I know I covered this paint remover in a previous post, but I wanted to begin with the paint removing as part of the process. In other words, once you remove the paint, take a break until you are ready to begin a process of rust removal and paint prep.
The next process is to remove the rust. After significant amounts of research on the internet and interviewing painters, I picked out the rust removal process that best fit my needs. I decided to use vinegar. So, I bought gallons of it, filled a container and dipped my wheels in them. This process took a couple of weeks as I cleaned two wheels at a time with a few days each for soaking.
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The vinegar soak |
The reason that I am spending so much time rehabbing these wheels is that the newer versions won't fit well with the old VW hubcaps.
If you are able to clean the wheels with this process, then prep them immediately for painting.
My wheels required more work with a drill and wire brush. This stuff was just too much.
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Nice and clean |
Of course I didn't learn my lesson and repeated the rust
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The rust came back |
Finally, after removing all the rust, I washed the rims with a pressure washer and wiped them down with mineral spirits. Once dry, I applied a very light coating of primer. I applied the primer with the rims standing up because I didn't care about the single color of primer spraying on all areas. For the actual paint, I'll lay the rims down and do each side in its individual cover.
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Finally prepped for paint |
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