The other downside is you are left with a stupid plastic silver center cap that cannot be powder coated.
Easy....paint them with plastic paint!
Painting plastic center caps....
First take the chromed plastic Toyota logo off the center caps by grinding off/drilling off the 3 melted plastic tabs on the back that hold them on .You will have the 3 tabs and a long alignment pin.
Next ,go to walmart or equivalent and buy Krylon Fusion paint for plastic and Krylon clearcoat in a rattle can. I personally use the Fusion satin black and Krylon satin clearcoat.This paint does'nt need a primer , is made to bond with plastic and is really good.I have never seen Fusion clearcoat so I just use Krylon satin clearcoat as it is sticking to the paint at this point and not the plastic.
Next ,hand sand the caps to scuff them up so the paint has something to hold on to. I use 320 grit for painted surfaces like the center caps and 240 for the chromed plastic surfaces because they are harder to scuff.Don't get anal about sanding as it doesn't have to be perfect.
Note:This is important for the paint to stick good. Wash the parts in soap(I use dawn) and water to remove dirt,oil and grease that you can't see. Its best to wear rubber gloves when handling before paint because your fingers have oils on them.Dry them off real good with a paper towel and you can use a tack cloth lightly(I don't).I blow them off to remove any lint .If there is any lint or dirt particles, you will see them after the first coat and can pick them off then.
READ THE CAN..and Preferably paint outside or if you are going to paint in the garage,cover up stuff from overspray.You should wear a mask or don't breath in the fumes!! .Next comes the painting, shake can real good and apply 3-4 THIN light coats of the Fusion waiting 10-15 minutes between coats and the 2 coats of clearcoat to help protect it. This paint can be handled in an hour or so but watch out as it is pretty fragile until it CURES in 7 days.You can put it on the car but just be real careful not to scratch it.After a week, a cat couldn't scratch it as it cures and bonds to the plastic!!
Put the chromed logos on and a small dab of epoxy on the backside where the tabs are to hold them on.A small dab in case you have to take them off again someday,they are not going to fall off. I already removed and painted my wheel logos satin black,who would have guessed!!
The key to painting plastic is use a paint made specifically for plastic instead of cheap spray paint and attention to details when prepping!Heck , about half your car is made of plastic that has been painted and it wasn't by rocket scientist:wink2:
Oh and by the way ScottyTsR5. I called 3 or 4 places down here last month and they all wanted $100 a wheel to prep/powdercoat which seems kinda high .Keep calling around as some have found it cost less.
