Removing paint & clear from Aluminum

[ARTTII]

I ended up picking up some "project" wheels. They are 18" Bullitts, but are factory painted SILVER with clear. Perfect condition, but I think they look a bit plain as is, but the price was right! I'm thinking of proceding in one of three ways:

1.) Use as is, they look nice, but don't shine like polished Bullitts do!
2.) Polish the outer lip, scuff rest of wheel and paint (maybe black?)
3.) REMOVE all factory clear and paint, buff and polish wheel

Any suggestions? I'm thinking about stripping the paint first, just to see how the AL looks. I figure I can always go back and add paint fairly easy. Is there an easy way to strip the paint without damaging the Aluminum finish?

 

[DarkFireGT]

Bullitts haven't come painted from the factory in 18's. Only 17's. 18" Bullits were the "Polished Upgrade 18" Wheel" option from the factory. If they're 18's, they're not factory. The only painted factory 18" Bullitts are white and black for the Shelby GT.

You'd have to get the wheels media blasted, then polished and cleared to get the look you're going for. Any pics of the wheels?

 

[ARTTII]

I'll post a picture up tomorrow. They are Ford. Tag on the inside of the wheel (where it would be hidden by tire) states 18x8.5 for the size and something like "Painted Bullitt" for the finish.

If you didn't really know the difference, or from a distance, they do look polished. But they are not!

So you think they would have to be blasted then polished? What about using chemicals? I guess I'm leaning towards painting them in that case!

Edit: I'll go snap a couple pictures right now while I have time...

 

[ARTTII]

OK, here are the pictures of the mystery wheels!

First, here is a picture of the finish. Definitly painted and cleared. It is silver, not a silver flake like the 17" wheels have.
View attachment 364031
Second, here is a picture of the TPMS with fomoco logo and Ford is printed on the strap.
View attachment 364033
And finally, here is the above mentioned tag, even has the suppliers contact - name and phone number. Hey, maybe I should give Keith Spikes a call himself and ask whats up!
View attachment 364035

 

[stangdude2000]

From my model car building/painting experience, a common paint stripper we used was oven cleaner. No idea how that would end up effecting the aluminum, but I have to imagine it would be ok. I mean you use it to clean ovens, which are metal. Just spray on, let it sit for a few, and begin wiping. It gets very messy. We tend to also use isopropyl alcohol, but typically soak the whole part in it, which isn't practical. Brake fluid is also another great option that we use.