How to clean up/restore rims?

[nimrod.sixty9]

I have a set of American Racing rims that came with the 96 Hoe. Looking to try and bring them back. Any recommendations?

 

[alxs210]

whoa

 

[nimrod.sixty9]

whoa

In all honesty, they don't look as bad as they do in the pics. The flash or maybe just the phone itself brings out every imperfection 10 fold.

 

[SunlitComet]

I would like to think an acidic brightener would help a bunch to start.

 

[nimrod.sixty9]

I would like to think an acidic brightener would help a bunch to start.

Search is coming up with aluminum brightener. Is that right?

If not, link to product?

 

[Goodinblack]

I would not put acid on a aluminum wheel.

 

[SunlitComet]

Aluminum brighter and it is not like it very corrosive acid.

 

[rmodel65]

looks like they are clear coated. i would use air craft paint stripper then you can get to the bare alum and polish them up

 

[UGA Tahoe]

looks like they are clear coated. i would use air craft paint stripper then you can get to the bare alum and polish them up

If you do this then just make sure you reclear them.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

 

[trevcda]

Muriatic Acid. Here's an eHow on the subject:

http://www.ehow.com/how_7617081_use-muriatic-acid-clean-wheels.html

 

[rmodel65]

If you do this then just make sure you reclear them.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

or just leave them bare and wax them and repolish every so often..iirc por15 makes a very hard wheel clear coat for redoing wheels

 

[Paul-ish]

I'd sand them and paint them gloss or matt black... But that's just me.

You could do the paintstripper / polish them and clear them... That's a lot of work and you better be good at polishing though.

Or you might want to see how much to get them powder coated...

 

[2000tahoeZ71]

Are these the wheels that came on it from the factory? I had a friend with a 96 2d 4x4 that had these wheels and he claimes they were the original wheels. Possible dealer option?

 

[Paul-ish]

They might have been dealer installed but they were not a factory option...

 

[Nak]

You're going to need to get them bead or sand blasted. ( I think Aluminum has to be bead blasted?) Acid will eat the corrosion, but will leave the pitting. I'm in the middle of refinishing some aluminum rims, and your rims look scary for DIY. Too many corners and protuberances for hand sanding to be worthwhile. If you just want to paint them, acid might work. Use a primer that will fill in the pitting at least a little bit. Plus, you'll need to prep the aluminum properly before you paint. Check with a good auto paint shop.

BTW, that's if the surface is aluminum. (I can't tell from the pics...) If it's chrome, don't bother. Chrome wheels are basically "throw away" pieces. Refinishing corroded chrome won't last long enough to be worth it.