can wheel paint be removed?

[DOSneons]

i recently bought a set of stock sxt wheels for the winter and they are painted with wheel paint, 3 are bronze and 1 is blue !

the kid that owned them didnt sand the wheels are do any prep he just sprayed them and the paint is all chippin off anyway so i was wonderin is there a way to remove the paint without messin up the wheels

[hul kogan]

get them sandblasted. depending on what media is used, you might not do too much damage to the original finish.

[benzsxt]

Hit them with a pressure washer, it will more than likely blow the paint off

[DOSneons]

scared to sandblast them and ive had them to the car wash alot and the paint isnt really comin off

[jetas]

sand using 2000 grit. will leave them dull but just wax them n they should be good. in no sense is this the proper way but it should work

[hul kogan]

scared to sandblast them and ive had them to the car wash alot and the paint isnt really comin off

a high pressure wash won't do much unless the paint was done in a very craptastic fashion. if you go to someone that knows what they are doing when it comes to sandblasting they should be able to pick a media that won't do as much damage as actual sand.

[DOSneons]

ok ill check into the sandblastin, i was thinkin some diluted paint thinner maybe?

they are just my winter wheels but they look so shitty this way

[MyNeonSaysHi]

Didn't want to start a new thread...
I have a set of black SRT wheels for winter and I want to return them back to factory color.

Sanding with 2k grit will get rid of the paint? :S

I was thinking more like aircraft stripper. I would need to re-clear them or not? Since the wheels are aluminum I believe.

[racer12306]

Aircraft stripper will probably take it down to bare metal so you would want to coat them with something to prevent corrosion.

[srtgtr34]

Aircraft stripper will probably take it down to bare metal so you would want to coat them with something to prevent corrosion.

It actaully took serveral coats of aircraft stripped to get down to the bare metal on my srt wheels.

It basically took a coat for every paint layer on the wheels ,so you can use aircraft stripper on the wheels.

Just only apply it where the old paint is and be very carful about how long you let it sit on the surface, because once it starts to lift the oem paint you will get a big bubble.

This and a combintaion of sanding it with 2000 (wet) should do the trick.

[MyNeonSaysHi]

Does the aircraft stripper need to sit at all on the rim? I take it its a liquid? Or you just get a bucket of water for the wet sanding and pour the A.S on there and go to town?

[srtgtr34]

NO you should use the stripper only on the areas you need to be stripped, as it will lift the oem finish eventually. Its a gelatin like liquid.

I would put a couple coats of the stripper on and leave it one for 1 min tops for each coat.( apply with a small paint brush) then just scrape the paint that loosened up off, wash the wheel completely and repeat the process until most of the paint is gone.

The wheel will eventaully be poke a dotted with the remaining paint after this I would stop using the stripper to avoid damage the oem finish.

You should get yourself a block with 2000 grit and get the small patches of the older paint out by wetsanding. I would not do this without a block since you would burn through the oem paint around edges of the old paint.

If the wheel has any nicks in it, avoid putting the stripper on it as it will lift the paint up pretty fast.

Good luck and be careful.

[LilSparkPlug]

I would grab some 320 grit and go to town sanding them....then some primer and base. Aircraft stripper works great, but it reeks.

[FAC3L3SS]

^ Also, it burns the piss out of your knuckles / fingers.... face / skin / legs / feet. Wear gloves...or a body suit

I used it on my SRT wheels and it was a PITA. I've got my current wheels bombed black, and when it's time for another color, just sanding with 300 or 320 will be plenty. Prep them with normal sanding and some primer and it'll be fine.

[heydockyle]

Sanding them is ideal, but it also depends on how many coats. Wheels that have been painted a couple times will suck.

Like the wheels on my orange car, I painted and cleared then, sanded the clear off, and then painted and cleared them again a year later.
It's going to be a bitch to sand through 2 layers of black and a clear. Each layer having a good many coats.


I used a DA on the wheels on the red car, but you can only get so much with it.

[MyNeonSaysHi]

So the aircraft stripper isn't really needed. Since I will have to repaint them no matter what? Plus its more money I don't need to spend.

Previous owner painted them black. He used hi-temp wheel paint and clear. Did a good job since its been 3 years and they only see winter. Paint is coming off in some places.

I just don''t want to roll with black wheels this winter. I loved the polish look you did to your salsa, I might do that, just seems like a ton of work! Probably go with some sort of silver.

[INVUJerry]

Graphite paint. Looks so tight on SRT wheels.

[MyNeonSaysHi]

Yeah I was thinking that too, as long as its light and not dark.

[INVUJerry]

Yeah I was thinking that too, as long as its light and not dark.

Depending on the light it makes them look bright or dark. This is graphite paint from Autozone.

[MyNeonSaysHi]

That looks slick. I think that color of 1st gen pulls it off perfectly too.

[LilSparkPlug]

^ Also, it burns the piss out of your knuckles / fingers.... face / skin / legs / feet. Wear gloves...or a body suit

I used it on my SRT wheels and it was a PITA. I've got my current wheels bombed black, and when it's time for another color, just sanding with 300 or 320 will be plenty. Prep them with normal sanding and some primer and it'll be fine.

It eats through gloves too...at least normal nitrile ones.

[INVUJerry]

That looks slick. I think that color of 1st gen pulls it off perfectly too.

I also dremiled the lip and polished it with sandpaper, so it cuts up the end a little bit.