Scott Fisher scribed:
Subject: Re: removing paint from alloy wheels (summary)
> Now, for the tips from experience.
OK, I can do that too. Last year I did some alloys on my Alfa GTV6.
First, I bead blasted them clean. I did that because the bead blaster
was available. It was sloooow. (Heavier grit beads may have helped)
I would likely have used "Spray & Strip" otherwise. Sand would probably
be too coarse for alloys. The blasting did result in some lightly pitted
areas, this is the nature of the alloy surface, not a fault of blasting.
Next, I cleaned them (paint prep solvents) and primed with 2 coats of
2 part epoxy. Nice, fast, tough stuff. (You need to do the next coat
of other primer or color within a week.) You can not sand epoxy primer.
It does not "fill" to any degree.
Next was a couple of coats of sandable primer, with some scratch putty
to fill voids etc., with sanding between. This gave a nice smooth
base for the colour coats.
I then sprayed on Enamel color coat, with hardner/catalyst. (makes the paint
set faster, and harder, and glossier.) I did not spray a clear coat.
The paint store offered a different enamal formula for use w/clearcoat,
but my budget was getting thin. The gloss from the hardener looks good.
Next, I got my tyres mounted, too soon, by a shop that it turned out wasn't
as good at alloys as they were supposed to be. They managed to get the
tyres on once without too much damage, but 2 were inside-out. (Yoko AVSi's)
THey manaaged to chip off paint wehn re-mounting. The epoxy primer
mostly held up. Next time, I'd hope to wait a week after painting before
mounting, but it was time for a track event that week.
Except for the initial mounting chipping, everything has held up well,
including getting the front brakes pretty toasty on the way around
Lime Rock and Watkins Glen.
________ Roger Garnett (Roger_Garnett@cornell.edu)
/___()___\ 3 Warren Hall | "The South Lansing Centre
\ ______ / Cornell University | For Wayward Sports Cars"
\ ____ / Ithaca, NY 14853-7801 | (607) 533-7735
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