Re-Clear coating rims

[Chonke]

Hi, im new to this forum and im going to be redoing my rims. They are clear coated over polish aluminum from what ive read, but the clear is peeling badly and even oxidating and they just look bad overall. Mostly from water that dries on them in the summer.

 

So im planning on stripping the clear coat using aircraft stripper, then polishing the rims using adams #1 and #2 metal polish, and finally adding a clear coat layer to keep them a bit safer.

But my question is will a spray can coat work decently? I keep hearing its not going to work on polished surfaces and that a powder coat clear will dull the polish from the prep work. 

 

Anyone had good results with a spray on clear coat over a polish finish?

 

Ill try and post pics of the rims later on.

[LFairbanks]

Found this article that may help you.  And here is a link to the por 15 product that he mentions in the article.  How well it works, I don't know.  Sounds like it would work.

[Chonke]

thanks for the link. Im starting to consider leaving the wheels without clear coat. I understand ill have to polish them more often but thats not much of an issue for me.

 

Will quick sealant help protect the rims if i leave them with no clear?

[Chonke]

Well i decided to go for it anyways and strip the wheels. 

 

Heres what im working with

 

As you can see they are covered with waterspots (sprinklers) and even some corrosion or rust.

Here i applied 2 coats of aircraft stripper. I read it wouldnt hurt the aluminum.

 

Then just for the heck of it, i used adams deep wheel cleaner to clean the face up. I figured the stripper would remove all the dirt as well so the DWC didnt turn purple except for a tiny bit.

 

Heres what it looked like when i rinsed it off.

 

and dried out

 

As you can see, it seemed to remove the waterspots from the clearcoat obviously, but the bare metal was still pretty marked. So i used adams clay bar with detail spray on it and it removed most of the waterspots. However, this also dulled the rim quite a bit and left it pretty swirly. I didnt expect this, but im guessing it would make since since the clay bar is made for painted/clear coated surfaces. Unfortunately it got dark and didnt take any pictures of it. 

 

I finally cleaned the rim with green wheel cleaner and used the new tire shine formula for the first time. (great product by the way)

 

 

 

 

All i need now is to order adams #1 and #2 metal polish and quick sealant. Anyone know what can get rid of the rust though?

Edited January 19, 2015 by Chonke

[The Guz]

They do look good.  Pretty common for the GM  clear to fail on these polished trans am wheels. 

 

Duplicolor also makes some wheel coatings/paint that is available locally.  They offer a clear coat. 

Edited January 19, 2015 by The Guz

[Chonke]

Thanks, cant wait to order the metal polishes to finish them up. 

 

How do you think the duplicolor clear coat will stack up against adams quick sealant? 

Edited January 19, 2015 by Chonke

[Ricky Bobby]

Personally I'd get those wheels refinished by a professional instead of rattle canning the clear coat after all the prep work you're doing.  Subbed for progress though.

[TheBurninator]

Personally I'd get those wheels refinished by a professional instead of rattle canning the clear coat after all the prep work you're doing.  Subbed for progress though.

 

Rattle can clear won't stick well to polished surfaces as it needs something to bond to either chemically or mechanically.

 

If it was me, I would polish them myself and then send them to my powder coating guy for a clear powder coat.

[Ricky Bobby]

Rattle can clear won't stick well to polished surfaces as it needs something to bond to either chemically or mechanically.

 

If it was me, I would polish them myself and then send them to my powder coating guy for a clear powder coat.

 

Agreed.  I meant a professional to Powder coat.  clearing over bare polished aluminum especially in a rattle can isn't going to come out great on its own.

[Chonke]

So you guys dont recommend running them without clear coat?

 

Im not sure if the powder coat process will dull the rims. Ill give them a call to see what they say.

 

I just placed my order for the metal polishes last night. 

[TheBurninator]

So you guys dont recommend running them without clear coat?

 

Im not sure if the powder coat process will dull the rims. Ill give them a call to see what they say.

 

I just placed my order for the metal polishes last night. 

