Any luck restoring original wheels?

[Her Name Is Bernice]

Did a search and didn't find anything.

Just got a 93 FJZ80 and it's my first. I've had tons of other projects, but never a LC.

I'm trying to get her as good as possible using elbow grease instead of $$. The wheels are pitted pretty bad but I feel like i can save them.

I tried rubbing compound, was, and Mothers Aluminum Polish and none of them made any difference at all (besides to clean some dirt off.)

Anyone have any recommendations? Degreaser maybe?
Thanks.

 

[PDoyle]

The wheels are polished by the factory. You need to polish them with metal polish. But there are probably chips in the rims. So it will look ok but not great. Cheapest way to go is to paint them using cans taping the tires off before. The paint wears off in time though.
I just got mine powder coated at about $100 per. wheel.

 

[haydenwyatt]

this thread may be helpful to you!

https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/725662-wheel-refinish-krikey.html

 

[cruiserdan]

The wheels are polished by the factory. You need to polish them with metal polish. But there are probably chips in the rims. So it will look ok but not great. Cheapest way to go is to paint them using cans taping the tires off before. The paint wears off in time though.
I just got mine powder coated at about $100 per. wheel.

They aren't exactly "polished". They have a "machined" finish with rough pockets. They are also clear-coated. Duplicating the factory finish would be quite difficult.

I had a set of nasty ones glass bead blasted front and back and I shot them with Duplicolor silver wheel paint. That color is almost a dead-on match for the paint finish on the plastic center caps. The set I worked over came off of my wife's truck that lived in New York for several years. They were really ugly. I was about to throw them out before I had them blasted.

After dealing with a freshly bead blasted wheel I would not do anything else with a nasty wheel. It was too easy to pay ~20 bucks a wheel and drink beers while someone else dealt with the mess.

 

[OGBeno]

It was too easy to pay ~20 bucks a wheel and drink beers while someone else dealt with the mess.

 

[PDoyle]

As always, it's all about who you know.

 

[Her Name Is Bernice]

this thread may be helpful to you!

https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/725662-wheel-refinish-krikey.html

They really did a nice job. They looked pretty good just stripped. I wonder if you could just clear it after that and leave it alone.

 

[MicahMan]

I love the look of stock powder coated wheels. I couldn't afford it though on my other project 40. So I wire wheeled them and spray painted them. They look great after a year!

 

[Michael Hanson]

I see used ones in this area for sale all the time and at salvage yards for 20 a piece. Mike

 

[Her Name Is Bernice]

What's the deal with the two different lug styles? I think there is one for 93-94 and a different one for newer?

 

[aviator31]

Real happy with how mine turned out. Sandblast, clean, filler primer, primer, couple coats of graphite color paint, and a couple of coats of clear. Good as new IMO.