Old Aluminum Rims Look New Again

[MikeA]

Are you struggling trying to get your old aluminum rims look new and shiny again?

Have you tried a bunch of different products to get your rim to look new, but they still have a yellowish tint and dull look to them, even stains that are difficult to remove.

What happens is the factory clear coat has reached it's life span, dirt , mud, salt, sun, etc., has abused the clear coat, to the point, you are just wasting money on aluminum polishes, rim cleaners, etc.

It is time to make your old aluminum rims look new again, with that shine that says, " look at me, I look great".

What you will need:
*Aircraft paint stripper, will not harm aluminum.
*rubber gloves, paint stripper burns when it makes skin contact.
*A cheap throw away paint brush
*a small plastic container, pour small amounts of paint stripper in, use as you go, as not to waste it.
*a plastic scraper of some sort that will not scratch the rim when removing old clear coat. I use the blue shop towels and wipe old clear coat off, no chance to scratch rim.
*a plastic bristle scrub brush, to clean between the rim lip and tire.
* a well ventilated area, prefer out doors, the paint stripper fumes is strong

Lets get started,

Step #1
Remove tire from vehicle

Step #2
Clean the rim with soap and water really good, remove all dirt, grime, grease or what ever is on your rim, etc. Let dry completely.

Step #3
Brush on paint stripper and let it work.
( you may have to repeat this step a few times , to get all the clear off)

Step #4
Clean the rim with water and a wet rag, this will dillute the paint stripper and clean right off. Let dry completely

Step #5
Now your rim is looking new and shiny again, you can now, use aluminum polish, leave it as is and wax or spray clear back on, what ever works for you.






I see alot of people who are being mislead by these aluminum polish companys, I will tell you now, that is a big waste of time and money to use on factory rims with "CLEAR COAT" on them, all you are doing, is trying to polish the clear coat with aluminum polish. For the aluminum polish to actually polish the aluminum, there has to be "NO CLEAR COAT" on them, then the aluminum polishes work great.
If your rims have clear coat on them, all that is needed to keep them clean, is soap and water, and a good wax, that is it, if you need to, you can use a fine rubbing compound then wax.

Now since you have removed the clear, aluminum polish will shine up the rims as intended.

 

[gixer2000]

The only issue here is by removing the clear you have now left the aluminum protected and will oxidize requiring more frequent cleaning/polishing. Makes more sense to re clear the wheels after stripping and cleaning.

 

[Big Brian]

The only issue here is by removing the clear you have now left the aluminum protected and will oxidize requiring more frequent cleaning/polishing. Makes more sense to re clear the wheels after stripping and cleaning.

see step #5

I may try this at some point. My front wheels look pretty bad, cant make them any worse

 

[gixer2000]

see step #5

I may try this at some point. My front wheels look pretty bad, cant make them any worse

I did... My comment still stands

 

[Big Brian]

ok I see what you mean

In my case I would have to get rid of the pitting too so that would more work as well

 

[gixer2000]

ok I see what you mean

In my case I would have to get rid of the pitting too so that would more work as well

Its a great temp solution but if people are looking for something permanent they should think about clearing them

 

[Big Brian]

Its a great temp solution but if people are looking for something permanent they should think about clearing them

see step #5 lol

 

[gixer2000]

see step #5 lol

Hahaha yeah I somehow missed the "or spray clear back on"... I apologize for cluttering your thread as I obviously am blind..

 

[Flexpedition]

I had always assumed those 5 teardrop pockets were painted grey. Is that rough machined texture and not grey paint? If so, without the clearcoat, wouldn't those pockets become gunk magnets?

Only thing I'd do different would be to remove the counterweight and have new stick-on weights installed on the backside, if they are even needed. Otherwise great writeup and the wheels do look much better.

Comet and a scrub brush was how I kept white letter tires looking good.

 

[MikeA]

I had always assumed those 5 teardrop pockets were painted grey. Is that rough machined texture and not grey paint? If so, without the clearcoat, wouldn't those pockets become gunk magnets?

That texture is the raw sand casting untouched, after the rims are turned on a cnc type lathe, which raw aluminun is grey in color when sand casted. Not painted.

They do collect dirt in the pits of the casting, some people will use a wax that leaves no white residue behind, cause that will prevent the pits from looking white and clean up easier, some people will spray just clear coat on the casting texture and polish the rest of the rim, others will clear coat the whole rim.

Reason why I said in step #5, "what ever works for you", because everyone has different preferences on what they like to do with there aluminum rims.

For $25 rims, The wheel weights on the outside doesn't bother me , now if there are high dollar after market wheels, or brand new oem, I would put sticky weights inside the rims.

I was only showing, how to on the rims, I did clean the tires after I had all 4 stripped and cleaned.