markbrotens Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 I know there are several people who have painted their rims, but since there is no walkthrough that I could find, I figured I'd post this up. I decided to paint my stock rims (now my winter rims) bronze after reading through this thread: http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=82945 Here are the supplies I used to get it done: -Duplicolor Bronze Wheel Spray Paint - x3 cans -Duplicolor Wheel Spray Clearcoat - x2 cans -Sandpaper - 320 grit - 2 sheets at least -Paint thinner or varsol -Rags or paper towel -Old deck of playing cards Step 1: Clean the wheels Mine were especially dirty, so this was a long and tedious process... I used hot soapy water and some old rags to get the majority of grime. The tar spots were the most annoying and I found that scratching them off with a fingernail was better than trying to scrub them off, which just smeared them worse. http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff348/markbrotens/PaintedWheels022.jpg?t=1262072779 Step 2: Sand everything using 320 grit sandpaper, I went over everything to make sure that the new paint would have a good surface to bond to. http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff348/markbrotens/PaintedWheels023.jpg?t=1262072825 Step 3: Wash It is crucial to make sure you get all the dust and dirt off. Step 4: Wash Again This time wipe down the entire rim with the varsol or paint thinner. The purpose of this is to get any oils or grease off of the surface which would keep the paint from bonding properly. http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff348/markbrotens/PaintedWheels024.jpg?t=1262072857 Step 5: mask off tires at first I used some plastic to mask off a majority of the tire, then used an old deck of playing cards to stick between the rim and tire. This proved to be the easiest way to get even the part closest to the tire painted. Mask off the tire valve. http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff348/markbrotens/PaintedWheels025.jpg?t=1262072927 Step 6: Paint and more paint I would recommend a very well lit area to work in, especially if the color you are painting is dark. For the fronts of the rims it is easy to see the coverage, but the backs are very hard to tell what is covered. I did 2 coats on the backs and 3 coats on the fronts. wait 10 minutes between coats. Make absolute sure that you done put it on too thick, or else you will get runs, and if you wipe them off, everything will come off, even if you're on the 3rd coat and the other coats felt dry. http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff348/markbrotens/PaintedWheels026.jpg?t=1262072964 http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff348/markbrotens/PaintedWheels027.jpg?t=1262073016 Step 7: Clearcoat Wait an hour or two after the last coat of paint before putting on the clearcoat. Avoid waiting too long or clearcoat could cause paint to wrinkle. I did 3 coats, but you could do more to extend the life of the paint. http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff348/markbrotens/Painted-Wheels-029-S.jpg?t=1262073355 http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff348/markbrotens/Painted-Wheels-031-S.jpg?t=1262073402 Step 8: Let it cure I left mine a good 24 hours till I put them back on. The paint cans didn't have a recommended time period to wait, so I just guessed:rolleyes: Done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evak Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 Looks good and nice write-up! Any mounted pics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbrotens Posted December 29, 2009 Author Share Posted December 29, 2009 Thanks! I'll get some up soon. Camera isn't working right now, but I'll get a friend to take some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meier motor sports Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 looks good. i find it easier to remove the tires. which i can do no problem cause ima mechanic. just gotta be careful remounting. sanding is a pain in the ass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbrotens Posted December 29, 2009 Author Share Posted December 29, 2009 Yeah, I didn't want to pay $100 to get it done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbrotens Posted December 30, 2009 Author Share Posted December 30, 2009 Pics! http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff348/markbrotens/Painted-Rims-Winter-Shots-006.jpg?t=1262209876 http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff348/markbrotens/Painted-Rims-Winter-Shots-002.jpg?t=1262209926 http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff348/markbrotens/Painted-Rims-Winter-Shots-009-1.jpg?t=1262209947 http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff348/markbrotens/Painted-Rims-Winter-Shots-008-1.jpg?t=1262209967 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbrotens Posted December 30, 2009 Author Share Posted December 30, 2009 Unfortunately it wasn't very good lighting (overcast) and I didn't realize that the camera was set on 640x480 except for one of the pictures. I'll get some better ones up eventually Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evak Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Looks good! I like your headlights too, did you do them yourself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbrotens Posted December 30, 2009 Author Share Posted December 30, 2009 Yep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowteree Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs158.snc3/18554_1300462545722_1055188223_953335_7247014_n.jpg i did mine about a month ago in gold. Turned out really good. I have to go back and retouch 3 of the wheels, and completely redo one of them. Overall the process was an all day procedure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5throw Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 What gold paint did you use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowteree Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 grimmspeed gold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawlwawl06 Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 subscribe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbrotens Posted March 17, 2010 Author Share Posted March 17, 2010 Here's a better pic http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff348/markbrotens/DSLR3_068_opt_Blur-1.jpg?t=1268857530 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexJay Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 just got mine done, thanks for the playing card trick http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4050/4468260495_8deec4b34b_o.jpg Here are the paints i used. 3 coats primer, 3 coats paint, 2 coats clear http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4063/4468226705_e57cca99b8.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleeper8406 Posted April 4, 2010 Share Posted April 4, 2010 How well is everyone's paint holding up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legacyurabus Posted May 26, 2010 Share Posted May 26, 2010 how well is everyone's paint holding up? +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexJay Posted May 26, 2010 Share Posted May 26, 2010 i painted mine a couple months and i have only noticed about 3 small chips, when i say small i mean i only noticed cause i was face to wheel inspecting them, if i wasn't that close i wouldn't have seen anything. Considering I live in reno and had to deal with salted roads and snow I would say that they are pretty damn durable and i'd be surprised if they chip at all over summer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmafod Posted May 26, 2010 Share Posted May 26, 2010 Nice job fellas! My $0.02: I would remove the centercap and paint that separate. You have to remove it to balance the tire, and if you painted the centercap while on the wheel it may chip the paint when it comes time to remove it to swap tires/balance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ece_tim Posted May 26, 2010 Share Posted May 26, 2010 Where did you guys buy your paint and clear supplies? I've seen very little wheel paint at the Adv Auto stores near me and none at Home Depot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleeper8406 Posted May 27, 2010 Share Posted May 27, 2010 I ended up getting it from Amazon.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexJay Posted May 27, 2010 Share Posted May 27, 2010 i got mine from kragen, and just used a home depot metal primer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drift Motion Posted May 27, 2010 Share Posted May 27, 2010 i used index cards from school instead of playing cards hehe but same principle... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleeper8406 Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 Just did mine not too long ago....I still have to do the calipers yet. I used the Duplicolor rattle can wheel paint....it didn't turn out too bad. Crappy cell phone pic for now Your walk-through was helpful thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jantzen8895 Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 I did mine GrimmSpeed gold. Took me about 6 hours and cost me around $50. I cleaned them really well, sanded, primed, painted, and clear coated. I was 100% satisfied. For anyone who doesn't know, the GrimmSpeed gold is the exact same color as STi BBS's. So i feel cool haha During- http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo191/jantzen8895/yep.jpg The after effect- http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo191/jantzen8895/DSCF3370.jpg Pretty close- http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo191/jantzen8895/4011357073_9f91907a63_o.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.