Quick Question

[subie/legacy]

So I just picked up some wheels. The clear coat is peeling (bad).
I knew about Peeling before I bought them, Since I will most likely paint them.
Before I start sanding away the Day at them.. Is there an easier/faster way to remove the clear coat?
I'm a cheap A$$, so Sandblasting will probably be a last resort.
Any and All Suggestions welcome.

-Kyle

[Sambo]

get a friend to help ! or 3 friends one for each! pay them in beer. most of my friends take beer payments

[d1giPhux]

The quickest way to remove clear coat.. if there is no paint is to use 'aircraft aluminum stripper'.

You can also use it over paint if you want to strip the paint.. but it WILL strip everything down to the bare metal.

This is the best way to go if you are going to re-paint the rims.

They sell it at like autozone, advanced, etc. The best brand is 'mar hyde' if you can find it. Other brands like rustoleum and such will work as well. They sell it in cans, and also in a larger container that is like a gel. I have stopped buying the cans because its cheaper to just buy the gel stuff, paint it on.. wait for it to start bubbling.. wipe it off, repeat until you have bare metal.

The stuff your looking for looks like this:

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/06/0912mt_01_mini_market_december_2009rust_-1.jpg

http://www.farmandfleet.com/uploads/blaincat/product/45/full/455125.jpg

After you are done stripping the rim down to bare metal.. wash them with dish soap + water. Then you can continue to spray the rims with self-etching primer, filler primer, then the color paint you want, then clear coat. You don't need to do ALL those primer steps, but the self etching primer makes the paint hold into the metal better, the filler primer fills in minor imperfections, and the color.. well duh. You get it.

[subie/legacy]

thanks for the quick responses. Whats the average cost for a can of "aluminum stripper" ?
and do you think that one can would be enough for 4- 14" wheels?
thanks
-kyle

Sambo- I like that suggestion, Sad part is I don't think I could trust my friends with something even this simple, they're very careless.

[Sambo]

well mix the good idea with mine, grab some friends, get the stripper.... and the paint stripper ... rofl... then strip some paint n drink some beer

[d1giPhux]

Usually its around $5 a can or so, and you would need at least 2 cans to do that many wheels. I like the gel stuff in the larger containers because you can do all 4 rims easy for about $15. Plus i think its easier to control where all the stripper goes as you can paint it on. Be careful. Wear gloves and a long shirt, this stuff will start chemical burning your skin after about 15 seconds and trust me, its NOT fun.

Don't even bother sanding the rims if all you are trying to do is strip the clear coat / paint off them. This will take it off much easier, and won't leave you tired as hell.

1. Apply the gel onto the surface of the rim.
2. Wait 10-15 minutes until you can start seeing the paint bubbling off and such.
3. Use a plastic scraper to scrape the paint / clear coat off.. then wipe it all off with a rag / paper towels / shop towels (you will need quite a few).
4. Re-apply gel to areas that you missed.. and re-wipe / scrape after 15 minutes or so.

Basically you just keep doing that till all the paint comes off. Its hardly any work really if you do it right. The best method is to put it on.. let it sit, wipe it / scrape it off, then re-apply to the areas that are not soft / coming off yet.

I like to use the 3m maroon scuff pads to help scrub the paint / clear coat off after waiting 15 minutes for the stripper gel to soak in. It helps in getting all of the paint / clear coat off and will also help the metal on your rims get an 'edge' so the self etching primer, or whatever other type of primer paint you use will stick.

You can get the maroon scuff pads at most any auto stores, napa, or paint / body place. They look like this:

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/06/61skkT7z3eL-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/06/b7f0808fa86e4743d6fbc6c5c6a10078-1.jpg

[subie/legacy]

d1giPhux-thank your for the very descriptive responses. this is exactly what I wanted to hear, cheap and effective.

Sambo- :lol: