plastic center caps are fading , real ugly...

[peppster66]

Hi guys, i have the 2000 ltd, and with the stock rims come the plastic center caps, they are realy fading badly, it almost looks like the plastic is yellow behind the silver, I was wondering if anyone has repainted these, does it last, or is it better to just replace them?? any help would be great,, thanks,,,,

 

[zcruiser]

Did this on my '80 series Land Cruiser a while back... IH8MUD has some good tech...

More center cap refinish tips
Refinished hubcap photos

 

[Slobadon]

centercaps.net

I have used these guys to replace a cap when a tire blow out and knocked it off. Free shipping is always nice.

www.centercaps.net

 

[bak3rme]

easy job. i found that the rustoleum metalic silver is an exact match for the stock rims.

i sanded it down, then a fine grit for the final sanding..a coat of paint thiner . then a light coat..and then a final coat..and its holding up fine.

fits perfect and took me no more than an hour and it looks just how anyone would want!

 

[RDS3030]

I called the dealer a few months ago to get a price and it was ridiculous so i painted all my rims black. the website Slobadon posted seems to have really good prices. youd be looking at 80.00 for the set, personally i would try and restore them if its a reasonable amount of money and if people have had good luck doing it. But also 80 for a brand new set isnt too bad imo.

 

[98_4runnerSR5]

easy job. i found that the rustoleum metalic silver is an exact match for the stock rims.

i sanded it down, then a fine grit for the final sanding..a coat of paint thiner . then a light coat..and then a final coat..and its holding up fine.

fits perfect and took me no more than an hour and it looks just how anyone would want!

2nd that! and yes, they are a dirty yellow color underneath the silver. I repainted my entire wheels flat black not too long ago and I'd recommend repainting them silver. Waste of money to buy new ones when all you need is some sand paper, a can of primer, and a can of paint that matches it.

 

[cj80cruiser]

easy job. i found that the rustoleum metalic silver is an exact match for the stock rims.

i sanded it down, then a fine grit for the final sanding..a coat of paint thiner . then a light coat..and then a final coat..and its holding up fine.

fits perfect and took me no more than an hour and it looks just how anyone would want!

A coat of paint thinner? I never heard of this. Curious as to what this is for....to remove oils maybe?

 

[trailmix]

ya i always wipe whatever im painting down with some paint thinner to get any oils from my hands and dust from sanding them off, helps the paint stick and will make it last longer.

 

[bak3rme]

A coat of paint thinner? I never heard of this. Curious as to what this is for....to remove oils maybe?

yup u got it. also like what trailmix said..helps paint stick. and for 80 bucks for center caps????!!

 

[TFJ-4runner]

Sprayed mine black looks way better. As lon as you prep the surface properly you shouldn't have any problems. GL

 

[g8rdmd]

Mine are getting nasty, too. The rims are beautiful and shiny, the caps look like they belong on a hoopty...

I'm getting ready to repaint them. Couple of questions, though...

1. Is it possible to get the caps off WITHOUT taking the wheels off the truck? Or do the lugs have to come out to get the caps off?

2. For you guys who have repainted them--do you block out the Toyota logo in the center, or just say screw it and paint the whole thing silver?

Thanks y'all:banana:

 

[RonMAIDEN]

I saw a thread on painting the center caps and thig guy painted the logo first then filled in over the paint with dishsoap and allowed it to harden then painted the whole cap silver then wehn it was dry he ran it under hot water removing the dish soap and revealing the painted part underneath and then clear coated the whole thing.

Mine had been repainted 3-4 times over their life and they have been a little beaten up so I avoided the center logo all together and bought some aluminum center cap TRD stickers and placed them over the logos after several coats of silver and then clear coated the whole cap.
Most of the aluminum stickers will have a clear sticker over the top so I just painted the clear wheel coating over the whole thing and then just removed the plastic and voila,a clean sticker. They don't look too bad but I am wondering how the stickers will do over time but after two months including some rain and off roading the stickers are holding up well.

 

[cj80cruiser]

i saw a thread on painting the center caps and thig guy painted the logo first then filled in over the paint with dishsoap and allowed it to harden then painted the whole cap silver then wehn it was dry he ran it under hot water removing the dish soap and revealing the painted part underneath and then clear coated the whole thing.

Mine had been repainted 3-4 times over their life and they have been a little beaten up so i avoided the center logo all together and bought some aluminum center cap trd stickers and placed them over the logos after several coats of silver and then clear coated the whole cap.
Most of the aluminum stickers will have a clear sticker over the top so i just painted the clear wheel coating over the whole thing and then just removed the plastic and voila,a clean sticker. They don't look too bad but i am wondering how the stickers will do over time but after two months including some rain and off roading the stickers are holding up well.

pic?

