Does anyone have any advice or can point me in the right direction to painting rims? I.e. what is the best brand of spray paint and do I need to clear coat them? Thanks
There is a DIY on wheel painting on this forum... I would search that. Here is what I do: 1. Prep Wheels - Sand the current paint down so the spray paint has something to hold onto. I didn't do this my first time last year and my wheels chipped by the end of the winter. I did this with my summer wheels and they stayed all summer. I know the environments are harsher in the winter... but i would sand them down a bit. 2. Clean the wheels - I used a rubbing alcohol 3. ** If tires are mounted ** Place cards (note cards or playing cards) around the rim to keep over spray off the wheels 4. Paint (I usually do 3+ coats) 5. Clear Coat....... always makes the job look better when i do it. I usually do 3+ coats of clear coat too.
http://mnsubaru.com/forums/showthread.php/35417-Prep-and-Paint-Wheels-DIY?highlight=DIY Here is the link to the DIY - I skipped a few of these steps, but mine still worked out.
detach from vehicle little bit of scuffing on the surface you are painting with sand paper/nylon brush on die grinder blow dust off wash with glass cleaner/let dry note cards around the rim/tire lip tape valve stems pop center caps if you don't want them colored paint paint dry attach to vehicle(make first scratch while torquing lugs) take a pic and post if the color is something other than black, gold, gunmetal. I have never cleared a wheel. i have used every type of paint, the only thing i would do is pay more then $1 for the can and it will coat better. but dollar stuff still works. -Dan
All the above posters have said it all. Prep prep prep, self etching primer and paint all laid on with light coats. Although I've never used a clear coat and just lay the final coat on as a thick wet coat to give a nice gloss/candy coat look. Gotta watch out for runs and or sagging though. A friend of mine does all my painting always turns out great and holds up well. Here's a set currently drying in my garage that was just painted last weekend.
i'm either doing neon pink or neon orange so either will be interesting. "You just pm 'demong' on here. He does powdercoating for $10 a wheel." -I go to school in New Hampshire and won't be driving back for winter break:/
What I did: 1. have rims off tires 2. have rims sandblasted 3. 2 coats primer 4. 2 coats paint 5. 2 coats clear 6. wait 2 months, mount tires, enjoy.
Thanks, main reason for not going with a clear coat was to avoid issues when it came to touch up. Figured it'd be easier to touch up paint instead of a clear coat if there was ever any damage to the wheels. But I have yet needed to do touch up so who knows.
I just did mine last week, scuffed em down with 3m pads, one layer of nason self etching primer and one layer of plastikote hot rod black(flat black)
I have heard from people that powdercoat is not a good idea for wheels, because of the extreme heat. Im wondering if that would really only affect forged wheels and not cast. Input?
This subject has been beat to death. I think it all comes down to personal preference and cost. I'd dust off your google skills, read though the hundreds of posts on nasoic, here, any car website, then make your own personal choice. I've heard arguments both ways. A quality non-rushed paint job can be almost as good as powdercoating. I'd like to think my rims are a fine example of that, but I'll let others speak for them. I also had someone who is the master of the rattle can paint them for me, which helps.
