HOW TO FIX POLISHED ALUMINUM SS WHEELS PART 2

[CHMSC]

Some of you may have seen the other thread I created when I fixed a polished wheel that was curb rashed.

For those of you that have not seen that thread here is the link.

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=307359

This time around I used different tools so I could try and make the process a lot faster. This time around I would put the whole reconditioning process at about 2 hours. A good bit of that time was letting the aircraft stripper work on the old clear coat.

Tools used:

air compressor
angle die grinder with a rust and paint removal pad(always wear glasses and a mask when using a tool like this)
orbital palm sander with 320 grit sand paper
various grits of sand paper used by hand 600, 800, 1000 and 2000
cheap plastic scraper for removing clear coat
drill and a cone buffer for wheels
old sheet for the over spray from re-clearing the wheel
flitz polish

ANYTIME YOU ARE SANDING WITH TOOLS DO NOT STAY IN ONE PLACE FOR LONG AT ALL. IT WILL GOUGE YOUR WHEEL AND MESS IT UP. IT IS BEST TO USE LONG SMOOTH STROKES(no pun intended) TO AVOID ANY DISTORTION OR GOUGING IN THE WHEEL AND KEEP IT LOOKING LIKE IT WAS NEVER DAMAGED OR AS CLOSE TO THAT AS POSSIBLE.

I will leave out the steps of washing the wheel. I think it's pretty obvious you don't want to work with a dirty wheel. Between some of the steps a quick rewash and dry is needed.

Step 1.

First I used the angle die grinder with the paint and rust removal pad. This pad will remove metal and leave a somewhat smooth surface for you to start with. This took maybe 10-15 minutes to go around the entire wheel. If it's a small spot it would literally take a minute or so.

Step 2.

I used the orbital palm sander to smooth the edge of the wheel more. This took 10-15 minutes.

Step 3.

I sprayed the wheel down with aircraft stripper to get the old clear coat off. This was the most time consuming task out of all. I had to scrap and then respray several times to get all of the old clear coat off. I would say this took me an hour or more. USE A CHEAP PLASTIC SCRAPER SO YOU DON'T SCRATCH THE WHEELS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You may even want to start this as the first step as I had to go back and get a few smaller imperfections out after I stripped the wheel.

Step 4.

Go over the wheel with the various grits of sand paper depending on what may be left on the wheel. Bigger spots I would start first with a 600-800 grit till they were gone. Then worked my way up to 1000 and 2000 grit.

Step 5.

Polish the wheel with the drill and the foam cone wheel buffer and flitz polish. This took about 10-15 mins.

Step 6.

Wash the wheel very good and dry it. Then wipe it clean with alcohol and make sure the wheel is spotless. Any dirt or fingerprints, etc. may be seen through the clear coat. Spray the wheel with the clear coat after it's dry and enjoy your "new" wheel.

If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask.

[CHMSC]

more pics of the process

[CHMSC]

Here is the finished wheel. In the pic of four can you tell which one is the one I fixed?(It should be simple since I gave you a clue)

Sorry but it was raining when I took these pics. Those are not water spots, just rain drops.