thebankman

iTrader: (7)

Hey I have a set of black Rota Subzeros and I want to paint (spraypaint) them a different color. Has anyone done this and have advice? What's the best way to do it? Thanks

Uncle Scotty

It 'aint gonna work.....

mario

iTrader: (7)

i think your gonna have to find a local place that maybe powder coats them for ya. Here in hawaii they do it for about 60-80 bucks a rim.

rustokman

The spray paint will start to chip off after a while because of thermal expansion being greater inside of the wheel than outside because of the breaks. The break dust will also do a number on the paint.

thebankman

iTrader: (7)

Good to know..... I spray painted some stock steel wheels (Toyota) a few years ago and that paint is still on and looks ok.

Am I to assume all alloy wheels cannot be repainted?

joecab

People who are telling you this will not work are wrong.

But here's the rub: if you are painting wheels with a spray can or doing a $30,000 show car paint job, it's all in the prep work!

In order to get a good paint job, you will need to degrease, sand, primer, paint, and clear coat the wheels. I would use paints and primer intended for wheels. If you have access to a blast cabinet, media blast the wheels (glass or plastic, nothing harsher) and you will have an excellet starting point.

thebankman

iTrader: (7)

joecab-

For the other wheels I painted, I know I should have sanded them first but I merely cleaned them with a brush and rag to get the excess dirt off. I then neglected to use primer (again um thats bad but oh well they are for a truck) and used silver spraypaint designed for wheels. I put two coats on and it still looks decent after three years. Also I left the tires on when I took the wheels off to paint and the paint came right off the tires with a little water and driving.

For the Rotas I'm going to clean, sand, primer and paint so they actually look somewhat professional. The wheels are already curbed so they're not going to look new but a new color is going to be sweet until I have enough $ for new rims.

Can curbed wheels be sanded down for a smoother look?

thebankman

iTrader: (7)

Also I was thinking since these wheels are pretty curbed, maybe I would paint it using the spraypaint that makes a textured, bumpy surface. I think if I plugged the bolt holes and sprayed this texture paint on it, it would just look outrageous. Then again I know people will hate on it and it's probably expensive so oh well.

joecab

Yes, with a little work you can make minor curb rash completely dissappear.

See link below for complete walk-through:

http://www.bmwtips.com/tipsntricks/w...uff-repair.htm

I painted a set of wheels with textured paint (centers) with a clear coat on top and I think they look pretty good.

thebankman

iTrader: (7)

wow that is helpful advice thank you

i tried sandpapering last night, it can get nice and smooth again. maybe i'll make a polished lip using sand paper :banana:

OneManArmy

iTrader: (7)

I strongly advise powder coating.

but if you are gonna paint. either bead blast the wheels and prime/paint/clearcoat them.

or sand them down. Wet sand them. Two thin coats primer. Three thin coats paint.....and one to 3 coats clear depending on the shine you want.

Long as you prep right...take your time....your paint job should last just fine.

whitelegacy98

I also think there are some spray paints you can get that are ready for a thermal nightmare.

DOHCammin

I have 2 powdercoating booths at work and a sandblasting booth, if I'm powdercoating the stock wheels, do I do the entire wheel, or just the face? I'm not going to do the powdercoating but would like to know any tips in advance. It only takes like 20 min to powdercoat and bake the alum parts we do so I figure it would be pretty easy to do my wheels...what if any prep work should I do to the stock finish before powdercoating (light sand, sand blast etc?) and do people usually put a clearcoat after powdercoating? I know the parts we powdercoat dont chip or crack when you hit them on a hard surface but I'm no expert in this part of the business.