I've got 3 piece wheels that could use some attention. I want to sand blast the centers before painting them but I'm not sure about taking them apart to do this. Has anyone taken apart 3 piece wheels with any success? Is there some kind of gasket in between the pieces that all probably mess up taking them apart? Is putting them back together more of a science than just bolting it back up and using the proper torque?

I know there is a science to assembling 3 piece wheels. My brother's 510 had Simmons OM16s that used to leak (fresh from the factory), and had to be sent back to be fixed twice. So if a good quality wheel manufacturer can get it wrong, I expect you may also run into trouble.

Looks like you might have to carefully use some paint stripper, being careful not to get into the cracks, which might dissolve the sealant holding the various sections together.
It'll be a painful process, but I'm sure it'll be worth the effort. Especially if you can get them the right colour for the car.

But not having pulled them apart myself, this is my opinion, based on the facts above. Maybe someone else will have a more "positive" opinion.

Cheers,
Chris.

Taken a few apart with no trouble. On most there is a really thin rubber gasket between the sections that usually doesn't get trashed taking them apart.

FWIW, when I put them back together I always ran a fresh bead of silicone around the seam "inside" the tire, where the seams meet. This usually keeps it from leaking air.

If you DO take them apart,..DO NOT sandblast them. Glass bead blast them instead, or if you have access to an aviation maintainance facility, find out who you have to sleep with, to have them cleaned with the stuff they use on critical aircraft parts. It's like carby cleaner & they buy it by the gallon & it costs heaps, but it does a dazzling job.

Just curious why not sand blast them? I've got glass too so it's no problem plus I could get MEK (methyl ethyl ketone or something like that) from work but I doubt it will get rid of the oxidation I'm looking to remove.

The coarse & angular abrasives used in "sandblasting" really dig into the soft alloy surface & if the operator is not carefull, it is possible for him to abrade away areas of the surface.
Glass spheres deform on impact, minimising the impact damage to the surface. If the air pressure is too high, the spheres will shatter on impact, damaging only the blasters glass bead supply. These spheres have the effect of "shot peening" the soft alloy surface, & at best, this has a stress relieving effect. The abraded surface should still have enough "tooth" to hold the paint well, particularly if you use an etch primer.

I bead blasted one of my wire mags & painted the whole wheel except for the polished area. I then had these parts polished & they came up very well. I checked with the polisher first & he said, "if you sandblast it, dont bring it here" It apparently messes up the surface so much that they have extreme dificulty polishing it up. Glass is good for alloy.

Basicly, sandblasting can ruin alloy, while glass beading can enhance it

Cool, thanks. Never thought it would damage it so bad good thing I glass beaded my alternator case then

Sand blasting [it's not always sand] is really good for iron & steel, particularly if it has a heavy layer of rust, like exhaust manifolds & marine stuff. The harder material [steel/iron] resists the damage to its surface, while the softer rust is removed efficiently.

I had a really cruddy exhaust manifold off my hemi "abrasive blasted" [it wasn't sand] He gave it a real workover inside & out. I then heated it in the oven a little & sprayed it with heatproof paint. A gentle baking at slowly increasing temperatures for a couple of hours cured the paint nicely. It looks like a new one.

10s & 20s: Did you just omit the trashed rubber seal then and rely on the silicone? I know I won't be able to get new seals.

I'd also try and track down the correct torque for the nut & bolts BEFORE dismantling them. It may be easier to get it by trial and error though (which you'll only be able to do before you dismantle them), as the manufacturer (if still in business) will probably won't divulge that info and simply recommend you send them back to them for dissassembly/reassembly. [sarcasm]All for a very reasonable price of course.[/sarcasm] And probably offer their painting services too!

During reassembly, use a normal radial torquing pattern, and torque in at least 3 increments to help avoid any warping. With spun alloy rim sections, 5 stages would probably be better, with ever decreasing increments as you approach the final torque.