Walkthrough: Painting Stock Rims

I know there are several people who have painted their rims, but since there is no walkthrough that I could find, I figured I'd post this up. I decided to paint my stock rims (now my winter rims) bronze after reading through this thread:

 

http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=82945

 

Here are the supplies I used to get it done:

 

-Duplicolor Bronze Wheel Spray Paint - x3 cans

-Duplicolor Wheel Spray Clearcoat - x2 cans

-Sandpaper - 320 grit - 2 sheets at least

-Paint thinner or varsol

-Rags or paper towel

-Old deck of playing cards

 

 

Step 1: Clean the wheels

 

Mine were especially dirty, so this was a long and tedious process... I used hot soapy water and some old rags to get the majority of grime. The tar spots were the most annoying and I found that scratching them off with a fingernail was better than trying to scrub them off, which just smeared them worse.

 

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff348/markbrotens/PaintedWheels022.jpg?t=1262072779

 

Step 2: Sand everything

 

using 320 grit sandpaper, I went over everything to make sure that the new paint would have a good surface to bond to.

 

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff348/markbrotens/PaintedWheels023.jpg?t=1262072825

 

Step 3: Wash

 

It is crucial to make sure you get all the dust and dirt off.

 

Step 4: Wash Again

 

This time wipe down the entire rim with the varsol or paint thinner. The purpose of this is to get any oils or grease off of the surface which would keep the paint from bonding properly.

 

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff348/markbrotens/PaintedWheels024.jpg?t=1262072857

 

Step 5: mask off tires

 

at first I used some plastic to mask off a majority of the tire, then used an old deck of playing cards to stick between the rim and tire. This proved to be the easiest way to get even the part closest to the tire painted. Mask off the tire valve.

 

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff348/markbrotens/PaintedWheels025.jpg?t=1262072927

 

Step 6: Paint and more paint

 

I would recommend a very well lit area to work in, especially if the color you are painting is dark. For the fronts of the rims it is easy to see the coverage, but the backs are very hard to tell what is covered. I did 2 coats on the backs and 3 coats on the fronts. wait 10 minutes between coats.

 

Make absolute sure that you done put it on too thick, or else you will get runs, and if you wipe them off, everything will come off, even if you're on the 3rd coat and the other coats felt dry.

 

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff348/markbrotens/PaintedWheels026.jpg?t=1262072964

 

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff348/markbrotens/PaintedWheels027.jpg?t=1262073016

 

Step 7: Clearcoat

 

Wait an hour or two after the last coat of paint before putting on the clearcoat. Avoid waiting too long or clearcoat could cause paint to wrinkle. I did 3 coats, but you could do more to extend the life of the paint.

 

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff348/markbrotens/Painted-Wheels-029-S.jpg?t=1262073355

 

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff348/markbrotens/Painted-Wheels-031-S.jpg?t=1262073402

 

Step 8: Let it cure

 

I left mine a good 24 hours till I put them back on. The paint cans didn't have a recommended time period to wait, so I just guessed:rolleyes:

 

Done!

Looks good and nice write-up! Any mounted pics?

Thanks! I'll get some up soon. Camera isn't working right now, but I'll get a friend to take some.

looks good. i find it easier to remove the tires. which i can do no problem cause ima mechanic. just gotta be careful remounting. sanding is a pain in the ass

Yeah, I didn't want to pay $100 to get it done.

Pics!

 

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff348/markbrotens/Painted-Rims-Winter-Shots-006.jpg?t=1262209876

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff348/markbrotens/Painted-Rims-Winter-Shots-002.jpg?t=1262209926

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff348/markbrotens/Painted-Rims-Winter-Shots-009-1.jpg?t=1262209947

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff348/markbrotens/Painted-Rims-Winter-Shots-008-1.jpg?t=1262209967

Unfortunately it wasn't very good lighting (overcast) and I didn't realize that the camera was set on 640x480 except for one of the pictures. I'll get some better ones up eventually

Looks good! I like your headlights too, did you do them yourself?

Yep

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs158.snc3/18554_1300462545722_1055188223_953335_7247014_n.jpg

 

i did mine about a month ago in gold. Turned out really good. I have to go back and retouch 3 of the wheels, and completely redo one of them. Overall the process was an all day procedure

What gold paint did you use?

grimmspeed gold

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Here's a better pic

 

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff348/markbrotens/DSLR3_068_opt_Blur-1.jpg?t=1268857530

just got mine done, thanks for the playing card trick

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4050/4468260495_8deec4b34b_o.jpg

 

Here are the paints i used. 3 coats primer, 3 coats paint, 2 coats clear

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4063/4468226705_e57cca99b8.jpg

How well is everyone's paint holding up?

how well is everyone's paint holding up?

 

+1

i painted mine a couple months and i have only noticed about 3 small chips, when i say small i mean i only noticed cause i was face to wheel inspecting them, if i wasn't that close i wouldn't have seen anything. Considering I live in reno and had to deal with salted roads and snow I would say that they are pretty damn durable and i'd be surprised if they chip at all over summer

Nice job fellas! My $0.02: I would remove the centercap and paint that separate. You have to remove it to balance the tire, and if you painted the centercap while on the wheel it may chip the paint when it comes time to remove it to swap tires/balance.

Where did you guys buy your paint and clear supplies?

 

I've seen very little wheel paint at the Adv Auto stores near me and none at Home Depot.

I ended up getting it from Amazon.com

i got mine from kragen, and just used a home depot metal primer

i used index cards from school instead of playing cards

 

hehe

 

but same principle...

Just did mine not too long ago....I still have to do the calipers yet.

 

I used the Duplicolor rattle can wheel paint....it didn't turn out too bad.

 

Crappy cell phone pic for now

 

Your walk-through was helpful thanks

I did mine GrimmSpeed gold. Took me about 6 hours and cost me around $50. I cleaned them really well, sanded, primed, painted, and clear coated. I was 100% satisfied. For anyone who doesn't know, the GrimmSpeed gold is the exact same color as STi BBS's. So i feel cool haha

 

During- http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo191/jantzen8895/yep.jpg

 

 

The after effect- http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo191/jantzen8895/DSCF3370.jpg

 

Pretty close- http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo191/jantzen8895/4011357073_9f91907a63_o.jpg