how to strip wheels and not damage lip.

[dragonfly2k3]

Ok, so i bought a brand new set of wheels, but they only came in black. I want silver, but they have a machined lip. What can i strip the wheels with that wont cause any pitting or anything on the lip. Im hoping under the paint it will look just straight cast. If not, ill be ok with painting them gold, but i feel a cast look with the machined lip will look best on my car.

[DC2.2GSR]

so which is it? do you want silver, gold or bare cast wheels? not too sure what you mean.

if you want silver or gold wheels, why not get them resprayed? if you're respraying, there's no need to strip the wheels, you just prep and spray right over top of the black. to spray a set of wheels and keep the polished lip is simple. just takes some tape. i've done it to plenty of brand new and used wheels alike.

if you're set on stripping a brand new set of wheels, then i guess you could try sanding. not much else will leave the polished lip with it's clearcoat over it.

[CHR!S]

i would try taping the lip of the wheel up and spraying the painted part with aircraft stripper, then lightly washing/scrubbing it away with 0000grit steel wool

[DC2.2GSR]

i would try taping the lip of the wheel up and spraying the painted part with aircraft stripper, then lightly washing/scrubbing it away with 0000grit steel wool

i was going to suggest chemical stripping also, but from my experience chemical strippers all seep underneath taped off areas and leave a jagged edge. it would end up damaging the clear coat on the lip anyway. if the lip is for some reason not cleared, then it would just end up scarring the polished sections.

it's easiest to just repaint the wheels when you get them. forget about stripping them... something's bound to turn out ugly.

[downsmustang]

If your are painting the wheel anyway why worry about the clear coat on the lip? I'd just paint prep the wheel and spray over it, but that is just me. A few coats will cover the black and then just clear coat over it.

[DC2.2GSR]

the OP mentioned stripping the colored section down to bare metal and keeping the polished lip. the second option was to forget stripping and just repaint the black part. i was talking about keeping the clear on the lip intact while stripping the paint off of the colored sections because if he strips the entire wheel including the lip, the lip will have to be re-powdercoated clear. automotive paint/clear can't be applied over bare metal, let alone polished smooth metal on wheels where it will take some abuse.

if he wants to strip the color off of the wheels and keep a nice durable finish on the lip, he'll have to only strip the color and be extremely careful not to damage the clear powdercoat that's already on the lips. once the clear is removed from the polished metal, it's open to corrosion just like any other bare metal. it will have to constantly be metal-polished in order to stay nice.

that's why i suggested manual stripping vs. chemical.. it's easier to control what exactly comes off that way. the clear on the lips should definitely not come off.

respraying the color first and then re-clearing the entire wheel is the obvious way to do it if it was going to be a simple color change, but if he wants to strip the colored sections, he'll have to keep the lips untouched so he has a base for the automotive clear to be applied to.

[fakeblood316]

He could also use an aluminum paint like people use for engine blocks. This way he only has to prep and paint the wheel and not completely strip the whole wheel and worry about messing up the lip

[dragonfly2k3]

the preferred outcome would be a bare metal center with polisehd lip. However, doesnt seem as though thats gonna happen. If im respraying, im not stripping.

[dragonfly2k3]

if the lip is not painted, will spraying the stripper on cause pitting on the lip?

[DC2.2GSR]

it's hit or miss really. a few times that i've stripped wheels the aluminum underneath got all hazy and marred up a bit. it's almost the same effect as when you use wheel acid on aluminum... not good. on a polished lip? i can't imagine the result being very good at all.