Chrome Skin removal

[green_duck42]

I just got a killer deal on a set of 98 chrome skinned wheels. I needed a new set because my old ones where rusted and bent to hell. The wheels i just picked are in great shape but I really don't like chrome on my truck. I was wondering if anyone on here has had any luck removing the chrome skins or cladding. I scoured the interwebs looking this up. I found only a few people who attempted this and have heard mixed experiances. Any help is appreciated.

This is the style I picked up.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Chrome is very, very hard. I've had rusty rims sandblasted and the chrome wasn't really touched. I'd be inclined to use an electrolysis bath or acid etching and then prime and paint. There is some dangerous chemicals and gases produced with electrolysis so be warned.

Richard

 

[green_duck42]

These are not actually full chrome. The back side is painted steel. From what I gather it's basically a hub cap that is the same pattern as the wheel and glued on. Some people have said they just fell off, others have said that they chiseled them off and then had a hell of a time removing the epoxy.

 

[kunar]

Clean em up real nice and paint em with plastidip. The stuff sticks to glossy chrome wonderfully, comes in various colors, holds up great and peels back off when you're ready for something new.

 

[green_duck42]

I think I'm going to try to rip them off this weekend and then hit em with some bed liner.

 

[adsm08]

Yeah, that's just a plastic cap that is glued on with an HD epoxy. An hour with a big screw driver and a wire wheel should fix all that.

 

[green_duck42]

Awesome! I was hoping to hear that.

 

[green_duck42]

Peeled them off today. Getting the skins off was easy. Two are still covered in glue the other two had a lot of rust built up and hidden under them. No wonder they had a ton of weights on them. Now I need to figure out sandblast or wire wheel...