painting wheels?!?!?!?!?

[legacygt420]

so i am painting a set of snowflkes i got and i have a question for those of you who have done this already. how has the paint held up? i live in upstate NY and salt is a big deal around here. also i was wondering how they held up when tires where changed on the rims?? i am goin all out whe i prep them to make it last as long as i can so anything will help. please let me know

[dann]

there is an alternative to painting wheels bro, theres a company near me that refinishes wheels to what ever color you like, and they're pretty cheap. but +1 for diy!

just my .02 :wink:

[geckoboy86]

I live down in PA. We get a decent amount of salt down here as well (not as much as NY or any New England state). I have a set of painted Snowflakes that user STiRally8 (https://sl-i.net/FORUM/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=6187) had. I believe they went though a few winters and they have been. You can try PMing him about this.

[d1giPhux]

Don't put too much clear coat on.. it causes the paint to crack and such. Also.. use a good primer. Some type of self etching primer that will get into the stock metal a bit.

[Huffer]

1 coat of paint on my clown wheels. It's all in the prep and drying time. No problems with dismounting tires either. Helps if you paint in 70deg+ temps though.

[Brockley]

just remember, as with ANY paintjob, the prep work is where you need to spend the time. If you just take some Dawn soap and wash the wheels, and paint, they will look great until you hit salt/gravel.

If you take the time to sand them, use Acetone or equivalent, and a good primer, you will have a good LASTING paint job.

Now if you dont feel like doing that, I honestly would look into powdercoating them. Around here, I can get wheels sandblasted/PC for around $200 or so, and they will last forever basically compared to rattlecan jobs.

just my $0.02

[Huffer]

Another alternative is to have the wheels mediablasted and then rattle can them or have a bodyshop dothe paint. It's all in the prep.

[Okin DaVanh]

Media blast (Using 3step coarse to fine) is a great way of letting someone else do all the dirty heavy work, and having a high quality bodyshop finish for half the cost; if done right.... which means patiently :smt023

When I did my //M wheels I didn't get them blasted (although I wish I did) and did the work myself. Also remove your valve stems if you DONT have tire on. Makes things easier. In some of the pics, I stood the wheels up to take pics only. I recommend painting them laying flat, starting with painting the inside 1 day, and the exterior the next to allow full drying in between.

What I did was:

-Wash them thoroughly with a de-greasing detergent
-light scuff and wipe with acetone or equivalent, (wax and grease remover in pic) let air dry

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/01/IMG_1022-1.jpg


-Placed them in a warm (70 degrees is ideal ) well ventilated spray booth (although not required to be a shop)

-1 coat of sealer
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/01/IMG_1029-1.jpg


-1 coat color
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/01/IMG_1030-1.jpg


-1 coat clear
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/01/IMG_1032-1.jpg



and I came out in the end with:

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/01/IMG_1040-1.jpg

[legacygt420]

whats the difference in primers? whats self etching mean?

[Okin DaVanh]

"Self-etching primer is composed of an acid and zinc. The acid, usually phosphoric acid, forces the zinc down into the top couple of molecules of the steel. Chemically impregnating the steel like this cannot reverse the rust but it can stop in from getting worse. So it’s important that you get all of the scaly rust off."

More found here:
http://carpaint.blogspot.com/2006/07/se ... rimer.html (http://carpaint.blogspot.com/2006/07/self-etching-primer.html)


What are you looking to accomplish? Self etching would probably be better used on steel wheels. Your snowflakes are alloy/aluminum right?

[legacygt420]

so i sanded the piss out of them. some spots i wire wheeled where there was bubbling under the paint but most of it is still painted surface. i figured that paint is not chipping off so i will not remove it all. should i use the self etching primer on those bare spots or will regular primer work??

[d1giPhux]

if you have the self etching primer.. use it. its not going to hurt any. regular primer will work just as well.. self etching primer is good for metal because it 'etches' into the metal.. and in the end.. will allow your paint to adhere to the surface better.

[Okin DaVanh]

O rly....



To the op.
B careful of flaking then. is it in a spraycan? Or 2:1 or 4:1 mix?

[dann]

hey do you guys think its worth to refinish/ paint my oem 5 spoke alloy wheels? or should i buy some sweet aftermarket rims? just wondering if any one out there painted their wheels from the 30th anniversary group, and what it looked like when done...

[Huffer]

Plenty of us have done the diy paint job. Check out my member rides 1 thread for two examples.

[Okin DaVanh]

so i sanded the piss out of them. some spots i wire wheeled where there was bubbling under the paint but most of it is still painted surface. i figured that paint is not chipping off so i will not remove it all. should i use the self etching primer on those bare spots or will regular primer work??


Pm'd you back.

[TGX4776]

there is an alternative to painting wheels bro, theres a company near me that refinishes wheels to what ever color you like, and they're pretty cheap. but +1 for diy!

just my .02 :wink:


Do you have any info on this company? I want to swap out my silvers for some blacks but I like the stock rim. I would also be good with a place that I can just buy the rims from and then trade in my stocks to get a core refund.