I have a WE 4 with the original wheels. They could use some help, as could I. The wheels have small black spots on them and most of the original clear coat is gone. I'm looking for any tips on restoration and cleaning... I want to keep my car as original as possible and I dont want to give up now... any help would be great guys.
Cleaning wheels -- need help
- Thread starter GRAYRIDER
- Start date
salvageV6
Daily Driver
- Joined
- May 25, 2001
Muriatic acid will take everything off down to the bare metal, available at Home Depot full strength to clean bricks.
You need a gas mask with vapor cannisters to avoid the fumes and not a paper painters mask either a real rubber one with cannisters as the fumes are permanently deadly to the lungs.
Rubber boots and a nylon brush about 6" in size on a 4 ft. stick works great.
Flush a long time away from the acid pan with a hose and air dry.
Then you can coat them with VHT polyurethane wheel paint and then clear them with VHT poly. wheel clear and they come out like this, mask the valve stem if you plan on reusing it or just remove them.
Or you can media blast them clean also with fine beads, walnut shells may also work, don't use anything very gritty like aluminim oxides it will ruin the finish in no time, well let's just say it will make the surface a different finish as well as clean as it grinds away the wheel.
Probably some other ways to do it too, I know they make acidic wheel cleaners now with various percentages of acids in them to clean off stuff that's stuck and might have far less fumes when working.
You need a gas mask with vapor cannisters to avoid the fumes and not a paper painters mask either a real rubber one with cannisters as the fumes are permanently deadly to the lungs.
Rubber boots and a nylon brush about 6" in size on a 4 ft. stick works great.
Flush a long time away from the acid pan with a hose and air dry.
Then you can coat them with VHT polyurethane wheel paint and then clear them with VHT poly. wheel clear and they come out like this, mask the valve stem if you plan on reusing it or just remove them.
Or you can media blast them clean also with fine beads, walnut shells may also work, don't use anything very gritty like aluminim oxides it will ruin the finish in no time, well let's just say it will make the surface a different finish as well as clean as it grinds away the wheel.
Probably some other ways to do it too, I know they make acidic wheel cleaners now with various percentages of acids in them to clean off stuff that's stuck and might have far less fumes when working.
