CP

I was going to clean them up with soap and water, and then go at it with a wire wheel attached to my drill. Is there a better way to do this? Laquer thinner?

I'm going to paint them flat black once they're all prepped. Should I use primer first? I was thinking about a spray-on clearcoat to finish, since these will be my snow rims and will see lots of sand and salt. Suggestions?

S7

Sandblast them for about $80 at your local paint shop.

CP

F-ing 12 year old steel rims cost me a pretty penny already. My fitment is real weird, and Tire Rack isn't stocking many steelies this year, which is why I've got these things.

I've been looking for 99-03 Galant 4-cyl or 92-96 Diamante wheels; these came off a 93 Diamante. They don't look bent either, which is a plus. They weigh 20lbs apiece. So I'm guessing that they'll be pretty bend-resistant, which is good b/c I live in the greater Boston area.

I've got a 91 Galant VR4, with a DSM 5-lug conversion. Plus I've got the big brakes that came on 93-94 DSMs (stock on 91-92 VR4s), but none of those cars came with 15" steel rims.

I've got 15" snows mounted on the stock 4-lug rims, but those are obviously no good to me now. I didn't want to go 16" (want the taller sidewall) or have to sell my Gislaved snow tires since they've only got a few thousand miles on them from last winter.

Reggie

yes you need to put a priner on to prep the metal for the primer