Clearcoat Damage to Aluminum Wheels

Important: Do not use abrasives coarser than 80 grit.
^ Sand with 80 grit sandpaper.
^ Sand with 150 grit sandpaper:
^ Sand with 240 grit sandpaper.

Mount the wheel on a brake lathe and spin slowly. Sand the wheel with a backing block or a pad. Hold the abrasive flat against the surface of the wheel Move slowly back and forth) from the center to the outer edge of the wheel in order to remove imperfections.

SLIGHT CLEAR COAT DAMAGE ON UNPAINTED WHEELS

CAUTION: Use of eye goggles is necessary to prevent personal injury.

1. Remove the original clear coating.
1.1. Apply a chemical stripper to the wheel surface end. Allow the chemical to penetrate the coating. Remove the stripper following the manufacturer's recommendations.
1.2. Rinse the wheel surface thoroughly with clean water.
2. Remove the surface oxidation. Sand the wheel with 240: grit (wet or dry) while rotating the wheel on a slow spinning brake lathe, or by mounting it on the vehicle and spinning the wheel by hand. This should restore the machined appearance and promote adhesion.

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

3. Recoat the wheels.
3.1. Clean any contaminants from the surface by washing with soap and water.
3.2. Spray the wheel with Amchem(R) #33 or the equivalent and let soak 1-3 minutes.
3.3. Rinse with water and blow dry.
3.4. Mask-off the tire.
3.5. Finish with Ditzler Delclear(R) acrylic urethane and Ditzler Ultras urethane additive or the equivalent. Apply the following three coats:
3.5.1. A light mist coat (let flash).
3.5.2. A light coat (let flash).
3.5.3. A heavy double wet coat.
4. Let the finish dry for 24 hours. If it is necessary, flash the finish for 30 minutes, force it dry at 60° C (140° F) for 30 minutes, and allow it to cool for 30 minutes before mounting.
5. Re-balance the tire and wheel assembly by replacing the original balance weights with nylon coated weights.
6. Mount the weights in the marked positions and remove the masking from the tire.