i have the stock set of wheels/tires off of my 94 gt just sitting in the shop because i have cobra wheels now. they are the painted 5 stars. i was wondering what kind of metal is under the paint on these. i was thinking about stripping the paint off and polishing the metal underneath if it is possible. here is a picture of the wheels so you will get a better idea.
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1994 Mustang GT, just a few minor appearance mods, engine mostly stock (for now)
Posts: 2215
Joined: 6/8/2006 From: SF Bay Area Status: offline
Boy, they are probably aren't steel. I wouldn't think that Ford would bother to paint aluminum wheels, and probaby wouldn't invest in magnesium. I would suggest trying a magnet to confirm it is not steel. Then maybe check under the lug-cap and give a scratch there to test.
Posts: 3799
Joined: 3/31/2005 From: Indianapolis, IN Status: offline
They should be factory aluminum wheels that are painted and cleared. If you have never polished aluminum out to a mirror shine before then beware you are in for a VERY tedious process. You need all the right tools, masks, and A LOT of patience
If you don't know how to do this, I would suggest a very thorough visit to www.eastwood.com to learn what to use and how to do it.
Basically you need sand down all the paint/clear and get them down to the aluminum. Then you need to do about 3-4 steps of sandpaper getting the finish up to at least 1000g if not more. Then its time to move on the high speed polisher with the proper buffs and compounds....this is usually 3 different buffs with 2 different compounds (tripoli as the cutting compound, and then white rouge as the finishing polish.
When I did mine I used the following:
Siscal (spelled something like that) Cut Buff wheel with orange tripoli Siscal Cut Buff wheel with white rouge Loose/Canton Weave Buff wheel with white rouge Hand polish final step with rag and Mothers Aluminum Polish.
In your case you will also need a dremel type driver and an assortment of bobs in order to get into the nooks/crannys/contours of those 5 stars.
My advice - unless you really like to bust your ass or really know what you are doing, find a local wheel shop and pay the $100-150 per wheel to have it done professionally
I have done a couple sets and its really not fun, until you get to the final result
sounds like a long process. i have a high speed polisher and a dremel with about a million attachments. its mainly just something that i was looking to try. i dont really have much use for the wheels so i figured i might give this a try. they have just been sitting around the shop for about 3 years collecting dust. def not worth it for me to have them done by someone else. i figured id do it over a long period of time on those rainy days when im bored. haha.
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1994 Mustang GT, just a few minor appearance mods, engine mostly stock (for now)
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polishing wheels - 
