Forged Aluminum Wheels

[Cole]

Rims on my 73 look practically brand new. I think I read somewhere on here it is popular to clear coat them. How can you tell if that's the case.

I've tried a little polish in a place ya can't see and the clean rag does come back with the typical black residue as if polishing stuff I know is not clear coated, like valve covers.

Thanks

Cole

 

[sdstang]

If you are getting some oxidation back when you use a a Polishing Compound you're taking off the aluminum oxide. You have clearly it's probably breaking down on the way back we came with clear too. My suggestion would be to just use something like a mother and if the rim cleans up call it a day.

 

[Cole]

Most appreciated Jim.

 

[OLE PONY]

I don't clear coat my wheels. About once a year, or sometimes before a show, I have used the McGuiar's and Mothers wheel polish and wheel buffers. Looks great, but the wheels will slowly lose their shine.

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[mudbilly]

What do you do, if anything, to stop from rubbing off the black paint circle ?

 

[sdstang]

What do you do, if anything, to stop from rubbing off the black paint circle ?

I just got some 1/4 inch black pinstripe. When it looks bad you just take off the old stuff and redo it.

 

[4mm]

I would use Zoop sealer on polished aluminum. Would last for a long time after a lot of driving. I don't know if it's sold anymore but I'm sure there are similar products out there. Look it up, it's not easy to apply because prep is important but it is worth the effort.

 

[sdstang]

I would use Zoop sealer on polished aluminum. Would last for a long time after a lot of driving. I don't know if it's sold anymore but I'm sure there are similar products out there. Look it up, it's not easy to apply because prep is important but it is worth the effort.

It's called shineseal now. I bought the kit for these same wheels and wasn't impressed at all. Also, mothers or some of the other polishes have a much higher shine. I might give this stuff one more time but for $90 I expected much more. If you do all the prep and take it to a body shop they will clear the pretty cheap if they shot them while doing a car.

 

[Mister 4x4]

My pal Jim has some aluminum slots on his '74 Jeep CJ-5 (Renegade Levi's edition), and he polished them shiny with Mother's. After polishing them to an almost chrome-like finish, he waxed the crap out of them. Like Ole Pony, after a good amount of time, they lose their luster a bit, that that's nothing a half hour with some more Mother's can't resolve.

The problem with clear coating them is getting absolutely all of the polish residue, swirls, fingerprints, etc., removed from the wheel before the clear goes on. It's the same thing they do when re-lacquering brass musical instruments: polish the brass/nickel/etc., remove everything that's 'not brass,' then clear coat. The clear coat not only seals in the shine, but it also seals in whatever is still on the surface.

It might be worth the expense of having them professionally done by someone in the business of refinishing rims, rather than just hoping a painter can do it right.

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

I am sure you guys know that the factory mags were not polished when new. They were simply diamond turned at high speed. Just like wheels are done today. The American Racing ones on my vert were just high speed turned and then clear coated. Getting the clear to stick to a highly polished surface is difficult. There are people that will skim the surface, if there is road rash or bad areas, and they look like new. Trouble is it usually cost over $200 a wheel I have been quoted. Do not know why once they do the laser scan to get the profile it takes couple minutes to turn or less. Inside the slots had the marks from mill cutter looked like sanding but they milled the slots. Not many wheels were forged like Ford did these also makes them polish up better.

If you take the caps off and use some short lugs you can put the wheel on a front wheel and use a polisher with a bonnet like you use on your paint. Have someone slowly turn the wheel while you polish makes it much easier and even. Of course this works best before the tires are mounted.

I am not going to say a brand of polish not much difference in any of them. There is a cleaner to use after polish that removes the polish and some oxides that works pretty good. Zephyr Pro50 Eliminator. It also works on windows to get the water spots off. Then put a good coat of carnauba wax on the wheels not the windows and don't wash them so much, lol.

Keeping your polishing pads clean is a must just a grain of sand or dirt turns it into sandpaper.

 

[4mm]

I would use Zoop sealer on polished aluminum. Would last for a long time after a lot of driving. I don't know if it's sold anymore but I'm sure there are similar products out there. Look it up, it's not easy to apply because prep is important but it is worth the effort.

It's called shineseal now. I bought the kit for these same wheels and wasn't impressed at all. Also, mothers or some of the other polishes have a much higher shine. I might give this stuff one more time but for $90 I expected much more. If you do all the prep and take it to a body shop they will clear the pretty cheap if they shot them while doing a car.

You probably know this but for others Zoop is a sealer and not a polish. It's to seal the shine after you are done polishing aluminum. I had excellent results with Zoop.

 

[sdstang]

I would use Zoop sealer on polished aluminum. Would last for a long time after a lot of driving. I don't know if it's sold anymore but I'm sure there are similar products out there. Look it up, it's not easy to apply because prep is important but it is worth the effort.

It's called shineseal now. I bought the kit for these same wheels and wasn't impressed at all. Also, mothers or some of the other polishes have a much higher shine. I might give this stuff one more time but for $90 I expected much more. If you do all the prep and take it to a body shop they will clear the pretty cheap if they shot them while doing a car.

You probably know this but for others Zoop is a sealer and not a polish. It's to seal the shine after you are done polishing aluminum. I had excellent results with Zoop.

I first polished my wheels and after a month or so I noticed them starting to fog. Then I re polished them and applied shineseal. Maybe a month later I noticed them starting to fog again. I also used it on some of my SS trim and found it dulled them down and left streaks. I removed it from all my SS as that doesn't get bad too quickly. I'm going to redo my rims one more time and see if something changes. The other thing that was disappointing is that in the kit you get all the sealer you will every need but the stuff you use to remove the excess sealer wont go very far.

Just my experience.