Fixing Wheel Curb Rash

[SlvrSnake]

Just thought I would share this in case it may help someone out.

I burred two of my wheels pretty good on a curb and was able to fix them pretty easily.

1. First use automotive emery paper, found at local auto parts store, to sand out burr in the wheel.

2. Use a finer grit wet/dry sand paper, 800-1000, and sand wet or dry to get the scratches out from the emery paper. You can also use rubbing compound if necessary before applying polish.

3. Clean off area with a paper towel, cloth, etc.

4. Use metal polish, I used Mothers, and polish the area smooth. It will shine more than the rest of the wheel at this point because you broke through the clear coat.

5. Take a touch up can of clear coat, I used DupliColor 5 oz can, and spray the area you just fixed.

6. Let clear coat dry a day or two and if necessary use a mild rubbing compound (I used scratch-X worked better than rubbing compound) to shine it up and get rid of the over spray. If you have alot of overspray or put the clear on to thick you can wet sand it with 1000 grit paper you bought from above step. Then use your mild rubbing compound to shine it up.

Wait for a couple of weeks and then you can wax it up. I can barely find where I fixed them. Without applying clear coat the repaired area will oxidize and you have to polish it all the time.

You can also use this approach to restore your wheels. Sand them down, scuff them for adhesion, do not remove the clear coat (600-1000 grit depending on damage), get the scratches and imperfections out and the reclear them. For deeper damage follow above.

Enjoy...

Here are the results, Pics of fixed wheels.

 

[SANCHOBA]

good info,thanks...i have some pretty deep nicks aroud the center area of the wheel (freakin' impact jumped off the lug nut). i may have to use a dremel with a small sanding attachment to smooth it out

 

[moparracing]

for those with more damage than you can sand off, you can buy new replacement rims on ebay :

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/22-D...009QQitemZ190213285389QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

 

[Marc T]

Do you have before pics???

 

[SlvrSnake]

I knew someone was going to ask me that. Unfortunately, no. The bad one, pass side (pic on right) was about a 1/16 inch or so deep and about 3 or 4 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. On both sides, I cut a turn to sharp and caught a curb with the rim. The bad one hit hard enough to push the truck a bit. They were ugly, trust me. Obviously I had to sand out the scuff so there is an indentation were the damage was. You can not find it unless you study the wheel real hard.

 

[Venom Power]

This is a darn good thread Snake. I have a set of spare wheels that could be the subject of this experiment before the up and coming powdercoat plans. Excuse me, Oprah just came on so it's time to change the channel.

 

[AWDisuzu]

can you fix a taco shelled rim too? =)

 

[SlvrSnake]

Yeah, heat it up and throw on some salsa and beef

 

[Marc T]

Yeah, heat it up and throw on some salsa and beef

No pictures needed there!!

 

[WOT]

I did this repair as well. I used a $15 electric vibrating sander from wally world with those stick-on sheets. I started with 150 grit where it was really deep (I rounded a corner in the underground parking at work and rubbed against the 18" high curb and roasted the wheel lip about 1/4 to 1/2 way around the wheel. I was so pissed. Then to make things worse, I found out I was getting laid off at the end of the month. Thank God I got to the bar before I found any bullets....

Anyway - I started with 150 grit, then 220, then 400. I finished up with some 600 and then polishing compound. I didn't re-clear coat, and like Snake said, the repair is shinier than the rest of the wheel. I'll prolly re-polish if it oxidizes and then spay some clear coat over the repair.

It was pretty easy to do and looks way better than it did with the huge gouges in the rims.

 

[Big Asp]

I just powder coated the rims on my truck when I nicked them. I wanted to do that anyway. However, there are places that specialize in curb rash repair. My SRT8 GC came with rash on the driver's front. The dealership sent me to a place nearby to have it repaired. I was pretty skeptical and was expecting to pick it up, be disappointed, and demand a replacement wheel. To my pleasant surprise, I could not find the repaired spot. They sanded it, clear coated the entire wheel and had it back on the Jeep in three hours. I think the bill was around $60.

The photos of the do-it-yourself job in this thread look pretty good but you can still see where the contour line in the wheel is out of round where it was sanded. Also you can never completely spot in a clear coat patch. It will always show. I'm not hating on their work. They did a nice job. It just depends on what level of repair you want.

 

[NorCal SRT-10]

How about repairing a badly rashed Night Runner wheel? Are NR wheels powder coated or painted? I'm looking at buying a NR, but one of the things holding me back are the 2 badly rashed wheels. I'm afraid that repairing them may be a nightmare since they are the dark gray color.

 

[NorCal SRT-10]

I know this thread is pretty old, but I'm curious about how to fix painted or powder coated wheels. Specifically Night Runners. Anyone ever done this?

 

[SlvrSnake]

Powder Coated I would say they would have to be redone. Painted you might be able to apply this method. Sand it down, respray the damged area and blend. Wet sand if necessary and then polish (some paint does not work like this, metallic, shine comes from clear coat). Then re-clear coat it and polish it.

Not sure on this. Only suggestion would be to get a piece of aluminum and test it out. Paint it, damage it, and then try to fix it and see how it comes out.

 

[MYTRAM]

Thanks for the bump. Good info. I didn't see this the 1st time around.