What to do with aluminum rims on 1983 300d? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

rfdillon · #1 10-07-2007, 08:20 PM

Folks, these wheels are the normal alloy wheels (these wheels do not use a hub cap like the steel wheels) and are caked with brake dust and really ugly. What do you suggest to clean them up? Can I repaint them with something, or what is the preferred method of cleaning up these old wheels?
Thanks so much!

Sayr · #2 10-08-2007, 10:30 PM

There are a few other threads here about wheel refinishing. You might want to check those out. If I can find links I'll post them.

What I would suggest first would be to degrease & clean the wheels w/ a wheel degreaser spray you can buy at most auto parts stores. You should spray the wheels and let degreaser dissolve the dirty stuff and then you should scrub them with a brush (ie, hand-sized scrub brush) to loosen the caked in stains. Then rinse and do again & again until you get all the persistent stains. You may need to do each wheel a couple or few times and it will go through a whole bottle of degreaser really fast, but at least then you'll see how the wheels really look under all of the dirt.

This will show you if your rims have any finish (coating) left on them or if the coating is missing (or partially intact etc...).

At that point, if your rims' coatings are intact, you can go about your day.

Otherwise you have a few options.

1. Buy a new "aftermarket" (not by mercedes) set for $500 on eBay.
2. Sandblast (get them sandblasted) and repaint yourself for around $60-100
-- you could also sand them yourself if you are patient enough (unlike me).
3. Get 'em refinished professionally, which, (depending on where you live) ranges in price from about $65-150 per rim. That can include powdercoating, chroming, painting etc..
4. Buy a used set for $75-250 (locally) on Craigslist or some other rims that will fit your car. Beware, there are very few rims that will actually fit your car. I know because I have 3 of them and I'm going through all of that at the moment.

I'm sure there are other places you can find used rims too.

The problem with these old alloy rims is that when the outer finish/coating comes off, the aluminum stains quickly and permanently from brake dust and other oil & dirt.

rfdillon · #3 10-09-2007, 11:23 AM

Thanks so much, Sayr, for your suggestions. I will work the degreaser routine this weekend, then one by one, I can remove them from the car, sandblast them, and repaint them. That's the most economical and feasible option that I can think of. Thanks so much again for your thoughts, Rfdillon

KAdams4458 · #4 10-14-2007, 04:04 AM

If you media blast them, be very careful not to inhale any of the dust. Theres a greenish-yellow primer used on the older wheels, and it's zinc chromate. You do not want any of it in your lungs. I'd snort a pile of asbestos with a straw before I'd expose my lungs to that stuff. Use a quality HEPA respirator, or a well filtered blast cabinet.

remotemark · #5 10-14-2007, 08:03 AM

Snorting a pile of asbestos, there's a thought. After you do that, call me, I'll represent you.

t walgamuth · #6 10-14-2007, 09:12 AM

I took mine to my favorite machinist's shop and used his bead blasting cabinet.

Tom W

ksing44 · #7 10-14-2007, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rfdillon

Folks, these wheels are the normal alloy wheels (these wheels do not use a hub cap like the steel wheels) and are caked with brake dust and really ugly. What do you suggest to clean them up? Can I repaint them with something, or what is the preferred method of cleaning up these old wheels?
Thanks so much!

Easy off oven cleaner works well, if they are really bad. I wouldn't use it on new wheels, but if you have truly ugly baked on carbon on old wheels, the easy off oven cleaner will clean it off. If you google, you will see that easy off oven cleaner is often mentioned in the refinishing process for aluminum. My friend tried it on some old 190E wheels, and even the backs of the wheels came out clean. It can or will damage the clearcoat, but if they ar old and ugly, what the heck.

miljohnj5 · #8 10-14-2007, 09:35 AM

[quote=rfdillon;1640799]Folks, these wheels are the normal alloy wheels (these wheels do not use a hub cap like the steel wheels) and are caked with brake dust and really ugly. What do you suggest to clean them up? Can I repaint them with something, or what is the preferred method of cleaning up these old wheels?
Thanks so much![/quote
I found this product after searching the forum for wheel refurbishing.
http://www.autogeek.net/german-wheel-restoration-kit.html I haven't tried it myself. I've gone with polished rims, brake dust blocker inserts and ceramic brake pads.

