Thinking about painting my rims

[LegacyGT97]

So I'm getting super tired of cleaning brake dust off my rims every 4-5 days.. so I'm thinking about painting my rims.
But I'm really not sure on a color. My legacy is black, so I was kind of thinking of going with white rims cause it would
make the car stand out. But I was also thinking about black rims. What do you all think?

Also whats the best way to prep my rims for paint? (Check my Members Ride page to view my rims)

[d1giPhux]

Man.. if your sick of cleaning your rims, why the HELL would you consider painting them white? Most counter productive idea ever! :lol: seriously though? How does that make ANY sense? Black rims usually look like trash imo, as do white rims. Not hating on those colors, but every car i see black rims on just look like junk unless they came from the factory gloss black w/clear coat. Go with gunmetal or some type of silver color. Those are the best colors for brake dust, as well as having them look like new rims when you are done. You don't want to put in all that work and have your rims look like trash. Trust me.. its a lot of work and quite a bit of money if you do it right.

Here is the BEST way to do your rims and save the most amount of money (trust me.. ive done this TONS of times):

1. Get Aircraft Aluminum stripper, or some product like Mar-hyde aircraft stripper. Mar-hyde is the super good strong stuff, but something like this will work just as well:

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/08/AU_AircraftRemover_Quart_L-1.jpg

Apply it to the rims and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Use a '3m Maroon scuff pad to scuff the crap peeling paint off the rims, and then re-apply / re-wipe down the rims with the aircraft stripper until they are down to the bare metal. If you don't want to spend a lot of money.. you can just keep re-applying the Aircraft stripper / wiping it down, and then when you are down to the bare metal take the 3m pads and scuff the rims real good.

2. Scuff the rims with '3m Maroon Scuff pad'. Not the grey ones, as those are ultra fine. You can get these pads at napa, or paint stores, or other auto stores that sell them for decently cheap. I suggest napa, they have them for the cheapest, or a car paint store. Not autozone or advanced or shit like that as they charge over a $1 for each.

3. Once the rims are scuffed, wash them down REALLY good with dish soap and water. This stuff will be your friend. It will remove the excess grease / grime off the metal.

4. Optional: Buy some de-greaser / wax & tar remover / whatever such as:

http://www.duplicolor.com/images/appShots/greaseWax3.jpg

Then i would take a spray bottle top and put it on the can you get so you can get the most efficient use of it. Spray it on the rim, and wipe it down with SHOP TOWELS. This way it won't leave any lint and crap behind.

5: Wipe area down with tack cloth (sticky cloths) to remove all the rest of the stuff the towels may have left behind.. etc. Then let the rims dry.

6. Spray rims with 'SELF ETCHING PRIMER'. This will help the primer bite into the metal. I would only put 1 coat of this on, or maybe 2 at the most. Don't over-do it.. as there is really no need.

7. You can use a filler primer if you would like now if your rims have imperfections, however.. i found out that using too much primer / filler primer can cause the rims to chip easier. Its your call on this one. If you DO use it.. use about 1 coat, or 2 coats max.

8. FINALLY.. you can now spray the color your want. Put about 2 coats on and let each dry about 10-15 minutes between coats.

9. If you see any imperfections, drips, etc in the rims you can use 2000 grit wet/sand paper and wet-sand the imperfections then re-spray with color.

10. Finally.. your done. Time to use CLEAR COAT on the rims!! Use about 2-3 coats max per rims.

Thats it.. tons of work.. and you'll have rims that look like new!

[phi11]

for part 1, I have been told that after the stripper is applied, wrap the rim in a plastic trash bag.
It keeps the stripper from drying up. (I just hope the bag doesn't react to the stripper!)

[d1giPhux]

It may react with the stripper.. i have melted plastic with it before. BTW.. DO NOT get it on your skin. It will burn you like a mofo. I got some nice chemical burns from the few times i did it. They turn out to be like rug burns.. but worse and will hurt for a couple of days. If you get it on your skin.. you will start to feel it burn within 15 seconds.. wash it off with water / hose asap.

