Help painting rims

[SA CHEVY]

Originally Posted by GbrilliantQ

Did you sand the rims first? Or did you just clean them up and sprayed.... Looks great and I'm seriously thinking about doing this, instead of powdercoating.

I just cleaned with soap and water and dried the wheel with a terry cloth then started spraying, I'll try to do a short write up. It's a good temporary substitute to powdercoating or painting wheels (I say temporary because I have to see how they hold up with time).

[Cali_Camaro_SS]

Very nice, from the looks of it looks very clean.
So how does it look in person, does it look like paint or like a plastic base?
And do you know how to get it off for any reason?

And thx again for the pics

[SA CHEVY]

Originally Posted by Cali_Camaro_SS

Very nice, from the looks of it looks very clean.
So how does it look in person, does it look like paint or like a plastic base?
And do you know how to get it off for any reason?

And thx again for the pics

It looks good in person, not a glass black it dries as a flat/matte black. It's a really weird look to it in a way, looks more like paint than plastic but IMO I'd say it looks "different". I'm not sure if you can peel it off or maybe scrape it off.

[SA CHEVY]

Okay I figured I'd to a real quick write up on it and give my opinions and how-to's on a few things so here it goes:

I purchased 2 cans of Plasti Dip from Home Depot for just over $12.50 for both cans (you'll need about 4 cans if you want to paint the inside of the wheel as well).

I used soap and water and wiped the entire wheels clean of any dirt and brake dust. I followed that up with a dry terry cloth to clean off any of the soap and water on the wheel.

I then used a fresh pack of index cards (not sure the cost, they've been sitting in my office forever) and I laid the cards in an overlapping pattern between the wheel and tire (they fit good in the gap and lay back from the face of the wheel to allow for painting). Don't worry about trying to cover the tire at all as, despite how it might look, the index cards do a sufficient job of shielding the tire. Also be sure to cover your valve stem with blue painters tape to keep it free from any spray.

For the procedure I shook the can for about a minute then began to spray in even coats and, in my opinion, follow the wheel kind of like it was a maze. By that I mean follow the inside of the spoke to the face then to the other side of the spoke then follow bridge between the spokes. It is the best way to get even coverage and to be sure you don't end up with "light spots" (spots where the paint is thin on the wheel while the rest of it is thoroughly covered). I allowed a minimum of 30 minutes wait between each coat and shook the can for a minute before starting each coat. I ended up doing a total of 4 coats on the wheels. After finishing up the 4th coat I allowed the wheels to sit for 4 hours before trying to mount them on the car.

The wheels look darker in pictures than they actually are, they actually look a flat black/matte black in person. The easiest way for me to describe how the texture of the wheels looks in person is for anyone who's ever seen black KMC Rockstars or XD Monster wheels in person, they look like the same texture as those wheels.

*I figured I'd add some notes/helpers for those thinking of tackling this:

- Don't be afraid to apply generous coats, unlike real paint the Plasti Dip seems to set a little different and doesn't run as obvious as paint does.
- Don't let the initial spray of the Plasti Dip scare you. After I began my first coat instantly I thought, "Oh Crap, this is nothing like what I thought it was!!" but as you will see it dries A LOT differently than it looks when it goes on.
- Try to paint these in a ventelated area yet outside the wind if possible. I couldn't use my garage so during the process dust was evident on the surface.
- After applying your final coat allow the wheel proper time to sit (min 1-2 hours) before messing with the wheels. If you stand the wheels up after finishing your last coat you may end up with water that was sitting between the bead of the tire and wheel running across the surface of the wheel and could ruin your hard work!
- Do not remove the index cards until the wheel has had at least the min 1-2 hours of sitting to ensure you don't ruin the surface while it is still drying.
- Also, a little hint, after the wheel has dried simply unscrew the valve cap from the wheels valve stem and the tape will come off with it then you just have to remove the tape from the cap and reinstall

Other than that not too bad and they really look great installed! Not bad for $12.58 and give you the look of aftermarket! Hope this helps out!

[dfairman]

Looks great man. I'm interested to see how it holds up. I painted mine with engine paint and I've only had to touch up one rim once since October. Took me about 10 minutes to do touch up. Let us know.

[sp_C5]

Originally Posted by SA CHEVY

It looks good in person, not a glass black it dries as a flat/matte black. It's a really weird look to it in a way, looks more like paint than plastic but IMO I'd say it looks "different". I'm not sure if you can peel it off or maybe scrape it off.

Peels right off, it comes off like a big sticker

[Cali_Camaro_SS]

Thank you for the write, looks great and I will attempt this for my self soon
just hope it doesn't last like a month or so.
But we will see

Once again thank you

[Cali_Camaro_SS]

Peels right off, it comes off like a big sticker

Does it really, Cuz that would be nice in case it gets ruined or anything.
If it peels right off how sturdy is it?

[sp_C5]

Originally Posted by Cali_Camaro_SS

Does it really, Cuz that would be nice in case it gets ruined or anything.
If it peels right off how sturdy is it?

yeah peels right off, when i first removed it on my previous car i was amazed.

[SA CHEVY]

Originally Posted by sp_C5

yeah peels right off, when i first removed it on my previous car i was amazed.

Hmm, should be interesting then. Have you tried touching the wheels up at all after spraying them the first time? I'm thinking in terms of if they got chipped or scratched I could touch them up down the road.

[SILVER BULLITT]

man paint them shits

[Classick]

This came out looking pretty sweet! IMO

[SirMike]

Looks great. I want to get my stock wheels powder coated flat/matte black, but after seeing your results . . . I may have to make a trip down to Home Depot.

[weenie25banini]

Thanks Sa chevy. Do you know what place that is? If I decided to do it my self what do i need? I see you used index cards what spray or do I need a spray gun? Sorry for all this questions I am new at this whole tire/rims thing and I don't want to ruin it lol. Thanks in advance.