 

[1fast_e]

I saw a thread on painting the center caps and thig guy painted the logo first then filled in over the paint with dishsoap and allowed it to harden then painted the whole cap silver then wehn it was dry he ran it under hot water removing the dish soap and revealing the painted part underneath and then clear coated the whole thing.

Mine had been repainted 3-4 times over their life and they have been a little beaten up so I avoided the center logo all together and bought some aluminum center cap TRD stickers and placed them over the logos after several coats of silver and then clear coated the whole cap.
Most of the aluminum stickers will have a clear sticker over the top so I just painted the clear wheel coating over the whole thing and then just removed the plastic and voila,a clean sticker. They don't look too bad but I am wondering how the stickers will do over time but after two months including some rain and off roading the stickers are holding up well.

Wish I would have had this post a month ago when I painted mine. I thought about freehanding the logo red. I have a project for next weekend...ty

 

[RonMAIDEN]

Here's what I did and you can find differetn styles on ebay and they only cost me less than $10 shipped. like I said I'm unsure of the durability but so far so good.
I still would like to buy a brand new set and paint the logo so maybe when I have an extra $80 laying around. (ha!)

 

[toy-runner]

My center caps were wearing also. Use a flat head screwdriver and pop them out. This is what I did and the outcome was superb! Looks as good as they did when they came from the factory.

1. Spray on Dupli_color Prep-Spray Grease and Wax remover. (surface is already rough enough to where the color will stick, just spray on the Prep and it will get rid of any grease or wax, at least my caps were that bad).

2. Wipe with non-lint rags and let dry. Aprox. 2 to 3 mins.

3. Spray on Dupli_color Wheel-Coating Silver. (it is the exact match for our toyota stock rims) 2 coats then let dry for 10 mins. Add another 2 coats then let dry again. I repeated this process 4 times.

4. Let dry (approx. 1-2 hours depending on condition, temp. during painting was 90+ degrees, if much cooler then drying time should be increased, you be the judge) then install using a piece of cloth or terry towel as cushion to push the center cap back into the rim.

Before and After pictures below:
(rim and tire are dirty from after picture)

 

[toy-runner]

updated with pictures above!

 

[TheDurk]

My center caps were wearing also. Use a flat head screwdriver and pop them out. This is what I did and the outcome was superb! Looks as good as they did when they came from the factory.

1. Spray on Dupli_color Prep-Spray Grease and Wax remover. (surface is already rough enough to where the color will stick, just spray on the Prep and it will get rid of any grease or wax, at least my caps were that bad).

2. Wipe with non-lint rags and let dry. Aprox. 2 to 3 mins.

3. Spray on Dupli_color Wheel-Coating Silver. (it is the exact match for our toyota stock rims) 2 coats then let dry for 10 mins. Add another 2 coats then let dry again. I repeated this process 4 times.

4. Let dry and install.

Wow, you really had no finish left. Finished job looks very nice. I did have about half the silver left, so I scuffed up with a red ScotchPad, then I did almost the same thing. I degreased with lacquer thinner, and added two coats of Dupli-Color Sandable Primer because of the scuffing. Then the Duplicolor Wheel Coat and three coats of clear.

How long did you let it dry between each of the four repeats? It's supposed to be ten minutes between each coat and all coats within an hour, or wait seven days for any additional coats beyond one hour. (I have my can in my hand). Or did you just mean you did 4 coats each one ten minutes apart?

I did 3 coats of Wheel Coating (Graphite in my case), one every ten minutes, then let it dry 30 min and then the clear(3 coats, 10 min. apart).

 

[toy-runner]

Thanks for the pictures toy-runner! I'll be picking up some of that Dupli-color this weekend.

No problem. I already threw my can away, but make sure you have the right color as I can't really remember if it was graphite or silver. Just look at the cap on the spray can and you can definitely tell which one is the right one. Hope all goes well and show us some pictures.

 

[toy-runner]

Wow, you really had no finish left. Finished job looks very nice. I did have about half the silver left, so I scuffed up with a red ScotchPad, then I did almost the same thing. I degreased with lacquer thinner, and added two coats of Dupli-Color Sandable Primer because of the scuffing. Then the Duplicolor Wheel Coat and three coats of clear.

How long did you let it dry between each of the four repeats? It's supposed to be ten minutes between each coat and all coats within an hour, or wait seven days for any additional coats beyond one hour. (I have my can in my hand). Or did you just mean you did 4 coats each one ten minutes apart?

I did 3 coats of Wheel Coating (Graphite in my case), one every ten minutes, then let it dry 30 min and then the clear(3 coats, 10 min. apart).

Yes, ten minutes between each coats, you should be done within 45 minutes of coating (as in my case with 4 coats). Waiting seven days for additional coats is not necessary. I didn't use clear coat because it really isn't necessary when using the Dupli-Color Wheel Coat but more power to you if you use it. After the center caps dried which was about 1 hour, I felt the finish and it was as smooth and looked as I had already sprayed clear coat on it. Hope this helps.