Alright, so I cleaned and started wet sanding one of my new wheels this morning. After an hour, this is what I've got.



It polishes up pretty nice once that nasty old clear is off, but I foresee a ton of work just in sanding and polishing the scratches that result from stripping the clear.

Is there any product that will quickly and safely strip the clear off the wheels without causing damage or etching? E-Z Off? Mineral spirits? Lacquer thinner?

What have you used in the past?

 

Your problem is it is hard to find a product that wil strip the clear and not eat the aluminum. Your doing the beat thing,alot of work yes but will give the best finish in the end.Try starting with a 400 grit wet/dry thin finsh with a 1200 and then polish.

 

I saw a guy use muriatic acid on his wheels and they look clean as new,Gigger (try it on a small spot first, make sure you wear rubber gloves)

 

Was just wondering about this last week. :)
Wondering whether it'd make the wheels look better or worse. LOL :)
...and what to use.

Haven't tried it yet, need an answer to the first question first. LOL :)
...anyway, figured I'd try used brake fluid.

Wanna try it for me? :)
Puddle up a little bit of brake fluid in one corner of the wheel and let
it set for a few days. ...poke at it with a stick ever so often. ;)

The idea would be to brush it all over if the test works out and repeat
that every chance you get and let it "do the work" as if it were "cheap
as dirt paint remover" and so time doesn't count. ;)

Alvin in AZ
ps- Like Gigger said, acid yes, lye (oven cleaner) no. ;)

 

I suggested the oven cleaner because of the thread about polishing the trim and grille shell. E-Z Off was used successfully to strip off the anodizing, and the aluminum pieces came out looking fabulous. I figured that if thin aluminum pieces could be stripped this way, solid aluminum wheels would be even easier.

Alvin, I tried the brake fluid this morning because I remembered that I had made that very same suggestion to the trim polishing thread. Made the clearcoat sticky, but not really sure how to strip it off after that. I didn't want to scrape at it, so I tried wet sanding it off. Didn't work. I'm not real keen on applying something and then leaving it to sit unwatched.

I'd actually be most apprehensive about using acid.

Still open to ideas. I think I'll try Foamy Engine Brite next. When I've gotten it on anything I've painted, it has peeled the paint right off. I got both lacquer thinner and mineral spirits in the shed, so I'll try them too if necessary.

 

What about aircraft paint stripper that comes in a spray can at Auto-Zone and Advanced-Auto.

 

Eastwood sells a clearcoat removal product. It is expensive, but it can be reused.

 

HERE IS THE ANSWER!!

Props to 4X4 Bart...AutoZone, $6.99 per can, Rust Oleum auto stripper spray. I'll let the results speak for themselves. These are not the same wheel, but you'll get the idea.

Before...



and after...



3 coats (half a can), a plastic scraper, a soapy rag, and plenty of water to rinse. It immediately began taking the clear coat off! 30 minutes later, this was the result.

Of course, I had more work to do like cleaning out the lug holes and the inside of the bullet holes and sanding and polishing the pitted areas (I hate it when the weights are put on the outside!!!). This wheel is by far the worst, and I almost have it done. Total time- 3 hours so far. I'll try to post pics of the wheel as it is tomorrow afternoon, when I have good light. Who knows- I may have two done by then!

Alvin in AZ, use it wisely, my friend.

 

Nice, now you can just polish and wax them and you will have a better shine than any clearcoat!

 

Well, here they are...all stripped, all detailed, and with their new lug nuts and locks.

It will probably be a few days before I actually mount them on the truck, as I have a few things I have to get done first.

 

Cool. :)

Ok, so now we wait and see how they do "bare naked"? :)
Will you post some new pics here in half a year or so?

Alvin in AZ
ps- "here" as in... "this thread"

 

Looks fantastic, I love polished wheels, this makes me even more excited for my new wheels, whenever spring comes!!!! Are those 235/75r15?

 

What Alvin said, please keep us posted how long it takes before you notice that the wheels need polishing again. They look great right now!

 

They should last, at least with my experience with aftermarket wheels, they have, just keep them clean and they're fine!

 

Got 'em on this week! They look pretty good, but it seems like they are begging for center caps. I don't like the factory Ford centers because they are so bulky and cover so much of the wheel, but I can't find any others that will fit. These wheels have a ridge at the very inside of the center bore, and the outside of the bore measures 3.5". Any suggestions?







By the way, I went to get one of the tires plugged after I pulled a nail out of it. Found out that apparently in NC, commercial businesses cannot plug tires anymore. They have to be patched from the inside. That turned a $6 repair into a $19.95 repair! They had to de-mount the tire, wash it out, wash the inside of the wheel, patch the tire, re-mount it, low pressure test it for leaks, inflate to proper PSI, retest for leaks, and balance the wheel. Took about 20 minutes to do, and afterward I was warned not to really load it down, as the tire was dry-rotted a bit on the inside. My, how things change...