Just got hold of some new alloy wheels for my astra, they need cleaning up however, cos the guy that owned them previously has painted sections of them with black paint (just on top of the laquer). I think its just bog standard black paint thats been put on with a brush.
Any ideas how to get this off without going down the whole sandblasting route? Or if i need to strip off the laquer etc can i do this myself? can I just sand them down and spray paint them or something? I dont want to do a cheap and tacky job on them, but i'd like to take the cheaper but more hard graft option if possible.
Mark
p.s. No moans and groans about alloy wheels, i'm only 20 and got to get all this stuff out of my system. The wheels are actual vauxhall wheels that are OE on mk3 astra GSi's.
p.p.s There not huge massive rude-boy wheels either
p.p.p.s And I'm not fitting them to a nova, so i'd never be a true rude boy even if i wanted
:-)
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Use nitromors to strip off all the paint and laquer. Then a soft sanding brush / foam pad attachment on a drill to get the surface looking good and get rid of corrosion. You could also have them crack tested if you are that bothered...
Then get a decent etch primer and use a few coats of that, then wheel paint and then laquer over the top.
Then sell them whilst they still look good.
I'd heard that you shouldn't use paint stripper on alloy but it worked on some fake Minilites I did for a mini ages ago with no problems at all. (Doing up the wheels added a few bob onto the price of the car - rough alloys can really make a car look shabby, hence I battered the price down... and then popped it up again when selling....).
Piers
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Forgot to say - I put the original steel wheels back on the Mini when I was driving it as the wider alloys ruined the handling, made the steering feel terrible and the insurance co. wanted a few bob more to cover the car.
Hence I sold it it had nice fresh unmarked alloys on it but the punter was more interested in looks than handling so paid a premium.....
Piers
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Nitromors is good stuff, but a word of caution. It irritates the skin like hell, so please wear protective gloves and goggles. It also makes a mess when you come to brush off the half dried paint/lacquer - so don't do it on mum's kitchen table!
Ian
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Mark
I am 22 and so understand where you are coming from with regard to alloy wheels. However, what I did not understand was the serious implications that non standard alloy wheels can have on a car, so I would urge you to search for the detailed thread that was posted on this subject within about the last two weeks. It began with someone wanting to buy a young person a set of alloy wheels for his Escort as a Christmas present.
Yours
Andy
By the way, I put some Astra GSi alloys on my first car, a Cavalier. Mine were five spoked, but the spokes were very wide and in a sort of fan shape, if that makes any sense! I paid £150 for a set of five from Vauxhall, though tyres were not included. I sold the car but kept the wheels and am now looking to sell the alloy wheels and tyres. I was, therefore, just wondering what you paid for yours so I have a guideline price. I think the wheels look excellent and are quite rare, which means you can still personalise your car without looking like a complete bad boy!
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there the same wheels andy, i paid £80 from my mate, but he had them up for £120. The recessed 'fan' bits have been painted black, i guess to make them look like 5 spokes.
they need new tires though,
as regards to different wheels, i've researched all this already but thanks anyway and I remember reading the thread.
I've already got the CD 14" alloys on at the moment (came with the car (Astra CD funnily enough)) , theyve got like 4 cut outs on them - and i'll buy the right tires to ensure I keep the circumference of the wheels the same. The wheels are quite rare though which is one of the reasons why i bought them.
As a matter of interest...
175/65r14 on at the moment - 185/50r15's ok for the new ones? thats what my calculations give anyway. I've been told any wider wont fit under my arches.
was thinking of toyo t1, pirelli p6000 or bridgestone re720 tyres.
Cheers,
Mark.
p.s. Cheers for the info Piers, I'll try getting the paint off with a good old scrub first and if not i'll follow your advice.
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Just a quick note that Vauxhall wheels have an odd fitment (49mm offset), which is quite different from most run of the mill wheels which tend to be in the 30-35mm range. There's more info at www.tyres-online.co.uk/techinfo/alloy.asp
Andy
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Mark
Check www.geocities.com/chrislonghurst/ 'wheel and tyre bible' for a tyre size conversion chart.
regards
JS
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Andy P,
R u sure about the offset?
MkII Golf Wheels are ET35 and they fit MkII Cavaliers!
I once sold some dog-ugly Golf alloys (14") to a young lad for £100! I could sell a rusty Rover 213 for £500 I'm so good!
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Care to talk about your Mini that Mother sold, then Guy?
David ;-)
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The older Cavaliers may be 35mm, but from the Mk 3 onwards (which includes the propeller-type alloys which I believe were standard on the 16V SRi) all had 49mm offset. Several alloy wheel suppliers (Wheelbase) have special alloys with 49mm offset, and if you talk to Vauxhall specialists like Peter Maiden, they will only supply wheels with this offset.
Andy P
(PS The offset is normally on the wheel somewhere, on the rim or the hub)
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