This is a common occurance with red lugs. I was wondering if anyone has tried to remove the faded pinkish paint and how well it worked? Will a paint removing chemical make the aluminum lugs weaker?

has anyone given them a light coating of spraypaint to make them a richer red?

thanks.
Chris

 

Buy new red lugs. They're $25 for a set at Autozone/Advance auto. I'm partial to the black myself.

 

hah, not for rays they aren't

Basically I just want them to match my nfr. Or to make them like a polished aluminum or something. i think they would look pretty cool just the color of brushed aluminum or something

 

u can't just paint aluminum and expect them to last. they're anodized. however, you can anodize it yourself. many people sell at-home anodizing kits or have instructions online. just get some special die, either a battery or an a/c to d/c converter, a tub, and something to use as an electrolyte. stick a piece of metal connected to the cathode (-) wire in the tub, and a piece of wire connected to the anode (+) side (hence anodizing) onto the lug nuts, put in the die, connect to the battery, and away you go!

 

Buy a new black set from Steve at Evolution, he's got a good price on them. Sell your faded red ones on the forum, seems people always buy them, even faded.

 

ahaha but I want red!

I might actually mess around with that anodizing thing

sounds like fun! Thanks for the info socalismylife

 

I envy you guys with faded lugs, my aftermarket lugs (i think muteki) have a sort of metallic coating and after torquing them they strip off and stuff.

 

I guess thats why works rays are 2x more than those ahhaha they fade, not chip

 

http://www.vertexauto.com/ShowItem/4226%20...t%20Socket.aspx

 

The lugs fade because they are not hard anodized. Standard type II anodize does not hold up well to sunlight over time. Hard anodize is used for many marine applications and is also much more resistant to the sun's rays.

If you are looking to re-anodize your existing lugs, you will need to strip the anodize and I would suggest polishing the lugs prior to anodizing. Hopefully the lugs are constructed of a high purity alloy.