Wheels: stripping alloys properly before refinishing

Wheels are one of the most satisfying things we do and one of the easiest to get wrong, because alloy is softer than the steel most people picture.

What is actually on them

• Failed clear coat, usually peeling from the face outward.
• Baked-on brake dust, which is abrasive and corrosive.
• Previous refinishing, sometimes several layers.
• Corrosion under the coating, particularly around the bead seat.

Alloy needs a lighter hand

Aluminium is soft. Aggressive media at high pressure will texture the surface, round off machined edges and ruin any polished or diamond-cut face permanently. Media and pressure come down accordingly.

The bead seat matters

Corrosion on the bead seat is a common cause of slow leaks. Stripping the wheel shows you whether that is your problem, and gives the sealing surface a proper clean-up.

Then coat them quickly

Bare aluminium oxidises fast. If they are going to powder coat, get them there promptly rather than leaving them on a bench for a fortnight.

Winter road salt on the Trans-Canada through Medicine Hat and Redcliff gets under wheel finishes and lifts them from the bead seat outward, which is why the damage is often worse than it looks from the face.