Nasty Wheel Barrels, Help Please!

kochdalton87

kochdalton87

New member
May 29, 2013
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Tonight I had the wheels off the car to paint the calipers and drums and while I was at it I noticed how bad the wheel barrels are. The barrels toward the outside are super rough, like 40 grit sand paper so it isn't just normal dirt on them. By the looks of it they've never been properly cleaned. Does anybody have any suggestions on what to use and do to clean these up? I'd like to get them super clean for an upcoming car show so any help would be appreciated greatly.
Thanks and btw if I need to order anything I can as I will be making an AG order in the near future... The strongest wheel cleaner I have is Sonax... Thanks!


 
Start with Sonax. If there is grease back there too, you'll need an APC. After that, clay will help too.
 
Alright, I did use the Sonax and that took care of the general dirt but not the tough stuff so I proceeded to use 3 different grades of steel wool to clean them. It seems that I have rust/corrosion on the barrels that doesn't want to scrub off. I have it leveled for the most part but can't get it gone. What would you guys recommend doing to get these wheels perfect? I have access to orbital sanders, should I try to hit them with sandpaper on the coarse areas? Just throwing some ideas out before I go ahead on any... Let me know. Thanks
 
I have a sure fire method of cleaning impossible surfaces on the portion of the wheel that YOU DO NOT SEE.

Comet and a stiff brush. I did a set of 20 year old, never ever cleaned Ford Explorer aluminum wheel and it got rid of all the crud.
And I tried all my standard cleaners first with little to no success.
 
Shtexas said:
What are your wheels made of? Polished aluminum?
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Pretty sure they are polished aluminum.


oldmodman said:
I have a sure fire method of cleaning impossible surfaces on the portion of the wheel that YOU DO NOT SEE.

Comet and a stiff brush. I did a set of 20 year old, never ever cleaned Ford Explorer aluminum wheel and it got rid of all the crud.
And I tried all my standard cleaners first with little to no success.
Click to expand...

Okay, what exactly is comet? Did a quick search but didn't come up with anything definite. The goal is to get the rust totally cleaned off or at least hidden in a sense for a car show. Right now it doesn't look too good with all the rust showing near the face of the rim.

Thanks guys!
 
Comet is the abrasive tub and tile cleaner. It's a powder.
You can try a metal polishing compound with #00,#000,#0000 steel wool and just scrub away. Then hit it with a polisher to finish it out. It's a lot of work but I have used it many times on really bad exhaust tips and they come out perfect.
 
Okay, yeah that's fine if it takes a while. I just want the best looking wheels with what I have so I'll give it a try. Thanks for your help.
 
kochdalton87 said:
Okay, yeah that's fine if it takes a while. I just want the best looking wheels with what I have so I'll give it a try. Thanks for your help.
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Looks much better now. Try Krud Cutter from local hardware store like Home Depot. Only runs about $4. Use steel wool with it and your rust issues will be history. IronX works very well also.

Finish up with a metal polish and an electric drill with a buffer head.
 
Hey guys, just an update on the wheel barrels. I finally got a chance to work on them again yesterday and went at the fronts which were worse than the rears I did earlier. My goto product combo ending up being steel wool with moistened Comet. The krud cutter was strong enough for the hard dirt but didn't have the extra bite for the stains and rust. I'm pretty sure I have the wheels as "clean" as they're going to get without taking the next step.


What I'm running into now is that all the "dirt" is off but the rust/corrosion pitted the aluminum giving it a very dirty and cheap look.

So when you look at it from the face of the wheel you can clearly see this pitting which annoys me. It doesn't look as bad it does in person due to lighting but you get the idea.
Also, if you notice the rust around the lugs I did not touch those with anything aggressive other than sonax and a brush and that's what I'm left with. Does anybody have any ideas what I can do with that area. The only reason I'm afraid of touching that area is because it is cleared chrome that got rusty and not just polished aluminum like the barrels.



If any of you have ideas of how to go about getting these wheels better than they are without just buying new ones that would be great.

While thinking I had this idea, I know it would be a lot of work but it would be worth it to me in the end if it would work. Would it be possible to bondo (or other body filler product) over the wheel barrel, filling in all pits leaving behind a nice smooth finish. Then, possibly painting it in a metallic paint to give the polished aluminum look and then clearing over that for added durability. And then of course sealing it for easy cleaning. Other than time I think the hardest part about doing this would be sanding the bondo to get a perfect finish.

