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how to restore 16 inch aluminum wheels


djardeli
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I've got a '90 Chevy Lumina with the clearcoated aluminum 16 inch alloy wheels. These came on the Z34 as well. I thought these still looked like a million bucks after all this time, but I lost a circular centre piece while driving, and noticed that the gloss was quite a bit higher on this new part. Is there any way I can restore the appearance of these wheels, maybe by grinding and polishing and then re-clearcoating? Can they be turned on a lathe somehow? I've got abrasions, scrapes, stains, over the years, (and I didn't hit the curb, my mother did up until 1997).

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Yeah I was starting to wonder the same thing regarding my Supreme's 16" aluminum rims...I see stuff called "Aluminum Rim Paint" in quite a few auto parts stores, but don't know whether or not it's any good?

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well, if you are good with a lathe and set it so the cuts are extremely close together, then yeah that would be the best way to do it. Othwerwise you could strip off the clearcoat chemically (I used kleen strip aerosol found at pep boys) and reapply a thick coat of ACRYLIC clearcoat and you'll be all set

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Can all that stuff be found at pep boys? Gotta go there soon to get tires for the girlfriends tuck...i may do some shoping as well.

 

So lets get this straight. You take the wheels off (is it ok to leave tires on?)...spray the striper on....and whipe off. Can you then use like mothers polish to polish the bare aluminum?

 

Then, you take clear coat spray and reapply? I guesds I could do this on the side of the whell too...whre all that stuff is caked on.

 

Do you have any before/after pics?

 

Jon

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Sand blast them then Powder coat them the color you want then run a second coat of clear. that is the way OEM does it. 16" rims are going to be like $50ea. they will look like new! and the will not chip as easy as the ghetto rattle can paint/clear coat.

 

As for the center caps, write down your Vin number and they should be able to order you new ones. Probibly going to be like $10ea from a dealer.

 

I am thinking of doing my OEM Z34 lumina wheels white and put some slicks on them.

 

RedZ

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I just sprayed on the stripper one section at a time then used a plastic scraper to take off the paint. It's a great idea to take the tires, off, or just mask them off. I did polish the aluminum, then cleaned with dish soap and a soft sponge (go with the grain of the aluminum, NOT against) then let dry and applied the clear. And to clarify things up I HAVENT had any problems with chipping, peeling, etc in the so-far 1/2 year they've been done. :flip:

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Is there some type of powdercoating kit available?

 

it powdercoating available to the general public?

 

blah blah, I want to powder coat stuff, but I have no information about it.

 

Do I HAVE to have it done, I'd rather do it myself.

 

The only info I've gathered is this:

Mike's How To....

How To: Powdercoat and everything you wanted to know about it...Powdercoating is an environmentally safe method of applying paint in a powder form. Powder Coating provides a non-porous, durable, brillant finish that is extremely resistent to fading, peeling, chipping, rusting, and corrosion. It is available in a rainbow of shades including: Candies, Pearls, Clears, Flourescents and Chromes. Also available are Textures, Wrinkles, and Translucents.

1. Start with a bare metal part able to withstand 400°F. •Remove any heat sensitive components such as gaskets, rubber bushings, etc. •Part preparation is similar to that of conventional coatings: •Remove all coatings, rust, dirt and grease from part abrasive & blasting and/or chemical stripping is commonly used •Degrease thoroughly until dry. •Mask part where needed using specialty high temperature plugs, masking tape or aluminum foil.

 

 

2. •Just fill the gun cup 1/3 full - plug into electric and air service, ground part, turn the spray booth on, and start spraying. You'll be finished in minutes! •Typically only one coat is necessary. •The HotCoat Pro Model 1100 applies most types of powders consistently, and quicker with average film builds of 2-3 mils. Powder clear coat is spray-applied electrostatically to grounded car bodies, powder particles remain in an excited state within the electrical field, contributing to a consistent coating thickness free of drips, runs or sags that can occur with liquids, so rejection rates for finish quality are low. •Minimal operator training required for professional results. •Environmentally Friendly - no solvents or hazardous material disposal problems. •Easy clean up - overspray can be swept up, application gun is cleaned using compressed air. •Minimal safety issues.

 

3. Most parts cure in as quickly as 15-20 minutes at 300°-400°F. •Part is ready to be placed in service as soon as it has been cooled. •Minimal VOC's during cure process.

 

So, it's a gun? or an oven? wtf...

 

I'd love to paint my car in powercoat black....the entire car...If I could find a way to do this myself I'd save tons of $$$$, plus, I wouldn't have to wait for that POS regular paint to dry...

 

-MaD-

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Powdercoating is easy for smaller parts

 

Powdercoat gun ebay 85$

 

electric Oven....On that is not used for food anymore

 

thats about it......

 

 

Make sure its electric not GAS

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try

http://www.eastwoodcompany.com

 

thier website has a kit for $899 (!), but you might just order their catalog. my catalog (summer 2000) has a HotCoat kit for $150. thier catalog has ALOT of cool stuff in it!

joshua

 

 

You have that Right.....they are awsome I want to get there coating system and there aluminum polishing kit I have a newer catalog

 

hey find anything out about that STE yet??

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Guest TurboSedan

nope not yet :? i check about once every week or two. actually it's a good thing, more time for me to save money...about the only thing they told me is that they could probably sell it to me with a clean title, not an 's' title. but yeah, they still can't really do anything with it.

EDIT: oh yeah, i got a few pics of it tho...i hope to have them on my website soon.

joshua

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nope not yet :?

EDIT: oh yeah, i got a few pics of it tho...i hope to have them on my website soon.

joshua

 

 

 

DID I MENTION I HATE GEOSHITIES...........

 

 

look at my site....im about to buy my own domain But Eclipse stold my Domain that I had been trying to buy......Grrrr

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maybe instead of 'turboste', you can use 'steturbo' :)

joshua

 

I wanted STEturbo but he bought that one a couple of months ago I did not know untill Resently and I know had he known I was trying to get it he wouldnt have.....so its my loss....Im thinking 1990steturbo.com or steturbo.net

 

but I cant find a good hosting co or a place to buy that domain cheap....

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I'm sorry, I didn't know you were trying to get the domain (steturbo.com). I just went on Directnic.com and registered it a couple of months ago. When it expires, I'll make sure to let you know.

 

Jason

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  • 10 years later...
I just sprayed on the stripper one section at a time then used a plastic scraper to take off the paint. It's a great idea to take the tires, off, or just mask them off. I did polish the aluminum, then cleaned with dish soap and a soft sponge (go with the grain of the aluminum, NOT against) then let dry and applied the clear. And to clarify things up I HAVENT had any problems with chipping, peeling, etc in the so-far 1/2 year they've been done. :flip:

 

So what did you do with the plastic caps and middle cover?

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Yeah...this thread is SUPER old. I'm going to lock this now before things get out of hand.

 

New users: Please be mindful of the posting dates on some of these threads. While we do have some legacy members many are not longer on the forums and your questions will go unanswered. I highly recommend you just create a new post and just reference the older thread.

 

Thanks.

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