ive just bought a set of 17" painted zr-1's can these wheels be sanded and polished or does the coating have to be chemically removed

 

If you check out the Wheel FAQ, there is a pretty good how to on stripping and polishing up the wheels. Seems like a LOT of work to me, but I'm sure it would be worth it.

 

If you don't have a good selection of abrasive power tools I wouldn't try it. I tried to do it on my stockers one time and gave up. You'd probably be better off just selling the painted ones and buying polished ones. "Long time" is an understatement unless you've got the right tools.

BTW it also depends on what the aluminum is like underneath. My stockers had an uneven, porous-like surface so it takes a lot of time just to work it down to a polishable surface. If the metal underneath is fairly smooth then it could be a whole lot less work. Don't know if you'd be able to tell without stripping some paint off first though.