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  • Aug. 26, 2009 10:06 a.m. stan SuperDork

    My CRX HF alloys were painted black. Is there any easy, safe way to remove it?

    I hate this most of the time, but see it done a lot.

    Stan

  • Keith

    Aug. 26, 2009 10:15 a.m. Keith PowerDork

    Bead blasting or Jasco paint stripper from Home Depot.

  • Tom Heath

    Aug. 26, 2009 10:15 a.m. Tom Heath Marketing / Club Coordinator

    If it's just spray paint, try Easy-Off oven cleaner.

    You'll still have to repaint them silver to make them look nice, but so if you've got access to more aggressive paint removal equipment (media blaster?) go for it.

  • Toyman01

    Aug. 26, 2009 3:15 p.m. Toyman01 HalfDork

    I stripped my gold RX-7 wheels with Strip Ease. It worked pretty well. I still had to do some blasting to remove some corrosion, but it removed the paint without any problems. I won;t leave you a nice finish on the aluminum though. You will need to repaint.

  • Keith

    Aug. 26, 2009 4:15 p.m. Keith PowerDork

    The Jasco leaves a decent finish on the aluminum. Did anyone know the faces of Miata wheel spokes were polished under the factory paint?

  • Aug. 26, 2009 8:47 p.m. stan SuperDork

    Looks like I'll try the Jasco and will keep in mind the other tips (thanks). I wonder, if I decide they need it, if a mild polish would bring back a bit of the luster after using the Jasco.

    Stan

  • toddgreene

    Aug. 26, 2009 8:56 p.m. toddgreene New Reader

    Acetone will slowly dissolve the paint and not harm the aluminum at all. It will however strip off any clearcoat that be on the wheel. Of course, in August it evaporates almost instantly.

    Todd

  • Woody

    Aug. 26, 2009 8:57 p.m. Woody SuperDork

    Keith wrote:

    Did anyone know the faces of Miata wheel spokes were polished under the factory paint?

    Just the Daisies or are the 94-97 14's polished, too?

  • Keith

    Aug. 26, 2009 9:57 p.m. Keith PowerDork

    Never stripped the 94-97s, but they don't have a flat ridge down the face so I don't think so.

  • joey48442

    Aug. 26, 2009 10:25 p.m. joey48442 SuperDork

    Daisys would look neat with the polished left bare and the rest painted something dark. I don't think I could tape well enough to make them look good, though.

    Joey

  • Keith

    Aug. 26, 2009 11:41 p.m. Keith PowerDork

    They do Here's that same wheel, later.

  • Trans_Maro

    Aug. 26, 2009 11:47 p.m. Trans_Maro HalfDork

    toddgreene wrote:

    Acetone will slowly dissolve the paint and not harm the aluminum at all. It will however strip off any clearcoat that be on the wheel. Of course, in August it evaporates almost instantly.

    Todd

    Umm, that's different from what I've been told.

    One of the local gas engine shops that my repair shop contracted to built competition chansaws (loggers sports).

    The ran a lot of acteone in the fuel mix for more octane, apparently if you didn't drain the tank, you'd have a hole in it by morning.

    Shawn

  • Duke

    Aug. 27, 2009 8:05 a.m. Duke SuperDork

    It evaporates when exposed to air, which it wouldn't be in the tank.

  • Wonkothesane

    Aug. 27, 2009 1:45 p.m. Wonkothesane New Reader

    On my old miata, I used Tal-Strip II Aircraft Coating Remover (I got it at Advance) to eat the coating off... Then I masked off the rim kinda like Keith did, but I also masked the center "spoke" off where it was machined, and painted the remainder black. I clearcoated the whole thing and I thought they looked GREAT! I'm going to do it to my current miata, as soon as I get time... So, at this rate..... In about 2030 or so.

  • ratghia

    Aug. 27, 2009 2:40 p.m. ratghia Reader

    I would try graffiti remover and supper fine steel wool. Just lets the graffiti remover sit for a few minutes and then scrub with the steel wool afterwards washing with hot water. Graffiti remover is designed to only attack one layer at a time.

  • Keith

    Aug. 27, 2009 2:54 p.m. Keith PowerDork

    Wow, is that graffiti remover pulling off a crap brown paint job to reveal baby blue goodness? That's impressive.

  • ratghia

    Aug. 27, 2009 4:19 p.m. ratghia Reader

    Just a little rubbing would pull the 70's gold re-spray off and leave the original blue undamaged. The car was the 1964 Karmann Ghia I took to the challenge in 2008.

 

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