 

It depends. Do you want to be re-polishing them frequently? Are they used on a car that sees winter use or daily driver scenarios?

 

It won't have quite as much pop as just a bare polished wheel. Also depends on your polishing before powder coat

[Chonke]

It is a daily driver and it sits outside all the time. I live in the desert and it never sees snow and hardly any rain. Just dirt dust and sun. A lot of sun.

 

I wash my car about 2 or 3 times per month so i dont think polishing them will be a problem for me. I just dont want them to get damaged.

[TheBurninator]

It is a daily driver and it sits outside all the time. I live in the desert and it never sees snow and hardly any rain. Just dirt dust and sun. A lot of sun.

 

I wash my car about 2 or 3 times per month so i dont think polishing them will be a problem for me. I just dont want them to get damaged.

 

You might get some pitting from brake dust too on a daily. Just speaking from experience with bare aluminum wheels.

 

I'd opt for clear coat personally. It will make your life much easier.

[Chonke]

Thanks, ill consider all this. Im probably going to give it a few weeks without any clear coat, and if i see its too much work or hurting the rims, ill get them coated.

 

Im expecting the metal polish tomorrow so ill try and update this.

[Chonke]

Ok so i received adams metal polishes 1 and 2 today. I had some time to work on one wheel a bit. I went ahead and cleaned it using deep wheel cleaner (i noticed no purple this time either), and after drying them up, I used metal polish number #1 along with a new blue microfiber applicator sponge. I followed this video as a guide 

 

I noticed a big difference right away. I did a lot more than 20 scrubs tho. Heres a pic

 

I wiped the haze off with a double soft towel. 

 

However, as i kept going i noticed there were a few imperfections, that wouldnt come off after extra scrubbing and elbow grease.

I cant tell if they are deeper water spots, or little pieces of clear coat that the aircrafts stripper didnt remove. Heres some pics of those imperfections

 

these look like little spots that wouldnt come off.

 

 

 

Anyone know how i can tackle these imperfections?? They suggested rubbing compound but im not too sure on that.

 

 

 

Also, i went ahead and used adams metal polish #2 after #1 was cleaned up but i didnt notice much of a difference at all. I kinda expected #2 to make the shine stand out, but I dont see much of a difference. Any tips on how to make it a bit shinier? 

 

Thanks again

[Chonke]

Im also buying new center caps once the wheels are done, so i havent done anything to them lol

[TheBurninator]

For starters you are going to need a more aggressive polish and consider wet sanding at least the bad sections. You won't remove the pitting otherwise and those spots from where the clear coat was is questionable.

 

Mothers mag/aluminum polish is more aggressive. Adam's is more of a finishing polish.

 

Maybe I should make a post about my current wheel project so there is a good reference in refinishing wheels in rough shape.

[Chonke]

For starters you are going to need a more aggressive polish and consider wet sanding at least the bad sections. You won't remove the pitting otherwise and those spots from where the clear coat was is questionable.

 

Mothers mag/aluminum polish is more aggressive. Adam's is more of a finishing polish.

 

Maybe I should make a post about my current wheel project so there is a good reference in refinishing wheels in rough shape.

Thanks, ill buy mothers mag&aluminum polish today and give that a try. I was under the impression that adams #1 was able to tackle the harder to get areas, and #2 was more of a finish.

[TheBurninator]

Thanks, ill buy mothers mag&aluminum polish today and give that a try. I was under the impression that adams #1 was able to tackle the harder to get areas, and #2 was more of a finish.

 

They are both a lighter cut polish. Great for finishing and maintaining once you have the wheels where you want them.

 

Also those spots that wouldn't come off are either pitting or clear coat that is still there. Wet sand them out. See if you can get them out with 1000 grit and then 1500 grit and then 2000 grit. If not move down to 800 and work your way back up to 2000 grit.

Follow up with a polish with decent cut to it (Mothers, Wenol, etc) And finish with Adam's and a super soft towel.

[Chonke]

Ill make sure to pick up some wet sandpaper aswell. Ill try and tackle this during the weekend due to work and midterms, but ill keep this updated.