I have purchased an 89 iroc in pretty good shape. The only problem really seems to be that the wheels are in pretty bad shape. They are not only dirty but they seem to have rust on them. I saw in the tech articles that you can strip off the clear coat and polish but I don't think this will do anything for the baked in dirt or rust. Is it possible to paint and has anyone ever done this?

 

dowse those babies in a product called Wesley's Bleach-White. technically its for tires, but they work even better on wheels. i use this product every single time i wash the car with absolutely astounding results.

 

striping and polishing the wheel will take off any dirt or rust that is on it. when you do that you are refinishing the wheel so its like a new wheel if you take the time to do it right.

 

If you don't want to take the time to actually polish the rims, you could just strip the clear coat and probably have pretty good results.

 

If you do "polish" the wheels, follow the advice given in the "sticky" at the top of this forum, not the tech article. The tech article is good, but the advice given in the sticky takes the process to the next level. The work some of those guys are doing is amazing.

If you do the sanding...it should remove all the dirt and rust.

 

i didnt think aluminum could rust?

 

ok, i went out and bought the aircraft stripper to get the clear coat off. Has anyone used this before?

 

Yeah, I have polished my rims as well. Guys, if you are consider doing this yourselves try to get a spare set of rims. I worked on mine for nearly four months (a bit at a time). Needless to say it was a learning experience.

I started with aircraft stripper and then the sanding processes. Starting with about 600 grit paper and working down to water paper. Next I polished with an air grinder and some rouge. The results were definately worth it. They now have a perfect mirror finish. I finialized them with a nice charcoal metalic paint to offset the shine. Awesome - and well worth the time and lost fingerprints.

 

I did mine the "old-fashioned" way, with sandpaper and aluminum polish. It's not as shiny as the compound method, but it worked for me.

 

i used aircraft stripper on a set of formula rims i have....it did a great job at getting EVERYTHING off....i had to remask off and paint the inner parts....they dont look GREAT but they do look better than they were....check it out

 

well, it doesnt rust.... it oxidises (sp?), Aluminum Oxide... it doesnt rust like brown... its more of a milky white dust... copper also rusts... look at the statue of liberty... I say strip the clear... polish the surface... then hit the rest with some nice black paint... make the polish stand out!!

 

hey blue86iroc, what grit sandpaper did u use? i think that finish looks great and what do you mean by the "compound' method?

 

I believe I worked my way up from 80 grit to 1500 grit... I think there were about seven different grits of sandpaper that I used. 400 grit and 1500 grit were wetsanded. Then, I just applied the Mothers polish and rubbed the heck out of the wheel.

This is the "compound" method: http://www.gmtips.com/3rd-degree/dox.../info/info.htm. It involves using hard compounds (tripoli, white rouge, etc.) and a high-speed tool (buffing pad on a drill) to create professional-looking results.

When I did my wheels, I wasn't aware of the second method. The products created using hard compound are amazing... it makes my wheels look like garbage. I intend on redoing my wheels sometime, but I have a hard time negating the twenty hours I already put into polishing them.