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  • Help: painting wheels

    I am going to be painting my wheels in the very near future (Christmas break) and was wondering what would be the best paint used to get the best looking results. I know that to get a good looking job done is just to not rush it but any advice would be greatly appreciated!

    Thanks!

  • #2
    paint really isnt the important thing. you really need to prep the wheels really well to accept the primer and paint. The second important thing is primer. Prime the wheels with a high quality primer. I have been liking the results of self etching primer lately as it adheres to metal really well and is very even across the surface.

    also many light coats=good finish and long lasting. dont try to cover it all in the first coat. it will drip and look like a mess

    did you plan on rattle canning them or spraying with a gun?
    sigpic
    1990 Nissan fairlady Z32 - long term build
    1982 euro porsche 930 turbo

    "A less- assuming enthusiast probably wouldnt even think that this Z ran because of how naked the engine compartment was. The motor looks as if it just floats there, with nothing else in sight." Super Street 9/2012

    http://www.stanceworks.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=19185

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    • #3
      Rattle canning, I am willing to invest alot of time to make sure they are done very neat.

      Any suggestions of brand of paint for the actual wheels?

      Thank you for the advice!

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      • #4
        Im doing the same thing as you, painting my rims over break. I was told to heat the centers up and let the rattle cans soak in warm water so the paint would stick better. Im also sandblasting the centers with ultra fine sand. As for paint, I plan on using high quality primer and engine enamel paint. Then clear coat of course.

        -Dan

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        • #5
          Originally posted by wheelfetish View Post
          Im doing the same thing as you, painting my rims over break. I was told to heat the centers up and let the rattle cans soak in warm water so the paint would stick better. Im also sandblasting the centers with ultra fine sand. As for paint, I plan on using high quality primer and engine enamel paint. Then clear coat of course.
          I havnt heard about soaking the cans in warm water, sounds interesting I may have to give it a try

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          • #6
            yea you need to get the cans to room temp. soak them for about 20 min just prior to painting. just let the bottom 6" of the can soak in teh sink or something. You are not supposed to paint in below 50deg weather, so by heating up the wheel and heating the cans in warm water it helps a lot.

            i would try to get a professional grade engine enamel or something along those lines. and clear is a must. now they even make matte clear so there is no excuse for not clearing them.
            sigpic
            1990 Nissan fairlady Z32 - long term build
            1982 euro porsche 930 turbo

            "A less- assuming enthusiast probably wouldnt even think that this Z ran because of how naked the engine compartment was. The motor looks as if it just floats there, with nothing else in sight." Super Street 9/2012

            http://www.stanceworks.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=19185

            Comment


            • #7
              i heard rust-oleum high performance enamel is great for painting rims.
              ill be using this as well over christmas break before the stanceworks show.
              Flickr
              need your fenders rolled or your car shot? pm me for info! =]

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              • #8
                Thanks alot guys, I am planning on putting quite a bit of coats of very light powdering untill the whole wheel is covered. then around 6 of clear coat. Should I put on more clear coat to keep it from chipping?

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by salamanderxhead View Post
                  Thanks alot guys, I am planning on putting quite a bit of coats of very light powdering untill the whole wheel is covered. then around 6 of clear coat. Should I put on more clear coat to keep it from chipping?
                  I plan on putting around 6 coats of clear on.

                  -Dan

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                  • #10
                    i did four with a gun on my last set. seemed like enough in my case, but just watch that it doesnt build up too much. I would say somewhere between 4-6 light coats of clear when rattle canning should be more then enough.
                    sigpic
                    1990 Nissan fairlady Z32 - long term build
                    1982 euro porsche 930 turbo

                    "A less- assuming enthusiast probably wouldnt even think that this Z ran because of how naked the engine compartment was. The motor looks as if it just floats there, with nothing else in sight." Super Street 9/2012

                    http://www.stanceworks.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=19185

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      You don't need to soak the cans I've painted my rims twice and just washing the rims and then drying them really well. I only use one or two coats of primer it works fine unless you
                      Plan on going off roading. Then 6 might be good but otherwise its just paint n if it doesn't come out like you like just sand it n paint it again. .

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                      • #12
                        Rusto leum sucks. Took noticeably longer to dry. Acts retarded when trying to do another color lip design on top of the original paint layer.

                        Dupli Color all the way.

                        I've finished rims and rode on them 30 mins later before....even taken them to the car wash and power sprayed them (3-4 feet away of course).

                        Oddly, I use no primer. I sand paper prep the surface though and then wipe down with windex before appyling paint though.

                        The only thing that shows up after about 2 months or so is lil highway rock chip but it's so minor IDGAF

                        Takes about 1 1/2 to 2 hours per rim pending if a different color lip is done or not, then it takes significantly more, maybe tipping over 3 hrs per.

                        Use playing cards if you tire has a pinch of stretch, works legit.

                        I hope these pictures gives you an idea and offer guidance in any terms of the painting process you may question.

                        In no particular order, my apologies.




































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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by 1badg35 View Post
                          paint really isnt the important thing. you really need to prep the wheels really well to accept the primer and paint. The second important thing is primer. Prime the wheels with a high quality primer. I have been liking the results of self etching primer lately as it adheres to metal really well and is very even across the surface.

                          also many light coats=good finish and long lasting. dont try to cover it all in the first coat. it will drip and look like a mess

                          did you plan on rattle canning them or spraying with a gun?
                          seconded. if you are gonna spend bucks spend it on primer. cheap primer SUCKS SMURFS!

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                          • #14
                            tips:

                            1) it's all in the prep. wetsand out deeper imperfections. scuff the entire (painted) surface with red scotchbrite. make sure everything is super clean before you start laying down color.

                            2) adhesion promoter. get you a can of bulldog. good stuff.

                            3) you don't need primer unless you're painting over bare metal.

                            4) follow directions and try and use compatible products. temp, humidity, flash, etc. are very important. using a base and clear from the same product line will reduce chances of bad chemical reactions.

                            5) many light coats is better for the beginner. pros can hammer down clear (less coats, smoother finish) but that takes time to learn. the down side is you may have to come back and wetsand/buff to get a slick finish.

                            here's some we did for my titan a couple weeks ago:



                            scuffed, clean, bulldog



                            face base



                            face clear



                            backside (satin 2 stage... kinda)



                            done

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