How to polish old aluminum wheels?
 

Trying to help a friend, his '71 Datsun 240Z has slotted wheels that are just so freaking dirty. He tried Mother's cleaner by hand, but its too much effort. Any advice on products/tools/etc would be appreciated.

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SuperchargedRex
New name, same old knucklehead
Supercharged '88 SE -> The Ultimate Sleeper

if you want an instant cleaner.... i guess Bleche White is a safe bet. WARNING: This stuff is CORROSIVE. If the rims have like a sticker for the shiny look, DONT use it. IF you want an allpurpose cleaner... I can't help you since I usually hand wash everything. BUT, after washing your tires, put a little wax on it. That's right, wax your rims. It'll last twice as long!

Peace,
AJ ^_^

There are a couple of companies that make 2" disks that mount to a die grinder or right angle die grinder. The material is similar to scotch brite pads and in fact 3M makes some. They come in varying degrees of abrasion and last up to 5 time longer than sandpaper. The two companies that I found were TASK (velcro style attachment) and Snap-On (treaded disks), both mount on 1/4" mandrels and are good for around 20,000 rpm.

I am using them to clean the calipers on my '91 'cause the new wheels show everything
behind them https://www.rx7club.com/ubb/smile.gif (works well)

Hey Rex, how did your '88 make out after the rear ender? Still thinking about the SC, but waiting for additional funds after buying wheels and tires... will it ever end?

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Al

Thanks for the info guys. Actually, my '88 came out so-so. The shop's had a hard time getting the bumper panels to line up so there's a gap between the top of the taillight assembly and the body. I'm worried about water getting in, so the shop will get another crack at it. On the plus side, I had the nose repainted, the rust taken off the sunroof, passenger door molding replaced, and a scrape on the driver side quarter panel cleaned up. If I can get the bumper to 100%, then I'd be ecstatic.

I've been thinking about trading up to the RX-8 next year, if I do I'll be putting the car/sc kit up for sale. You might want to start saving your pennies...

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SuperchargedRex
New name, same old knucklehead
Supercharged '88 SE -> The Ultimate Sleeper

You may want to give "Eagle 1 Mag Cleaner" a shot (not Mag Wash) there is a difference. It works wonders on aluminum wheels (unpolished) ones.