refurbish aluminum alloy wheels?

[DLinMI]

I'm attempting to strip the clear coat and remove the oxidation so I can paint the wheels. Watched several you tube videos where they used stripper, and they made it look easy. Put it on and wait a little then it just scraped right off. Well, I'm not having much luck. I first tried a gel stripper that was supposed to work in 2-5 minutes, it softened the clear and just made it gummy, couldn't get down to the metal. Then I bought the "aircraft" stripper in a spray can, it worked better but still not like what I watched on video! Softened the coating but little "peeled" off. What am I doing wrong. Do I need to let it dry before trying to scrape? I'm in Michigan and it's cold so I'm working in the heated garage, 60-65 degrees and I have to open a window with a fan in it to pull the fumes out and I'm wearing a respirator as well. How much of the clear do I have to worry about if I plan on painting anyway? It's not like I'm trying to polish the aluminum for a shine, just want a good surface for primer and paint to adhere to. I guess I'm asking if there is no oxidation do I still need to strip the clear in that area? Thanks for any input.

 

[Uncle Gump]

@ZMan or @RangerFabWorks

These guys know their way around body/paint stuff... perhaps they will chime in

 

[ZMan]

Clear on wheels seems like its tougher than normal automotive clear coat. I did the same thing to the Mustang wheels I had on my ranger. It was a giant pain, and that was with the good stripper. Recently they cut all the "bad stuff" out of stripper and now it doesn't work worth a damn. One big thing that helps is laying plastic over it while it works, DO NOT LET IT DRY, it needs to be wet to do its job. My suggest is to just get them sandblasted.

 

[Ranger850]

I stripped my Nissan wheels. They had a clear plastic like coat. Used a waffle disc, worked like a charm

Before on the right, after on the left
This is what i used vvvvv

 

[RangerFabWorks]

Ez off oven cleaner works well for removing the clear from aluminum. It’s the stuff in the yellow can. Make sure you wear a respirator when using it. Stuff stinks like crazy

 

[sgtsandman]

Yellow van?

 

[RangerFabWorks]

That’s the one. Make sure you get the oven cleaner. But avoid the candy with the peanuts.......

 

[Uncle Gump]

Ez off oven cleaner works well for removing the clear from aluminum. It’s the stuff in the yellow can. Make sure you wear a respirator when using it. Stuff stinks like crazy

Come to think of it... I use to repair a smallish truck fleet and the company had a Name/phone number change. I used easy off for removal. I also remember the side of the truck in direct sunlight took it off perfectly. The shaded side... not so much. I ended up turning all the trucks around to do the opposite side.

 

[DLinMI]

I stripped my Nissan wheels. They had a clear plastic like coat. Used a waffle disc, worked like a charmView attachment 38803
Before on the right, after on the left
This is what i used vvvvv
View attachment 38804

Do you use this dry or with a stripper? Thanks

 

[DLinMI]

Thanks for the input.

 

[pjtoledo]

don't let the chemicals dry. it turns back into hard stuff and you then need to start over.

 

[RavenRanger01]

I stripped my Nissan wheels. They had a clear plastic like coat. Used a waffle disc, worked like a charm

What did you do to get them to be so shiny and to coat them again so that they are sealed and wont oxidize as quickly?

 

[Ranger850]

What did you do to get them to be so shiny and to coat them again so that they are sealed and wont oxidize as quickly?

Sorry i took so long to get back. I did it dry with the black disc in the pick, to get the large chunks. Then i used sand paper, and wet sanded them smooth, using my finger to tell if it was a bump or divet. Unfortunately, for you, i painted my wheels black after that. But there is a clearcoat specific for rims. I would get that and not just regular clearcoat. A guy in Nissan forum took some chevy 6 lugs, bored them to fit the Nisssan hub, cleaned them, polished them, had them looking real god, and when he used the regular clear paint, it turned milky when dry. Not sure if it was his process or product.

 

[Ranger850]

These wheels has a mirror finish before the clearcoat. Again, not sure if the rim specific will do yha sam, but i doubt it would, if done correctly