Too Slow '90

I have a set of C3 aluminum wheels which are very dull from decades of road grime. What is the process to correctly polish them to a nice shine?

nspctr01

mds3013

For a satin finish or to start the restoration process use the fine Scotchbrite pads. For a higher shine use Mothers Mag Polish. Electric drill with polishing pad. The metal polishing bar is from Sears. Be careful with the drill as you can round off the edge of the slots. mike...

persuader

Nice!

sug

Try sanding with fine sand paper 800-2000 grit then polish .Do a small area first .If a clear has been put on the rims you would have to use paint stripper to remove first.

1977L48

i first cleaned, wet sanded 1000 then 2000, and sat the wheel in my living room in the AC and the TV on and started polishing with mothers, before you knew it, i was done with one wheel, then grabbed the next, took all day to get them done but it was well worth it

Ironcross

I have polished magnesium and aluminum wheels many times and most of them several times over....I Wet Sand with 600 grit if real bad and then I use Never Dull for a high gloss.....:

Just be patient......

nspctr01

Looks good. so what/how do you paint the black parts?

persuader

Dude! I just love those old race cars. The good old days when anybody could throw down.

Chadillac2000

Any hope for these using this method?

Too Slow '90

Looks like what I'm working with.

Too Slow '90

Lots of great info. Thanks to all.

diehrd

I wish my pics where closer.. Before ....... All oxidized .. Whitish grey color


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I took 800 grit wet paper , sanded , went to 1200 ,1500 then 2000 and then power ball with aluminum polish ( many brands to chose from )

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I also Cleaned slots , taped front of rims to cover slots and hit them with a quality black paint in a rattle can then added the pin stripe

Too Slow '90

Impressive. I hope I can duplicate it.

Easy Mike

Other than the Pace Car wheels, the wheels were not polished. Cleaning them is all that is required for the factory finish.

That said, they definitely brighten up with a light polish.

AdamMeh

The polishing techniques mentioned above are the way to go. For painting the slots - do it from the backside and you won't even need to tape off the front. Just clean the front with a soft cloth and a very small amount of polish (wipe it down basically) after you are done painting.

You can even sand out damage if you really have patience with the project



Adam

3JsVette

Just keep in mind that with the many grades of fine sand paper today you don't have to start out with 600. Try to use the least aggressive grade as possible. It will be easier to get the desired shine when it comes time to use the polish.

hotrodnick

I want mine left factory finish, but they are spotted. Will quick hit with mothers polish clean them up or is that to aggressive?

mds3013

I suggest the ultra fine Scotchbrite pads. They will give a satin finish. Then maybe a little Mother's with hand polishing. Nothing, that I have seen yet, can replicate the factory original finish exactly. mike...

Lakeside49

Alright, I just had a long time professional, recommended by my Corvette Mechanic (Bobbie's Corvettes, Ypsilanti, MI) polish my `82 aluminum wheels. Whether it applies to your own options or not - and, I think it would - is your call, but at least you know what some of the best pros are doing in their trade. This guy makes his living polishing aluminum wheels for the heavy trucking industry - his clients have won several awards in his trade (yes - semi-truck professional businessmen/drivers prize their vehicles as much as we do our C3's and enter them in professionally judged shows. which he has helped several renown champs win). He is a `rock star' in his trade and sought out by top truckers in the Midwest (his name is Mike Johnson, Ypsilanti, MI - 734-325-3312). He looked just terrible when he was done - his face and clothes full of aluminum-blackened rouge - but, my wheels shined like chrome. (attached photo, which the reflections in my basement don't do it justice as out in the sun). The one piece of equipment he has, that I don't have, is a good hand-buffer that will achieve 3000 RPM, including one 8-10" wool buffing pad for all 4 wheels which he discards afterward.

First off, you have to strip off the clear-coat. Yes - it will commit you to perpetually cleaning your newly polished aluminum wheels a couple of times per season, but that's a decision you have to make - look like new, or deal with dull. I used "CitrusStrip" paint stripper from The Home Depot (about $8 - and, while I was there I bought one can of Rustoleum Matte Black Trim/Bumper Spray). Spray the stripper on thick then let it sit overnight. The old clear coat will come off like opaque jelly. Before rinsing it off with your garden hose or in your basement utility sink as I did, aggressively use a stiff nylon bristled brush to loosen the jelly every nook and cranny. I never used sandpaper - just this stuff which did the job well. It smells just like orange, had zero detrimental effect on my precious aluminum wheels, and seems not nearly as nasty as the "aircraft stripper" I have seen recommended. You'll only use about 1/3 of the CitrusStrip (it has an orange cap) spray can. I just wore my lawn-mowing glasses for protection and it didn't have any effect on my skin as others have said the `Aircraft Stripper' does. That next day, after rinsing you'll notice the aluminum already looks much brighter, but don't be tempted to stop there. So, then I called the gentleman to take it from there.

Here's how he paraphrases his secret sauce. He buys two grades of jeweler's rouge - both "red" and "green" (I suspect 2-3 bars each, available even at Lowes/Home Depot for $4-5 apiece). Then he said he proceeds to crush them into a fine powder, mixing them with a bottle of rubbing compound. He did not indicate that brand was important.

He then puts the slurry into a large covered bowl and heats it in a microwave oven "until it is good and hot so that it dissolves and can be mixed together."

Then, - and, this is interesting - he said an important ingredient is "diesel fuel" which lubricates the process. He did not mention the proportions of each (although, he would have if I had asked).

He then applies it to the buffing wheel, spending about 20-30 minutes on each wheel and the wheels turned out unbelievable when he returned them - my `82 was already in near-pristine condition, but you wouldn't know they were the same wheels. I don't want to over-sell, but those wheels really shined up surprisingly nice. He admitted that even he was surprised how nice they turned out on the Corvette aluminum wheel application using the same, above, semi-truck aluminum wheel polishing technique, and you could tell he took a ton of pride in them.

I then washed them up to get the excess rouge off from inside (black painted areas) using dishwashing soap, a wash rag and especially that same small, stiff nylon brush after he was done. After they completely dried, I then spent a few minutes taping them off from the front, using the wider of the two blue-tape options in the paint dept. at home depot - applying them to the newly polished side of the wheel. I then gave them 3 or 4 coats of matte black paint from the back, on newspaper outside in my driveway. This probably sounds like a lot of effort, but it only took a Saturday morning after I got them back from him. They must look at least as good as the day they came from the Rockwell International factory that originally produced them for us. I'll wager that they look better. You can then buy a 2-stage clear-coat sealer (i.e. POR 15), or options from several Forum sponsors, so that you don't have to keep polishing them a couple of times per season; but I have read on the forums that that is hit or miss on how well you can apply it unless you're a professional, with professional spraying equipment, which I do not. For now, I will be polishing with the drill and buff wheel technique mentioned in one of the above postings, and I think it will work well. But, once the hard part is done with removing the original clear-coat and polishing them as above, I have read that it is fairly easy to keep their shine as long as you maintain it a couple times per season (I'm hoping only once per summer season, but not counting on it). I broke down and bought a bottle of Flitz (expensive at $16 for about 8 oz's.) Metal Polish at my local hardware store to help maintain the gloss. (frankly, it dulled them slightly even though the rag was black from oxidation removal, but the company promises added protective, anti-oxidation properties). We'll see how it does. Bottom line, I didn't think my wheels were that bad, but, I was very pleasantly surprised with the positive results, and without any sandpaper or other hand-labor intensive abrasives or major elbow grease.

I hope this helps other C3 bro's with aluminum wheels- please let me know! Good luck.

Dave