how do i paint my stock wheels??

[93XLEcamry]

i know some people say "you cant sand blast because of the alloy or something"

so i was wondering what are some of the tools used to paint the stock alloys without damaging the alloys "molecules"???

in case your wondering why i would want to do that is because i'm bored and need something to keep me busy....got my alloys sitting in the garage collecting webs and the center pieces are all ready pealing...

i wanted to change the color to a different color too, so my other question is, if i painted the thing and when the color peals (no powder coat) do i still have the stock alloy looking wheel after the "new" paint comes off??

and it is okay to use paint thinner or acetone??

its the stock 93 alloys btw....any opinions, tips, suggestion, ect....are welcomed...thanks..

[abew330]

nice vid i found awhile back

You Tube

You Tube

im actually getting the materials together to start this project

edit:
heres a how to on the duplicolor website

http://www.dupli-color.com/projects/howto_wheel.html

[LynchburgCSI]

This is the process I used to paint mine... still going strong after 5000+mi or so.


before

http://images.google.com/images?sour...ed=0CB4QsAQwAA
get one of those. it's called a cup brush... you can find them at any home improvement store. I'd recommend a softer metal wire one. It hooks up to your drill and it's 1000x faster than sanding them manually.....if you don't want to sand blast them.


after you sand them, primer the wheels. 2 coats or so. AUTOMOTIVE PRIMER PLEASE!


paint them with wheel paint. many colors to choose from...pick it up at an auto parts store. 2-3 coats or so.


and finally, some coats of AUTOMOTIVE GRADE clear coat.



THE RESULTS:












Of course, if you already have tires on, just tape them off with news paper and painter's tape.

[abew330]

hey Lynchburg what color is that you used?

[LynchburgCSI]

Originally Posted by abew330

hey Lynchburg what color is that you used?

graphite/gunmetal.... duplicolor part#HWP102 its kind of matte with metallic flakes as you can see... i didn't do many coats of clear....i didnt want a lot of gloss look.

edit: http://www.duplicolor.com/products/wheel.html

[93XLEcamry]

thanks guys for the fast reply.....which color would look best gloss black, or satin black???

i wanted to go with goldish but cant find any, btw my car is dark blue, like most subaru's

[LynchburgCSI]

Originally Posted by 93XLEcamry

thanks guys for the fast reply.....which color would look best gloss black, or satin black???

i wanted to go with goldish but cant find any, btw my car is dark blue, like most subaru's

HWP105 Bronze...search that part number. i'm sure you can find it on ebay!

i'm thinking about repainting mine to a black color. with a super blue color... it just kinda depends. choose a base color you like, then you can tweak the gloss. the more coats of clear you do, the glossy-er they'll look.

[93XLEcamry]

does glossy wheel look nice???? i've never seen one in person and wasn't sure i wanna go that route if it doesn't look nice...

[LynchburgCSI]

http://acuteperf.com/dpe/dpe_e60_st7.jpg

high gloss paint job, low gloss (or matte) wheel paint.

[ghettosled]

i painted mine the same way.

before:



wire wheel and primed:



painted and clear coated:



installed:





its been about 2 months and they still look like new.

[93XLEcamry]

looks nice ghetto

[93XLEcamry]

would the dupicolor METALCAST™ Anodized Color work too???

is there any difference in this type of spray paint than the other wheel paint???

and how much cans do you guys use per wheel?? (rough estimate)

[ONE_to_HATE]

PREP WORK is a must! .. use a high grit sand paper in between coats.
- i used 4 cans of paint.
- 2 cans of clear.



Take yr old wheels like so..



1. sand the damaged/rashed area and use self etching primer (greenish)



2. start stacking "high build" primer because you're going to have to somewhat repair that rashed area by shaping it with an exacto knife or blade when it hardens.. the high build primer is the grey one on top of the green one..



3. Here it is shaped.. i did the best i can trying to shape it- .. lol



4. Full coverage of Self etching primer..



5. 4 coats of FORD Engine gold (comes out as bronze) and 2 coats of clear coat.



6. aaand here it is.

[ghettosled]

there are some very nice looking painted rims on this thread. i really like the gold.

i didnt paint the inside of the rim (behind the spokes), so i ended up using 1 can of primer, 2 cans of color and 2 of clear.

[93XLEcamry]

nice one to hate.....

does these work for painting??

for primer




for paint




sorry blurry pictures