition that hes selling. Last i heard was $100 for the set w/ tires too i think Can't beat that. His name on here is Vsix and I got his phone # if you need it. If you need anything else he has a building full of Turbo Regals and can hook ya up.

 

[turbogimp]

is there any way i can see pics? and are they still $100? if so e-mail me with his phone # turbogimp@yahoo.com
thanks