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I'm looking to restore/repaint these aluminum rims. They are flaking pretty badly, and I found this video showing a good way to prep/paint them, only problem is I don't have a sandblaster and have been quoted at about $40 per rim just to sandblast.
Best thing I've found is just to sand the crap out of them by hand. If I do this, what grit should I start with and work up to before priming and painting?
Depends what your expectations are, it will be way more work to get the same result as media blasting. I would not go lower than 180 grit paper, finish with 400-ish before painting. The aluminum must be perfectly clean use a maroon then grey Scotch-Brite pad with lacquer thinner to remove all traces of grease and oil.
Depends what your expectations are, it will be way more work to get the same result as media blasting. I would not go lower than 180 grit paper, finish with 400-ish before painting. The aluminum must be perfectly clean use a maroon then grey Scotch-Brite pad with lacquer thinner to remove all traces of grease and oil.
I don't expect them to be perfect, but would like them to at least look pretty smooth and even. Is it going to be possible to level out the parts that aren't chipped with the parts that are?
Or should I just sand the damaged spots and feather the edges of the good parts of the wheel, then prime and paint the wheel?
You really won’t be able to get an invisible feather at any conventional grade on that porous a substrate. You will need to get all the paint off, otherwise you will have nasty paint lines everywhere veining the whole surface.
Like L2K said, work up to 400, and then wash, degrease, wash and degrease again. Your results will be based on the time you put into prep so figure A LOT. I have refinished a number of various metal items and one trick I have learned is to do an acid etch of the surface before to promote adehesion on a surface that sees rough use or exposure (like a wheel). Muriatic or phosphoric acid is cheap and effective.
Even with a sandblaster, all you have saved time on is stripping. You still have to go and do all the sanding, cleaning, prep, etc. Try some aircraft stripper or similar to soften the paint to ease removal. I didn’t watch that video, but on mounted wheels, little 5x7 index cars are perfect for masking around the rim (perhaps it shows that technique).
You really won’t be able to get an invisible feather at any conventional grade on that porous a substrate. You will need to get all the paint off, otherwise you will have nasty paint lines everywhere veining the whole surface.
Like L2K said, work up to 400, and then wash, degrease, wash and degrease again. Your results will be based on the time you put into prep so figure A LOT. I have refinished a number of various metal items and one trick I have learned is to do an acid etch of the surface before to promote adehesion on a surface that sees rough use or exposure (like a wheel). Muriatic or phosphoric acid is cheap and effective.
Even with a sandblaster, all you have saved time on is stripping. You still have to go and do all the sanding, cleaning, prep, etc. Try some aircraft stripper or similar to soften the paint to ease removal. I didn’t watch that video, but on mounted wheels, little 5x7 index cars are perfect for masking around the rim (perhaps it shows that technique).
What colour/brand of paint would be similar to the original finish? Or even just a nice silver that doesn't look cheap as hell?
I live in Ontario, Canada. So something I could find around here would be nice
This will match the silver almost exactly. But remember the face of the wheel is machined (and I think clear coated) so painted the wheels will not look like they did originally. But if prepped properly they will look nice.
I like how that one at CT is certified as “Tested for Life in Canada.”
It has high reviews so that sounds promising. Another generic paint I have been impressed with the results - Rustoleum Professional High Performance Enamel. It is at most Home Depots and Ace hardwares, is relatively inexpensive, comes in a wide varietty of colors, comes in a decent-sized large can, and has an effective fan nozzle to promote a good spray pattern. I would still clear-coat over it as mentioned, though. Make sure the clearcoat is uv-resistant and so labeled.
Oven cleaner is a good idea. I had to rebuild a transmission not long ago, one exposed to the road and not a FWD car semi-protected by a belly pan. 18 years of PNW water, and leaking oil and ATF made it a real mess. Rite-aid has a “dollar” section and I got five cans of very cheap oven cleaner to clean and strip it before disassembly and rebuilding it. Oven cleaner can be very useful around the garage sometimes.
This will match the silver almost exactly. But remember the face of the wheel is machined (and I think clear coated) so painted the wheels will not look like they did originally. But if prepped properly they will look nice.
Thanks, I tried it on a small spot and it's much darker though. Maybe with clear coat and proper prep it will look good though.
Rim Restore/Repaint
