Wheel's won't polish
Wheel's won't polish I have the 18'' alluminum Z06 wheels for my z28 and they won't polish. Its like they have some sort of a clear coat over them that I can't get through. Does anyone know how to get this coat off? Any help would be appreciated!
yes most alum wheels are clear coated so that they do not oxidize(sp) you will have to sand or strip the clear off and then repolish them. lots of work. i am working on a set of 17x11 zr1s now that i media blasted and now polishing
they clearcoated aftermarket polished zo6 wheels? i was told that only high dollar wheels come clearcoated, like Fikse, or HRE... i know that tt2's dont come clearcoated, are you sure its a clearcoat?
what are you using to polish?
what are you using to polish?
also, if it IS clearcoated, you should be able to use that aircraft paint stripper or whatever they use... rolltidet/a stripped the clear off his stock ws6 wheels, and it wasnt that hard, i believe he did a write up on it as well.
How can you tell for sure that they are clear coated...wasn't there a little test for this? My friend just ordered some 18" Z06 wheels off Ebay, they are AFS wheels, and they were very cheap... 995 with the tires. So my guess is that they are not clear coated since AFS charges like 125 more to clear coat them.
So how do you test for that. The description of the auction she won didn't specify if they were clear coated or not.
So how do you test for that. The description of the auction she won didn't specify if they were clear coated or not.
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i can almost gaurantee those afs wheels your friend bought are not clearcoated, like i said... either your paying alot more for the "usual" replicas to be clearcoated, or they save it for the high end wheels, like fikse, etc.
im not sure how to test it, but do NOT try and take sand paper to it, like mentioned above, that will only lead to more work needed.
to the original poster, what are you using? try the mothers power ball and see if that works, maybe your just not creating enough heat
im not sure how to test it, but do NOT try and take sand paper to it, like mentioned above, that will only lead to more work needed.
to the original poster, what are you using? try the mothers power ball and see if that works, maybe your just not creating enough heat
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Verdad Gallardo I did The mothers and powerball didn't work at all I tried it several times....I would rather use a liquid to strip than sandpaper honestly...but don't want to ruin my rims.
Hmm...I think if you use metal polish and rub it on a clear coated wheel, it won't turn black like it would on a wheel that's not clear coated. Not sure what the metal polish would do to the clear coat though ? 
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,535
Likes: 1
From: The Houndstooth
Here is write-up about removing the clear coat and polishing the wheels 
https://ls1tech.com/forums/showthrea...ight=stripping
https://ls1tech.com/forums/showthrea...ight=stripping
Originally Posted by MannyZ28
How can you tell for sure that they are clear coated...wasn't there a little test for this? My friend just ordered some 18" Z06 wheels off Ebay, they are AFS wheels, and they were very cheap... 995 with the tires. So my guess is that they are not clear coated since AFS charges like 125 more to clear coat them.
So how do you test for that. The description of the auction she won didn't specify if they were clear coated or not.
So how do you test for that. The description of the auction she won didn't specify if they were clear coated or not.
hey manny whats up...are these for that hooters girl w/ the white camaro... nothins better then a hot chick in a f-body.... i assume you are gonna be up there suday
"Hmm...I think if you use metal polish and rub it on a clear coated wheel, it won't turn black like it would on a wheel that's not clear coated. Not sure what the metal polish would do to the clear coat though "
Correct, nothing happens. And I think it would depend on the type of clearcoating. In other words, Fikse uses liquid clearcoating that's heated on; it can't be stripped. Others use a powder finish that can be stripped.
Correct, nothing happens. And I think it would depend on the type of clearcoating. In other words, Fikse uses liquid clearcoating that's heated on; it can't be stripped. Others use a powder finish that can be stripped.
Teching In
Joined: Jul 2006
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From: Sarasota, FL
I have stripped clearcoat off of a WS6 rim. I took it off the car and sprayed that aircraft stripper on the wheel. The clearcoat peeled off like sunburnt skin within seconds. Just don't get it on the car or you'll 
Originally Posted by presto_z
hey manny whats up...are these for that hooters girl w/ the white camaro... nothins better then a hot chick in a f-body.... i assume you are gonna be up there suday
Most likely yes...and yeah...those are for her.
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Joined: Jun 2004
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From: The Houndstooth
Originally Posted by Viper
"Hmm...I think if you use metal polish and rub it on a clear coated wheel, it won't turn black like it would on a wheel that's not clear coated. Not sure what the metal polish would do to the clear coat though "
Correct, nothing happens. And I think it would depend on the type of clearcoating. In other words, Fikse uses liquid clearcoating that's heated on; it can't be stripped. Others use a powder finish that can be stripped.
Correct, nothing happens. And I think it would depend on the type of clearcoating. In other words, Fikse uses liquid clearcoating that's heated on; it can't be stripped. Others use a powder finish that can be stripped.
Also, some paint is harder to remove than others, but anything can be stripped off if you have the right tools and work at it.
My AFS 18x9.5 Z06s are not clear-coated.
At first, I had some Eagle One Nanopolish and tried to polish them and while it cleaned them, they just looked gunmetal. I thought they were clearcoated so I tried Aircraft Stripper and all it did was bubble up and burn the **** out of my hand. So then I decided to try Mother's...worked like a charm. The Mother's Powermetal polish works even better than the stuff in a tub, to me, anyways.
At first, I had some Eagle One Nanopolish and tried to polish them and while it cleaned them, they just looked gunmetal. I thought they were clearcoated so I tried Aircraft Stripper and all it did was bubble up and burn the **** out of my hand. So then I decided to try Mother's...worked like a charm. The Mother's Powermetal polish works even better than the stuff in a tub, to me, anyways.
Well Well i went ahead and just started polishing like there was no tomorrow and I think im making great progress. I took your guy's advise and just polished and polished and polished. I guess I was just being lazy with the polishing earlier. Thanks for the help guys. Looks like I won't be driving for a while because my arms are about to fall off from holding that drill LOL. 