My wheels appear to be peeling a laminated layer. This layer looks like it is sun-baked and is just cracking off.

Is there anything I can do about it? I like the look of the bare wheel better than that nasty yellow hazed look. But is my wheel going to start rusting now that it is exposed to the element?

By the way, its a stock '96 GLE wheel. (I think its a GLE).



Mike

 

Buy new wheels

 

looks like mine on my '95 gle

 

might rust if you peel it all off, but you can get some nice metal wax at any auto store for like $5-6 and polish it up most likely, works great on my 99 Dakota's rims

 

i know old thread, but for my winter wheels, i want to strip the peeling clear coat off the honeycombs i bought and polish them so they look better. can anyone give me a rough how2 or tell me if it's even worth it? i bought a set of honeycombs last winter for winter wheels cuz my tires were junk and these were so cheap but now i want to atleast make them look better.

would i use that aircraft stripper people use when painting? then grits of sand paper from low -> high then a polishing type compound? i don't have experience with this so any tips would be appreciated. thanks

 

look in the HowTo's but heres a quick rundown: use that aircraft paint stripper, which you can find at any autoparts store. i did it on my sawblades and i am very happy with the outcome. youll need more than 2 cans to do all 4 wheels so you can get all the grooves and what not. all you have to do is take off the wheel, shake the can for a bit to mix it up and then aim and spray. careful not to get it on your skin as it will burn like no other. i never got it but thats what i heard. use a well ventilated area also. if any over spray gets on the tire, wipe it off as soon as possible. do not use plastic as it will melt it. once spraying on a layer, let it sit for about 20-30 minutes, then simply use a hose with high pressure and spray it off the wheel. that clearcoat on the wheels will simply distintigrate and wash off. repeat if necessary. i also did the inside of the wheel. took out all that grime and junk without washing it. just spray it, no need to prep. the outcome will be like polished aluminum. looks very nice. to finish it off, you can use Mothers Aluminum/Mag Wheel Polish. good luck.

 

Yup like everyone is saying, air craft stripper is the way to go and then you can sand it down with water and polish them... I did all of that last week on my GLE wheels.. sawblades.

Tomorrow is goign to be too cold but I'm planning to paint them on Sunday, lets see how it turns out.

 

what color you gonna paint your sawblades? ive never seen painted sawblades... this could be interesting.

 

I have some Krylon Wheel paint, its a dark silver almost gunmetal.

My sawblades were all scraped up from the previous owner so they needed a touch up

I'll post up pics Monday when I get them done, I wont be installing them until next week though.

 

thanks guys i'll give it a shot when i get time. i figure it's not a big deal because they're only winter wheels and they were so cheap, but i'd rather them be clean and ugly then sh!tty.

 

aircraft stripper huh? the best stuff is at napa. Martin Senoer paints, "water rinseable paint remover" #6802. Available in different sizes....

Then get some decent paint.....high heat is a good idea since the brakes get hot. I used duplicolor wheel paint.

 

JSutter i love your car. screw rims, im just gonna drop mine and paint the stockies black too

 

Thanks Mendon!

 

get a room!


so do you guys think the honeycombs will shine just with polish after that stuff or do i need to use a fine sand pooper on them?

 

id get off all the original clear. then maybe polish them? i duno. how are they stock....painted or bare?

 

You are just not going fast enough for the wind efficiency to be lower. You have to pick it up a notch!

 

hahha duude! i said get off!




(sorry jeff we got a room now )

 

The honeycomb wheels will not shine if you sand it. I used aircraft stripper to get the clearcoat out and its not working. Yes, the paint in the comb comes out nicely, but the clear coat on tops of the surface will not come off. I tried repeatly using aircraft stripper and it will not come off.

The SE and sawblade is a bit different. The outcome I've seen from the Org member is smoother and cleaner. But using the aircraft stripper on the honeycomb is no success. I scrub most of the old paint and repaint the wheels for winter. Now the silver rim matches my light metalic paint.

 

get aircraft stripper.....strip all clearcoat off.....polish by hand with a buffer or die grinder with polishing pad or with elbow grease for a while.....then wax....buy steelies for winter if needed.....THATS WHAT I DID to my Z wheels

 

THe aircraft stripper worked wonders on my sawblades and took the clear coat right off within a few minutes you saw it starting to lift. I dont know about honeycombs but it should be the same.

It could also be the type of chemical your using... I didnt use the one in the spray can, I used a brush and poured the stuff into an old can and painted away