supposedly chemical paint stripper will remove the clear coating of whatever is left on the rims. after that depending on the look your after for a finished product a fine brisled brass wire brush on a dril will smooth out the pitting but dont push too hard. pick out your paints do any taping you want if you plan to retain the 2 tone colors then throw on some clear coat. i wasn't involved in removing the clear off a set lf aluminum rims but thats supposedly what they did to remove the clear coat. the rest is what i did to finish up but i only did a single color. came out pretty good. use some rubbing alcohol or a damp rag inbetween steps to remove debris so you can see what your trying to clean. definitely before you start painting aswell.