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SKYHIONPSI · #2 02-12-2008, 04:47 PM

I have had a couple of PMs about my wheel painting DIY thread i created on another forum. I might aswell put it up here if people are interested.

Cheers

Quote:

Hi

This is my DIY for painting wheels at home. I think by doing it this way i have saved a lot of money and its just a good way to do something to your own car and know you did it and not paid to get it done.

Items needed:

spray cans of chosen colour (2 wheels can get away with 1 can of paint. you may want to use more if you are spending a good amount of time on each wheel)
spray cans of clear
rags
metho
600-800 grit sand paper
drop sheets

Step 1:
I started off by taking my wheels off the car and getting the tyres and any weights pulled off. This gave me a blank canvas to work with. I washed the wheels thoroughly, inculding using wheel cleaner and a big scrubbing brush and getting in all the nooks and crannys. Once this was complete i air dired them and used a rag to get into all the small places. there was still a fair amount of grime imbedded into the wheels on the inside so i just decided to spray right over this and just wait and see what would happen. I also removed my centre caps before washing and ended up just painting them with 1 coat of black and 1 clear coat.

Step 2:
I rubbed the wheels very lightly with a wet and dry sandpaper around 600-800 grit. This just gave the surface a small bit of roughness to it so the initial coat of paint had something to grab onto. I then get some metho and gave the wheels a good rub down to get rid of any fine bits and just a general clean. After this dried the first coat of paint would be applied.

Step 3:
I started with my first coat of paint, i did a small trial section to see what the best results were, i found by giving the wheel a light coat starting on the inside with the wheel laying on its face. This was a good base layer because it wasn't too thick or anything yet and dried quite fast. I was only doing 2 wheels at a time so if you are doing 4 at a time by the time you move from wheel to wheel the previous coat will be dry and can start spraying the next one. The second coat consisted of getting the majority of paint on the wheels getting good coverage but not going on too thick so it would run or pool in any particular places. After this coat dried i checked in direct sunlight any places that i might have missed and touched them up accordingly. The final coat of paint was basically the finishing coat and had to be even, smooth and cover everything. After waiting half an hour it was touch dry and the wheel was turned over so i could paint the face. I basically repeated this whole step but on the front face of the wheel which gave good results. Be sure to check in direct sunlight for unpainted areas as you may miss some or spray may not reach.

Step 4:
After giving the wheels 24 hours to dry they were completely dry, depending on conditions though it may need more or less time. Check on the back of the can you are using. I then applied the clear coat to finish them off and seal and protect the wheels. The clear coat should resist dirt and grime but probably not scratches or gutter rash. This was applied with one good coat over the whole area in a similar fashion to step 3. Give this another 24 hours before replacing tyres and getting them re-balanced and put back on your car. Shops use stick on weights now so they are hidden from the front of the wheels and rest inside your wheel.

If there are any points other people who have done the same would like to add that would be great.

Cheers