Might seem like a dumb question but I don't know exactly what they're made out of. I am looking to polish them using aluminum polish (I think they're aluminum alloy) and I was wondering if there's any other materials they made them out of that I might have.

2000 Ford F-150 XLT 5.4 4x4

I used a magnet and it didn't stick which would mean it isn't steel. If it is aluminum alloy, I will be polishing them to put a polished/shiny finish on them. (Yeah lots of work but it's worth it) Polished aluminum obviously looks great but how about polished aluminum alloy? The wheels are currently black and everyone says they look good but the rest of the truck is chrome/stainless steel. Thanks.

 

Aluminum with a paint clear coat. If you want to polish them, you'll need to chemically strip them first.

 

It was already done with a wire wheel last year and then painted black. I'm just gonna sand it down with a high grit sand paper and then even higher afterwards to restore it to the aluminum. Can I use acid on it the same way we do with the big trucks or will it pit because of the alloy?

 

Why not try a paint remover? Possibly, try acetone. Be careful to not get it on anything else but the wheels - I'd apply it to a rag and then rub with the rag.

Sanding will put deep scratches in the aluminum, and, you'll spend many hours using progressively finer sandpaper, down to 2000 grit to get them out. THEN, you'll need to apply rubbing and polishing compounds to get the finish back.

Aluminum is soft.

- Jack

 

Aicraft stripper is about the best.It can be used on most srfaces saftley. You can get it at most autoparts stores.

 

Tried the aircraft paint stripper. Didn't work very well. Ended up using the wire wheel and 400 grit automotive sandpaper. After that I used mothers aluminum polish and I got the finish back on a few of the spikes. Gonna go up to a higher grit sandpaper another day but it worked pretty good this way.




Before






After

 

Those look to be chrome clad wheels.

 

Smh

 

lmao ...those are steel wheels with a chrome plastic cover glued to them..

 

Chrome clad. And were the 97-03 really plastic? I have chrome clad on my 08 and it's definitely chromed metal epoxied to a steal rim. I know this because I bent the lip of the chrome clad part in a curb. Bent it back and re epoxied.

 

What's funny is he said he used a magnet in his initial post to determine that it wasn't steel and yet, here they are. He also left the tire on the wheel to do all of this.

Do you guys really want to spend the time and energy helping him when he won't even take the time to do it right?

OP, do it right or don't do it at all. Have some pride in your work and truck.


-Old grumpy white guy

 

I said they look to be chrome clad, which they do. I never stated they were steel. They could be chrome clad over aluminum. Ford offers some wheels like that. He asked what his wheels were made of, and I gave an opinion, just as you did. If he posted a pic with the center cap removed, that would show whether they are clad or solid.

 

With the center caps off, what's the difference? I remember them being one solid piece that curves from the inside out about an inch. I'm pretty sure they're not plastic... (Lol)

If they were chrome clad, wouldn't the chrome rust? I made sure to get the clear coat and old paint off and it hasn't rusted at all yet. When my rear bumper got scraped it rusted in just a couple days. I'm gonna stop polishing it for a week and see if I get aluminum oxidation or rust.

 

If you get a chance, can you post a pic with the caps off? If they were clad, we'd be able to tell as the chrome cladding kind of curves around the inside where the lugs meet.

The chrome clad part would not rust. And if they're aluminum behind that, you wouldn't see the typical brown colored rust either.

I have chrome clad on my truck.

 

I'll post a picture of it in the morning. It's too dark now to start with it.