There’s nothing actually wrong with the wheels Daniel’s WRX came factory-equipped with. The split-spoke, 16″ aluminum wheels are pretty sharp looking.
But it looks like it’s been over a decade since anybody bothered cleaning the brake dust off these rims! There’s nothing wrong with the wheels…except they’re pretty rough. But since the plan is to keep this car original, Chris and his father Bill decided to try cleaning the wheels with flesh eating acid.
Hydro fluorohidric acid is scary stuff, but combine it with phosphoric acid, and the stuff has incredible properties. It cuts through brake dust embedded in aluminum wheels incredibly well. Crank up the pressure and temperature on the portable steamer, and years of debris just melts away.
Looks like Daniel has only three more wheels to go!
