I want to remove the clear coat to polish out the corrosion and, for now, leave the dark grey paint as it looks to be in good condition. Right now, I don't plan on replacing the clear coat as these wheels will never again see snow/salt. Do I have any options other than paint stripper that won't make a mess of things?

Down the road I might do a proper strip, repaint, and clear coat. But not any time soon.

 

Only way I can see it being done is without paint stripper. I can’t see how you can pull the clear without having it drip onto the gray. I’d recommend sanding the flat unpainted surfaces and lip. Just step the paper up to a finer and finer grit until you can polish it out.

 

Agree with LSX Matt here. You can polish out the face and lip, leaving the painted gray behind.

Your other option is to fully strip and redo it entirely. But if I were doing that, I'd have them all stripped and powder coated by a good shop.