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TR2/3/3A cleaning wire wheels

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sp53

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So I bought those wire wheels from that garage firer and I am trying to clean them up. Nothing has worked very well except lacquer thinner and rages. I was hoping someone might have some ideas. I tried my pressure washer, but the soot just hung in there and the lacquer thinner softens the old paint. What I will probably end up doing is some bead blasting after the lacquer thinner cleaning. What a mess. Anyways does anyone know of a place to get those little rubber inserts where the inner tube comes through the wheel?
 
Have you tried some of that "heavy duty wheel cleaner" from the usual suspects (Griot's, Mothers, etc.)? The stuff that turns pink as it cleans. I found that stuff incredibly powerful on some naaaasty alloy wheels. You need to wait 10-15 minutes for it to work.
 
Mine didn't do a fire but were old and after a soaking the adjusters wouldn't turn although they were pretty straight. Wire wheel on a drill, steel wool and sandpaper finished with Caliper Gray from a can leaves them looking plenty good but wish I would have ditched them and bought new wires. I just don't trust them for aggressive driving, adding up mounting and all your are committing for several years.

My first outing left a front wheel caliper leaking and ruined the paint on the wheel. Glad then they weren't new but still....
 
My first set of wires came off of another car. I bead blasted and painted them. Came out looking great. BUT THEN I realized that they were loose on the hubs, which also came off of the same car. The entire set of wheels and splined hubs needed to be dumped. I replaced them all with new ones. I decided that these things wear out a lot faster than most parts on our cars. And hard driving will shorten the life even more.
Charley
 
I had mine chemically dipped and powder coated and they look like new,even though I know they are not. I use them with tubes and have not had any problems. I don't push the car hard anyway. If I ever find a couple of thousand $s laying in the street, I'd like to get the knock off (literally) mini lite style, additional set of tires, and new splined hubs, so I could change them out for driving.
 
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