Alloy wheel restoration

[cheezypoof]

The 16" wheels on the '97 80 I just bought need some TLC, corrosion and peeling clearcoat. Doesn't do the truck justice so I'd like to get them pretty again. Anyone have a local wheel restoration shop they recommend, or a set of these you want to sell? Thx

 

[69LC]

We have a guy on here who can powdercoat!

You would have to have the wheels blasted first.

@dogfishlake

 

[cheezypoof]

We have a guy on here who can powdercoat!

You would have to have the wheels blasted first.

@dogfishlake

good to know, thanks!

 

[Golgo13]

If you want powder coating, look up Rad Coatings on Facebook. They will blast and paint and are somewhat local and very easy to work with. Not the cleanest or most professional shop, but capable.
Otherwise, I'd find someone to blast them clean(I'm sure Rad coatings could do that or even a body shop) and use normal paint. Nobody does the aluminum pre-treatment for better paint adhesion, so they'll both hold up about the same. I'm partial to liquid over powder for wheel refurbishment since the bake cycle for powder artificially ages the wheels and they are already aged/used.

 

[cheezypoof]

If you want powder coating, look up Rad Coatings on Facebook. They will blast and paint and are somewhat local and very easy to work with. Not the cleanest or most professional shop, but capable.
Otherwise, I'd find someone to blast them clean(I'm sure Rad coatings could do that or even a body shop) and use normal paint. Nobody does the aluminum pre-treatment for better paint adhesion, so they'll both hold up about the same. I'm partial to liquid over powder for wheel refurbishment since the bake cycle for powder artificially ages the wheels and they are already aged/used.

Thanks, that's super helpful.

My preference is to keep a stock look, I was hoping these could be stripped/blasted and brought back to life with clear coat. Is that crazy talk? Maybe they're too far gone already. Looks like reconditioned OEM wheels are available online for $160-$170 shipped so that's also an option.

 

[Golgo13]

@cheezypoof here is the deal:
In production, the wheel is cast, heat treated, machined, painted, face-machined and clear-coated.
To get good adhesion for new paint, you'll need to take it all back down to bare metal to remove any contaminants from oxides, etc.
For re-coating, unless you have access to the equipment to do the face-machining, it will never look as good as OE.
Detroit Wheel and Tire might be able to refinish including the machining(they have the equipment for it), but they can be higher cost than it might be worth to you.
Another option would be to rattle-can the whole thing and carefully sand or brush the face to get that machined look back. In theory, you could make any texture you want depending on how much time you want to spend on it. You can even polish cast aluminum, but paint doesn't stick so well to a polished surface unless you use a chemical pre-treatment.
After getting the face finish you want, clean it well and clear over top. just try not to get paint on the mounting face nor the seats of the wheel nuts.

Or just go to town on them with some "Sparkle silver" spray or PC and it will be close enough unless you want some other tone. Of course, you still want to prime(with Aluminum Primer), color, and clear them for longevity.

 

[cheezypoof]

@cheezypoof here is the deal:
In production, the wheel is cast, heat treated, machined, painted, face-machined and clear-coated.
To get good adhesion for new paint, you'll need to take it all back down to bare metal to remove any contaminants from oxides, etc.
For re-coating, unless you have access to the equipment to do the face-machining, it will never look as good as OE.
Detroit Wheel and Tire might be able to refinish including the machining(they have the equipment for it), but they can be higher cost than it might be worth to you.
Another option would be to rattle-can the whole thing and carefully sand or brush the face to get that machined look back. In theory, you could make any texture you want depending on how much time you want to spend on it. You can even polish cast aluminum, but paint doesn't stick so well to a polished surface unless you use a chemical pre-treatment.
After getting the face finish you want, clean it well and clear over top. just try not to get paint on the mounting face nor the seats of the wheel nuts.

Or just go to town on them with some "Sparkle silver" spray or PC and it will be close enough unless you want some other tone. Of course, you still want to prime(with Aluminum Primer), color, and clear them for longevity.

Thanks @Golgo13

This confirms my suspicion that doing it myself is a bad idea - I'd mess it up and be disappointed. I called Detroit Wheel Works in Royal Oak, he said $550 all-in. I sent pics and he was confident he could get them back in shape. Will try Detroit Wheel & Tire too.

~$500 is acceptable considering how much the wheels let the truck down, but other things to focus on first. In the meantime maybe a decent set comes along Mud classifieds.

p.s. are you driving your 80 or FJ Cruiser around A2? I'll keep an eye out. Our 60 is bronze, and the new 80 is green (currently easy to spot by the big rust patch above the windshield, but that's going away next week...).

 

[Mi60cruzr]

i have a pair from my 92 i would sell. Dont know if their the same or not

 

[cheezypoof]

i have a pair from my 92 i would sell. Dont know if their the same or not

I appreciate the offer. I believe those are 15" and the '97 uses 16s. Not 100% on that. But thanks!

 

[69LC]

Oh, I forgot about Duplicolor wheel paint. I used it on my wife’s 95 wheels and like the tough finish. I used the gunmetal grey. My then young kids helped me hand sand, but having them blasted would be a better surface for adhesion.