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We have a '93 Camry that has grotesque curb marks on the hubcaps. I just washed and waxed her this weekend and I noticed how bad they have gotten. Yellow is showing through on the badly scratched parts instead of silver. My father recommended removing them and spray painting them. I think this would work, but I am not sure how well and if it would last. I am aware that the wheels need to be thoroughly scrubed and cleaned to get all dirt off so the paint will adhere. Do you guys have any tips about what paints would be good to use and how many coats and such?
not sure if this applies, but usually when we spray a bumper or plastic component, we use a plastic adherence additive...
and what Eye8Pussies said is a good idea...
would painting the hubcap be the same process as normal panel beating? usually we primer it, then wet sand it down and spray. after spraying the color coats we use this special cloth which removes some of the dust particles that have gotten onto the area painted and then clear coated it...oh and usually we use a wax and grease remover, and wipe down the whole area to be painted before painting...not sure if you would need to do this tho, someone help me on that...thx
hmm....I'd think that cleaning would be a very important part of painint hubcaps since thy seem to always get so dirty....and brake dust isn't any good either....
but for real...hey, just try it whatever way, and worste come to worste, go to wal mart and buy some new ones, or go to a junker to pick some oem ones up
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Thanks for the advice. I am still unsure about what color would be good as the base coat for the hubcaps. Obviously they are silver, but does anyone know of a specific color code and type of paint. I plan to paint them this weekend.
it's actually quite hard to tell you what colour code if you don't see it in person. not sure if you could find the code online though. have you sanded the hubcaps right back to the plastic? if so then not sure...try going for either a similar silver, but make sure it's lighter than the top, or if you can use the same paint throughout. the reason why you would use a lighter colour is that a darker colour would cause the final coats to be a bit darker (just in case you didn't know). the other thing you can do is to acutally spary all four hubcaps (assuming only some are scratched) so that the colour is all even. best bet would be to go find a silver that is closest to that of your current colour. what kinda paint were you going to buy, spray can, liquid(for air gun)? if it's spray can you might want to check that it adheres to plastic, however i think there is a base coat out there for plastics and once that is on, you can use normal paint. it's been a while since i sprayed a bumper...
summary:
wash->sand->wash->clean with wax and grease remover->spray base coat for plastic->spray desired colour->spray clear coats
just make sure you do it in a windfree area, and if possible a heater will help the paint to dry and not run.
how familiar are you with spray painting? it'll make it easier for me to determine what i need to tell you. if anything search online for a tutorial, should be a few out there.
Originally posted by Oldman i would definetely not spend money on painting hubcaps, take the steelies off, clean them up, paint them a nice black and it'll look great
hubcaps are just lame
Especially when some dumbass steals one, so you're left with 3 caps and one black rim.
So I just took all of them off until I get some real rims, which I'm hoping happens real soon
And on another subject, would you guys recommend the same advice to someone who was painting the actual rims? I found a really good deal on some rims but they're white and I want silver or chrome. Is it worth the trouble to try and paint them, or just wait til I find what I want. The white rims do have a couple of light curb marks so they would need a little work done anyways. Thanks for the help.
Nah, I just want the hubcaps to look presentable. I am not really into all of the exterior mods and such. But, I respect what you guys do; the camry is an amazing model. Anyways, I convinced my dad to buy some replica hubcaps online. He was the one who suggested repainting them in the first place. I was unsure if the weather would be good for painting. The weather has been quite inclement at around 45 degrees and rainy here in Chicago. I have cleaned the hubcaps and they still have this bright yellow tint to them. Nonetheless, the new hubcaps should be arriving in a week or so. I am going to put several coats of wax on them before I put them on the car. We are entering the winter season and the streets are going to soon be covered with salt. This salt will eat through a coat of wax in less than 48 hours and start thinning the paint. This is why I am unsure why the current "curb marks" are really that becasue they look pretty bad. The salt could have done the damage along with roadway pebbles and such. Thanks for your help everyone.
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