How to Polish My 1997 Chevy Truck Wheels
People love to drive trucks, but most people hate to clean them just as much. Taking your truck's tires to be professionally polished and cleaned can be time-consuming and expensive, but you can save time and money by doing the process at home on a free weekend. By picking up supplies at a home improvement store and your neighborhood auto supply shop, you can sand and polish any trace of dirt and grime from your Chevy truck then get it dirty all over again.
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Things You'll Need
- Jack
- Tire iron
- Car wash soap
- Shop rag
- 200- and 500-grit wet/dry sandpaper
- Fine steel wool
- Scotch-Brite pads
- Brasso metal cleaner
- De-oxidizing aluminum polish
- Generic aluminum wheel polish
- Buffing cloth
Instructions
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Place a jack under the truck's wheels and lift it 3 to 5 inches off the ground. Loosen the lug nuts with a tire iron then remove the wheels from the truck.
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2
Scrub away any surface dirt with a shop rag soaked in a mixture of hot water and car washing soap/detergent.
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3
Remove any rust and corrosion by scrubbing the wheels with a sheet of 200-grit wet/dry sandpaper.
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4
Remove any scuffs by scrubbing the wheels with 500-grit wet/dry sandpaper. Refine the wheels once more by scrubbing them with a palm-sized piece of fine steel wool.
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5
Shine the wheels by scrubbing them with a coin-sized dollop of Brasso on a Scotch-Brite pad or a generic alternative. Scrub in a circular, buffing motion.
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Reinstall the wheels on the truck and tighten the lug nuts. Lower the truck to the ground and wash it down with warm water.
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Apply a thin coat of Brasso to the wheels and let it sit overnight. Remove the Brasso from the wheels in the morning with warm water then buff them with a de-oxidizing aluminum polish on a buffing cloth.
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Polish the wheels with a generic aluminum wheel polish on a polishing cloth.
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Tips & Warnings
You can have your wheels professionally covered with a clear coat to keep the polish on longer.
You can also use a circular sander set at a low RPM instead of sanding by hand.
Keep your wheels wet through the entire sanding process to prevent further rust or corrosion.
References
- Photo Credit pickup truck image by Tonda from Fotolia.com
