Wheel Refurbishment / Repair - 2004 Original Rims

[Chris R 2]

MyST fellows,



I thought I'd post some beginning pictures of an ongoing project of mine. After years of neglect, brake dust, and chemical exposure, my poor rims are in need of some serious maintenance.



A few months ago, I started the process of learning as far as vehicle maintenance (beyond oil changes) went. I was one of those people that figured dropping off my truck to a qualified mechanic was alright. Well, as I found out I was very wrong. I purchased a 3 ton floor jack, jack stands, and the proper tools and went about figuring out just how to do my own grunt work.



Objective: Restore Factory Ford Rims, Original to Vehicle - 2004



Materials:



(Phase 1): Cleaning

- Meguiar's All Wheel Cleaner

- Meguiar's Aluminum Wheel Cleaner

- Rust-Oleum Wax and Tar remover

- Daytona Speedmaster Jr. wheel cleaning brush

- Wal-Mart brand feathered bristle wheel brush

- No-scuff foam cleaning sponges

- Toothbrush

- Plastic Caulk Spreader (for tar grime)

- Pressure Washing @ 1800 PSI



To establish a process, I used my R-F wheel assembly.



Initial inspection:



The rims have a basecoat / clearcoat system. I don't have any dirty pictures of the outer rims, because I typically keep those parts clean.



Scuffs and Scratches:

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It was worse than I thought:

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Calipers after an initial cleaning scrub:

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Barrels after lots of elbow grease:

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Another view:

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As you can see, it was pretty bad. There is evidence of heavy pitting (chemical reaction). I briefly considered purchasing replacement wheels from fordparts.com, but at ~$450/wheel... well, I found my motivation for refurbishment. The initial correction is basically as good as I can do without sanding, or certain other chemical treatment. I am considering both.



I did purchase some Iron X paste, and I'm going to try some ZEP Purple Degreaser and see where that gets me.



Plan B: New aftermarket rims. I'll probably go with 16" and P255/70/R16 tires to keep from having to make any other modifications, but I'm still a newbie as far as picking quality parts goes... so, we'll see. I also don't want to spend a bunch of money on new rims.



I will be periodically updating this project thread as I make progress.

 

[Robert Caffyn]

Stay tuned, I might have a set of 20" wheels/3/4 worn tires for sale that are basically the same rolling diameter as stock. Will post when ready. Bob

 

[Richard L]

Check with some of the bodyshops in your area....They can send them off to a wheel refinisher/restorer and they come back in about a week, looking like brand new for only about $150 per wheel. They can remove dirt, stains, corrosion, scratches, nicks, and curb rash and you cannot see a trace of the damage.



...Rich

 

[Doug Stewart]

I had a wheel replaced this fall for my 04 same wheel as you have with a refurbished one purchased by the body shop who fixed my truck. The cost to my insurance company was $179.00. Wheel looked new and had no visible imperfections. I was told that it was purchased from Keystone. Hope that helps.