Refinishing wheels

discussions specific to the 750 Paso

Moderators: paso750, jcslocum

Post Reply
Alfaman
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 1:45 pm
model: 750 Paso
year: 1988
Location: USA

Refinishing wheels

Post by Alfaman »

Good day everyone-

I recently got new tires for the '88 Paso I got last spring, and when I took off the wheels I decided to refinish them. At some point, the clear coat on the polished part of the wheels (mostly the front) partially delaminated and oxidation occurred underneath- causing nasty whitish blemishes. My idea was to strip the clear (on the unpainted portion of the wheel), polish the aluminum and re-apply clear - maybe with a rattle can.

Well- I screwed the process up and now I have opened a can of worms. Now it seems that I have to strip the entire wheel, polish and repaint. This is a bigger job than I feel like taking on- I am not a painter :wacko:

My question is- has anybody done this and if so, is there a company that someone could recommend that I could send the wheels to for reconditioning?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Cheers,

Steve
User avatar
paso750
paso grand pooh-bah
Posts: 5558
Joined: Sun Jul 18, 2004 12:00 am
model: 750 Paso
year: 1987
Location: southern Germany

Re: Refinishing wheels

Post by paso750 »

Steve, if you've already messed it up this won't help but there's this 750 Sport restoration topic that describes refurbing the rims.
http://forums.ducatipaso.org/viewtopic. ... 3&start=60

G.
davidrose
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Apr 27, 2014 4:20 pm
model: 750 Paso
year: 1988
Location: USA

Re: Refinishing wheels

Post by davidrose »

I had the painted areas powder coated and exposed metal parts professionally polished. They are works of mechanical art and deserve it. I have yet to see a more intricate wheel casting that is as beautiful. I clean the brake dust off with spray wax and a clean cotton cloth. Mothers metal polish every couple years keeps the aluminum mirror shiny. 20 years in and they still look beautiful and like new.
Mc tool
paso grand pooh-bah
Posts: 1875
Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 12:35 am
model: 906 Paso
year: 1990
Location: Newzealand

Re: Refinishing wheels

Post by Mc tool »

davidrose wrote:I had the painted areas powder coated and exposed metal parts professionally polished. They are works of mechanical art and deserve it. I have yet to see a more intricate wheel casting that is as beautiful. I clean the brake dust off with spray wax and a clean cotton cloth. Mothers metal polish every couple years keeps the aluminum mirror shiny. 20 years in and they still look beautiful and like new.
I couldn't find the pix .... Did you forget to post them ? :D
I wish I was young again............Id be heaps smarter than last time
Ronald
Posts: 35
Joined: Sun Feb 14, 2016 11:56 am
model: 750 Paso
year: 1986
Location: Belgium

Re: Refinishing wheels

Post by Ronald »

Hi Alfaman,

A few years ago I did the same job. Very labour intensive, but luckily I managed:

http://forums.ducatipaso.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7848


Are you sure you've messed it up completely? I suppose having your rims repainted in the original color scheme will be pretty expensive :( Nevertheless, good luck!!
Alfaman
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 1:45 pm
model: 750 Paso
year: 1988
Location: USA

Re: Refinishing wheels

Post by Alfaman »

Thanks all for of your feedback- particularly Ronald with a well done job. I actually found a guy to refinish my wheels not too far from me and he seemed unfazed by the mess I made with my first bout of paint remover to get rid of the clearcoat. I am going to have the wheels polished and leave the clear off. I think if they need to get cleaned once every six months or per year, that it ok. I don't do any bad weather riding anymore anyway.

I will post pics when I get them back.

Thanks again,

Steve
Post Reply