Conference napalm::musclecars

    
     My truck wheels are real bad...rust o mania !  that's what I get from
    using them in the Winter months, because I was tooOOO lazy to take them
    off.  
    
     Someone did mention that "Cheap" Elbow grease is the best.  Where can
    
     I buy some ?
    
    
    
    
      HA HA HA !   Hey, I use some cotton type material with a polish
    fluid in it, it works Excellent...removes Rust, oxidation, and gives
    an excellent shine that lasts!!
    
      it is called NEVER DULL...you can buy it at hardware stores.  Spags'
    used to carry it, but have not seen it lately on their shelves.
    
    /Bob

    "Mother's" Aluminum and Mag Wheel polish works pretty well too. 
    Spag's has it for about 4 bucks.
    
    I've been using it, along some acid based spray stuff for cleaning
    up an old aluminum boat.  The acid takes the crud and oxidation off,
    and the polish shines it up.  I forget the name of the cleaner, but
    could get it if you'd like.
    
    Rick

    
     Not aluminum, but a wheel question.
    
     Where the Magnum 500 wheels available in 15 inch sizes or only 14
    inchers?
    
     Tony
    

    I heard from a friend last week that there is a company that makes 15"
    Magnums. They take the 14" centers and convert them to 15". He said
    they run around $600 for a set (complete). A set of 15x7 Rallys from
    Year One runs $699. I might just go with the Magnums after all.
    
    
    /steve

    I've seen the Magnum 500's for $499.00 a set recently. The Ford Magnum
    500's came in 14x6", 14x7" and 15x7". I think the Mopars only came in
    6" wide versions, but am not sure.
                                                     John M.
    

    
    Yeah, you can get them in 15" , for about $600.  
    
     Call mustangs unlimited in Con.   1-800-243-7278
    
    They'll give yu a Price....You'll be talking to kevin, or Dave.
    
    
    /Bob
    

    If you're going to spring for $600 for a set of Magnums, better to
    spend a few extra bucks for the "correct" Mopar units. There IS a
    difference !!! For "magnums" had chromed rims and no trim ring. Mopar
    units had painted rims and used a trim ring.
    
    Stan

>    difference !!! For "magnums" had chromed rims and no trim ring. Mopar
>    units had painted rims and used a trim ring.

Ford wheels, although they share the same 4 1/2" bolt circle, have a 
smaller hub opening than MoPar.  Unless the wheels are "universal" in 
nature, they may not fit over the front hub or the rear axle stub on a 
MoPar.

    re: .8  And therfore the proper centre cap won't fit.
    
    Stan
    

    
    
    	Hi,
    
    	The aluminum wheels on my Corvette need to be glass beaded.  They
    	won't come clean with a metal polish as they were cleared.
    	
    	Does any know where I can get this done?  
    
    	Thanks!
    
    	/andy
    
    
    

I learned a very valuable lesson yesterday and thought that I'd pass it along so
that others can benefit from my mistake.

Do *not* use Casterol Super Clean on polished aluminum.  I went to clean up my
intake system, tested a small portion which seemed ok, covered it in Super
Clean, and it was instant oxidation!  It took alot of rubbing with Mothers
aluminum polish to get it looking decent again.

You,ve been warned...  :-)

Mark

    Re: -2
    
    Glass beading will leave a rough surface on the wheels which is tough
    to bring back to an original finish - if that's what you're after. You'd
    have to sand down the beaded finish and then re-polish. In addition,
    because of the roughness, they're tough to keep clean and looking good.
    There are places that can re-polish aluminum wheels with the tire still
    on them. You could then either clear-coat them, which won't last long,
    or wax them and maintaim them regularly.
    
    The way I look at it is rather than the expense of beading you may as
    well start with some course paper and work your way down to say a 600
    grit. The course will remove the coating and deep blems then you
    progressively sand out the sanding marks. Always sand in the same
    direction around the wheel, never across it or from centre out. Finish
    off with either fine steel wool or scotch brite pad. If done carefully
    the finish is an attractive satin look and is easily maintained by
    washing weekly with an aluminum acid solution (generally sold in
    housewares sections for cleaning steam irons). This is spayed or
    brushed on, scrubbed with a soft bristle brush and rinsed off and dried
    immediately. Do NOT allow it to sit too long or dry on the wheel as it
    will leave a dark stain which is tough to remove. Make sure you dry
    well around the lugs and caps (once done I usually drive once around
    the block to shake loose the remaining moisture then go over them once
    more with the towel).
        
