I am having a bit of a dilemma. When I purchased my '91 it came with a nice set of factory chrome 16/17 rims. They are straight and functionally fine. The issues are: 1) I am not a big fan of chrome for it looks a bit too flashy but does clean up nicely. 2) On two of the wheels, the chrome is beginning to peel away. The wheel isn't completely "delaminated" but you can tell that if a pressure washer hits it a 2" diameter section will peel away.I have always been a fan of the machined finish and like its natural appearance. There is a local company that has amazingly good references from folks. Apparently, they can sandblast each wheel and place a clear coat on it which I believe should give it the factory machined finish. The questions is are there any downsides to de-chroming the wheels? One of my colleagues thought that the machined finish wheels would be less valuable or potentially devalue the car (which I just can't see/understand). I'd like to solicit some thoughts on the idea? Are there some pitfalls that I am overlooking?
De-Chrome-ing OEM 16/17 rims?
- Thread starter nsx_2k
- Start date
No - chrome on aluminum is a terrible idea because of the exact problem that you have now. However sandblasting the wheels will not result in the machined finish that you want; you would have to remachine them and then paint ( or preferably powder coat ) them with clear to achieve that look - or you could just paint or powder coat them any color you want.
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As noted, media blasting is not going to give you a machined surface. At best, depending on the grit used, it might give a fine satin like surface. The other issue with media blasting is that it will not be effective at removing the chrome finish.
'Chrome' (actually layers of nickel with chrome on top) is very hard. Anything that abrades the nickel is going to tear through the aluminum pretty quickly. With the correct media, you can remove the top chrome finish; but, not the underlying nickel layers. The media blasting may etch the nickel enough to allow a powder coating (or paint finish) to attach successfully. I would not use a clear powder coat because there will be a difference between the color of the bare aluminum and the abraded residual nickel surfaces. Depending on what you used as the media there will also likely be a texture difference between the bare aluminum and the nickel areas because the aluminum is so much softer.
There are chemical treatments that can etch the nickel taking everything down to bare aluminum. These are very nasty chemicals and you would likely have to find an electroplating shop with the facilities to carry it out. Once this has been carried out you would have to take the wheel to a wheel shop to have it micro machined to restore the machined surface. Then you would need to have it recoated with a clear finish of some sort. I sense that this is likely to be $$$$ by the time you are finished. If you have a real taste for expensive, rather than finishing with a clear you could then send it back to the electroplater and have it re chromed. With good workmanship the wheel would look very close to OEM and probably cost twice as much as OEM. Then you could wait for the chrome to start the peeling process again.
You can micro machine the face surfaces of the wheel to remove the chrome and restore the face surface. This would still leave you with chrome on the surfaces between the spokes. I don't know how you would get rid of that without resorting to chemical stripping.
I have the 2000 factory 16/17 wheels with the machined clear coated finish. On the right rear, the previous owner left it with two small scrubs on the rim lip and the clear coat lifted in three spots allowing surface corrosion. Repairing the scrubs, micro machining the wheel and refinishing with clear including dismount, mount and rebalancing was going to be the equivalent of approximately $600 US per wheel.
I think your lowest cost solution will be to abrasive blast the wheels to remove the loose chrome finish and abrade the nickel finish enough to allow a top coat to attach. I would select a solid color finish. You would need to do some research as to whether the appropriate paint or powder coat is more durable.
Any finish that deviates from the OEM finish will devalue the car for a buyer who is specifically seeking an unmolested original car. However, a refinished painted / powder coated wheel may have increased value compared to a peeling chrome wheel for a buyer that is looking for a 'nice' NSX.
'Chrome' (actually layers of nickel with chrome on top) is very hard. Anything that abrades the nickel is going to tear through the aluminum pretty quickly. With the correct media, you can remove the top chrome finish; but, not the underlying nickel layers. The media blasting may etch the nickel enough to allow a powder coating (or paint finish) to attach successfully. I would not use a clear powder coat because there will be a difference between the color of the bare aluminum and the abraded residual nickel surfaces. Depending on what you used as the media there will also likely be a texture difference between the bare aluminum and the nickel areas because the aluminum is so much softer.
There are chemical treatments that can etch the nickel taking everything down to bare aluminum. These are very nasty chemicals and you would likely have to find an electroplating shop with the facilities to carry it out. Once this has been carried out you would have to take the wheel to a wheel shop to have it micro machined to restore the machined surface. Then you would need to have it recoated with a clear finish of some sort. I sense that this is likely to be $$$$ by the time you are finished. If you have a real taste for expensive, rather than finishing with a clear you could then send it back to the electroplater and have it re chromed. With good workmanship the wheel would look very close to OEM and probably cost twice as much as OEM. Then you could wait for the chrome to start the peeling process again.
You can micro machine the face surfaces of the wheel to remove the chrome and restore the face surface. This would still leave you with chrome on the surfaces between the spokes. I don't know how you would get rid of that without resorting to chemical stripping.
I have the 2000 factory 16/17 wheels with the machined clear coated finish. On the right rear, the previous owner left it with two small scrubs on the rim lip and the clear coat lifted in three spots allowing surface corrosion. Repairing the scrubs, micro machining the wheel and refinishing with clear including dismount, mount and rebalancing was going to be the equivalent of approximately $600 US per wheel.
I think your lowest cost solution will be to abrasive blast the wheels to remove the loose chrome finish and abrade the nickel finish enough to allow a top coat to attach. I would select a solid color finish. You would need to do some research as to whether the appropriate paint or powder coat is more durable.
Any finish that deviates from the OEM finish will devalue the car for a buyer who is specifically seeking an unmolested original car. However, a refinished painted / powder coated wheel may have increased value compared to a peeling chrome wheel for a buyer that is looking for a 'nice' NSX.
Honestly, if you want the machined wheels, your least expensive option is to find a nice set for sale in the marketplace and sell your chrome wheels to someone who wants to refinish them in a painted color.
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Or upgrade to a set of 02+ wheels and sell off your chrome wheels to offset the cost.
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