Been doing a lot of searching and watching DIY's I have some stock wheels (02-03) that where painted gold last year. My goal is to remove the existing paint, prime, and paint. I have read many different ways to remove the paint, but am wondering what has worked for you guys? Klean Strip Aircraft Remover looked to have worked well, but most people seem to use sand paper. Thoughts? The wheels are pictured in post #11 http://www.mnsubaru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33844 Tires are off since they were on the way out. So, I dont need to worry about masking anything off. Some info found here http://www.mnsubaru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10202&highlight=wheel+paint Chemical Removal Vid All help/suggestions is appreciated. I tried to get skarecrows opinion on this when reading through the old threads (he is the only one I know that does a lot of painting), but most started or ended with: And So, If you have some sober advice, I'd appreciate it :biggrin:
my old rims on my rs had the clear finish coming off in small areas and some rust begining from the previous owner never taking care of things.... all i did was clean then really good (i mean scrub brush and hot water for 10 or 15 min on each rim) using rim cleaner to get the brake dust and road grime off.... then i cleaned them again using light soap and water... i then took my time sanding them as best as i could and scrapping away all the loose clear and rust i could find trying to get it down to the finish.... after that i taped them off, cleaned them real well with paint thinner.... 2 coats of self etching primer, 2 coats of high temp primer, 4 coats high temp gold engine paint and then 4 or 6 coats of duplicolor rim specific clear and i was done.... let the paint fully cure for the recomended 7-10 days and they stll looked great when i sold the car
2 words... Sand Blast. Best ever. That's what I did with my BBS's. I think everyone who's seen them would agree they look amazing. Readymix is the god of DIY painting. I'll let him throw in some tips.
^ I looked into sandblasting (my friends dad has a huge diesel powered blaster) But from what I had researched, you need ultra-fine grade sand... Is this easy to come by?
I'm not for sure which sand I used, but I don't remember using a fine grain sand, although it probably wouldn't hurt. I had painted a set of old Forester rims and they turned out really well for the little bit of time I spent on them. I think using the sand blaster to start would be a good idea to use to get the brunt of it out of the way and then maybe touch it up with some fine sand paper by hand? IMO
i've used aircraft remover on a valve cover, motorcycle tank, etc. and it worked great... just try not to get it on your skin, **** burns...
Aluminum oxide abrasive is very fine. You can get it from Northern Tool. The aircraft stripper does work well. I suggest placing polyethylene film over the item once applied. It keeps the fumes down and it works faster. Also, base/clear FTW.
I used precision powder coating in Duluth to sand blast my wheels, cant remember the price but sandblasting wasn't too expensive.
And here I had mine sandblasted and powdercoated. I feel so lazy. I'll be picking them up tomorrow. Hopefully my new lugs arrive and the center caps will be done too. I'll post pics when they have rubber on them and are on the car. Not sure how y'all will react to them. I'm not even sure how I'll react to them for that matter.
I just sanded and painted some rs 6 spokes from stock to bronze. I will post pics when they are on the car.