Sayr · #9 10-16-2007, 03:51 PM

Yeah, that German wheel refinishing kit might be of a bit higher a quality than the "Duplicolor" Wheel Paints (spray) they sell @ Autozone. I used the Duplicolor paints (dk grey primer, silver lacquer and clear coat). I was able to get by with 1 can of primer, 2 cans of paint and one can of clear coat. In hindsight, 2 cans of primer would be nice.. especially if you need to do any sanding (of the primer to fill gaps and smooth out anything) and then recoats. I was only able to get 2 thin coats out of the 1 can. The 2 cans of paint was good and the 1 can of clearcoat was plenty. You just need 2 thin coats and 1 medium of the clear.

The only thing with that German kit is that you need to buy 2 of the kits because it is supposedly just enough for 2 wheels, right? And you have to buy it off a website and wait for it rather than just going into a store and taking it home. Pros & Cons to either. If you can wait for them to ship, I would say the German kit would have a better silver color than the cheap-ass Duplicolors do.

And a word to the wise, (I'm not that wise) the SILVER paint releases the most gnarly cloud of silver flakes into the air. It is NASSSTY *****!! Wear a good mask!! And speaking of mask, make sure you mask off the entire rim except for the visible face, because the flakey stuff will probably affect the tire seal surface if any gets on there. And make sure to paint the lip enough so when a tire is mounted, you won't see a raw or primered edge at all - these are things I figured out during the process. And just so you know, that silver paint will coat anything within 5 feet with a silver dust so if you have the option of doing it outdoors, (only in low or no wind) that's a good idea. Just make sure you don't let any debris (leaves, bugs, dust, your hairs etc...) get on the paint because once it does, you're pretty much f*cked.

And don't let it gather too thick in one spot, (if any spot on the rim starts to look wet don't add any more to that spot) or drip, if it does start to drip, don't touch the paint cuz it will get really ugly and it's nearly impossible to go backward. It's a series of steps that must be done proper or you have to start over from scratch and that means more $$$ and time. If you have to do this process twice, it makes it start to get as expensive than a $65 per rim professional job... which (sorry to say it) will always look better than yours.

I managed to do the whole thing for around $70 (incl. sandblast & all paints) but I'm going to sell the car. If I planned to keep it, I may splurge the $250 and get a good powdercoat done.

rfdillon · #10 10-24-2007, 08:49 AM

Sayr:
What precise colors of duplicolor did you use? I'm thinking of tackling the rims this weekend. I have cleaned them with a brush and some tire/rim cleaner, and power washed them, so they look much better, but I really think that I'll sandblast them outside (cheap Harbor Freight sand blast gun), then use the primer, paint, and clear coat. Do you have any recommendations for precise color? Thanks so much in advance!

KAdams4458 · #11 10-24-2007, 12:28 PM

I used the Duplicolor wheel paint. They only have one colour of silver, and it comes out looking almost exactly like the well-sheltered original spare wheel I have once the clear is on.

This is what Duplicolor can do...

rfdillon · #12 10-24-2007, 01:37 PM

That looks FANTASTIC! If mine would come out looking half as nice I'd be happy!
Now I am sure that I am in for some flaming - but I really don't want to take my tires off of my rims to do this refinishing. I really have no way of removing the tires from the rims myself, and I was just hoping to mask off the tires by using some old folder cardboard, newspaper, and tape to mask off the tire from the wheel.
My process (as I envision it) would be to:
1. Thoroughly clean the wheel as best I can, then allow it to dry.
2. Remove the small plastic hub cap from the center of the wheel.
3. Mask off the tire from the wheel using folder, cardboard, newspaper, and tape until the tire is completely protected from what else I'll be doing
4. Get out the portable sand blasting gun, using little silica beads, to sand blast all the metal that I can see, rotating the wheel to get a good angle, until it looks good.
5. Blow off any left over sandblasting material, then prime it lightly two times until fully primed.
6. Spray two light coats of the Duplicolor paint, allowing the coats to thoroughly dry between coats.
7. Top off with a two light coats of clear coat.
8. Install the newly cleaned hub cap back into the center of the wheel
9. After a couple of days, perhaps wash them and coat them with some automobile wax.

