Trying to bring back my SS rims

[STLtrailbSS]

Let me fill you in the previous owner had to use road salt acid wash and a wire bush to clean these things because they are just dingy and the clear coat sucks so I tryed my best to give some life.
I used M105 with a Orange LCC pad with a porter cable polisher basically the same method used to correct the body paint My opinion, I still might go flat black infuriates me really.
I also have no clue what he did to the center caps the clear on those is just gone and chipping. Also need to change the rotors which will happen post winter.

View attachment 16881
View attachment 16882
Dont look bad on a "street" view but any ideas how to make it any better? lol these things haunt my sleep

 

[ItsOnVoy]

Love the SS rims Wish I had the money for some lol

 

[smitty5150]

The obvious problem is that removing the clear coat leaves the metal unprotected. I've had that situation before, and it is a pain to keep up on. You could have the powder coated. Or you could have the soda blasted and clear coated. Just buy new center caps.

 

[STLtrailbSS]

The obvious problem is that removing the clear coat leaves the metal unprotected. I've had that situation before, and it is a pain to keep up on. You could have the powder coated. Or you could have the soda blasted and clear coated. Just buy new center caps.

After winter I think I'm going to go with PC gloss black because I have come to realize the truck looks better with shine in the wells Im also going to do silver caps an silver lugs but until then I'm going to baby them.

 

[CruzinQueen]

I believe your method of correction is close, but I think you can get away with a little bit more aggressive cutting than the M105 and a orange LCC pad. I'd use the M105 with a purple foamed wool pad and then follow up with a lighter cutting compound such as 3M Perfect It II (medium cut) 06085 on a orange pad, then Finness It Machine Polish (05928), then follow up with a glaze (like Meguiars #7 Show Car), and then, of course a nice coat of a hard wax to protect (try Collinite Insulator Wax from autogeek.com). You won't be in any danger of burning through the clear coat on those wheels with your Porter Cable. The clear coat on GM wheels is amazingly thick (I know because I've hand-sanded it off before and polished the aluminum). I just don't believe you've gone aggressive enough with your cutting to bring them back from the abuse. You could even wet-sand them with some 2000 grit first and then compound and polish. You've got plenty of clearcoat material on those wheels to work with and I think powder coating them black is not necessary.