How to clean backs of these rims, melted on, corroded ?

[mltno]

I have a couple impala 18" rims some which are machined finish and others that are polished. I tried cleaning them with mothers wheel cleaner and a tire scrub but it only took some off, and pics show aftermath. I have bought some sos pads but wanted to know what else to use as i dont want to damage finish. First pic is how machined finish is and second of polished, and is there a way to limit scratch visibility on last pic(machined finish)



http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/984/dscf0598sp.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/19/dscf0598sp.jpg/)

http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/8291/dscf0593.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/546/dscf0593.jpg/)

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/830/dscf0595c.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/444/dscf0595c.jpg/)

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/9140/dscf0594.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/84/dscf0594.jpg/)

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/1390/dscf0588k.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/337/dscf0588k.jpg/)

http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/3076/dscf0590b.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/809/dscf0590b.jpg/)

http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/6443/dscf0583k.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/692/dscf0583k.jpg/)

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/788/dscf0570l.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/401/dscf0570l.jpg/)

[tom p.]

Once wheels get to a certain point, I call it the point-of-no-return, refinishing them may be the only solution to make them "perfect" again.



I don`t know how long it has been since they were cleaned, but they don`t look that bad. What is your ultimate objective for these wheels?



Welcome aboard, mltno !

[C. Charles Hahn]

Looks like the clear coat has failed on the front of a few of those, especially around the valve stem ports along with some curb marks; refinishing is the only way to really make them look right again.

[Darkstar752]

You can polish the face of the wheels but the barrels are pretty beat up. You`ll need to try a couple different polishes to find the right one, start with the lowest cut and work your way up. You can also glaze the rims, but that will last an extremely short amount of time on rims, but possible if it`s sitting in the showroom.

[IHA Mark]

Hmm, I don`t see getting a "like new" finish back on those wheels, the damage looks a bit too much to me. Refinishing might be your best bet.

[mltno]

thanks guys, bought them at junkyard,might keep or sale them at this point was just hoping to fix as best as i could, i know i wont get as they should look but wanted to minimize the wear on them, since it looks like the verdict is refinish is the only way to go i think i might try more cleaner,baking soda, and sos pads on back (not much to lose at this point lol) and try some polishes on front. anyone have a recommended product to minimize damage on backs ?

[wascallyrabbit]

correct me if i wrong but i thought only the faces where a machine finish and the rest of the wheel was painted including the backs and barrels. if the barrels are painted some light sanding and wheel refinishing kit would probably do the trick.

[David Fermani]

Wheel acid (with just a little aggitation) should clean and brighten the backsides of those wheels pretty good.

[Lonnie]

I agree that refinishing these wheels might be your best bet.



Some questions though:

1) What part of the country was this car driven in that these wheels came from? The "corrosion" looks like a Northeast or Upper Midwest car that has seen a few winters on roads with alot of salt. Those pictures are a classic example of what happens to "unprotected" inner wheel surfaces (AKA barrels).

2) What are you going to use the wheels for and on what type of vehicle? Are they going to mount all-season tires on them for year-round use or are you mounting some winter-type tires on them for a switch-over during the winter?

3) If you do get them refinished, consider using a coating on them like Opti-Coat for longer-lasting protection. Finish-Kare`s Hi-Temp Synthetic Wax or Collinite 476S only lasts a short while with protection on wheels, but they do make them look nice-n-shiny.

4) Most factory OEM wheels are clear-coated machined/cast metal. Using a metal polish on them will only scratch the clear-coat. Treat the surface like you would paint with paint compounds/polishes. By the way, Meg`s M105 works as a very good metal polish.

5) Hand polishing is just that: polishing by hand that requires alot of effort and elbow grease. A Dremel tool with the right wool/felt cylinders and cones can work wonders in the tight areas of wheel inner rim recesses and radii, since you have rims removed from the vehicle.