Charlie Frazer wrote:
>
> Does anyone have any suggestions on refinishing aluminum LE wheels?
> I'd be grateful for DIY suggestions on the following:
Charlie,
I have made quite a habit of "rescuing" aluminum factory rims from
junkyards,
since it is normally several hundred dollars cheaper than buying new rims.
Since
you've got those great LE rims, I'm sure you plan on keeping them. First of
all,
before you start anything, make sure the wheels are true and not cracked. A
good
straight-edge can check for warpage, while you might want to take them to a
garage or
machine shop to check their roundness. Nothing sucks worse than refinishing a
wheel
and having it lose air because it isn't true.
> 1. removing old clearcoat
After the wheels are found to be true, I would start be removing the
old
clearcoat. The best way I found to do this is by using a wire wheel attachment
on
your Gibbonizer or power drill. Some folks might use chemicals, but by wire
wheeling
allows you remove many scratches and also add a 'grain' to the aluminum. Be
sure to
use a softer wheel, so the aluminum isn't scored by the brush. You'd probably
want to
sand the old paint off the painted area during this step. Try the wire wheel,
or
you might be able to get away with sanding the coat of paint without removing
it. Expect to spend a few days doing this step.
> 2. prep and polishing
After the clearcoat is off, you can sand the wheels with a soft
sandpaper to
remove some of the grain, if that's what you want. On most of the wheels that
I have
done, I left the grain in the aluminum, which offered a subtle, classic effect.
If
you want a shiny polished finish, sand the wheel with fine grit sandpaper to
remove
the grain, then use your trusty Dremel polishing wheel to add a luster to the
finish.
I used an aluminum polish for this step on a set of wheels with dazzling
results.
> 3. painting-color and source
I dunno what color the LE rims used. All of the fill for my wheels was
simply
black, since I was creating wheels for a black car! I think it would look
stunning
to use the same color as your car for the painted areas of youe LE wheels, but
that's
my opinion. Use automotive-grade paint, not canned spray paint. Many
clear-coats
will pull up a coat of spray paint when applied.
> 4. clearcoating
OK, one set of wheels for a car of mine did not get clear coated. It
was just
fine, even into the winter and salt. The only maintenance for the bare metal
was
brushing it with a soft wire brush every month or so to keep the fresh metal
shine.
When finishing the polished wheels, the clearcoat had to be 'specially mixed'
according to my grandfather, who did the spraying. Three years later, some of
the
clearcoat has chipped, but it isn't serious. If you want the brushed aluminum
look, I
would recommend not using a clearcoat, since it's easier to brush the metal
once a
month than refinish the wheels every few years if they get chipped. If you do
decide
to clearcoat the rims, sand them, prep-sol them, then spray 'em. It's a very
simple
process, and requires less maintenance than chrome rims, IMHO. Just remember
that
your preparation is the key to the quality of the finished product. If you
need any
advice, feel free to e-mail me and I'll help you out in any way possible. Good
Luck!
--
Michael S. Lishego
St. Andrews Presbyterian College
Elementary Education Major,
English Minor, Class of 1999
R.A. of Winston-Salem Hall
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