What should I use to seal up and protect INSIDE of alloy rims? Sealant? Clear coat?

PERRYinLA · 03-26-05, 10:04

I just got a new set of OEM chrome rims (it's a Lexus so I assume it is some form of aluminum alloy) and after a bit of scrubbing with a Scotch-brite pad and Comet cleanser, the inside of the wheels look a lot better (see pic below). I'd like to treat that first inch or two of the inside (the part sometimes visible thru the spokes) to stay that way as long as possible, so I am wondering what's the best treatment. My goal is to have some sort of smooth surface that could be easily be cleaned of brake dust/road grime.

PoorBoys Wheel Sealant seems very popular, but this inside area is raw alloy, as far as I can tell, and PoorBoys Wheel Sealant may be more suitable for treated surfaces.

Or I could spray some clear coat, but again, maybe clear coat is more suitable for primed, or painted surfaces.

I am trying to avoid go through all the steps I'd follow for the exterior of the wheel if I was to paint it, which is to prime, paint, wet sand and clear coat, for example. I know that would work, though. Any easier method?

JDookie · 03-26-05, 10:13

Scotchbrite pad and Comet, oh my goodness.

That's about as harsh as sandblasting them. Please try not to do that again, as you probably removed any clearcoat that *might* have been on them.

Are the wheels chrome? You said that they are, but most chrome wheels are chrome on the inside too.

Anyway, your wheels *should* be clearcoated aluminum but they might not be. Regardless, I would use Klasse AIO and either Klasse SG or PB's Wheel Sealant to protect. This goes for both the inside and outside of the wheel.

Andrew ACR 2 · 03-26-05, 10:20

the inside of the wheels donot look like they were ever clearcoated I would use duplicolor silver on the inside of the rim and use their clear coat over the top of that. Just make sure you donot get any paint on the outside of the wheel. duplicolor has a how to on their web page. I had polished alum wheels and i got tired of polishing them and this is the route i went.

PERRYinLA · 03-27-05, 12:08

Jason- I am only familiar with Lexus wheels, but all the chrome Lexus wheels I have seen are chromed the same way, with only the visible areas chromed, since the chroming process is so labor intensive and expensive. I am checking with my buds on www.ClubLexus.com to verify this, and so far they concur.

Being unfinished, the insides of the wheels had so much accumulated road grime/brake dust that the only way to remove it was something very abrasive. I am certain the only thing I removed was a lot of dirt.

Andrew- Is this the Duplicolor how-to?
http://www.duplicolor.com/projects/howto_wheel.html
How has yours held up?
I like the color of the surface I have now exposed so I wonder if I can skip the silver paint step and just go directly to spraying the raw alloy surface with the Duplicolor WP103 High Performance Clear Spray and be done with it!

Don M · 03-27-05, 02:48

Before I discovered Megs Instant Wheel Cleaner, I had to use a brass brush to get these rims:

To look like this:

Now it's the Instant Wheel Cleaner, a toothbrush and one of those plastic "brillo" pads

blkZ28Conv · 03-27-05, 03:32

Klasse AIO followed by SG .
Prior to protecting you can use a metal polish to further clean what you have ready done. A good combo is E1 Nevr-Dull followed by Mother's "Mag and Aluminum" or billet polish. You will be amazed on how much better they will present and also "hold" the protectant used.

Try to clean the backside of the rims with every other wash with soap and water. Keeping these areas clean is a tedious task but this is what separates a "detailer" from you normal car washer.

PERRYinLA · 03-31-05, 12:14

Thanks for everyone's comments. I ended up continuing the Scotch-brite/steel wool/Comet/wire brush/sandpaper routine along the inside surfaces until I hit the point of diminishing returns. After masking, the wheels looked like this:

I then followed the Dupli-Color routine detailed at http://www.duplicolor.com/projects/howto_wheel.html, with the added steps of prepping the surface with mineral spirts, then spraying 2 coats of Dupli-Color CP199 Adhesion Promoter. It was quite a bit of work, but now the inside surface is shiny and chrome-like when viewed through the spokes- quite an improvement over the flat-black patina of grime that was there before:

How long this will last and how easy future cleanings will be is the big question mark- I guess we will have to see!

TOGWT · 03-31-05, 04:23

I recently did a kerbed 'repair' on some BMW alloy wheels (2002Ti) using G2 Manufacturing Inc. calliper paint, almost an exact German 'silver' paint match

Surface sealant- ZoopSeal or Klasse AIO
JonM

PERRYinLA · 04-01-05, 05:04

Yes, if I had to do it over again, I would have tried some caliper paint, since they seem to go on a bit thicker to smooth over and cover the casting marks in calipers. That's exactly what's needed on the inside of these rims, since the unfinished surface is rough, even after I sanded. Extensive sanding would have been a chore, since as you can see the inner wheel is not entirely smooth but has those ridges along the perimeter.

Ducky · 04-01-05, 11:47

Are those rims for a SC300 5spd?

buldog · 04-03-05, 03:00

Lots of hard work but it pays off.

Did you protect that finish with anything yet?

TOGWT · 04-03-05, 05:37

Try a polymer sealant like ZoopSeal to protect them
ZoopSeal
JonM