Wheel painting prep?

[vol4runner]

I have a couple questions for those of you who have painted their wheels. My stock wheels are looking really rough now. The clear coat is peeling and because of that the aluminum is starting get some mild surface corrosion. What type and how much prep did you do prior to painting your wheels? How have they held up so far?

I can't really afford new wheels right now so I'm thinking of painting them silver or a dark silver to make them look better. Any recommendations you may have based on your experience are very welcome.

 

[ryani]

I painted a set of old Land cruiser rims with charcoal metallic and its been holding up well.

I just scuffed them up really good with a red scotch brite pad. Degreased them very well and painted them. No primer at all. Talk to my body shop friends and they actually told me not to use primer. Seems to be working great.

 

[Chadman]

I have a couple questions for those of you who have painted their wheels. My stock wheels are looking really rough now. The clear coat is peeling and because of that the aluminum is starting get some mild surface corrosion. What type and how much prep did you do prior to painting your wheels? How have they held up so far?

I can't really afford new wheels right now so I'm thinking of painting them silver or a dark silver to make them look better. Any recommendations you may have based on your experience are very welcome.

Clean them really good. Use laquer thinner to degrease, scuff with a scotch brite pad. Degrease again, let dry. Paint several light coats with Duplicolor alloy wheel paint until it looks even. Worked really good for me. These where American Racing rims that came with a clear coat.

 

[Colonal Angus]

ryani, why no primer? I'm probably going to paint mine soon and would love to not spend money for no reason. Rims look great, by the way. Sorry to hijack, but do you guys recommend flat black, satin, or high gloss?

 

[Brutus]

I scuff sanded with the scotch pad, then I used lacquer thinner and it made the old finish soften. If you use LT for a degreaser, wait a bit before you touch them cause you could leave a fingerprint in the old finish.

Then I sprayed with etching primer then sandable primer then Duplicolor WP102 Graphite.
Masking off the tires was the worst part. Took forever to do it right.

I didn't have any places that were down to the aluminum.

 

[ryani]

I'm not sure why no primer. My friends at the body shop it wasn't needed for some reason. I guess if they get beat up they will be easy to touch up. Just grab the rattle can.

 

[vol4runner]

Thanks for the tips and pics. I'm anxious to try it because my wheels are making my 97 look more rough that it really is.

ryani - the wheels (and your rig) look good. Wish I could score some land cruiser wheels for cheap.

Brutus - Yours turned out really nice. That's almost exactly what color I was thinking about for mine. Do you have any pics of the whole truck with the wheels painted?

Crappy thing is my wheels have the external clamp-on wheel weights. Not the nice stick on weights.

 

[durrell]

I painted mine with Duplicolor Bedliner and couldn't be happier with the results. I just cleaned the wheels up and sprayed it on. I didn't prep them too much because I noticed that even light sanding destroyed the finish, so I didn't bother. The bedliner has adhered really well in the past and gives a nice textured look.

I can get better pics if you feel like bedliner is a direction you'd want to go in. These are just some I snapped right after painting them.

 

[FoneRunner]

I painted mine with Duplicolor Bedliner and couldn't be happier with the results. I just cleaned the wheels up and sprayed it on. I didn't prep them too much because I noticed that even light sanding destroyed the finish, so I didn't bother. The bedliner has adhered really well in the past and gives a nice textured look.

I can get better pics if you feel like bedliner is a direction you'd want to go in. These are just some I snapped right after painting them.

Hey I'd like to see a couple of closer shots of that bedliner finish...and I love that avatar! :beer:

 

[vol4runner]

Hey I'd like to see a couple of closer shots of that bedliner finish...and I love that avatar! :beer:

Ditto....

 

[durrell]

I took a picture of the worst wheel. I did a quick tape job and accidentally taped a little of the lip of the wheel, so it needs to be repainted where you see silver. The rest gives you an idea of the expected result, though. I love it.

 

[ryani]

Nice tires durell. How do you like the Kuhmos? I have the same tire and they seem to be wearing well.

 

[rook]

I have a couple questions for those of you who have painted their wheels. My stock wheels are looking really rough now. The clear coat is peeling and because of that the aluminum is starting get some mild surface corrosion. What type and how much prep did you do prior to painting your wheels? How have they held up so far?

I can't really afford new wheels right now so I'm thinking of painting them silver or a dark silver to make them look better. Any recommendations you may have based on your experience are very welcome.

you'll need to sand down to bare metal on the oxidized areas and apply a primer to stop further oxidation. look for an epoxy or etch primer.

As for prep, get a gray scuff pad and some abrasive cleaner. PPG makes a product called DX101 which works like a scrubbing cleaner. It will remove all the crap and create a nice even surface for paint. This is the fastest way to prep a surface other than using a sander. It will rinse off with water and you are ready to go.

 

[durrell]

Nice tires durell. How do you like the Kuhmos? I have the same tire and they seem to be wearing well.

I had the same tire on my Xterra and it wore well also. I did have some concerns about the wear, but in hindsight I think that was related to the lack of a wheel alignment after I got the newer (much larger) tires. I like them a lot on the 4R. They're 265/75's so they look a lot better than the other tires I had.

 

[Brutus]

Hey Vol

 

[Duhockey]

I took a picture of the worst wheel. I did a quick tape job and accidentally taped a little of the lip of the wheel, so it needs to be repainted where you see silver. The rest gives you an idea of the expected result, though. I love it.

NICE!! I love the texture of those! wonder if theres one a bit blacker with that kind of look?

 

[vol4runner]

Thanks for all the helpful hints. Brutus - thanks for the pic. Looks really good.

Another stupid question...would any auto parts store have the scuff pads etching primer, wheel paint, etc.?

 

[Colonal Angus]

I know AutoZone has the Duplicolor Wheel Paint and primer....not sure about the scuff pads. I was wondering where I should get those. Home Depot or Lowes?

 

[PirateExplorer]

Playing cards instead of tape....

I was researching wheel paintin for a while and everyone here has got it down it seems. I painted a set for my buddy as a "trial run" before I did my own. I used only Duplicolor wheel paint products and theyre amazing. Scotch brite scuff pad, lacquer thinner, self etching primer, choice of paint color, and clear coat to give it some extra protection and seal it off. Also a deck of playing cards, or 4 decks if you're doing all four wheels at the same time with the tires still mounted. I would advise doing one first to get the finish youwant before attacking all four though. The playing card trick is awesome. You tuck them in between the wheel and the tire with a little overlap between cards. This masks off the tire without messing with tape and takes a fraction of the time. Hope this can help......

 

[PirateExplorer]

I know AutoZone has the Duplicolor Wheel Paint and primer....not sure about the scuff pads. I was wondering where I should get those. Home Depot or Lowes?

LOWE'S all the way man!!! Home Cheapo......forget about it haha!!!