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Cleaning Elfin wheels


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#1 Tux

Tux
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Posted 27 March 2011 - 22:47


Gidday All,

I found a great recipe for cleaning magnesium in the Airframe & Powerplant Mechanics General Handbook.
If the FAA reckon its safe for airplanes then it should be ok for race car wheels.

I have tried it and it works well. Wear washing up gloves and protective eyewear as well as old clothes in case of spillage.

3oz Sodium Carbonate (washing soda, soda crystals and soda ash)
2oz Sodium Hydroxide (lye or caustic soda)
0.1oz soap flakes
1gall water

Agitate part in boiling solution until clean, then rinse and dry.

For stubborn brake dust stains on the back of rims I used a fine plastic kitchen scourer and gently scrub the offending areas.
Once dry and repolished a spray of lanolin (lanotek or similar) with prevent corrosion.

A wipe over with a rag soaked in metho removes any excess spray.

Tux

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#2 Lee Nicolle

Lee Nicolle
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Posted 28 March 2011 - 11:22

I have heard of similar remedies before. Scotchbrite should be used carefully as it scratches if used agressivly. Those hi mag content rims are surprisingly hard to clean. I have done original Falcon GT rims on occasions and they are harder than more modern cast alloy.

With those hi mag rims ideally X ray them as they will be fatigued. Also paint the insides of the rims with an epoxy paint to stop them leaking air, and getting more moisture into the material.

I just use a commercial alloy cleaner on alloy wheels. They will need to be polished after but at least they are clean!

Dont use these remedies on clear painted rims as the solution will get under the clear and lift it very well. Normal car wash stuff is required there, plus some elbow grease GENTLY with a scourer on the inside. Chemical degreaser usually is ok, just make certain you wash all the residue off.

And to get a decent finish use 1200 or finer wet and dry to clean all the pitting out and blend in scratches etc. Then polish with solvol autosol to get a final finish. After that maybe a canuba wax polish regularly to keep them clean and really shiny and sealed to a degree from the brake dust.