86IROC112

It seems there is some kind of coating over the aluminum on my stock IROC wheels. Is there a way to remove this coating so the metal can be polished?


Thanks!

racerkilla

Factory wheels have clear coat. I used paint stripper to remove mine. There is a few threads on here about members polishing wheels. I did mine and it takes 5-6 hours a wheel to make them nice.

Abubaca

iTrader: (3)

My clear was peeling. I sanded it off by hand and then polished. As racerkilla said, several hours per wheel. It was totally worth it though. The polish looks awesome.

...I go over them once a year with Mother's Billet polish. Takes about 15 mins per wheel.

Abubaca

iTrader: (3)

RedLeader289

iTrader: (2)

...DANG!!! that looks awesome!

Abubaca

iTrader: (3)

Thanks! ....ive seen pro jobs that may be a little better, but they came out REALLY good!

tom3

Sometimes a steel wool pad, SOS or Brillo, will get old crusty clear off the wheels. Takes some elbow grease but works pretty quick.

tavert91

iTrader: (1)

So, you don't re-clear after stripping? I want to refresh my TA wheels. The painted portion (center) is in good condition but the outer rings are CC'd aluminum that are dull and scratched. Just polishing doesn't get them back to where I want them.

Abubaca

iTrader: (3)

...I think if you had 'em done professionally, yes, you WOULD re clear. In my case, it's NOT a daily driver, so re-polishing once a year only takes about an hour and I kinda enjoy it. ...also, because mine weren't perfect, I'll go back from time to time and actually fix areas that needed a little attention. Back to compounds/white rouge etc. etc. ....and if they were cleared I couldn't do that.

tavert91

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the advice. I will probably strip and reapply clear coat over this winter. The aluminum on mine is more of a satin finish than yours which, by the way, look amazing.

Dmans85

Those wheels of yours with the thick outer rim can look the best of any polished third gen wheels I've seen. I wouldn't recommend putting clear coat back on. Its too easy to keep them up with minor TLC and never deal with chemically or manually stripping them again. Good luck.

fokeyman

And if you haven't found it....
https://www.thirdgen.org/wheels

tavert91

iTrader: (1)

I was planning to avoid using the chemical remover on the remaining clear coat. I thought I could just wet sand it without jeopardizing the painted portion (which is in remarkably good shape). Then, mask the tire and center portion of the wheel and apply clear coat. Do you think I should forget this path and do the chemical strip with sufficient care to keep it off of the tire and painted portions of the wheel?

Dmans85

The chemical stripper I know of is aerosol based and had a tendency to go in places not always intended, so you run the risk if not re-painting the inner part. I foresee some stripper slipping by your masking where the painted and aluminum come together. I also see wet sanding being a ton more laborious and less effective but I never went this route personally. Maybe someone else's previous or new post can clarify.
Another word on polished aluminum to think about is that when it becomes so smooth and glass-like it becomes resistant to minor oxidation. Any that does is easily re-polished. If you clear coat, any nick in the clear coat that will occur over time will let the moisture underneath and then watch the clear coat begin to peel away and you get to do it all again.

F-body-fan

I just finished this process last weekend with the wheels on my 89. I removed the tires, brushed on the stripper, & used a small artist brush at the edges. It takes time & you need to be careful at the edges where it meets the painted centers. I stripped them, sanded them in 320 to get out the blemishes, followed in progression with wet 600, 800, 1000, 1500, then 2000. I had the luxury of spinning them on a brake lathe, so it was easier to hold the paper & spray them with water. I honestly spent 3-4 hours per wheel including re-mounting & balancing the tires. The pictures below make it look simple, but it takes some time & patience to do four wheels. The wheels were in really good shape before, just the typical clear problems most of these wheels have.

mjdavis68

iTrader: (1)

wheels of america restored mine 4 years ago and still haven't got the car finished... Po took the tpi off for a carb and hacked the harness and i've been trying every cool season to get back to it. i plan on finding interest soon. .



Heres some progress pics

Abubaca

iTrader: (3)

F-Body Fan: NICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LC2 TECH

iTrader: (1)

DynoDave43

iTrader: (11)

Those are beautiful.

tavert91

iTrader: (1)

OUTSTANDING JOB! That is the result I am looking for F-Body Fan, they are beautiful. I hope I can come close to what you have achieved. Sounds like you left them bare with no clear coat. Am I right?

randipm

Remember that rattle can clear coat might not adhere well to polished surface. I suggest that you clear powdercoat them instead.

F-body-fan

Yes, they are bare aluminum now. The problem with clearing over polished aluminum is there is nothing for the clear to bite into. So, while it might stick at first, at some point as the clear shrinks & hardens, its probably going to chip & peel & then it will come off fast. If they were re-machined on a lathe, then there would be something there for the clear to hold on to like the oem finish was.

The way I look at it, my older cars sit in storage most of the time, & when they come out its usually pretty nice outside. So, a polished wheel should hold up for years before it needs a rub down with some polish again. If they were exposed to all the elements like most of our cars once were, then they won't last too long I suppose.

tavert91

iTrader: (1)

Good point. I never thought about adhesion problems. I have done spot work with paint and clear coat that I have been really pleased with but the paint gave the clear a good base to grab onto.

You have swayed me to just polish and stop. I only drive the car about 3-5K per year now and they should be fairly easy to bring back their polished condition every few years.

Thanks for the advice.

Abubaca

iTrader: (3)

Mine are bare aluminum. It sits in the garage, normally under a cover, and I only put a few thousand miles a year on it, if that much. I re-polish once a year, but it's not necessary. When I'm about to do it, I always think that it's a waste of time, because they just look that darn good! ...but...once I'm done they're perfect, and you can tell they needed a little TLC. ...but honestly, it's really not necessary.