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Here is what I learned about the wheels and the center hubcaps: If you're dealing with the original finish, the caps should be treated like newborn babies. Rub them gently with a gentle compound to clean them. Then gently rub a gentle non-corrosive polish, and then wax. That's it, nothing more and nothing less. The wheel/rim's are machined into the metal itself, so it's not likely you'll strip the grain (unlike the caps, which are stripped if you just look at them too hard), but the finish is a different story. Last night I cleaned one wheel with a gentle wash, and it came out stunningly. I confidently moved on to the the next wheel and it immediately began reacting severely and clouding up like a winter's morning in Oregon. These wheels and caps have minds of their own. So I no longer experiment with cleaners. Like I mentioned above, an hour plus of polishing with Flitz metal paste polish remedied the accidental clouding. A little bit of the finish was unfortunately lost but not very noticable after polish/wax. So for maintenance, repeat the same center cap process for the wheel, but you can use Flitz Metal Polish confidently, as opposed to the caps, which I do not let anywhere near the Flitz. Pictured below is the result of my sweat and tears. I want to thank JIM FINN for supplying me with near mint caps, and for the maintenance tips. You're the man Jim! ??

Despite what I said at the beginning, I do like what you have done. Kudo's to you

The wheels look great. I agree with Ronnie, they do look like new.

If you suspect the IAC, just hold the throttle down a little and see if it still dies. If it dies the IAC isn't likely to be causing the problem.

Your wheels turned out great! Looks like a new wheel in your photo.

It could be a lot of other things too like an Ignition control module or crankshaft position sensor. It's best to start with the things that are easy to check first like fuel pressure. BTW, the camshaft sensor won't make the engine die like that so you can rule it out.

There is just a thin sheet of aluminum that is formed around the plastic center that pops onto the wheel. It has been a long time since I looked at my center caps. I remember them having some sort of brushed finish instead of a machined finish like a lathe would produce. If you have any dents or really deep scratches in the aluminum I don't know what machining process could be used to clear that up. If your caps are just dull and cloudy it seems like you should be able to use sand paper, maybe in a circular motion, to put a factory like finish on the aluminum. You would have to experiment with sand paper of different grits to get the finish you are looking for. Then coat with clear to keep it looking good. I've never done this. I'm just throwing it out for discussion.

I have always found that a well tuned car with a strong battery will get you started. The battery we should be using in out car is more then enough power to start.

Once you get them machined you can get them powder coated with a clear powder. That way it keeps the nice look but will keep clean and all that for many years to come.

Maybe Padgett and my assumption that only '88s had the red lettering is misguided. Sorry about that.