JonW Posted April 27 Share Posted April 27 I had the Mark V up on the lift today polishing the wheels. I noticed the white walls were a little grungy, but I didn't want to get it down from the lift to take it outside to scrub the white walls. Plus, it was raining. So I looked at my wash bay supplies and decided to try a few things. Most of them did not work well, but the one that really surprised me was 303 All-Surface Interior Cleaner. I used it and a terry cloth towel to scrub the white walls, and I was blown away by the results. This really isn't marketed as a white wall tire cleaner, and I didn't use a brush, just a terry cloth towel. What a nice surprise! 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted April 27 Share Posted April 27 I don't know that product, but I was advised by a professional restorer never to use Comet cleanser on a tire. Other cleansers, such as Bon Ami, would be fine, but evidently Comet has a different chemical composition. So just because a cleaner works, it doesn't mean it's unharmful to tires. So be aware. Maybe others can tell you more. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted April 27 Share Posted April 27 It’s a spray on multi surface cleaner and advertised to be safe on most everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Dobbin Posted April 28 Share Posted April 28 I use Simple Green on whitewalls when I clean them on the lift. Seems to work better on Diamondback whitewalls than on Cokers. I drive my cars year round and washing wheels and tires outside is a winter no no, because the hose is frozen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe in Canada Posted April 28 Share Posted April 28 (edited) I bought a set of 700 X 19 wide white from Universal past Dec. and they recommended 303. My luck is there is no distributer up here for 303. Also told to use nothing that has silicon in the cleaner. Edited April 28 by Joe in Canada (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reynard Posted April 28 Share Posted April 28 32 minutes ago, Joe in Canada said: I bought a set of 700 X 19 wide white from Universal past Dec. and they recommended 303. My luck is there is no distributer up here for 303. Also told to use nothin that has silicon in the cleaner. It might be available online in Canada as it is in the US. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted April 28 Share Posted April 28 (edited) 3 hours ago, JonW said: I had the Mark V up on the lift today polishing the wheels. Jon, do you have any pictures of your Lincoln that you can post on this thread? As you may know, your fellow car fans love seeing car pictures! I myself have a 1978 Lincoln Mark V, in "ice blue" paint. It's more comfortable than any car that I know today. Edited April 28 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history) 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted April 28 Share Posted April 28 34 minutes ago, Reynard said: It might be available online in Canada as it is in the US. Good idea, Reynard. And if the postage across the border is too expensive to make the purchase worthwhile, consider buying several containers of "303" to share with fellow car fans. Postage cost divided among several containers might be less per container. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonW Posted April 28 Author Share Posted April 28 Here's a photo of my '79 Mark V. It is all original and in pristine condition. It had 21,000 miles on it when I bought it. It now has 28,000 miles. I drive my cars. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted April 28 Share Posted April 28 Curious as to why not comet. I have used that for years on my motorcycle tires and they come out whiter than white and never created a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted April 28 Share Posted April 28 3 hours ago, TAKerry said: Curious as to why not comet. I have used that for years on my motorcycle tires and they come out whiter than white and never created a problem. I don't know why he advised against Comet. But he was definite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldsmobile 83 Posted April 28 Share Posted April 28 4 hours ago, TAKerry said: Curious as to why not comet. I have used that for years on my motorcycle tires and they come out whiter than white and never created a problem. I am also curious about the use of Comet on tires as i have used it for years on several cars and have not experienced any issues that I am aware of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFranklin Posted April 28 Share Posted April 28 I once washed a car ('48 Chevrolet) with dull oxidized paint with Comet. Shined it up considerably! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABear Posted April 28 Share Posted April 28 Westley's Bleach White is what I have used for white walls.. I believe Westley's changed hands or names, product is now called Black Magic Bleche-White Found here at https://www.amazon.com/Westleys-800002224-Blech-Wite-Tire-Cleaner/dp/B016W1IRSC Original Westley's worked very well, have not used the Black magic version but I suspect it will work well enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimy Posted April 28 Share Posted April 28 Original Westley's is VERY good at removing striping from your wheels...just sayin'...... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Dobbin Posted April 28 Share Posted April 28 I found that is Bleach-White stayed on a painted surface to long it would stain the paint. It made it a one wheel at a time process, with a quick wash and rinse before going to the next wheel & tire, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABear Posted April 28 Share Posted April 28 23 minutes ago, Grimy said: Original Westley's is VERY good at removing striping from your wheels...just sayin'...... 9 minutes ago, Paul Dobbin said: I found that is Bleach-White stayed on a painted surface to long it would stain the paint. It made it a one wheel at a time process, with a quick wash and rinse before going to the next wheel & tire, Not sure what you were doing to cause that. Spray on, scrub lightly with a bristle brush then rinse off with water and done. No harm, no foul done. 70's car I had with whitewalls had PAINTED steel rims AND PAINTED hub caps, Original Westleys never removed/harmed/faded/damaged the paint from said rims or hub caps. Now, if you blasted it on and left it sit for a few hrs before rinsing off you might have something to your story.. If you keep the white walls fairly clean there was no need to soak for extended times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimy Posted April 28 Share Posted April 28 3 hours ago, ABear said: Not sure what you were doing to cause that. I was using Westley's per the instructions. I have cleaned a few wide whitewalls since entering the hobby over 60 years ago. What makes you think it's MY fault? Are you Westley's chemist? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABear Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 1 hour ago, Grimy said: What makes you think it's MY fault? Are you Westley's chemist? I think your handle should be grumpy? IF you followed the instructions correctly, you only NEEDED to spray on, then brush the hard stains and then SPRAY OFF. Takes a whole 30 seconds to do. Did that for YEARS on the SAME CAR with SAME rims and hub caps from early 1980s up till I parked the vehicle in 1999. It was specifically sold FOR use on tires, black wall, whitewall and even white raised letters, if it was as hazardous as you claim my same rims and hubcaps should have been stripped bare of paint, which did not happen. That stuff is NOT Brake fluid.