HOW TO PAINT WHEELS!

[chinaman]

Supplies Needed:
-Dupli-Color Wheel Paint or Dupli-Color Engine Enamel Paint, 2 cans(I used the Engine Enamel Paint in Low Gloss Black). But there are many colors available.
-Dupli-Color Clear Coat, 1 can depending on how many coats
-Scoth Brite Scuff Pad
-Sand Paper 500-1000 grit (I personally used 800grit)
-Any Kind of Degreaser
-Blue Painters Masking tape
-Index Cards
-Something to put under the wheels while painting

Step 1:
Jack up your car/truck and remove wheels. It would be easier if you have a full set of jacks so you can do all four wheels at once or if like me, do two wheels at a time.

Step 2:
Clean your wheels thoroughly with wheel wash and degrease them as best you can. you can clean and degrease your whole wheel inside and out but I just cleaned the outside. Dry your wheels with a clean cloth after wash.

Step 3:
Here's the point of no return. Scrub your wheel down with the scotch brite pad. This was the hardest part requiring alot of elbow grease. You have to scuff up the wheel enough so the paint will stick easier. First scuff and then wet sand with your sand paper. I scuffed and wet sanded every surface of the wheel.

Step 4:
After scuffing and wet sanding, wash thoroughly again making sure your wheels don't have any debris or crap on them. This time let your wheels air dry so you don't get any lint or other stuff on them while using a rag. You could use a blow dryer or a heat gun.

Step 5:
After dried, prep your wheels for paint. Use the blue painters tape and mask off your tire. Then put index cards between the wheel and the tire. Also put something on the ground so you don't get any paint on the ground (newspaper works well but I used olf paper grocery bags).


Step 6:
Start Painting. Shake your can, shake it like a polariod picture. I used 2 light coats of black, letting them dry 15 mins in between coats (you can use as much coats as you want, use your discretion). Wet sand the rough spots after each coat as needed. After the second coat, I put 1 medium coat, letting that dry for an hour. I painted the center caps seperatly from the wheel with the same amount of coats, taking off the nissan emblem.



Step 7:
After an hour, it's time for clear coat. I only used 1 clear coat because I didn't want it to be too shiny. So I sprayed 1 medium coat of clear coat letting that dry for 2 hours. (You can use more clear coat depending on how glossy/shiny you want your wheels).

Step 8:
After 2 hours, remove all index cards and tape and remount, being very carefull while putting the lugs back on. I got some scracthes when I was using the tire iron to tighten the lugs


Finished Product






GOOOOD LUCK!

[SD_Frontier]

good mod. thanks for the right up. definitely doing this. Frontin got some good results too. looks good.

[StormNISMO]

Great write up!! I like that you even painted the center caps!! Looks great on your truck especially after the lift!!

[Rocketman]

How do you like to Yokos?

[chinaman]

The yokos are great and alot cheaper than most big name brands like BFG. I don't really know much about tires except for that these have been the best tires I've ever owned

[darren05]

Blacked out That looks sweet.

Now just smoke out your tail lights

[Legion]

Hiya chinaman,

Great write up on the painting. I'm a painter by trade and your prep work as well as making sure everything is protected is exactly how I'd do it. I hope you don’t mind my adding to your thread something that might help in the event you have a problem with the paint bonding. "I'm not saying you will at all" and this is solely meant in case a problem would arise.

Sherwin Williams sells a product called "XIM" in spray cans. It's a bonding primer meant to stick to any hard to bond surface like glass, porcelain, or any other glossy surface. It's an excellent product that far exceeds any other bonding product I've used. I'd sand and prep exactly as you've said, but the bonding primer would be one more step in the process.

Also (and I'm just saying this because I'm not sure weather the Dupli-Color is a petroleum or acrylic base spray paint) I'd make sure the finish paint was an acrylic base canned spray paint. The petroleum's dry very hard rather then an acrylic staying more flexible. It might help avoid hairline cracks or chipping in the finish as the wheel covers move or flex. Just my opinion folks.

Excellent job chinaman!!!………Mark

edit: Waap, waap. The XIM is only sold white. Do not get it on your tires, in your nostril hairs, or in your butt crack. It gives you hideous white dingle berries.

[dmorrow87]

great write up and nice mod looks great on the truck keep up the good work

[Dezrt4x4]

edit: Waap, waap. The XIM is only sold white. Do not get it on your tires, in your nostril hairs, or in your butt crack. It gives you hideous white dingle berries. [/quote]

hahahahaha. that looks sweet.

[chinaman]

Hey Legion, thanks for the advice, how would suggest I paint my step rails. I think they are aluminum. I was just going to use the same stuff but I was hesitant. Any advice would be greatful.

Legion also how hard is it to paint chrome?