Farmall Cub

Here;s a real real dumb question.

I have found a 8 year old set of Firestone 8.3 X 24 tires that are new..never even been mounted. They are a good deal but the trouble is they have been sitting in a persons shop and are covered with overspray and they look like hell. There is alot of grey primer some green paint and some blue and some yellow. No heavy coats just overspray. I have tried using regular paint thinner to get the paint off but that didn't work. I was afraid to use laquer thinner or anything stronger. I would like to get them if I can clean them up without destroying them or drying out the rubber....Any ideas

Thanks

Mike

You can try laquer thinner. We used that years ago to clean up the tires before a car show. Gives a "new" look to the tire. Another option is tire paint. Miller Tire, http://www.millertire.com , sells a tire paint concentrate that is mixed with water, goes on easy and will cover paint over spray, and makes the tire look like a new one. It does not leave a shiney surface that looks like it has been painted. To quote their catalog, "Permanent water-based paint applies easily and dries quickly. Won't rub off, even when wet. Gives dull, faded tires a non-glossy, like-new finish. Dilute 1-to-1 with water. Wipes on tires fast using a wash mitt, or apply with brush or spray". I have used it on original tires on low S/N Cub Cadets that had a tread pattern that is no longer available and liked the results.

Hey Mike,

If you have a truck tire recapper in your area, take them to him and he should be able to spray them with tire black (paint) and have them looking as good as new. My local recapper sprayed the tires on Dad's cub, John's Missy, and my B Farmall. If you have no recappers in your area, a tire wholesaler or tire repair supply warehouse like http://www.tiresupplyguide.com might be able to help. One tip: make sure the tires are free from dirt, mud, grease, etc. before spraying.

Mike:

Before you try to hide the stuff, try this on for size. Go to the hardware store and get a product called Circa 1851 Paint Stripper. It is water based, will not hurt rubber, but boy does it take off paint. When I am working with delicate (to my mind anyways) veneers on old funiture this is what I use.

I also got some overspray on some 3 ribs for my water wagon. I used paint stripper as I was not all that worried about the rubber. The regular stuff worked real well also, but it does contain other chemicals which may react with the rubber surface.

Hope this helps

I have always used a wire brush (Dry) and had good results removing overspray from tires.

Sand blasting will not even mark rubber but will remove evrything else

Archie

You beat me to it Archie. I was just about to say, when I sandblast any rims, usually the tires are still mounted. The tires look like new by the time the rims are done. Rudi's idea sounds good too. Looks like you have a few choices to choose from now.

Mike, try some brake fluid. It should remove the paint without hurting the rubber.

Alan

Thanks everyone. I am going to go ahead and get those tires now. I'm sure I can get them cleaned up using one or all of these ideas ..

Mike