Wheels-Tires Remove paint from stock wheels

[tmiller974]

I noticed that the previous owner sprayed the wheels with, (I assume) Plasti Dip. I was able to remove it, and noticed that the wheels were painted black. There were chips in the paint and the original wheel finish was exposed as you can see from the pictures below. I would like to have the original finish on my wheels, but how do I get the paint off without damaging the finish below? Please help, the current condition is rather annoying to me at this time.

 

[Husky44]

I'd start with a lacquer thinner, or something along those lines. That's going to be a lot of elbow grease...

 

[tmiller974]

I'd start with a lacquer thinner, or something along those lines. That's going to be a lot of elbow grease...

yea, that's what I figured, with the elbow grease. The lacquer thinner won't hurt the stock finish?

 

[Husky44]

yea, that's what I figured, with the elbow grease. The lacquer thinner won't hurt the stock finish?

It shouldn't, but you would be wise to test it first.

I'm assuming you're trying to do this at minimum cost. Otherwise, I'd highly recommend taking them in, having them media blasted and powder coated. More money, but less effort, and possibly a better finish.

 

[tmiller974]

It shouldn't, but you would be wise to test it first.

I'm assuming you're trying to do this at minimum cost. Otherwise, I'd highly recommend taking them in, having them media blasted and powder coated. More money, but less effort, and possibly a better finish.

I don't plan on keeping them for that long, so, no i'm not looking to spend too much money. I am looking for new wheels/tires for the future though. I just want to have nicer looking wheels now while i'm in the waiting stage.

 

[Husky44]

I cleaned up a set of rims on an old Jeep many years ago, where the coating had failed. Can of lacquer thinner and a couple of different grades of steel wool. Coarser grade to cut the coating, super fine grain to finish it once I'd cut the bulk of the crud off. Again, I'd test it in an inconspicuous place, then go from there. I don't know what the factory finish is, so it's hard to know how aggressive you can be in removing the top coat without ruining the finish underneath.

A thought: What's your spare like? If it's the same wheel (and not a metal space saver) you could test your lacquer thinner there, to see how the original paint reacts.

 

[tmiller974]

I cleaned up a set of rims on an old Jeep many years ago, where the coating had failed. Can of lacquer thinner and a couple of different grades of steel wool. Coarser grade to cut the coating, super fine grain to finish it once I'd cut the bulk of the crud off. Again, I'd test it in an inconspicuous place, then go from there. I don't know what the factory finish is, so it's hard to know how aggressive you can be in removing the top coat without ruining the finish underneath.

A thought: What's your spare like? If it's the same wheel (and not a metal space saver) you could test your lacquer thinner there, to see how the original paint reacts.

My spare is an ugly donut. I guess I could try that anyway, if I don't like the outcome, I could always Plasti-Dip the wheel again like I did last night before putting the above pictured wheel back on the car.

I assume I can get the lacquer thinner at Home Depot? How much do you think I would need to do all 4 wheels? And how much time should I put aside to do this? It is my daily driver and I wouldn't dare to drive her with 2 different looking sets of wheels! Can't do that to her. lol

 

[Husky44]

HD is fine. I keep a gallon can at the house; that'll be more than enough.

Time all depends on how well the Plasti-Dip is adhered. The coating I took off my Jeep wheels was a royal pain. Took me a couple of days.

Just do left side one day, right side the next. Most people don't see both sides of your car at the same time!

 

[tmiller974]

I think, (based on the little bit I could see under the paint) they look like these:

 

[tmiller974]

Just do left side one day, right side the next. Most people don't see both sides of your car at the same time!

Very true! And the Plasti-Dip pretty much pulls off by hand in about 10 minutes per wheel.