Aluminum Wheels - Clear Coating
SUBJECT CLEAR COATING OF ALUMINUM WHEELS NUMBER: 86-T-45DATE: July 21, 1986
MODELS/YEARS ALL MODELS WITH ALUMINUM WHEELS
SECTION: 3E
The purpose of this service bulletin is to assist dealerships in repairing the discoloration or surface degradation that has been experienced on certain style cast aluminum wheels.
SERVICE REPAIR PROCEDURE:
WHEEL REMOVAL
Mark wheel and tire for position on car. Remove wheel and tire assembly from car. Mask off tire prior to painting. Mark location of outboard weights and remove.
It is not necessary to remove tire from wheel assembly to perform this procedure. However, if for any reason the tire is removed, its position to the wheel must be marked using the valve stem as an index. When remounting, tire should be returned to original position on wheel.
Wash wheel inside and out with water base all purpose cleaner. Remove grease, oil with solvent cleaner.
ACCENT COLOR PREPARATION
A. Sand over painted areas that will not require recoloring with 400 grit (wet or dry) to promote adhesion of clear coat.
SURFACE PREPARATION
A. Clear coat damage on painted surfaces:
1. Mount wheel on brake lathe and spin slowly.
a. Sand wheel with backing block or pad by holding abrasive flat to surface of wheel and moving slowly back and forth from center to outer edge to remove imperfections.
1). Sand with 80 grit*
2). Sand with 150 grit
3). Sand with 240 grit
*(Never use abrasive coarser than 80 grit)
B. Slight clear coat damage on unpainted wheels:
1. Apply chemical stripper - allow stripper to penetrate coating.
SPECIAL NOTE - Use small 1/4" detail brush dipped in stripper to apply material around perimeter and spoke-like areas.
2. Remove stripper - follow manufacturer's recommendations.
3. Sand wheel with 240 grit while rotating wheel on a slow spinning brake lathe or by mounting on vehicle and spinning by hand. This step is to restore the machined appearance and to promote adhesion.
WARNING: To avoid serious personal injury, do not use vehicle power to rotate wheel while sanding.
RECOATING PROCEDURE
A. Clean surface of contaminants.
B. Spray wheel with Amchem No. 33 or equivalent, let soak from 1 to 3 minutes, then rinse with water and blow dry.
C. Spray wheel with Amchem No. 1001 or equivalent, let soak for 1 to 3 minutes, then rinse with water and blow dry.
D. Finish with Ditzler Delclear Acrylic Urethane Clear and Ditzler Delthane Ultra-Urethane additive or equivalent. Three coats.
1st Coat - Light mist coat, let flash 2nd Coat - Light, let flash 3rd Coat - Heavy double wet coat
E. Let dry for 24 hours (or flash for 30 minutes, force dry at 140 degrees for 30 minutes, and allow to cool for 30 minutes) before mounting.
WHEEL INSTALLATION
A. Rebalance tire/wheel assemblies by replacing the original balance weights with nylon-coated weights.
B. Install tire/wheel assembly onto car.
REQUIRED MATERIALS
Amchem Alumi Prep No. 33 - Stock No. DX533 (or equivalent) - cleaning and conditioning chemical for aluminum.
Amchem Alodine No. 1001 - Stock No. DX501 (or equivalent) - coating chemical for aluminum.
Ditzler Delclear Acrylic Urethane Clear - Stock No. DAU-75 (or equivalent).
Ditzler Delthane Ultra-Urethane Additive - Stock No. DXR-80 (or equivalent).
Nylon-Coated Weights - These are available from WDDGM in 1/4 ounce increments ranging from 1/4 ounce to 3 ounces, part no. 9591358 through 9591367, inclusively.
WARRANTY INFORMATION
Labor Operation Number: T1170
Labor Time: 1.7 hrs.
Add for each additional
wheel: 1.5 hrs.
Material Allowance
(per wheel): $3.75
Trouble Code: 92