Please let me know your thoughts on this. I'm just a 16 year-old kid on a budget trying to make his car look as good as he can! haha

Thanks guys for all the help it is greatly appreciated!
 
Ok, that's kind of typical IME for the backs not to be painted. You've got corrosion pitting (not rust, iron rusts, aluminum doesn't). Sure you can sand, prime, and paint that, the primer should fill in what's left of the pitting after you sand. Or you can try and sand and polish and hope that gets all of the pits out.

You say the fronts are "cleared chrome" which isn't a usual approach. Usually there is chrome, or the wheels have been polished and then cleared, not both. Is the damage in the lug nut holes the same as the back of the wheels (as shown in your closeup)? Because it looks different.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Ok, that's kind of typical IME for the backs not to be painted. You've got corrosion pitting (not rust, iron rusts, aluminum doesn't). Sure you can sand, prime, and paint that, the primer should fill in what's left of the pitting after you sand. Or you can try and sand and polish and hope that gets all of the pits out.

You say the fronts are "cleared chrome" which isn't a usual approach. Usually there is chrome, or the wheels have been polished and then cleared, not both. Is the damage in the lug nut holes the same as the back of the wheels (as shown in your closeup)? Because it looks different.
Click to expand...


Okay, the pits just look a little deeper than what paint could fill in from my experience. My guess is they're about 1/16" deep at some places. That's why I mentioned about using a body filler of some sort to smooth out the barrels. And on the "cleared chrome" comment, I just thought by looking at it there is a clear on it for added protection but if you say they generally don't do that mine probably aren't cleared.

As for the lug nuts it appears to be similar corrosion but not as rough/severe but you can clearly see a good amount of scratches and corrosion in the same area. What would you recommend to tackle this? Thanks
 
kochdalton87 said:
Okay, the pits just look a little deeper than what paint could fill in from my experience. My guess is they're about 1/16" deep at some places.
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Yeah you could use some glazing putty, if it was me I'd prime and sand, and prime again.

kochdalton87 said:
As for the lug nuts it appears to be similar corrosion but not as rough/severe but you can clearly see a good amount of scratches in the same area. What would you recommend to tackle this? Thanks
Click to expand...

If it's chrome plate, the only thing you can do is metal polish it (which may not fix it). If it's polished/cleared in there...that's going to be a little tougher. If the paint is compromised you'd have to either polish down to the metal and shine it up, and hope the transition line to the fronts isn't too noticeable, or polish and re-clear and hope for the same with the transition.

That's my $.02 but I may not know what I'm talking about. Those are Mustang factory wheels?
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Yeah you could use some glazing putty, if it was me I'd prime and sand, and prime again.



If it's chrome plate, the only thing you can do is metal polish it (which may not fix it). If it's polished/cleared in there...that's going to be a little tougher. If the paint is compromised you'd have to either polish down to the metal and shine it up, and hope the transition line to the fronts isn't too noticeable, or polish and re-clear and hope for the same with the transition.

That's my $.02 but I may not know what I'm talking about. Those are Mustang factory wheels?
Click to expand...

Okay, hey every bit of advice is appreciated and valued. And no they're not factory, they're 1995 Cobra R replica wheels, brand unknown.
 
Iron X paste is what you need to remove stubborn brake dust. My Griot's garage regular wheel cleaner wouldn't touch my dust. The Sonax made a noticeable improvement, but it is obvious that I would go through too much product with it. Griot's Garage Heavy Duty made a small improvement, but not as much as Sonax., Then I tried Iron X liquid. That made a HUGE improvement. Iron X actually works, and is safe. I used Poorboy's Spray and Rinse, and that stuff stained my clearcoat milky. it is ok for powder coated wheels, though.

I understand the Iron X Paste is 10x as concentrated as the liquid, and its thick enough to stay on for the longest working time.
Use Iron X before you use an abrasive, like Comet.
I would try Bon Ami before Comet, since Comet is harsher, and Bon Ami "hasn't scratched yet". :) (Their slogan)

My wheels are early 90s Boyd's Star wheels, cast. They have never been properly cleaned until now. The barrels are so brown I could write Iron X Paste on them with the Iron X paste, and it would be perfectly legible.

AG, Sponsor my wheel project with a free bottle of Iron X paste or two.:) I'll take pics. It would be the ultimate review for the product.
 
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