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimy Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 42 minutes ago, ABear said: I think your handle should be grumpy? IF you followed the instructions correctly, you only NEEDED to spray on, then brush the hard stains and then SPRAY OFF. Takes a whole 30 seconds to do. Did that for YEARS on the SAME CAR with SAME rims and hub caps from early 1980s up till I parked the vehicle in 1999. It was specifically sold FOR use on tires, black wall, whitewall and even white raised letters, if it was as hazardous as you claim my same rims and hubcaps should have been stripped bare of paint, which did not happen. That stuff is NOT Brake fluid.. There are a few variables involved: type paint on wheel, age of paint, type and age of striping paint. Two cars, restored 25 years apart, different types of paint on wheels (acrylic lacquer one one, delstar (?) on the other)--but I didn't do the striping but speculate that it was One-Shot. Just because YOU had good luck does not make your experience a universal. I get grumpy when I continually read nonsense from the same person, ABore. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CChinn Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 I find it interesting that occasionally a new forum member will seem to come across as know it all, condescending and arrogant. They Also make a point to insult long standing over decades of well respected members of the hobby and this forum. A little humility and respect would be a much more effective and better approach IMO 2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 36 minutes ago, CChinn said: ...humility and respect would be a much more effective and better approach IMO Good point! In discussing a topic, it's best for everyone to be gracious. We may disagree on one automotive point, but be in total agreement on 99 others. And we are gentlemen and ladies! 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarNucopia Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 I think the formulation has changed with the ownership. My recollection of the last time I used it was less effective then it used to be. It did still do a number on my driveway though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcCat1962 Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 Wow! Looks cute. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 I use Westley's and jackstands. There is also a folded piece of 800 grit sandpaper for the edges. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 17 hours ago, Grimy said: There are a few variables involved: type paint on wheel, age of paint, type and age of striping paint. Two cars, restored 25 years apart, different types of paint on wheels (acrylic lacquer one one, delstar (?) on the other)--but I didn't do the striping but speculate that it was One-Shot. Just because YOU had good luck does not make your experience a universal. I get grumpy when I continually read nonsense from the same person, ABore. Three weeks in and almost 300 posts. Should know by now that this is not your typical forum. Lots of longtime friends and good advice. No one likes to be told flat out that they are wrong. New friends or old. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobinVirginia Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 (edited) 18 hours ago, Grimy said: There are a few variables involved: type paint on wheel, age of paint, type and age of striping paint. Two cars, restored 25 years apart, different types of paint on wheels (acrylic lacquer one one, delstar (?) on the other)--but I didn't do the striping but speculate that it was One-Shot. Just because YOU had good luck does not make your experience a universal. I get grumpy when I continually read nonsense from the same person, ABore. So tell me @ABear what experience do you exactly have? I’m curious to know your base of knowledge on such a wide array of topics? I come here to learn other people’s ideas. What is your stake in being on the forum? Edited April 29 by BobinVirginia (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Hipp Posted April 30 Share Posted April 30 I used the new Westley on my whitewalls before going to the Charlotte Zenith Meet, it took a lot more work to clean than i remembered, i did not spray, product on the painted (enameled) wheel slightly stained but polished off. On the other hand, the product spilled on the old nitrocellulose painted fenders (side mounted tires) required some careful work with white compound to remove! Will try some of this 303. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
76 Caddy Posted April 30 Share Posted April 30 For what it's worth, I only use SOS pads on my tire's whitewalls. Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted April 30 Share Posted April 30 1 hour ago, 76 Caddy said: For what it's worth, I only use SOS pads on my tire's whitewalls. Tim I used the same back in the 80s. Firestone 721 tires had a wider white wall then usual. SOS worked great. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted April 30 Share Posted April 30 Oh, one more thing. I replace the tires on my old cars at ten years maximum. Most recently it was eight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe in Canada Posted May 1 Share Posted May 1 On 4/28/2024 at 3:02 PM, Paul Dobbin said: I found that is Bleach-White stayed on a painted surface to long it would stain the paint. It made it a one wheel at a time process, with a quick wash and rinse before going to the next wheel & tire, It will also take some of the paint off the rim. I found that when I used a white towel from the motel we were staying at. The towel was pink after wiping off the tire and red rim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom99 Posted May 1 Share Posted May 1 I use Black Magic Bleach-White on all the tires on my cars. It whitens the white, and makes the black look blacker. Also, on a side note, I restore old 1/25 scale models. I soak the parts I want the paint removed in the Bleach-White for several days, and it removes the old paint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pfeil Posted May 1 Share Posted May 1 On 4/27/2024 at 3:22 PM, JonW said: I had the Mark V up on the lift today polishing the wheels. I noticed the white walls were a little grungy, but I didn't want to get it down from the lift to take it outside to scrub the white walls. Plus, it was raining. So I looked at my wash bay supplies and decided to try a few things. Most of them did not work well, but the one that really surprised me was 303 All-Surface Interior Cleaner. I used it and a terry cloth towel to scrub the white walls, and I was blown away by the results. This really isn't marketed as a white wall tire cleaner, and I didn't use a brush, just a terry cloth towel. What a nice surprise! Like you and on the lift, I use this on a narrow white wall; Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutlasguy Posted May 1 Share Posted May 1 I've had luck using EZ Off Oven Cleaner. I just spray it on the whitewall and the grime just runs off. I finish with a few swipes of a Brillo pad and a thorough rinse, and they become white as snow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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