rusty rims

[mercab18]

i have some old rusty rims that i want to make a little nicer. i was planning on sanding them down and spray painting them with rustoleum. any suggestions?

[TerryMason]

I've been a big fan of Metal Ready by POR 15 for a while. A friend of mine restored the very rusty chrome on an old Harley using it. He just sprayed it on and worked it with a rag - took some time, but removed all the rust, I was amazed.

METAL READY-POR-15 Inc.

I'd do your best to clean up the finish on there now - it doesn't look too bad in the photo.

[B'ham Jeeper]

If you don't want to paint try some semi-chrome. I use it on some old wheels I have and it makes them shines like brand new. It is a paste and it takes some work but the rust comes off.

[mercab18]

well i was planning on painting these wheels black, so all i was looking for was a solvent that will get rid of most of the rust. i have access to a sandblaster too, is that a good idea?

[Troubleshooter]

Sandblaster works the fastest if you don't have the time to sand every crook and cranny to do a good job. You don't even have to remove the tires unless it's a cabinet blaster and won't fit. I have sand blasted a lot of old tractor rims inside and out to clean them up for repainting. Make sure to use primer close to the same color first. If going black, they have black primer out there.

I used to use "naval jelly" or something like that for my motocross bikes years ago. Don't know if it's still out there or not. Try a Google search.

Troubleshooter

[redrooster]

I don't know why you would even consider hand sanding if you have access to a sandblaster.

[mercab18]

the sandblaster is one of those cabinet ones, so it's tough to get the rims in there. if i have to get in it then i can, but i'd much rather just do it with sandpaper and a rust remover.

[TerryMason]

I used this on my muffler to blast off rust - worked well.

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