refinishing aluminum wheels without paint.

[ERG80]

I bought a set of rough wheels to refinish from a 93 FJ. The original plan was just to paint them using the same method used in this center cap refinishing thread.

After sandblasting them I used a file to smooth out some trail blemishes around the outer rim. The places I filed looked shiny so that got me thinking if i really needed to paint or would just sanding and clear coating them look ok. I searched and there have been a few threads about doing this but none I found had final results of clear coat only.

Here's what I'm going to try:
1. Sand blast the wheels.
2. Wire wheel to get back the shine.
3. Wet sand to blend the swirls and give it a uniform look.
4. Then coat with adhesion promoter and clear coat.

 

[ERG80]

How the wheels looked when I got them.
Then Sand Blasted
And after a quick refinish with a wire wheel.

 

[ERG80]

Its already a close match to the DupliColor #88-00511 Platinum recommended for the center caps.

Still needs to be wet sanded.

 

[ERG80]

They turned out pretty well. Now to see how long the finish lasts.

Start with the holes in the wheels then move to the outside surfaces. It is easier to blend swirl marks left from the wire wheel.
Also I think I could probably have skipped the sand blasting and just used the wire wheel.

pic 1 wet sanded
pic 2 clear coated

 

[Paul_L]

I would have used something softer then sand. Some kind of plastic bead or walnut shells to keep the aluminum damage to a minimum. It looks like you only needed to remove the old clear coat. With luck, wet sanding with some fine paper will do the trick.

You could also try the Powerball: http://www.mothers.com/02_products/05140.html

Paul

 

[LINUS]

I've been putting off getting the Eastwood kit that really goes through the range of grit in wheels for a air grinder - end result in their pics used a Ford Exploder wheel that looks pretty good (to me anyhow) - I'll be interested to see your result/method as the Eastwood one came a little close to looking like a chromed wheel, and that's a bit much by me. Good luck though!

 

[ERG80]

The wheels were pretty rough from trail use. Plus I don't know of anywhere in town who does anything besides sand.

Thanks for the link. I may get one to see how it works.

I would have used something softer then sand. Some kind of plastic bead or walnut shells to keep the aluminum damage to a minimum. It looks like you only needed to remove the old clear coat. With luck, wet sanding with some fine paper will do the trick.

You could also try the Powerball: Mothers® PowerBall®

Paul

 

[1shot1kill]

I fretted over my rims for years, but now I just let them be OD and dirty! Good work!

 

[ERG80]

Thanks. Your rig is awesome.

I fretted over my rims for years, but now I just let them be OD and dirty! Good work!

 

[ERG80]

Now to refinish the center caps.

 

[CruiserJack]

Those look great! Good write up.

 

[darnold87]

I soaked my OEM wheels with NMP (Methylpyrrolidone); using TP to hold the NMP solvent in contact with the wheel. After 24 hours, the original clearcoat flakes off, leaving the shiny aluminum. At that point I decided to sand and repaint... just thought I'd mention it...

 

[Rozzi]

The wheels were pretty rough from trail use. Plus I don't know of anywhere in town who does anything besides sand.

Thanks for the link. I may get one to see how it works.

Good job. They turned out well. Fortunately, my wheels cleaned up pretty well on my new-to-me 80. I did find the platinum Nissan paint for my centers. I was pleased with result.

 

[aroscow]

Got mine chemically stripped, blasted then powder coated - can get it done cheap over here, well we think its cheap.

Results are very nice too.

 

[Tapage]

mines are good and I have the plan as you .. just remove the old clear and let the alum alone .. ( it can be polish )

 

[darnold87]

I really thought about leaving the bare aluminum as it looked nice and I don't mind the old school bare aluminum look. But in the end I went with the Duplicolor Graphite paint that others have done and it worked great...

mines are good and I have the plan as you .. just remove the old clear and let the alum alone .. ( it can be polish )

 

[Tapage]

I really thought about leaving the bare aluminum as it looked nice and I don't mind the old school bare aluminum look. But in the end I went with the Duplicolor Graphite paint that others have done and it worked great...

the Methylpyrrolidone clean the clearcoat and the dirt too .? as my wheels are nice ( no dents at all ) can be a option to me .. where do you source it ?

 

[rolliges]

Trying to find a source for NMP.

Thanks

 

[scrowley]

Zip Strip also works well. Only takes about 15 min to peel off. It can be bought at Home Depot. I ended up just painting mine after messing around with stripping one and polishing it....and so on. Would have taken to much time for what I was looking for.

 

[cahill]

Looks nice! I've been meaning to get around to doing mine sometime and it's nice to see that leaving it original aluminum works out. Thanks for the post.