Wheel opinions

So i cut the hubs out of the rims and im in the process of rebuilding them. I ordered new stainless spokes from buchanan. I have thoroughly cleaned up the chrome wheels and they look pretty great but there is a little bit of pitting in the chrome that is almost unnoticeable. Im on a bit of a budget and was thinking about clear coating them before lacing. Should i spend the extra money and have them powder coated or do you think I can clear coat them with automotive wheel clear coat?



Ill take some pics of the rims when i get a chance.

There's no clear that will work on chrome rims. Moisture will still get by and the pits will rust. Stripping the wheel and powder coating would cost as much as a used rim. I got a very nice used one on eBay for reasonable cost.

You can scotchbrite the rims and powder coat over the roughed up surface. You can get powder coat that looks almost like polished alloy or you could go black. Polished hubs, SS spokes and black rims look good.

I used to spray the rust-prone chrome reverse wheels on my old Bronco with Pam cooking spray. Washes off with soap and water and stops rust pits. I would clean and polish the wheels each fall and spray them with the Pam. By springtime, they had accumulated enough road grime to turn completely black, but one blast at the car wash had them looking like new again with no rust.

I do a similar method to Danno, I soak a rag in engine oil and wipe the previously cleaned rims, as time goes on they turn black as all the muck sticks, but a wipe will restore the shiny chrome underneath. Living on the west coast of Scotland where the rain is warm and horizontal I still have orginal rust free rims.