Stripping.

Ok....minds need to step up out of the gutter....

I have a set of rims (wheels) that need a bit of attention. These are the 17" Sports. They have paint chipping, minor corrosion with some tar and rubber stuck to them. Tires are not on the rims.

My final plan is to prime, paint, clear coat them. But the most critical step is prepping the rims. I have scrubbed the wheels to remove brake dust, dirt and loose stuff. Now, I need to begin stripping the wheels. I know once the paint is removed that the corrosion will need to be addressed.

I've talked to a couple of body shops about stripping, but they all refused the work. I've made contact with a couple of sandblast shops.....no reply. So, I'm in a position where I expect the stripping will be done by me.

FWIW, I have done automotive painting work on my motorcycle. I am familiar with the process. The bike was easy to strip with sandpaper and a wire wheel on a grinder. The rims are a more complex surface.


Any suggestions for chemical stripping products or procedures?

 

I did mine a couple years ago . Spent more money on the tools and equipment to re-finish them than to purchase new rims . My rims were pitted extremely bad from the salt up here where I live
https://www.raneystruckparts.com/complete-cleaning-kits/

$110 ZEPHYR CUSTOM POLISHING PRODUCTS Super Shine Polishing Kit with 8" Polishing Wheels for Aluminum, Stainless on Semi Trucks, Polishing Aluminum Wheels

https://www.amazon.com/Zephyr-Super...qid=1610558450&sprefix=zephyr+,aps,204&sr=8-2

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=chrome+p...lishing+kit+,aps,189&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-a-p_1_21

 

@gearcruncher Yeah, I get that the equip is big $$$. I have all the goodies from when I painted my motorcycle. A body shop quoted $750 just to paint the fuel tank. I bought all the equip and paint for less than half and did the entire bike.

I have compressor, HVLP spray gun, respirator (needs new filters). A tyvek suit w/booties, rubber gloves and some other small spends. My main expense will be the etcher (?), primer, paint and clear. I'll need barrels of elbow grease.

I'm currently looking for a good stripper to remove the automotive paint from the rims (wheels).

All the products you mentioned are used after painting. I used some of the buffing products when I polished some of the aluminum engine pieces to give a bit of shine to the bike. The polish was followed with clear coat. Here is my results.........

 

Nice job on the bike . I use to have a nighthawk back in the day but never looked as nice as your CX .

The Zephyr kit I pointed at actually digs the pitting out of the aluminum wheel . If you push too hard , the buffing wheel will actually dig into the rim and leave a large indentation . They are designed to refinish chrome and aluminum . It took me about 3 hours / wheel
I wouldnt chance using them on a painted surface . Those wheels you see on the box are 10 inches in diameter . You need a large random orbital just to drive them .

I tried the quality aircraft stripper for clear coat . It was recommended by members here at Tacoma World .
I cant say it worked very well for removing the clear coat .
https://www.grainger.ca/en/product/AIRCRAFT-PAINT-STRIPPER-3-78-L/p/PRFPF747

 

Fortunately, the corrosion isn't too severe on the wheels. I've tried a couple of test spots with 120 gr AlO2 sand paper.....it comes out easy.

Ok....Aircraft stripper. Figures one of the nastiest products to use.

Thanks on the bike. Its an '81. It was a wrecked non-runner when I bought it. The only decals are the Honda Wing and the model name on the side covers. I'm hunting an '80-81 CB900 Custom. Talk about unicorns........

 

Ask a metal plating shop if they're willing to chemical strip it. Some of them have vats of the stuff, depending on what they do.

 

your supposed to scuff the surface before you apply that stuff so it can seep down to the bare substrate, if you skipped that step then yeah it doesnt work that well

 

There is a 1975 Honda CB 750 just down the street from me . Hasnt been driven in years . I had all the carbs off it 20 years ago , then took it for a rip on the airport runway . Speed wobbled at 60mph .
I bet you its still there with 1/2 inch of dust on it

 

For motorcycle wheels I always use citrus strip, and then brass brushes to peel the old paint off. If I ever get too frustrated I take them into have them sand blasted or vapor blasted. I do the sand blasting at work, but a shop in town vapor blasts for not too much if the major prep work is already done. It stinks that places don’t want work anymore for small jobs. I keep running into issues at work with our projects where we need X parts fabricated or laser cut and no shop wants the job becuase it’s not 3 weeks work, it’s 2 days or 1 afternoon or work and they would rather not have the work I guess.

Try citrus strip, low fumes, you do it inside and it works pretty good.

 

Cheaper in the end to just buy a new set of wheels.

 

Nice bike, it reminds me of my Dad's Honda 400 Hawk I learned to ride on

 

Never used them before but a buddy was telling me about https://www.oshcut.com/ for getting one off or small batch metal parts laser cut. They also apparently do bending now too. Turnaround is supposedly pretty quick, not sure about cost.

 

@Luckypierre Ummmmm......I'm asking about stripping the 17" OEM Sports from the Tacoma.
The only reason the motorcycle was mentioned is to indicate I have the equipment and skills to execute a nice paint job.


@Saffa Thanks. I learned on an '80 Honda CM400T.

 

Not in this case.

I got the wheels from a TW member for $50/wheel including shipping. The strip and paint will probably run another $100-150 for the set.

So, final cost per wheel will be $75-110.

I haven't seen a set of wheels that suit me for less than $800+. This path puts me on wheels I like for less than half the cost of "....just buy a new set....."

 

I was only responding to your complaint about getting laser cut parts made...

“I keep running into issues at work with our projects where we need X parts fabricated or laser cut and no shop wants the job becuase it’s not 3 weeks work, it’s 2 days or 1 afternoon or work and they would rather not have the work I guess.”

 

I've always used "Aircraft Stripper" and it's taken off pretty much any coating I've tried it on. It's potent stuff and will eat through rubber gloves. I double them up so the outer gloves are a sacrificial layer I can keep replacing.

That said, I wouldn't bother wasting my time with these. I'd just pick up some take offs around here there are hundreds of sets of those wheels for sale on craigslist, offerup...etc.

 

Not to argue as you are already committed down this path, but I purchased 4 “like new” 17 inch 4Runner take off wheels for about what you have spent on those old Sport wheels. I purchased mine from a Toyota dealer who was installing a wheel upgrade on a new vehicle.

I got rid of my old Sport wheel because they were badly flaking and pitting. The wheel paint started failing within my first few years of ownership so I believe Toyota failed at something during the manufacturing process

 

See if you can get a hold of a powder coating shop. I've had good luck with some of the smaller time places.

 

This would be my suggestion as well