Not sure about the plastic bag thing.. sounds like it MAY help.. but i think the stuff works pretty good by itself anyways. Just need to apply / wipe off / re-apply till the paint is all gone and its down to the bare metal. Takes about 2 cans @ $15 each to do all 4 rims from a complete factory paint / clear coat job. Or least took me that much.. bout 1 1/2 cans. I wasted the first can quite a bit however. Its best to use a cheap paint brush to brush the stuff on.. and an old glass container. Put the stuff in the glass container.. and use the paint brush to brush it on the rims. That way you get the maximum amount of use out of it.

[subie/legacy]

I voted black out of those choices, but I think dupli-color graphite would look very nice on your car.
maybe I'm bias because I just painted my wheels that color.
but if you want to see what the color looks like there is a picture in my Members ride thread. the last post on the first page

[LegacyGT97]

I know white would make the brake dust show up just as much if not more. But wouldn't it be slightly easier to clean it off?
I think black rims would definitely look nice, or the dupli-color graphite.

d1giPhux thank you for your awesome write up, I will definitely be using this if and when I do my rims.
I probably wont be doing it for a while as I work 5-6 days a week right now and will be moving to a new city in October. So if I want to do it I will have to do it this month for sure.

Thank you all for your input, keep it coming!

[d1giPhux]

Unless you clear coat the rims extremely well.. they will have small 'pits' or 'dusting' from amateur can use. :lol: thats the best way i can put it. So really.. no, it would make it a hell of a lot harder to clean them. Clear-coating the rims is probably the most important part, and you definitely want to make sure you get a smooth finish on them, or else the 'dusting' will cause the rims to have a texture and dirt / brake dust etc will get stuck on there and is a HUGE pain in the ass to wipe down easily.

[JunkerXL]

i could launch a 30 page article on painting and polishing wheels. BUT! d1giPhux did a killer job! :smt023 +1 on the flesh melting power of stripper :blob6: . it makes your face burn worse, watch hose-y back spalsh. white for dirt = fail :smt009 white for hot wheels on a black car = win :smt023 instead of addressing the symptom, address the cause. get some ceramic pads. i installed them on my aerio, stopped brake dust crud on my fancy pants alloy rims. me thinks they were wagner thermoquiets.


:EDIT: WEAR GLOVES on this project or you'll be sorry :smt013 and correct me if im wrong, but i believe self etch isn't for aluminum. something about the acid in the primer makes it not right for alloys (prolly still works though, lol) i always used just a good quality spray primer when i did mine, and putty to fill in the curb rash.




:smt020

[d1giPhux]

Good question about the self etching.. when I've done wheels myself I have wondered about that. Any type of primer would probably be good, however I was told that self etching was good for etching into any type of metal, as well as keeping corrosion to a minimum. Anyone know any other details about this?

And yeah.. gloves are great. Only prob is, when they are covered in that aircraft stripper crap, and you get some ON your arm while wearing the gloves covered in it.. have fun doing a dance pulling your gloves off while trying to rub it off your skin. LOL always makes for good fun. :lol:

[JunkerXL]

lol good point. make a note of that igor! use thick, tall cuffed dish washing gloves! and bring me an abnormal brain! :angry3: i'll research the self etch issue. :smt024

EDIT: it seems you are correct. self etch = ok for aluminum (provided the can says so). i believe i was thinking of body filler, and/or clear coat. for those i think a more traditional primer is recommended.



:smt020

[Okin DaVanh]

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










Sealed:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/09/IMG_1028-1.jpg








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









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







and white's NOT easier to clean




(as any other wheel would benefit from)
When you're done, you lightly wetsand them and buff with compound, then wax and bond them. Good luck.

[d1giPhux]

Okin.. nice lookin rims! However, BMW is a whole diff story when it comes to white rims.. haha.

What you use to sand those rims?

Are those painted or powdercoated? explain the process..

Check these out.. totally custom 1 offs w/polished lip:

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/09/1OFFRIM1JPG-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/09/1OFFRIM2JPG-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/09/1OFFRIM3JPG-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/09/1OFFRIM4JPG-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/09/1OFFRIM5JPG-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/09/1OFFRIM6JPG-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/09/1OFFRIM7JPG-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/09/1OFFRIM8JPG-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/09/1OFFRIM9JPG-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/09/1OFFRIM10JPG-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/09/1OFFRIM11JPG-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/09/1OFFRIM12JPG-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/09/1OFFRIM13JPG-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/09/1OFFRIM14JPG-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/09/1OFFRIM15JPG-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/09/1OFFRIM16JPG-1.jpg

[Airgne]

if you are tierd of cleaning your wheels, painting will not help like most of the posts above said. just get some good brake pads that dont dust as much.

my ebc red stuff pad hardly dust. i went 1051 miles and my wheels barely looked like they had wheel dust on them.

