Cleaning VC SL/E alloys, VC SL/E alloy paint code?

[VCSL/E334]

Hi everyone,

Just wondering if anyone can give some advice on cleaning VC SL/E rims - in particular any recommendations on products?

I've found one mention of a product called Chemtech Blitz on another thread however I'm unsure of using this as it contains sulfuric acid and will possibly strip a layer off the rims. Would applying a metal polish after cleaning help?

The alloys are not in the best shape possible - there is some surface corrosion which is hard to remove and they are dull generally - I think some of the paint has stripped off already. In some areas they are a little white which suggests the paint has gone and the white primer is showing through.

Which leads me to my next question - I have thought about respraying them as I'm not sure cleaning them will ever make them look like new (or decent looking anyway). Does anyone know of the silver paint code that was used for these alloys? I've rang Holden and they couldn't help.

Any help or advice would be appreciated.
Cheers,

[Calaber]

A mate and I had a set of these things years ago that had been badly neglected. The problem is the design is so complex and dirt and corrosion can collect in between the spokes and you can't get at it properly when washing the car normally.

We used a caustic soda wash by simply pouring caustic soda into a container of water, then applying the wash liberally with a mag-wheel cleaning brush. (The brush has extremely stiff bristles and is rounded, rather than flat, so it can be forced into all the nooks and crannies. We left the wheels for about half an hour, then hosed them off VERY THOROUGHLY with cold water.

After being left to dry over night, they were resprayed using a pressure pack can of Wheel Silver from VHT (I think it was). The effect of this paint is very close to the original factory finish and colour. We didn't bother masking up the spokes - they were cleaned up with steel wool pads after the paint had dried. Once all the spokes had been stripped back to the machined finish, they were given a quick go with Autosol to buff them up, cleaned again, then the wheels were sprayed with clear lacquer.

It was a lot of work for the two of us, but the wheels looked like brand new when we had finished.

[pjdm1980]

I didn't think they were painted from the factory?
You could get the soda blasted and maybe get the powder coated as it last a lot longer than pressure pack paint or even 2pac.

[glenn l]

pjdm1980 is correct, they wernt painted from factory, they were a raw finish with the outer rim and the top of the spokes were machine finished.
iirc i use to use eagle 1 mag wheel cleaner, it was and acid based cleaner which worked well. i use to take the rims off and lay them flat and spray the cleaner on them and let it sit for about 30 mins and wash off with a pressure washer, and then give the outer rims and top of the spokes a very light polish.
due to the nature of the open cast wheels they were hard to keep clean, but look good when they are.

[VCSL/E334]

Thanks everyone. I been under the impression for a while that they are painted alloys however maybe not. I think I'll try cleaning them with something strong - like the Chemtech Blitz or the Eagle One mention - and then use a polish for the spokes and outer rim as you mention glenn - see how they go!

[Calaber]

The wheels on my mates car were natural alloy, as you guys have pointed out, (it was a long time ago, around 1984 when we did this, and I'd forgotten the wheels weren't painted) but we found after painting the rims with the Wheel Silver that they were much easier to clean, because the brake dust couldn't erode the alloy. The finish was very close to the raw alloy. Once the clear was sprayed over the wheels, the natural metal finish kept its lustre without frequent scrubbing and polishing.

[Glyn]

My wifes stock VB has the 15 in factory alloys I think your talking about. I have been using a product called alu-clean, which is an oxidising chemical but not strong enough to hurt the wheels. it is diluted in water and is applied and washed off in 10 minutes or so. it brings them up very nice. Its pink in colour. Her cars spare wheel has never been fitted and is still brand new with the original uniroyal wildcat tyre. I can say for sure they were fitted to the cars as cast with no coating.

[Calaber]

My wifes stock VB has the 15 in factory alloys I think your talking about. I have been using a product called alu-clean, which is an oxidising chemical but not strong enough to hurt the wheels. it is diluted in water and is applied and washed off in 10 minutes or so. it brings them up very nice. Its pink in colour. Her cars spare wheel has never been fitted and is still brand new with the original uniroyal wildcat tyre. I can say for sure they were fitted to the cars as cast with no coating.

This is a bit off-thread, so my apologies for digressing.

Glyn - After over 30 years sitting in your boot, that spare tyre is probably toast. Tyres harden over time and manufacturers will tell you they actually have a use-by date because of this. It is only really good to keep as a collector's item these days. If you ever have to use it, be aware that it could prove unsafe because of the hardenting.

[VCSL/E334]

Thanks everyone for all the comments.

I've had a go using the Chemtech Blitz to clean and Autosol to polish the flat edges and here's how I went -

Before


Half dirty / half clean after using Blitz


Finished product


The Chemtech Blitz worked pretty well - I used it undiluted and left it on the alloy for approx 20 minutes, then scrubbed each spoke etc the best I could and then pressure washed the product off. I'm pretty happy with the result - up close you can still see a bit of oxidisation and discolour so I'll give em another go another time - at least they aren't as ferral as what they were!

Now to clean up those tired wheel arches and think about how to turn those yellow looking centre caps from yellow back to silver!!

[ari666]

im surprised autosol did anything. its meant for chrome. only to be used on alloy if you got no proper allow polish... but yeah, looks good man! hard work certainly does pay off with these things

[jcvhsle]

had these wheels years ago. i cleaned mine with a wheel cleaner, stiff wheel brush and used a sanding wheel and autosol on the top surfaces and the outer of the rim