I'm looking at a Mustang thats on ebay and like most everything about it. Just trying to decide where to cut off my bidding. One issue is the ss wheels have rust. Wondering if anyone's had any luck with cleaning up wheels like this and making them look more presentable.



I only took one picture and it doesn't show it real well, but if you look close, you can see orange rust kinda looks like stains on the chrome, but you know of course each stain started with a tiny pit. The real fix would be to replate them.

Also, I don't know how to tell the difference between the originals and reproductions. The seller of the car doesn't either as they were bought more than a decade ago at a swap meet.

Phil

 

Originals had the center riveted to the rim, repros are welded. OEM was very well plated, it's unusual to find rusty ones, unless they go to the beach a lot.

They can be cleaned with Brasso (naval jelly for a really bad case), and as long as they are kept clean they should look good for years.

Good replating would cost more than a new wheel.

 

It's not unusual for a new wheel to rust like like if water sits on the rim even after several rainshowers. A little steel wool will bring the chrome shine right back, or tin foil and pepsi if you want to be like some of the old timers here, lol.

If you pull out of the bidding, it shouldn't be for the rim rust in the pix. It's really minor.

CP

 

Can you tell which side I did?

 

Thanks Carlos,

I won't pull out of the bidding. That's just sort of what I'm afraid of, that I won't pull out and wind up paying too much. I just didn't know if I ought to plan on having to spend the full cost of a new set of wheels or if I'd be happy after spending a few hours detailing the existing wheels. Sounds like I'll be happy after detailing. Wish me luck.

 

Coke, not Pepsi. Too much sugar and not enough acid in Pepsi. Won't work as well.

 

I don't really see any rust on the wheel in the picture?

For rust removal use fine steel wool not coarse. Also what Honeygold said or any other chrome polish you have access to.

 

Gotta click on the thumbnail, then zoom to full size in the photobucket. And even so, it isn't as apparent in the picture as it is to the naked eye. Another example tho of "you can't really go by the pictures" when you're buying a car over the internet. But thanks to the responses, I'm not too worried about it. If I win the bid, it will be a driver, just local car shows/cruises, no MCA judging or anything like that.

 

Indeed the wheels polished up almost like new. However, an unrelated problem regarding the center caps. All loose. One just fell off in my hand as I jiggled on it. A wonder it didn't come off going down the road. The notches on the back are all broken (not much metal to them in the first place - pitiful design). I looked at a few online catalogs and all list a "screw-on" center cap that outwardly looks just like ones I have, but none show the back of it or how they screw on. Here is a link to a catalog

http://www.mustangsunlimited.com/ite...p?T1=676604+01

And thumbnails of my wheels and center caps





Anybody know if I can just order a set of these screw-on caps?

 

My SSs have "screw on" caps also.

With many wheels there is a circular plate that sits against the inside of the rim with a center hole big enough for a bolt that screws on to the back of the cap on the outside of the rim.

Part of the cap should fit into a notch in the plate so that one cannot unscrew the cap from the outside. If the bolt is loose enough to spin the cap, you're probably also spinning the plate (this keeps the cap from being boosted). An easy remedy is to tighten the bolt from the back (inside) of the rim.

If you ever put spinner type caps (3 bar type) on your wheels, the cap should be somewhat snug, but loose enough to still be able to turn the cap so the bars don't get in the way of the lug nuts when you want to remove the wheel.



CP