painting stock wheels
Thread Starter
VIP Member
iTrader: (1)
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 5,588
From: Santa Rosa
Car Info: 2005 Unicorn
painting stock wheels
Hey just curious about who has painted their stock wheels and if they have any pics as examples of it.
Bushido do you still have that pic of yours with the gold painted wheels?
what did you guys do to prep your wheels and what paint did you use?

Greg
Bushido do you still have that pic of yours with the gold painted wheels?
what did you guys do to prep your wheels and what paint did you use?

Greg
VIP Member
iTrader: (2)
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 4,219
From: out on the twisties
Car Info: WRB WRX 2003 Subaru Sedan
Hey what's up?
yes i have plenty of pics of the 'yellow' wheels. which i only use when driving off road.
https://www.i-club.com/forums/bay-area-15/cracked-wheel-139179/
i don't have a host to post pics but there is a thread to one picture.
when i did them i didn't remove the tires. Instead i wrapped the tire in painters tape and newpaper. then taped a plastic bag over that. Covered the stem and the weights.
Cleaned them really well and painted. Even coat after even coat. Allowing plenty of time in between for drying. It should take about 6-10 coats (light coats) Do not over spray. It'll drip and or crack.
-rich
yes i have plenty of pics of the 'yellow' wheels. which i only use when driving off road.
https://www.i-club.com/forums/bay-area-15/cracked-wheel-139179/
i don't have a host to post pics but there is a thread to one picture.
when i did them i didn't remove the tires. Instead i wrapped the tire in painters tape and newpaper. then taped a plastic bag over that. Covered the stem and the weights.
Cleaned them really well and painted. Even coat after even coat. Allowing plenty of time in between for drying. It should take about 6-10 coats (light coats) Do not over spray. It'll drip and or crack.
-rich
VIP Member
iTrader: (7)
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,168
From: EBAIC- Wondering if I should have taken the blue pill...
Car Info: 03 WRX wagon type RA
Wait, are those painted? I thought they were really, really dirty...because the hose is out and one wheel is clean.
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2...CRW_0008.0.jpg
go there for the fullsize pic of the rim/tire during painting.
the only thing i did was afterwards while drying the rims was that i sanded the tires with 1000grit sandpaper. though not perfect, it did remove a lot of the paint off the tires.
go there for the fullsize pic of the rim/tire during painting.
the only thing i did was afterwards while drying the rims was that i sanded the tires with 1000grit sandpaper. though not perfect, it did remove a lot of the paint off the tires.
Originally Posted by slvrsubywgn
Wait, are those painted? I thought they were really, really dirty...because the hose is out and one wheel is clean.
hahahahaahaahahahaah now you know why matt was giving me tips last night @ the ebaic meet.
Here are mine done with Duplicolor wheel paint almost 2 years ago. Only used for autocrossing but hardly any chips inspite of the numerous mount/dismount sessions:


Washed, sanded with fine grit, no primer. Then 2 coats ( I think they still need one more) and a clear over them.


Washed, sanded with fine grit, no primer. Then 2 coats ( I think they still need one more) and a clear over them.
Originally Posted by subie OCD
I painted them Bronze --

My technique for DIY painted wheels
Dismount the wheels from the car (you can keep the tires on).
You need to sand the clearcoat off first. I used 800 grit wetsand, then finished it with 1000 grit wetsand. This was overkill...too fine. It took like 1 - 1.5 hours per wheel to sand the clearcoat off. If I were to do it over again, I would use 400 or 600 grit, then finish/polish with 800 wetsand.
Once all the clear is off and its pretty smooth, wash the wheels with a sponge and hose, then dry them off. For the paint to stick well, you need to get them REALLY clean, so to get rid off any grease/fingerprints use 100% acetone (nail polish remover) to clean the surface. You can find it at RiteAId / Longs for a few bucks.
When they are all dry you can start to paint. I used index cards to block the tire from being painted. Just wedge a bunch of index cards in between the rim and tire. That will block off the tire from overspray, unless you get really crazy with the paint.
I painted them in a garage, with little ventalation, it sucked! Make sure you have good ventalation or a mask for all the fumes. I used Etching primer, Bronze Wheel Paint and Clearcoat (all Duplicolor) I did 2 light coats of etching primer, then waited 30 Min before applying the bronze. I think I did like 5 light coats of bronze (waiting 10-15 minutes between coats), applying in a SLOW horizontal sweeping motion, slightly overlapping and about 5 - 7 inches away from the wheel.
When I felt like all the surface was properly covered in bronze, I waited 1 hour before applying the clearcoat. I did 2-3 coats of clear, but if I were to do it over again I would do 5 - 6 to make it a little shinier. Then wait 24 hours for them to dry.
If you have any painting skills, it should come out nice. Before I did this, I went to a paint store and asked for advice, as I had never painted anything. Im going to re-paint them again better....I didnt use enough clearcoat, so they get dirty with grime and brake dust VERY fast. More clearcoat will solve this issue.
...but like in my above post, they get dirty EXTREMELY fast
I am blaming the small amount of clearcoat I put on. Well....let me rephrase that -- Its more of an issue on how difficult it is to clean, any rim will get dirty with everyday driving and brake dust.Some parts of the wheel have a good amount of clear and the dirt wipes right off...and some parts are rough (either from poor prep, painting technique or lack of clear). Instead of sanding, I bought some aircraft remover chemical, hopefully that will cut down on the prep work!! Sanding sucks!!
Last edited by subie OCD; Jul 11, 2006 at 10:03 PM.
Originally Posted by x002x
hahahahaahaahahahaah now you know why matt was giving me tips last night @ the ebaic meet.
I think it has to do with painting technique...I dunno, Im by no means a propainter, it was just hit and miss for me, second time my skills were better I guess. I think painting closer (like 4-5inches away) has the best results. I will post pics when I repaint *crosses fingers*
VIP Member
iTrader: (7)
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,168
From: EBAIC- Wondering if I should have taken the blue pill...
Car Info: 03 WRX wagon type RA
Originally Posted by pwn
Wheres smitty, I believe he would have a few suggestions for you on wheel painting :P.




.