Nasty Wheel Barrels, Help Please!

[kochdalton87]

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!


http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x364/kochdalton87/wheelbarrel.jpg (http://s1178.photobucket.com/user/kochdalton87/media/wheelbarrel.jpg.html)

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Since you have Sonax on hand give that a shot before you order anything and see where that gets you. You will also need some thorough agitation.

[SYMAWD]

Start with Sonax. If there is grease back there too, you'll need an APC. After that, clay will help too.

[kochdalton87]

Okay thanks, I'll try that in the morning. I appreciate it.

[kochdalton87]

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

[kochdalton87]

Here's the pic:
http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x364/kochdalton87/wheel.jpg (http://s1178.photobucket.com/user/kochdalton87/media/wheel.jpg.html)

[jlax2485]

Iron-x will work well on the rust.

[Shtexas]

What are your wheels made of? Polished aluminum?

[oldmodman]

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.

[kochdalton87]

What are your wheels made of? Polished aluminum?

Pretty sure they are polished aluminum.



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.

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!

[inDetail]

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.

[kochdalton87]

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.

[rmagnus]

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.

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.

[kochdalton87]

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.
http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x364/kochdalton87/IMG_4362.jpg (http://s1178.photobucket.com/user/kochdalton87/media/IMG_4362.jpg.html)

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.

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x364/kochdalton87/IMG_4363.jpg (http://s1178.photobucket.com/user/kochdalton87/media/IMG_4363.jpg.html)

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!

[Setec Astronomy]

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.