Finishing stock painted wheels

[DHoskins]

I know most of you can't wait to get the stock wheels off and put new rims on but I like the color of the painted aluminum wheels on my '98 and would like to keep them. I not happy with the finish on the INSIDE of the wheel and would like to polish & paint them to match the outside. Has anyone done this? It looks like I might have to take off a lot of aluminum to have a smooth finish that could be painted. I wonder if this would weaken them too much. Or is this just a bad idea? :confused
Thanks.

 

[Pac-man]

The inside will get very dirty and you can't get at them to clean so I would'nt bother.

 

[DHoskins]

Thanks for the post. I know how dirty they get but I was hoping for at least a chance of keeping them clean. Guess I'll have to look for another solution.
I'm also getting the message that there are 11,075 Forum Members that don't like the stock wheels, unless they're polished, and 1 (me) that does!

 

[Gorgon]

The stock wheels have grown on me since owning my 99 FRC. I will say that cleaning these wheels makes me want to put a set of 2000 or newer rims on it at times. I have painted calipers that are a real PITA to keep clean with the thick spokes of the "wagon" wheels.

I did find a way to keep the rims clean though. I pulled the rims off and cleaned the inside of the rims up real well and they look fantastic when clean. I then found a brush in Walmart that is long and slender and really helps get inside the rim. It's actually a cleaning brush designed to clean under a stove or refridgerator in your house, but it works really well on the wheels. It's made by RangeKleen and costs about $4.

Here is a link to the brush on the web. The one I got seemed to be a little longer that the picture shown. My neighbor picked up a different one that was designed for car rims. The bristles on the one I got may be a little stiff for paint, so check before you buy.

RangeKleen

Good luck with your decision. I will tell you that when the inside rim is clean the car looks great when sitting still, but all that hard work pays off when it's being driven down the road.

 

[DHoskins]

Thanks for the encouragement and ideas. I'll try your suggestions this week-end.

 

[tomls1]

Thanks for the encouragement and ideas. I'll try your suggestions this week-end.

i actually just came in from doing a complete cleaning of my wheels. i take them off the car and use a pressure washer to clean the inside of the wheels. it really helps to take off the hard grime. i just wish the previous owner had done something like this since some of the grime is there for good. i don't do this that often, but when i do, they really look good.

good luck with whatever you decide to do with your rims. by the way, i like the 98 rims a lot.

 

[rsimoes]

I would try having them redone at Wheel Collision Center. They can make them look brand again. They do awesome work, from personal experience.

http://www.wheelcollision.com/

 

[DHoskins]

i actually just came in from doing a complete cleaning of my wheels. i take them off the car and use a pressure washer to clean the inside of the wheels. it really helps to take off the hard grime. i just wish the previous owner had done something like this since some of the grime is there for good. i don't do this that often, but when i do, they really look good.

good luck with whatever you decide to do with your rims. by the way, i like the 98 rims a lot.

Duh! My powerwasher lives about 30 feet from the Vette and I never thought about using it on the wheels!
I'm gonna try the cleaning suggestions and maybe I can wait for the restoration work. Thanks all for the help!

 

[Gorgon]

Once you're done with the pressure washer pick up one of those range brushes and keep them looking good. It definitely makes it easier to keep the inside of the rims clean.

 

[FRC99]

I've ben taking my painted wheels off and scrubbing them since I bought the car. I too found the refridgerator brush a help between fits of anal retention. And I've also wondered about was getting the wheel painted the same color of the car (in my case pewter). I saw white wheels on an ad and thought it looked good. So my vote is the painted are alright also.

 

[Gorgon]

FRC99, if you want to add a nice touch to your wheels have the center caps painted. Our Pewter FRC came with them painted Pewter on the outside of the center cap and the C5 emblem painted as well. I have attached a pic to give you an idea. Looks great on the pewter cars. You can see the entire car in smaller pics in this thread.

 

[FRC99]

You are right! The center piece paint looks real good. I'm also glad the rest of the car turned out so good (I have been following the story). Good luck Monday.

 

[Gorgon]

That post was a week old. Got the exhaust addressed Thursday and all is well.