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cleaning up your 5 lug cast alum. "sport" bologna slicer wheels

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Old 11-10-01, 12:15 AM
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cleaning up your 5 lug cast alum. "sport" bologna slicer wheels

Most of the pics i've seen of the original mazda 5 lug rims are all nice and shiny, but that wasnt the case with mine. I tried all sorts of wheel cleaner and aluminum polish, but to no avail. What I found did work was Simple Green. I didnt dilute it at all, just sprayed it on and let it soak for 5 mins.. After that, the vast majority of the baked on dust and junk just wiped off. I also tried some carb cleaner... I figured if it cleaned out all the junk in my intake manifolds, it could only help my poor rims. It seemed to help as well, but i dont know if there are any harmful effects to it. Just a heads up to anyone with dirty rims... simple green 'em!


~Jesse
Old 11-10-01, 02:24 PM
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I keep meaning to try Simple Green. I've been using Castrol SuperClean which I think works great, however I'd recommend using gloves so you hands don't get all funky.

Does SG do the same thing to your skin?

Greg O.
Old 11-10-01, 03:16 PM
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hmm.... well i've never used Castrol SuperClean, but when i use Simple Green it doesn't burn my hands or make them change colors. And i don't dilute it. It does remind me of the smell of black licorce.

-Jessica
Old 11-10-01, 05:46 PM
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I was just going to post these—took the photo about an hour ago. I masked off the outer rim and lugs, cleaned the "spokes" and finally applied 3 coats of metallic paint. Looks like a nice new 2-piece set.
Old 11-10-01, 05:47 PM
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Close-up—
Old 11-10-01, 10:22 PM
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errr ummm....

Be careful with simple green on aluminum rims. This is from Simple Green:
Aluminum - Is it safe to use Simple Green?
Simple Green products have been successfully and safely used on aircraft, automotive, industrial and consumer aluminum items for over 20 years. However, caution and common sense must be used: Aluminum is a soft metal that easily corrodes with unprotected exposure to water. The aqueous-base and alkalinity of Simple Green or Crystal Simple Green can accelerate the corrosion process. Therefore, contact times of Simple Green and Crystal Simple Green with unprotected or unpainted aluminum surfaces should be kept as brief as the job will allow - never for more than 10 minutes. Large cleaning jobs should be conducted in smaller-area stages to achieve lower contact time. Rinsing after cleaning should always be extremely thorough - paying special attention to flush out cracks and crevices to remove all Simple Green/Crystal Simple Green residues. Unfinished, uncoated or unpainted aluminum cleaned with Simple Green products should receive some sort of protectant after cleaning to prevent oxidation.

I actually let it soak on my 86 Sport rims (non polished) for a good while and the oxidation makes them appear powdercoated. Not recommended for polished rims.
Old 11-11-01, 01:13 AM
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Well, of courseyou wouldnt leave it on long enough to dissolve your rims.... lol, thanks for the heads up though! If I ever get mine perfectly clean, i was going to clearcoat them... is that what you're supposed to do?

~Jesse
Old 11-11-01, 01:15 AM
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I was thinkin about painting my 87 T2 wheels black or gunmetal grey and leaving the lip silver. How did you prep them and what kind of paint did you use??
Old 11-11-01, 01:35 AM
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anyone know the weight of the stock 16 inch 89-91 T2 wheels???

i'm guessing they are about the same or a little more than the 15" n/a wheels of series 5

any ideas?
Old 11-11-01, 07:21 PM
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The 89-91 Turbo and GTUs wheels are about 16.5 lbs for 16"*7" with a +40 offset. I think the 87 and the 88 wheels are about 24 lbs each. i've never head the weights ofd the stock 15" wheels, either 16-88, 89-90 or 91, but my 89 15" wheels are pretty light.

Greg
1989 RX-7 GXL
Old 11-11-01, 11:24 PM
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Originally posted by LI FC Greg
The 89-91 Turbo and GTUs wheels are about 16.5 lbs for 16"*7" with a +40 offset. I think the 87 and the 88 wheels are about 24 lbs each. i've never head the weights ofd the stock 15" wheels, either 16-88, 89-90 or 91, but my 89 15" wheels are pretty light.

Greg
1989 RX-7 GXL
Accually they are 15lbs a pop. My buddy and I weighed one before we took them to the powder coater and it came up 15 lbs. Can't beat that for a stock wheel.
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