Painting stock rims

[miamiheat3332]

I've seen alot of you paint your stock rims and stuff, and it came out real good, im wanting to paint mine soon, but if someone could clarify or write like a guide if you could : ) to what one has to do.

for example i know where to get the paint etc but like this is what i think you have to do

wash rim and wipe thoroughly, then tape off the tire, now sand the rim? if so what grit? or no? then do i have to prime it? and then how many coats of the paint, and how many coats of clear coat etc, which i rather get it all straight, then do it and F something up. and do i have to paint the back also? im thinking not, as it will be almost like the stock colour.

im thinking of going with this paint

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

and the colours on the right hand side id choose aluminum.

Thanks.

[NickD85]

i used paint stripper to completely remove the old paint. The wheel paint is very tough stuff to remove. After getting most of the paint off with the stripper and a scraper, I hit the wheel with a wire brush to get it down to fresh aluminum. next came a fine wetsanding with 220 grit. Instead of masking your tire, stick index cards in the groove between the rim and tire, sticking up. I then primed and sprayed the wheel and centercaps. I used duplicolors wheel paint... pretty happy with the result. http://www.duplicolor.com/products/wheel.html

[NickD85]

oh and the wheel should definitely not be on the car when you're doing it. I did like one a day. First did the spare, then swapped it in for one of the others, painted that one, swapped a different one and so on.

[K03sport]

prep is key.

Is it ideal to remove all of the old paint...sure, but it isn't necessary.

You do want to sand, scuff the current surface to give the new paint something to bond too. VHT stands for Very High Temp and is a line of Dupli-color paint. It can withstand high temps.

Make sure to clean the wheel after prepping (sanding). The idea is to create an equal surface to avoid any blemish. There are plenty of DIYs on line and I'm sure Dupli-color has a few on there sight.

Or you can just watch Truck U on SPEED, because they usually have a paint demo at least one per episode.

[NickD85]

agreed. It's all about proper preparation. But if your paint is chipping, flaking, & peeling in spots (as mine was) I'd highly recommend stripping the rim completely of all finish, and getting it down to a consistent surface of bare, paint and oxidation free aluminum

[Empty V]

Heere's a really good vid on how to do it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5eK5OnHfqA

Billy

[slickroger]

excellent video billy

this isnt my post but i will be using this info

thanks again

[Empty V]

excellent video billy

this isnt my post but i will be using this info

thanks again

Good deal, BTW what type of caliper paint did you use? I'm going to be doing mine soon. How much did it take to paint the drums? It seems like dupli-color is one of the major brands. Did you prep them at all or just apply?

Billy

[slickroger]

Good deal, BTW what type of caliper paint did you use? I'm going to be doing mine soon. How much did it take to paint the drums? It seems like dupli-color is one of the major brands. Did you prep them at all or just apply?

Billy

My Drums had an insane amount of rust on them so i actually started off using a hammer than I used a grinder than a sander than VHT Caliper Paint I needed a full can for the Drums. You will need 2 cans if your doing calipers also.

I was in a rush so if i change the color, i think ill be adding the paint thinner and primer steps.

[slickroger]

I have begun the process of painting my stock rims I will post pics when i'm all done. I would also like to suggest not using the cup brushes suggested in the video unless your rims are already pretty ruined. I used the cup brush on one rim and 600grit water sandpaper on the other three. The water sanding looks much better than the cup brush and takes a lot less effort.

I would like to suggest this post for the FAQ as soon as i post the pics.

[slickroger]

I painted my stock wheels because i was bored of them and its almost winter so its time to get them ready to go back on.

what i used

3 cans of Gloss Black 2 cans of Primer 1 can of Clear600grit sandpaper 1 sheet of bristle boardand Tape

Before

I tapped up the silver ring that surrounds the Nissan symbol.I scuffed with 600grit sandpaper and water. I used the cup brush on one but found that if you only use light sandpaper the surface stays smoother and gives a better shine. I then cut a sheet of bristle board in half taped it together and used it to cover my tire used the same template for all my wheels and it worked great.Then I applied Primer



I scuffed bad spots that really stuck out then I applied the Gloss Black coat



Here is the finished product with the tape removed and clear coat applied.



These rims are going on in the winter so there wont be any pics of them on the truck until then.