No this aint no dam joke. Would you put a new set of firestones on that piece of **** rim? The guy at firestone showed me the tire mounting machine they use nowadays. It doesn't even touch the rim. They mount tires on 22" $1000 rims on that thing, so I am not worried about them scratching a $20 paint job. I would think that in order to get the paint to stick well, one would need to properly prep the metal. - Just like anything else. Here is the thing: I don't know if the wheel is magnesium or aluminum, or steel, alloy? - So I don't know what to use to strip the wheel effectively. I think that it is Aluminum, but I can't find the information. Most shops around here are saying the wheels are magnesium or aluminum and others are saying that they are alumi/mag (50/50). I was wanting to strip the wheel, and they each recommended different strippers for the different metal types. So I thought, what the hell, I will just sandblast it. I don't know how hard they will be to polish after sandblasting, so I don't know if that is a good idea or not. - I have enough time to use a dam wire wheel to strip them if it won't matter when it comes to polishing. I have never restored a wheel. I don't know what to do. that is why I said I wanted to paint the wheel. Painting seemed to be a cheap and easy solution. I can spray the wheel, but I don't want the paint flaking off like it is now in a year or less and then decide to stip/sandblast the wheels and coat em. One guy today told me to make sure that I sandblast and clear beyond the inner tire seal on the rim or else... I dunno. The shops round here charge about $300 to strip, polish and clear these wheels. On the other hand, I have some sand paper & Rattle can wheel paint is about $4.95 If I can strip/polish/clear using my own labor and $75 I am all about doing it. - I am getting mixed information from all directions, therefore I post. Sorry I bite the head off.
http://www.thepontiactransampage.com/clear.html This looks like good advice, but as far as polishing the wheels; are scotch brite pads ok? What Would I use to get a high gloss polish like you see on motorcycle parts?
i think you would get the answers you are looking for in one of the many S-10 forums where people deal with that type of wheel on a regular basis. asking a bunch of old school hotrodders how to restore a modern alloy wheel is just asking for it. besides, getting a "professional" quality job requires the skills, knowledge and tools of a professional. any idjit can scratch down a wheel and spray bomb it. doing a quality paint job on ANYTHING requires a lot more than can be conveyed on a message board. i apologize if my answers sound curt but i belong to quite a few message boards similar to this one and i try to answer as many questions as i can from newbies but it gets old seeing so many "how do I" posts that ask for simple answers to complex questions. i've been building cars and bikes for over 30 years and a lot of the skills and knowledge required are tough to master and just don't lend themselves to easy answers.
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