[JunkerXL]

my eyes!! they're burning with hotness!! :tongue9: _ :tongue9: AHHHH!! (nice rims :smt023 ) i did some in gold a while back that were pretty rockin, no pics though :( also did some deep dishes for my old 83 rolla, sigh good times good times



:smt020

[02_Legacy]

I am considering painting my rims too and I was wondering where do you get the aircraft stripper? I went around to every hardware store in town including menards, truevalue, and ACE, and none of them have them. Do I have to order it online, i noticed that amazon has some for sale, but I would have to pay $7.00 shipping.

[d1giPhux]

Autozone, advanceauto, pep boys.. etc. They all sell it. They may only have it on the shelves in cans.. but they CAN order it in larger amounts. It comes as a gel when you get it in the bigger containers, and its more efficient that way. The cans do work, but you will probably burn through AT LEAST 2 of them, and its hard to direct where the stuff goes on the rims when spraying from cans. Lots of waste.

[richysteele]

Excellent write up digi! I did exactly the same on painting my wheels. although I took the wire brush and wash method to strip them! less toxic although your way is much faster.( dont hate on black bro tho:)!

whatchu got against black rims hater?

[LegacyGT97]

whatchu got against black rims hater?

haha! I got nothing against black rims, I'm just thinking look wise. Although I'm positive black rims on a black car would look amazing!

[JunkerXL]

i say paint em st-i plum flower pink. big strong men can get away with pink :naka: (the hulk considered pink but it doesnt blend into the surrounding foliage). and if anyone gives you any guff, just slap them with a halibut. "BAM! i just hit you with a fish, ugly!" sounds fun, just gotta resist doing it to random strangers. (again...sigh....) :banghead:



:smt020

[d1giPhux]

I've yet to see a nice looking set of black rims not from factory. Anyone have any pics? I'd love to see a set I liked. However I think 'black' itself is too dark of a color for wheels unless accented with a highly bright color.

Apparently this stuff is wicked good for stripping paint:

http://www.vhtpaint.com/stripfast.html

Funny they claim its the best on the market..LOL, but apparently it is really good. I've never used it, seems a bit pricey. Be cool if you could get a gel instead of the spray cans. Super toxic no doubt.

I think it would be cool to experiment with metal tones too as you don't have to worry about the paint chipping, etc. Anyone know anything about this?

[Okin DaVanh]

I've yet to see a nice looking set of black rims not from factory. Anyone have any pics?




As a matter of fact, I do:


a set of Factory BMW BBS Style 5's.








https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/09/CIMG3785-1.jpg


https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/09/CIMG3783-1.jpg


https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/09/CIMG3771-1.jpg


https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/09/CIMG3882-1.jpg

[d1giPhux]

Yeah.. those ARE nice. Very nice.. i'd rock them. However you said it yourself.. 'factory'. Meaning they were NOT a DIY by a user. I've YET to see a nice set of black rims done by a user. Also, those are nice because the gold really offsets the black wheel and makes it not too dark. Never seen a set of just black rims I like. Plenty of black w/polished highlights and such from a FACTORY wheel company. Never any by a user / DIY'er.

Those are sick tho! Wish we had something as nice as that for the subarus! We'll.. we do, but they cost about $3k per set. :lol:

[Okin DaVanh]

[quote="d1giPhux"]Yeah.. those ARE nice. Very nice.. i'd rock them. However you said it yourself.. 'factory'. Meaning they were NOT a DIY by a user. I've YET to see a nice set of black rims done by a user. Also, those are nice because the gold really offsets the black wheel and makes it not too dark. Never seen a set of just black rims I like. Plenty of black w/polished highlights and such from a FACTORY wheel company. Never any by a user / DIY'er.

Those are sick tho! Wish we had something as nice as that for the subarus! We'll.. we do, but they cost about $3k per set. :lol:



:lol: Digi, THEY ARE RE-DONE TO BE BLACK :lol:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1310426&highlight=bbs+style+5%27s+black+gold+bolts

Style 5's are common on 540i BMW's. They come in silver with a polished lip. He painted them and had the bolts done in gold!