I bought some used wheels from the junk yard, so far I have removed most of the paint but I can't remove the brake dust on the back. I've tried some cleaners but all they do is remove what plain soapy water would have removed anyway. any suggestions?

I have considerd paying to sand blast them then have them powder coated white. How much would I be spending if I did that? And where is a good cheap place near denver?

I would suggest sand blasting. However, my old boss who does powdercoating says he won't sandblast them if they're aluminum because it can weaken the wheel. I think that's what he said anyway, it's been a couple years haha. That would definitely get them clean though.

Mineral spirits/solvent and a plastic-bristle scrub brush.

speedjunkie wrote:I would suggest sand blasting. However, my old boss who does powdercoating says he won't sandblast them if they're aluminum because it can weaken the wheel. I think that's what he said anyway, it's been a couple years haha. That would definitely get them clean though.

What about for alloy wheels. I believe alloy is a mixture of metals but I'm not sure. Some cleaning bottles mentioned to not us with alluminum or alloy so I wonder if they similar.

Do you have a number or business name where I can reach him at?

AuroraAxela wrote:Mineral spirits/solvent and a plastic-bristle scrub brush.

Thanks I'll look into that.

Actually I meant to ask you in my first reply if they were aluminum haha. I'm not sure about alloy wheels.

He's back in North Carolina, but I could give you his number or I could ask him for you. No biggie.

There is a place that does powder coating. I forgot the name but ill find it. He does good work. his shop is near Dons shop in Englewood. Good prices. They have a sandblasting guy they work with so they'll send it over to them. I think the price he gives you will include the price of sandblasting.

Pristine Powder Coating
1 (720) 488-5499
3768 South Lipan Street,
Englewood, CO 80110-3454
http://m.google.com/u/m/x893mO

Here are some pictures.

taking them home





3 rims have been sprayed with paint remover



a few minutes after being sprayed





wiped off using a steel sponge. no scrubbing needed. some freckles remain. no big deal.





I finally found a good cleaner. I still need to scrub hard but nothing compared to having to hand sand them clean.

here is a picture to compare the before and after





left side of the rim is cleaned normally and the right side has been sanded after cleaning.







I have one rim still uncleaned. after i'm done I will sand all of them.

I emailed the guy Jimmy suggested and he said about 60$ a rim to lightly sand blast them and powder coat them in white. What do you guys think, is it worth it for stock rims? I want to stay conservative and not call any attention to the car, I could probably get some cheap knock off's for what I'm spending but I'd rather go oem then rice-oroni.

I think that's a good price. Those rims are a much higher quality than any cheap knock off you could ever find. You would never have to worry about a rim breaking when you hit a bump while driving down the road.

So my opinion would be to stick with those.

That's what I was thinking too. rather get quality than "attractive" rims. I'm glad I have my steelies so I can take my time getting these rims perfect.

another question. when I get tires for them, will the tire shop f**k up the powder coat? if they do will I have a hard time getting them to pay for the repairs. I'm planning on going to peerless and getting new summer tires.

You could ask the person who is going to do the powdercoat if they have a place they recommend the mount the tires.

Being a tire guy, I have had issues with this in the past. Some wheel-painting companies rush the baking part of the paint process, but this is less of a concern with you and they can take their time with your wheels because your car is not disabled. So a longer bake/cure time for the paint helps.

RX-7 Chris wrote:I think that's a good price. Those rims are a much higher quality than any cheap knock off you could ever find. You would never have to worry about a rim breaking when you hit a bump while driving down the road.

So my opinion would be to stick with those.

Agreed on all counts.

Please describe a cheap knock off wheel. Most replacement OEM wheels are in the 250+ price range. The mazda 3 wheel is listed at 237, though you can pick one up at 156 http://www.slickcar.com/details/10772-reproduction-wheels.asp

A lot of the Enkies are cheaper.

alex_n/a wrote:That's what I was thinking too. rather get quality than "attractive" rims. I'm glad I have my steelies so I can take my time getting these rims perfect.

another question. when I get tires for them, will the tire shop f**k up the powder coat? if they do will I have a hard time getting them to pay for the repairs. I'm planning on going to peerless and getting new summer tires.

The powder coating will be fine. The tire shop shouldn't damage the finish if they know what they are doing. $60 a wheel is a lot less then other places and that includes the sand blasting.

GR-8 wrote:There is a place that does powder coating. I forgot the name but ill find it. He does good work. his shop is near Dons shop in Englewood. Good prices. They have a sandblasting guy they work with so they'll send it over to them. I think the price he gives you will include the price of sandblasting.

Pristine Powder Coating
1 (720) 488-5499
3768 South Lipan Street,
Englewood, CO 80110-3454
http://m.google.com/u/m/x893mO

This guy did my wheels for $200 (the tires were unmounted from the wheels already). Included sandblasting, black gloss paint, and clearcoat.