Does this sound OK to you all? Your help and advice is GREATLY appreciated!

KAdams4458 · #13 10-24-2007, 11:09 PM

That's not a bad plan, really. I've edited your list to improve the outcome for you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rfdillon

That looks FANTASTIC! If mine would come out looking half as nice I'd be happy!
Now I am sure that I am in for some flaming - but I really don't want to take my tires off of my rims to do this refinishing. I really have no way of removing the tires from the rims myself, and I was just hoping to mask off the tires by using some old folder cardboard, newspaper, and tape to mask off the tire from the wheel.
My process (as I envision it) would be to:
1. Thoroughly clean the wheel as best I can, then allow it to dry. Go ahead and clean the tire at this point as well. Tape won't stick well to a dirty tire.
2. Remove the small plastic hub cap from the center of the wheel.
3. Mask off the tire from the wheel using folder, cardboard, newspaper, and tape until the tire is completely protected from what else I'll be doing. Don't worry about masking the tire before media blasting, the media won't have much of an effect on the tire itself. If you're really concerned about it, use duct tape, as it's just about the only tape that will survive media blasting.
4. Get out the portable sand blasting gun, using little silica beads, to sand blast all the metal that I can see, rotating the wheel to get a good angle, until it looks good. Since the tires are staying on the rims, it's not necessary, nor is it advisable to clean the wheel down to bare metal, especially along the bead seat, since paint will never be able to reach the bead area well enough to protect it, and the alloy will corrode rapidly, taking out the rest of your fresh paint from the rim inwards. Just blast the loose paint and corroded areas, and leave as much of the original primer coat intact as possible. Also, be sure to wear a good respirator, and I don't mean just a paper dust mask. Your lungs and your health are worth the $30!
5. Blow off any left over sandblasting material, then prime it lightly two times until fully primed. A little dish detergent and a scrub brush are your best bet for getting the surface ready for paint. Be sure to wear gloves during and after the wash stage to prevent contaminating the surface. Any bear metal areas should be hit with a thin coat of zinc primer, and the entire area to be painted should then be covered with a few thin coats of typical primer. I like to go over the dried primer with a grey Scotchbrite pad and then a tackcloth just before spraying colour coats.
6. Spray two light coats of the Duplicolor paint, allowing the coats to thoroughly dry between coats. Speaking from experience, two very light coats about ten to fifteen minutes apart, followed by one medium heavy coat will provide the best finish.
7. Top off with a two light coats of clear coat. One light coat followed by one medium heavy coat will do. If sprayed too lightly, the finish will be matte instead of gloss. Spray the final coat just heavy enough to be wet, but not enough for it to run.
8. Install the newly cleaned hub cap back into the center of the wheel You might find that the colour doesn't match. If that's the case, pop 'em off, scuff them with a green scotchbrite pad, and shoot 'em.
9. After a couple of days, perhaps wash them and coat them with some automobile wax. The Duplicolor won't be completely dry and hard for several weeks. Keep them clean for the first month, but don't wax or try polishing them in that time. Also, don't make the mistake of having clamp-on wheel weights added before the paint has hardened. Have stick on weights added to the backside of the wheel only. Who wants to see ugly lead clamp-on weights, anyway?

Does this sound OK to you all? Your help and advice is GREATLY appreciated!

rfdillon · #14 10-25-2007, 07:32 AM

Thanks so much, Kadams, for your help and advice. I was wondering, from where do I purchase the zinc primer? Do you think that one of the auto stores will have it?
Thanks so much again for your help and advice!

KAdams4458 · #15 10-25-2007, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rfdillon

Thanks so much, Kadams, for your help and advice. I was wondering, from where do I purchase the zinc primer? Do you think that one of the auto stores will have it?
Thanks so much again for your help and advice!

Duplicolor has it, and any McParts store that carries the wheel paint will likely carry the zinc etching primer as well. I've always used Martin Seynour etching primer from NAPA, because I've had good results with it. (I also bought a case of it when it was on clearance at a local CarQuest that had previously been a NAPA.) The Duplicolour should do the trick, though.

Good luck with your project!