Spray Paint Rims

[Family4x4]

I have just finished doing a quick spray job on 5 GU steel rims the following is how i went about it.

I didn't strip the tires or weights it is probably a good idea to do this if you don't mind getting rims refitted and balanced.

1. Clean rims thoroughly. As it is very dry where I live I lay a clean tarp down on the dirt/grass and gave the rims a high pressure wash. I then used warm soapy water and gave them a good scrub, followed again by a pressure rinse.

I let the rims dry in the sun and used a rag and air hose to finish off any pools or water that hadn't dried.

The previous owner had sprayed the spare rim with a silver/alloy colored paint. I am glad he only sprayed one. I used thinners and lots of rags to scrub away the old paint. I worked in sections painting the thinners on with a paint brush then waiting about 10secs before rubbing with a rag. Its time consuming and messy. I found using a new rag as soon as the old one is dirty helps a lot. Also if you get thinners on the tyre wipe it off with a clean rag.

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I rubbed down the other four rims but the factory paint was holding well so it would make a good base.

2. I then scuffed all the rims with green scotch pads. I went over all corners and recess. You can see if it is scuffing or not. I was very careful to try and scuff everywhere so the paint would adhere well.

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3. I then gave them a quick blast with the air hose to blow off the bulk of the dust. Next with a clean rag I cleaned each rim again with a wax and grease solvent.

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4. Mask. To prevent overspray from getting on the rubber I masked with Newspaper and Masking tape.
Firstly I traced a line on some news paper then cut it to the shape of the rim. 4 sheets did one wheel.

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I set the cut paper aside.

I then ran masking tape around the bead, the tape sticking to the tyre. Only pushing down half of the tape so I could slide the news paper under the outer edge. To prevent the tape from lifting spend some time ensuring the tape is down well.

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I then put the cut news paper in place using more tape where needed to stick it down. The oval cut out that were left over I used to fill the gaps on the tyre between the paper sheets.

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I gave the masked rims a final wipe with a cloth.

5. Paint. I chose to use White Knight Rust Guard gloss Black enamel.

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I lay the color down in very light coats 5 or 6 coats all up leaving 5 minutes between coats as it was a reasonably warm day. After 16 hours I set the rims upright and spray the inside/back of the rims. After another 6 hours i remove the mask.

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The end result is pretty good I have thought about wet and dry sanding them with some 1000 grit and putting on a clear coat. I will wait and see how they look in 6 months if they are still ok I will strip the rims give the a sand, clean and put on some more color.

All in all it's not the best job but for the $30 I invested and a couple of hours it is sure to be a very cheap appearance mod to the car.

[lhurley]

Some what easier and reusable trick for not getting over spray on the tyre is to use playing cards and feed them in the bead all the way around. I used a cut up cereal box when I did mine, worked a treat. I could reuse the cardboard on each tyre.

[krbrooking]

Good thread mate, they came up really good.


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[MudRunnerTD]

Yeah happy days mate, you will be amazed how well the wear!!

[mudski]

I used the same paint but did around 4 coats on each rim and left them in the sun for a full day between coats. Came up pretty well.
Sanded and prepped them prior too of course.