Wheels and stoned birds

I have a set of 10-holes in good shape but discolored. If I remember correctly, previous discussions recommended using aircraft paint remover to clean discolored aluminum wheels. After the stuff is off, do I need to apply a clear coat right away, or is there something I should do first? Is there a particular brand or type of clear coat that works best?

While I have the aircraft paint remover, one of the trim pieces I have has been painted with black paint that bubbled really bad. Can the aircraft paint remover be safely used on the rubber trim pieces, thus allowing me to "kill two birds with one stone?" If not, does anyone have any other recommendations?

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Mike Walsted
1986 5-speed TurboCoupe .

Not sure if the stripper will melt the plastic or not. It might, depending on the stripper formulation. If it is methyl chloride based, it will melt plastic. Maybe just sand the paint off the trim? I had some trim with a botched repair like yours, and it didnt take me very long to sand all the bad paint off.

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Jeff Korn

88 Turbo Coupe: Intake and exhaust mods, T3 turbo at 20 psi, forced air intercooler, water injection, bypass valve, Ranger roller cam, subframes, etc., etc.. // 86 Tbird 5.0 (original owner): intake, exhaust, valvetrain mods, 100 HP nitrous, ignition, gears, suspension, etc., etc.... // 91 Escort: Bone stock winter car // 00 Windstar (wifes vehicle)

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Walsted:

Why not forget the clear and apply a coat of Mother's(not an add)alum wheel polish.
If you keep them clean and wash them occasionally they look a lot better imo.
The shine is more natural and water beads off the Mother's.
As for the plastic and stripper you'd have to try a small section and be ready for a reaction.

Mike, I stripped the clear coat off the aluminum rim on my truck. Then purchase a set of small buffs from EastWood Company and buffed the wheels. They turned out looking great. Haven't at this time clear coated them and they have oxidized a little. Thinking about trying the mother's polish. I've heard it was very good but have never used it. Eastwood also carries a good clear coat for wheels a friend of mine used it and you can't really tell he put it on, the shine is great.

As for the rubber or plastic trim. I think I would sand it also, or at least get a stripper that is not as harsh as the aircraft type.

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1986 Turbo Coupe, basically stock at this time/ 1988 Cougar LX 5.0 (soon to be gone)/ 1990 Bronco II / 1991 F150 ex cab 4X4

Thanks for the advice on sanding the paint off of the trim. I used a fine sandpaper and it came right off in under five minutes worth of work.


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Mike Walsted
1986 5-speed TurboCoupe .

You don't have to redo the clear coat on the rims, however you do need to keep them clean with weekly washing and wax once a month or so. If you don't, it will just make them harder to clean and brake dust will etch itself into the alum if left on for long periods. There is several good alum polishes on the market today, hell just using Never Dull is good but doesn't last long. At Carlisle this year, I picked up some alum & metal polish at a booth that is just incredible. It's by far the best stuff I have found/used to date. It actually removes fine scratches and swirl marks (even from sand paper use) and brightens the alum to an amazing finish without much work like conventional polishes. Unfortunately I can't remember what the name of this stuff is. I'll try to remember to get the name tonight.

If you want to put the clear back on the rims, I highly recommend taking the striped rims to a paint shop and have them do the clear coat. What you can do will a spray can at home will be ok for a few years (maybe) but just will not hold up over time like having a shop do it where it can be baked on in a heat booth. Depends on what you're after. If you don't mind sriping and redoing clear every few years than that's the cheaper way to go.

For clear coat spray, I would look to Eastwood catalog or go to NAPA and ask for their best clear coat spray. Eastwood specializes in items for restoring cars so they have alot of the better products available.

I don't necessarily want to put clear coat back on; I just don't want to have them oxidize after I put the tires on, and didn't think about any other methods. I wasn't aware that waxes or polishes would seal good enough to prevent oxidation, provided I kept it up - thanks for the tip.

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Mike Walsted
1986 5-speed TurboCoupe .

I don't necessarily want to put clear coat back on; I just don't want to have them oxidize after I put the tires on, and didn't think about any other methods. I wasn't aware that waxes or polishes would seal good enough to prevent oxidation, provided I kept it up - thanks for the tip.

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Mike Walsted
1986 5-speed TurboCoupe .

Good, waxes and routine washing will do just fine. Personally I think uncleared wheels look better anyway, you just have to be sure you keep wax on them, ESPECIALLY in the winter time if you are in an area that uses road salt. There is a few types of temporary coatings you can use on the wheels in the winter that are sorta like clear but it can be washed/removed easily. One trick that's cheap is to apply a light coat of Vaseline to the wheels during the harsh winter times. It will give it a coating that prevents salt and contaminents from getting to the finish, yet it can be easily washed off and reapplied as needed.