HOW TO PAINT WHEELS!

[Frontin]

looks good i got to do my rims again, i got into some heavy crap and scratched the hell out of a couple of them lol. i think ill try your tech this time thou, maybe the paint wont scratch as easy, although the krylon i used has held up very well.

[chinaman]

Frontin it was you who inspired me to paint my wheels, so thank you.

You should try use the Dupli-Color stuff, I was told it was way better to use than krylon.

[PIMPaLiCiOuS]

This is a perfect example of adding a how-to guide or mod section to this website instead of strictly a forum. Its quickly becoming a community with so many awesome ideas getting added everyday.

I'd love to do this to my truck when I get it, but man. . .I don't know how hard its gonna be for me to grow the cojones to mess with a brand new truck like that. . .maybe I'll try and find some "practice" rims. . .

Legion, the white primer won't make the end result a "brighter" black, will it? I'm looking for a flat black look. . .

[Legion]

Well, the trick to painting questionable surfaces is sanding with the finest grit sandpaper or steel wool you can get. Clean first and as far as an automotive surface, make sure it's free of all wax or silicone based products. You could sand and use a liquid deglosser just for sh*ts and giggles if you're unsure about invisible waxes or silicones. The deglosser would dissolve these.

The most important thing is to give the primer and finish paint a surface to bite into or grab a hold of. The finest steel wool might not look like its scratching but under a microscope you'd see them. Those microscopic scratches are exactly what the paints will sort of sink into and create a bond.

Again the XIM product is amazing. I've used it on aluminum, glass, porcelain tile, formica and other questionable surfaces with great results. Another trick to the ultimate bond and finish is 5 or 6 light coats are better then 3 heavier coats. Be patient and allow the drying time between coats per the can instructions. Paint the surfaces at room temperature and keep it at room temperature until the paint cures.

One thing they hesitate to mention on these cans is, any and all paints need time to cure. Not dry but cure. The chemicals need time to react with each other after their out of the can and this can take a minimum of 3 days. As long as 30 days in some paints

chinaman,,,,Painting chrome should not be a problem but I'd definitely go with the XIM primer in this application. You'll notice the XIM sprays out of the can in a very fine mist. It does this for the reason I stated above. 5 or 6 light coats are better then 3 heavier. In the case of a primer you really don’t want to apply it heavy anyways. A bonding primer is not meant to have hiding power, only to bond. Building up a heavy primer isn't a good idea in this instance. Don’t skimp on the quality of the finish paint. You only get what you pay for.

One thing I do want to caution everyone about. When painting plastic surfaces you really need to investigate your paints. Believe it or not some plastics are the hardest surfaces to get a bond on even with the best preparation. Make sure they're not manufactured with ultraviolet protectors. These invisible UV protectors will push even the best primers right off their surfaces.

PIMP….. No it wont make it a brighter black but beware the flat finishes will need painting more frequently. Most if not all paints are manufactured or created as high gloss. Flat paints have additives to make them flat, which reduce their qualities.

Dayum, this is a long post.

[Legion]

Heck I'd better add this too. Most primers are compatible with finish paints but not in every instance. When in doubt ask and investigate. On the other hand not all finish paints are compatible with other finish paints . For instance if you need to repaint, a Krylon product might not bond to a Dupli-Color product due to their chemical characteristics. One might have Xylene additives and the other Toulene additives.

All paints are a very complex mixture of chemicals that bond, dry and cure in many different ways. If your in doubt always ask a professional first or stick with one sole manufacturer for all of your paint applications.

[PIMPaLiCiOuS]

Since we are touching on the subject of bumpers and what not, does anyone know if its possible to powdercoat a chrome bumper?? What about aluminum-alloy wheels?? I've always wondered about this. . .

[chinaman]

Yeah i think to be on the safe side with my bumpers is to have them professionally done. Or if by some miracle someone wants to exchange chrome for black.

thanks Legion for the advice, I guess I should have put more light coats but hoepfully they still hold up

[Frontin]

thats cool i inspired someone, i really like that lol. i admit i did mine a really cheap/cheasy/lazy way but i stil think they turned out really well. when i started i was actually kinda hoping they would look like crap so it would force me to find new rims lol. but now i like the nismo rims better, but ill deff be trying your paint here soon, cuz like i said i put a few scratches in one of mine. im deff going to take the time to paint the center cap too! lol

great write up by the way.

[Legion]

Originally Posted by chinaman

I guess I should have put more light coats but hoepfully they still hold up

Haya chinaman,

I posted this the other day but the site hack lost it. Man, you did nice prep work so I doubt if you'll run into a problem. I was looking through a box of old touch up paint for my other truck and BAM! there was a can of Dupli-Color I used on my cap rear door. XIM wasn’t around then and I don’t remember priming this aluminum door. The stuff is still sticking fine some 5 years later and yes this can is an acrylic base black.

Now if they were wheels from a Yugo……………………..

Another thing about spray paints. If you worry weather it will stick, the paint can sense this and it'll peel.

[Kelly]

great thread guys!

legion- great advise! nice to see people still help each other out.

chinaman- the rims look good. i love the way it looks in all black.

frontin- any chance you have a pic of your rims? it be nice to get all the pics of painted rims in one thread incase someone does a search later on down the line