Help needed restoring wheels

Tizer · **Posted:** Sun Dec 09, 2012 6:37 am

I need some help on how to restore my RX7 wheels. 2 of them are corroded a bit and I want to sand them down so I can paint them. The other 2 are in a much betetr shape, just a bit dirty.. So those will only need prepping for the paint.

Can anyone tell me how to start with it? Sandblasting them is a bit too expensive and would ruin the low budget idea of these wheels.
What grit sandpaper should I go for, or is there maybe another option to try like a wirewheel on my dremel or something like that?

Here's a picture of what I'm working with:

The two on the right are the good set, the two on the left are the 'bad' set.

All tips are welcome

uras1 · **Posted:** Tue Dec 11, 2012 5:30 am

personally i would get them blasted and powder coasted, sanded and paintd many rims myself but no more haha

Tommy Samuels · **Posted:** Tue Dec 11, 2012 6:41 am

uras1 wrote:

personally i would get them blasted and powder coasted, sanded and painted many rims myself but no more haha

X2

It wouldn't cost much to have them media blasted... at least not around here.
Otherwise you're looking at a lot of time with a medium stiffness wire brush to get rid of the scale without damaging the aluminum

Tizer · **Posted:** Tue Dec 11, 2012 9:03 am

Getting them blasted is pretty expensive over here unfortunatly, and it would beat the idea of a budget build. Luckilly I've got the offer from a buddy of mine who has a lockup full of old cars and tools with his friends to come over and have a go with their personal sandblasting cabinet. So I think that's the best option at the moment.

What about prepping them for paint after being blasted? Just a normal primer or something more special?

Stevester · **Posted:** Tue Dec 11, 2012 10:12 am

There is Aluminum Jelly which is a corrosion remover like Naval Jelly but not as strong. But there are some people who think it is not possible to remove every last trace of the aluminum jelly because of aluminum's porosity. But it is something to consider...

Tommy Samuels · **Posted:** Tue Dec 11, 2012 10:37 am

Tizer wrote:

...
What about prepping them for paint after being blasted? Just a normal primer or something more special?

When I did the wheels on my MGA - thankfully there weren't a ton of nooks and crannies so I just taped off for painting the centers with rattle can primer and paint. Once it was dry I removed the tape from the polished parts and gave everything several coats of clear.

Eric · **Posted:** Wed Dec 26, 2012 7:38 am

Tizer, were do you live in the netherlands? I know a guy on my forum that blasts for friends and forummembers, maybe he lives in your neighbourhood.

Help needed restoring wheels

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