MORE PICS OF FINAL PRODUCT ADDED TO PAGE 4! Instructions below






Well I decided that I wanted to go a different direction with my wheels so I started a little project. I found a set of FJ wheels locally, which I actually got for free, since they had some rock rash from off roading. Before doing the entire project I decided to mount and balance one wheel and tire, just to test fit b/c I was curious how much rubbing I would get with spidertrax and the increased offset. After test fitting I decided I also wanted to try the entire wheel painting process one time through, which this thread documents.

This thread help inspire and direct me with what to do about the wheels.

Step 1- Get some FJ wheels! (There are only 4 in the pic, but I have 5, one of which is already on the tire)



Step 2- Clean the wheels. For this I used soap and water, then wheel degreaser, then soap and water again to get any residue off. Also, on some of the wheels I had to take some very deep scratches out, which required various grit sandpapers. You can see some of the spokes in the previous picture have been sanded already.

Step 3- Rough up the entire finish of the wheel, so that the paint will stick better. For this I used 320 grit sandpaper.

Step 4- Clean the wheel again to get all the dust from sanding off.

Step 5- Mask of tire. Also, if you paint it off the tire, I would mask off the bead. Note: you can also see how the wheel looks when sanded some.





Step 6- Spray 2 coats of primer. I used Dupli-Color Black Primer. It will probably take around 3 cans. I waited 10-15 minutes between coats. I also sanded and primered the center cap. For the center caps you can pop the little Toyota logo off, I think I am going to keep mine silver, and think the contrast will look good.





Step 7- Spray your final coats of paint. I used Dupli-Color Satin Black Wheel Paint (HWP-104) and let the primer dry for around an hour prior to painting. I put on 4 coats, the first 2 relatively light, the second 2 more thick. I was sort of disappointed with how this paint sprayed when compared to the primer. It was really hard to get a nice even coat on. Also, the nozzle on the wheel paint sucks in comparison to the one on the primer. It will take 4 cans to do this, for me it may be more since the wind picked up and not as much paint ended up on the wheel as I had wanted. Here is a pic after I started taking some of the masking tape off.

EDIT: I ended up using Rustoleum Satin Black Paint, since the Dupli Color was impossible to get a nice even coat with



And here is the wheel placed in front of my truck, so you can get some idea about how different a look these will give my truck when compared to the stock sport wheels.



I would say currently the look of the wheel is a 7/10. They look good, but due to the troubles getting an even coat on I think they could look better. I might try another coat in better light with no wind, or using very very very fine bronze-wool.

Hope this helps some other people who are thinking of doing the same thing! Good alternative to powdercoating.

Let me know what you think!

Looks good man, can't wait to see the finished product of all 4.

sweeet!

I think black wheels with black trucks looks great.....nice job man!

what do you do with the paint on the tire? Let it wear off? looks good btw

Nice job! I like the satin look a lot.

Instead of wool, find some GRAY 3M scuff pads. They are similar to scotch brite pads but with a finer abrasive on them to prep for topcoating. It will save you a lot of time.

what is that red car in the first bay?

Looks like a ferrari ..

i like it! to me, the black fj wheels will look better, cant wait to see it with all of them done.

Correct. It's his dad's.

Blair, when do you plan on doing the other 4 wheels?

Text me if you're free tonight when you get off work.

Damn, good eye!

BlairB, the paint rims look good! Did i tell you how much i really like your tires?!

Besides this being cheaper, did you ever consider powdercoating?

In Blair's original post:

Hope this helps some other people who are thinking of doing the same thing! Good alternative to powdercoating.

Ahh, did not read all the way to the bottom...just looked at the pics!

Yea it seems you were "careless" and didnt cover the tire and now its black...does it just rub off?

Thanks guys, I am definitely excited to see the final product. I was not totally sure if black would look great on my truck initially, but now I am really excited.

The overspray on the tire is actually very very minor and since the tire is dirty and rubber it does not stick whatsoever. When I was done I took a towel and wiped all of it right off. It looks worse than it is since when I was painting the wind picked up and cause more overspray then normal.