>I have not had much success cleanig up the aluminum wheels that came as OEM
...
>Also, if anyone has any good hints (painting, polishing, etc) on how to make
>factory alumium wheels look good again that would be appreciated. I have
>removed all the clear coat (actually what was left) and have tried to polish
>with aluminum polish and a scotchbrite wheel but the wheels still remain
Dave, it sounds like you've expended some elbow grease. However, I think the
only realistic way to clean up wheels is to sand blast them. If you want shiny
wheels, you next polish them using a high speed polisher (pneumatic is the
only way to go). Either way you must protect the bare aluminum with a plastic
coating. Powder coating is the only way to go - they heat up the part, dust
it with plastic powder, and then cool it slowly so the plastic flows together.
You can get powder coatings in many different colors, from clear, to silver
(like my stock rims - '93) to custom matches to your body color.
Commercial powder coatings last about ten years in direct sunlight - much
longer than any solvent-borne coating. Especially for clearcoats.
Have a great Labor Day!
Jim
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes,
but in having new eyes." -- Proust
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