Anyone know of a good method to restore a rim? I got one rim on my jeep that is rusty looking and the others are pretty much just a semi shiny silver stock color. I'd like to return the rusty looking one back to factory looking. Can't afford new rims at the current time due to fixing other items on the jeep.

 

Fine steel wool and lots of elbow grease

 

I used a wire wheel on an air gun scrapped the paint off on the outside and inside sanded primed and painted it. I used rustoleum gloss black paint on the inside and a silver spray paint along with a clear coat on the outside. Hope this helps ya. Good luck!

 

I used the following procedure to paint the steel wheels on my ’99, and had great results, and you can leave the tires mounted on the rims. The cost was 2 cans of primer, 3 cans of paint, 1 can of clear coat and a few hours of my time.

1. Remove wheels from vehicle
2. Remove center caps
3. Sand all wheel surfaces thoroughly with 220 grit sandpaper. Depending on condition, you may need a different grit, but end with 220. This is CRITICALLY important!
4. Wash wheels with soap and water
5. Use rubbing alcohohol or lacquer thinner for a final cleaning of all surfaces
6. Get an old deck of playing cards. Spread cards all around the wheel with slight overlap. No taping necessary with this technique!
7. Spray 2 coats of "self etching primer". Wait at least 5 minutes between coats
8. After 2nd primer coat, wait a few hours for the primer to completely set up
9. Spray at least 2 coats of wheel paint (Rustoleum, Duplicolor have a good silver) allowing sufficient drying time between coats. Check the instructions on the paint can for specifics.
10. Spray two light coats of clear coat over the paint to protect it, allowing time to dry between coats.
11. Enjoy your new wheels!

 

awsome i'll look into this. as the one rim i have looks about as bad as the one you sanded down in the photos. will a wire wheel attached to a drill work as well?

 

Yes it will work, might be alittle slower going because a drill doesnt have the same rpms as a air gun. Good luck.
Remember. Painting is like 90% prep.

 

I have a corded drill i can use, as i wouldn't want to subject my cordless drill to that kind of torture. Yea 90% prep i remember that always, considering i do custom computer builds involving paint.