# Removing rust from steel wheels?



## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

I'd like to clean the rust from a couple of steel wheels (see pic) & repaint them. I know I can google for help, but any CMF-ers have any "how-to" advice to offer? I don't have and specialized or sand-blasting tools...


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

Wash them off first perhaps with pressure washer. 
Spray with Simple Green or similar and wash again to remove any oil or grease. 
Wire brush off any easily removed rust scale
Sand with rough sandpaper (60 grit) to remove more surface rust.
Buy some rust converter at Canadian Tire and coat all surfaces. Follow instructions. Usually you allow to dry then wash with hose. Allow to dry.
Now ideally you will spray or brush on a coat of metal primer. Then a finish coat. Krylon/Rustoleum should have both.


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

Isn’t easier just to buy a new ones?!


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## illions (Jul 27, 2021)

Steelies are cheap, I don't think it's worth the effort.


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## Ponderling (Mar 1, 2013)

Krud Cutter is also a rust eater that I have used. Wire brush to get most flakes off then paint on the Krud solution, and leave it to act. Can be reused. Not necessary to paint after, but can be painted after a water wash.


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

Steel wool and paint with Tremclad, 2 or 3 coats brushed on. Or take them to a tire shop that can bead blast and paint them for you, if you want a nice job.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

gibor365 said:


> Isn’t easier just to buy a new ones?!


ya, I need 4. I'd like to find a nice used set, but its not a real popular size (2015 Yaris).
I figure new set will run about $300, so......


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

Rusty O'Toole said:


> Steel wool and paint with Tremclad, 2 or 3 coats brushed on. Or take them to a tire shop that can bead blast and paint them for you, if you want a nice job.


primer coat first?


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

jargey3000 said:


> primer coat first?


You could follow my instructions or not. Sure you can slap on a coat of Tremclad like you would on garden furniture. That will work for a while on most of the wheel where it is just cosmetic. But, the bead area will need proper preparation. If it is not smooth and properly prepared, your tires will soon leak. Steel wool won't do it. Tire place may or may not put on some bead sealer that may work for a short while. I spent a month or more redoing just the bead area on one set of spare rims. Mind you, those alloys are worth about $1000/set reconditioned.


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## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

Looks like some minor damage (curb hit?) on the right rim at 10 o' clock, hard to see on the pic but might be ok. You could also look for used hub caps to save on the sanding/painting.


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## like_to_retire (Oct 9, 2016)

Your picture doesn't show the business end of the project, which is the bead area. 

If the bead is rusted, then throw them out because air will always slowly leak out. The rest of the job is just aesthetics.

Go to a wrecker and get a set. They're cheap and will have minimal rust.

You also have a dent in one of the rims. Lost cause.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

agent99 said:


> You could follow my instructions or not. Sure you can slap on a coat of Tremclad like you would on garden furniture. That will work for a while on most of the wheel where it is just cosmetic. But, the bead area will need proper preparation. If it is not smooth and properly prepared, your tires will soon leak. Steel wool won't do it. Tire place may or may not put on some bead sealer that may work for a short while. I spent a month or more redoing just the bead area on one set of spare rims.


👍👍👍


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## Dilbert (Nov 20, 2016)

Forget the steel rims, get some mags on that bad boy!


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## AltaRed (Jun 8, 2009)

I agree with those above to scrap them. Any dents and rust along the bead should render them rejected by any reputable tire shop that won't take on the liability of an accident waiting to happen.

If you continue to pursue this, at least take them to the tire shop first for examination. I'd scrap them for either something new, or near new from an auto wrecker. Even then, it is more than possible that auto wrecker ones could be 'out of straight' due to accident damage. 

Nothing is worth inconvenience or possibly compromising safety.


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

Are they for a show car, a daily driver, a trailer? For everyday use I would rub off the rust with coarse steel wool, wipe off with a rag and paint thinner and paint with 2 coats of Tremclad. Let it dry real good before you put the tires on, leave them in the sun for a week if possible.
They don't look that bad to me. If the beads are pitted they may have trouble sealing but I find if I clean them good with a wire brush in a drill then give them 2 or 3 coats of paint the pits mostly disappear. This will not work on 50 year old rims from a swamp but yours are not that bad, I have cleaned and painted rims that bad and worse lots of times.
You don't need primer with Tremclad, it is a rust paint and it must go directly on the rusty steel to do its work. There are other brands of rust paint like Rustoleum but Tremclad is the most popular, you can get it at Canadian Tire and most hardware stores. The store brand is about as good, and cheaper.


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## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

Rusty O'Toole said:


> Are they for a show car, a daily driver, a trailer?


A 2015 Yaris ... so I'd go with "show car".


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

jargey3000 said:


> ya, I need 4. I'd like to find a nice used set, but its not a real popular size (2015 Yaris).
> I figure new set will run about $300, so......


Yeah, $55-60/wheel.





Search results for: '2015 Toyota Yaris LE'







www.c-wheels.ca





prices seem to have gone WAY up.

My Golf (similar size) was only $40/wheel when I bought them.


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

As Rusty now says, you need a wire wheel on a drill or other rotary tool to clean up the bead area. The guy in the video below uses a scotch-brite wheel - Equally good especially on steel where it wont hurts the metal if you have his grinder! I used the larger and medium sized wheels from this set. Larger diameter wheels don't work well unless you have a powerful drill or angle grinder. I used my 1/2" cordless Dewalt. 






I wouldn't put more than a very thin coat of paint on the bead area. You don't want any loose paint there. I would use a metal primer on the whole wheel and maybe leave just that for the bead. Tire shop will goop on bead sealer that should fill in any imperfections. Spray so primer coating is very thin. Make sure you wash off any oil or grease before painting using Simple Green or similar. 

If those were my rims, I would definitely clean them up. No safety issue really unless they are damaged in some way. Steel wheels are pretty tough. Pits in bead area are the potential problem and worst result is a leaky tire.


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

If the paint is good and dry it won't peel or come off. Tremclad is a slow drying enamel, you can add hardener but that is not for the home do it yourselfer. It will also dry quicker if you thin it with lacquer thinner but then it will get dull faster too. Normally I will thin with paint thinner if it needs it, give it one coat, let dry at least 24 hours, give a second coat, let dry in the sun or in a warm place as long as possible and it will be fine. You can speed up the drying by turning an electric heater or a 500 watt light on it overnight.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

Tremclad....Flat Black? or Gloss Black? (brushing on, BTW)


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## Money172375 (Jun 29, 2018)

Gloss white


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

Money172375 said:


> Gloss white


ya think?🤪


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## AltaRed (Jun 8, 2009)

There is nothing magic about defaulting to stock steel wheel black if another colour would complement better. That said, white will always look 'more dirty' with salt and slush.


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