Tornadom
New member
Call me silly, but I have always liked the rim design that came on my 1990 4Runner (and other Toyota pickups/4Runners of similar vintage). It is simple, period correct and sized appropriately for the tires I plan to run. The only issue I had with the rims on my 4Runner is the clear-coat peeling off. It looks like they got sunburned and are shedding the dead skin, which in essence is exactly what is happening to them.
I set out to correct that issue. Armed with aerosol paint stripper, 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper, masking tape, primer and matte black rim paint I set forth on my rim renewal adventure.
20 years of sun, brake dust and road debris where not kind to this wheel
After removing the wheel from the car I sprayed it liberally with paint stripper (following the directions on the can), let it do its thing and then rinsed it with a stream of water. I had to repeat the process in order to get all of the clear coat off.
Mask off the shiny parts so you only paint the textured parts. It sounds easier than it is (I suck at masking things off).
After painting the textured parts I wet sanded the face of the rim with 400 grit sandpaper to smooth it out. A quick once over with some polish gave it this pseudo shine.
Back in place and ready to go. Now I need to do the other 3 wheels.
I should add that I removed the wheel balancing weights from the face of the rim so that the face could be completely sanded. I am getting new tires in a couple weeks and do not drive on the freeway regularly, so the slightly out of balance tire is not a major safety factor.
I set out to correct that issue. Armed with aerosol paint stripper, 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper, masking tape, primer and matte black rim paint I set forth on my rim renewal adventure.
20 years of sun, brake dust and road debris where not kind to this wheel
After removing the wheel from the car I sprayed it liberally with paint stripper (following the directions on the can), let it do its thing and then rinsed it with a stream of water. I had to repeat the process in order to get all of the clear coat off.
Mask off the shiny parts so you only paint the textured parts. It sounds easier than it is (I suck at masking things off).
After painting the textured parts I wet sanded the face of the rim with 400 grit sandpaper to smooth it out. A quick once over with some polish gave it this pseudo shine.
Back in place and ready to go. Now I need to do the other 3 wheels.
I should add that I removed the wheel balancing weights from the face of the rim so that the face could be completely sanded. I am getting new tires in a couple weeks and do not drive on the freeway regularly, so the slightly out of balance tire is not a major safety factor.
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