Aluminum Wheel Refinishing

A protective clear or color coating is applied to the surface of original equipment cast aluminum wheels. A surface degradation condition may begin to develop if this clear coating is damaged or removed. This may happen at some automatic car wash facilities using aggressive silicon carbide tipped tire brushes to clean white walls and tires. Once the protective coating is damaged, exposure to caustic cleaners and/or road salt further causes surface degradation. The following procedure details how to strip, clean and coat aluminum wheels that are affected by these conditions.
Use the following required materials:
1. Amchem Alumi Prep number 33-stock number DX 533 or equivalent-cleaning and conditioning chemical for aluminum.
2. Amchem Alodine number 1001-stock number DX50T or equivalent-coating chemical for aluminum.
3. Ditzler Delclear Acrylic Urethane Clear-stock number DAU-75 or equivalent.
4. Ditzler Delthane Ultra-Urethane Additive-stock DXR-80 or equivalent.

REMOVAL PROCEDURE
1. Remove the wheel and tire assembly from the vehicle. Refer to Wheel Removal.
2. Match mark the tire for reinstallation of the outboard wheel weights after the recoating of the wheel.
3. Remove the outboard wheel weights.
4. Clean the wheel inside and out with a water base all purpose cleaner. Remove grease or oil with a solvent cleaner.
5. Sand over painted areas that do not require recoloring with number 400 grit (wet or dry) to promote adhesion of clear coat.
6. For surface damage use the following procedure:

Caution: Do not use vehicle power to rotate the wheel while sanding to avoid personal injury.

6.1. Mount the tire and wheel on the brake lathe and spin slowly.

Notice: Do not use an abrasive coarser than 80 grit or wheel may be damaged.

6.2. Sand the wheel with a backing block or pad by holding the abrasive flat to the surface of the wheel and moving it slowly back and forth from the center to the outer edge to remove damage. Use the following sandpaper grits in the order listed:
^ Sand with number 80 grit sandpaper.
^ Sand with number 150 grit sandpaper.
^ Sand with number 240 grit sandpaper.

7. Continue with the Recoating Procedure. Refer to Aluminum Wheel Recoating Procedure

CLEARCOAT DAMAGE ON UNPAINTED WHEELS

Caution: Use of rubber gloves and eye protection is necessary to prevent personal injury.

1. Apply a chemical stripper.
2. Allow the stripper to penetrate coating.
3. Use a small 1/4inch detail brush dipped in stripper in order to apply material around the perimeter and spoke-like areas.
4. Remove the stripper following the manufacturers recommendations.

Caution: Do not use vehicle power to rotate the wheel while sanding to avoid personal injury.

5. Sand the wheel with a 240 grit while rotating the wheel on a slow spinning brake lathe or by mounting on vehicle and spinning by hand. This will restore the machined appearance and promote adhesion.
6. Continue with the Recoating Procedure. Refer to Aluminum Wheel Recoating Procedure

CLEARCOAT DAMAGE TO ALUMINUM WHEELS
UNPAINTED WHEELS
1. Remove the wheel and tire assembly from the vehicle. Refer to Tire and Wheel Removal and Installation
2. Match mark the tire for reinstallation of the outboard wheel weights after the recoating of the wheel.
3. Remove the outboard wheel weights.
4. Clean the wheel inside and out with a water base all purpose cleaner.
5. Remove the grease or the oil with a solvent cleaner.
6. Sand over painted areas that do not require recoloring with number 400 (wet or dry) to promote adhesion of clear coat.

Caution: Use of rubber gloves and eye protection is necessary to prevent personal injury.

7. Apply the chemical stripper.
8. Allow the stripper to penetrate the coating.
9. Use a small 1/4 inch detail brush dipped in stripper in order to apply the material around the perimeter and the spoke-like areas.
10. Remove the stripper following the manufacturer's recommendations.

Caution: Do not use vehicle power to rotate the wheel while sanding to avoid personal injury.

11. Sand the wheel with 240 grit while rotating the wheel on a slow spinning brake lathe or by mounting on the vehicle and spinning by hand. This restores the machined appearance and promotes adhesion.

Caution: Use of rubber gloves and eye protection is necessary to prevent personal injury.

12. Clean the surface of the contaminants by washing the surface with soap and water.
13. Spray the wheel with Amchem number 33 or the equivalent.
14. Let the wheel soak for 1 to 3 minutes.
15. Rinse the wheel with water. Blow the wheel dry with compressed air.
16. Soak the wheel with Amchem number 1001 or the equivalent.
17. Let the wheel soak for 1 to 3 minutes.
18. Rinse the wheel with water. Blow the wheel dry with compressed air.
19. Mask off the tire.
20. Finish the wheel with Ditzler Delclear Acrylic Urethane and Ditzler Ultra-Urethane Additive or the equivalent using the following 3 coats. Refer to the labels for specific instructions.
^ Light mist coat, let flash
^ Light coat, let flash
^ Heavy double wet coat

21. Let the wheel dry for 24 hours (or flash for 30 minutes, force dry at 60°C (140°F) for 30 minutes, and allow to cool for 30 minutes before mounting.

INSTALLATION PROCEDURE
1. Balance the wheel and the tire assembly. Refer to Balancing Tires and Wheels in Vibration Diagnosis and Correction under Steering and Suspension Testing and Inspection.
2. Replace the original balance weights with nylon coated weights in order to avoid discoloration of the wheel.
3. Install the tire and the wheel assembly. Refer to Tire and Wheel Removal and Installation