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i don't want to hijack threads so i'll just show my progress here. i hope to have the two driver side wheels done tomorrow; or at least one completely finished.
i tried sanding one at first, but it was a mofo. i busted up my fingers and sanded off my fingerprints. :( then i tried some paint remover, but all that did was strip the clearcoat off. i did some hunting and found the aircraft paint remover. it works pretty good. it takes a couple of good thick coats and a lot of waiting.
i'm lazy so i haven't removed the tires. if you're a naturally messy person, i'd take them off. it'll go a lot faster and the stripper might ruin your tires. it burns like he|| when it touches your skin so i can't imagine what it'd do to rubber.
you put the stripper on in thick coats and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. it'll take a layer or two of paint off so you need to readd another coat after wiping off the excess paint.
i used a foam sanding block from home depot to remove the excess paint that bubbled up from the stripper.
when most of the paint and clearcoat have been removed, clean them up with 220 or 320 grit sandpaper. get rid of all the primer by wetsanding it. i used a spray bottle full of water and just sprayed every minute or so. that keeps the sandpaper clean and gets rid of the residue so you can see what still needs to be sanded. don't worry about scratches right now, just get rid of any blemishes and smooth it all out. if you have curb rash, now is a good time to sand that out. i used a dremel on the really bad curb rash and some of the harder to get to parts then sanded them down with the paper.
after you use the 220/320, go to a finer grit like 400 or 600. usually i just jumped to 600. after sanding out a lot of the scuffs from the 220/320, i moved on to 2000 grit. the more you use the 2000 grit, the shinier they'll be.
when you're satisfied, put on the aluminum polish and buff them real good with a towel. after that, use car wax to protect them.
i still have a lot of work ahead of me. i plan to paint the inner part of the spoke a cast aluminum/black color, similar to the 35th anniv. wheels. for one, it's a mofo to get to those parts and 2, i think it will look good and unique.
i'll post more pictures as i go. hopefully i'll get one finished and i can post it tomorrow.
as for the center caps, i bought some chrome paint and painted one. i'm working on those while waiting on the stripper to settle. after painting them, i wetsanded them with 2000 grit and then polished them with rubbing compound. they aren't as shiney as the wheels, but they don't stick out being painted and the rest polished. the only best way to go would be to get the center caps made for chrome wheels.
i tried sanding one at first, but it was a mofo. i busted up my fingers and sanded off my fingerprints. :( then i tried some paint remover, but all that did was strip the clearcoat off. i did some hunting and found the aircraft paint remover. it works pretty good. it takes a couple of good thick coats and a lot of waiting.
i'm lazy so i haven't removed the tires. if you're a naturally messy person, i'd take them off. it'll go a lot faster and the stripper might ruin your tires. it burns like he|| when it touches your skin so i can't imagine what it'd do to rubber.
you put the stripper on in thick coats and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. it'll take a layer or two of paint off so you need to readd another coat after wiping off the excess paint.
i used a foam sanding block from home depot to remove the excess paint that bubbled up from the stripper.
when most of the paint and clearcoat have been removed, clean them up with 220 or 320 grit sandpaper. get rid of all the primer by wetsanding it. i used a spray bottle full of water and just sprayed every minute or so. that keeps the sandpaper clean and gets rid of the residue so you can see what still needs to be sanded. don't worry about scratches right now, just get rid of any blemishes and smooth it all out. if you have curb rash, now is a good time to sand that out. i used a dremel on the really bad curb rash and some of the harder to get to parts then sanded them down with the paper.
after you use the 220/320, go to a finer grit like 400 or 600. usually i just jumped to 600. after sanding out a lot of the scuffs from the 220/320, i moved on to 2000 grit. the more you use the 2000 grit, the shinier they'll be.
when you're satisfied, put on the aluminum polish and buff them real good with a towel. after that, use car wax to protect them.
i still have a lot of work ahead of me. i plan to paint the inner part of the spoke a cast aluminum/black color, similar to the 35th anniv. wheels. for one, it's a mofo to get to those parts and 2, i think it will look good and unique.
i'll post more pictures as i go. hopefully i'll get one finished and i can post it tomorrow.
as for the center caps, i bought some chrome paint and painted one. i'm working on those while waiting on the stripper to settle. after painting them, i wetsanded them with 2000 grit and then polished them with rubbing compound. they aren't as shiney as the wheels, but they don't stick out being painted and the rest polished. the only best way to go would be to get the center caps made for chrome wheels.
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