    Stan

    
    I was under the impression that Glass Beading would leanve them
    perfect as opposed to sandblasting?
    
    
    >>There are places that can re-polish aluminum wheels with the tire...
    
    Where????
    
    Thanks!
    
    /andy
    
    
    

    Glass beading will NOT leave them perfect. You're hitting a soft metal
    with thousands of glass beads at over 100 lbs of pressure - its gonna
    do some damage!
    
    There are guys/places that polish wheels up here in Canada. Suggest you
    check your local yellow pages. Try "Polishing", "Wheels", some tire and
    mag vendors are also equipped.
    
    Stan

I'd read of places having crushed walnut shells as the blasting material,
and it is not supposed to damage the metal.

I hit a curb the other day with my $160 buck a piece Aluminum wheels...ARRRGHH!
The tire has minor damage and the bead still holds with no noticable air loss.
The lip of the wheel is bent just less than an inch or so and the rim itself 
is slightly deformed(1/4" maybe).  There is no wheel shake(its the front left)
or pull.  Can this be easily repaired?  Is it advisable to pound it out with a
hammer and a piece of wood?  If not, where  could I have it fixed?

thanks

Rich

    
    Is there a way to get paint to stick to aluminum wheels?  I have 
    a set of factory rim on a 300zx which were coated with clearcoat. 
    I ended up sanding off the clearcoat due to oxidation and tried 
    to paint them with an aluminum wheel paint topped of with clearcoat.
    They looked great!  However, the paint is starting to crack.
    
    Questions:  Should I use primer first?
                Should I forget the paint and sand them as previously 
                mentioned?
                Any place in the Leominster area that refinishes/paints
                wheels?

    > Is there a way to get paint to stick to aluminum wheels?
    
    Use Zinc Chromate (sp?) primer?  It works for aircraft.

    The zinc chromate used on our aluminium system boxes is applied in a
    "bath-type" (for lack of knowing the technical terminology) operation.
    It may even be electro-statically applied like chroming a part.  Can
    you just buy it in a spray can?  We have a "touch-up" felt tip marker
    for zinc chromate but it's just for small scratches in non painted
    areas.  I can say that zinc chromated aluminium takes paint very well
    as all of our rackmount enclosures we use in NIO utilize this process.
    Of course they are not subject to flying stones, salt, and flexing!
    Wayne

    I don't know if you can buy it in a spray can per se.  It may be sold
    by the gallon, and you'd have to spray it with an airgun.  I'd ask a
    reputable body shop or custom car restorer for a source.  If anyone
    were to ever paint an Avanti I'm sure they'd know how to make paint
    stick to aluminum.
                     
    Mike

    
    
    I bought it in a spray can a long time ago at General Automotive in
    Worcester.  
    
    Good luck!
    
    /acb  

    Right, you have to use the right primer on alumininum. Make SURE you
    wear a mask with this stuff!!!!!!! Also, before applying the primer the
    wheels should be cleaned with aluminum metal prep to remove any last
    traces of oxidation. The primer can be bought in large spray bombs from
    auotomotive paint supply shops. Don't spray it on too thick, the
    thinner the coat of paint the less likely it is to chip. Keep in mind
    that the primer is yellow so you can't clearcoat the wheels if you use
    this.
    
    As for the nutshells, they'll do less damage than glass beads BUT they
    still won't polish a wheel. For this you need compounds and buffers. 
    
    Don't hammer out dings on aluminum wheels. These are mostly cast and
    won't take a second hit. The best way to repair them is to take the
    tire of and have a welder cut the bent portion out and fill it. Then
    have the area machined.
    
    Stan

    I thought Zinc Chromate was highly toxic...
    
    Once you've used patent Elbow Grease to get the finish, try using a
    barrier grease over the winter months. This is one way that we use in 
    the UK. Then, when you want the wheels to SHINE, all the grease can be
    wiped off, together with brake dust etc. Vaseline (tm) is the UK name.
    
    Tony.