[T4Noobie]

i have not been here to long but have seen quite a few threads with people asking about how to paint wheels or where to get them done so thought that maybe this might come in handy aswell as giving people the chance to save some money etc with most companys looking at silly money for wheel refurbs.

When it comes to painting wheels it seems most people are miss lead in to thinking they have to take all the old paint off and start all over again from the metal surface but this is not true in most cases

one good reason not to use a wire wheel on your wheels (its not impossible to get a good finish after but its just a lot of work)

well ill start the refurb photos from the wheel being back down to the metal but im taking a wild guess and saying none of your wheels are going to be in as bad shape as the above and will start the write up from the old surface paint prep.

Stage One: - surface prep (if your starting from metal surface start from Stage Two)

If you have a wheel with some paint that is peeling off or kerb marks you can make them good with out all the hard work of taking the wheel back to the metal. if you have some paint that is peeling off the first thing to do is pick the lose edges off and then you can use some 320 grit paper to feather edges out. kerb marks can be filled with etheir a light weight car body filler or wheel filler depends on what you can get hold off but they are both just as good and should be finished off with 320 grit paper. If you have a good clean set of wheels and are just wanting to change the colour then you just need to use the 320 grit paper or some preping pads/automotive scotch-brite to remove the shine from the old paint surface

Stage Two: - cleaning and primer

once you have finished your surface prep use some alcohol wipes if you have some to remove any dust or grease from the surface.

For people just changing the colour of their wheels or for people who have just done some filler work and left the old paint surface there you just need to apply 2 or 3 coats of normal primer. Once the primer is dry apply a guide coat of black to help with the flatting back of the primer (will help you to be able to see when all the orange peel from the paint surface has gone aswell as the high spots). you can get paint in spray cans that is meant for guid coating only but its not cheap and a standard can of matt black will do the same job when sprayed from a distance to get the look of the photo below.

for people who started with a metal surface you will need to apply 2 layers of zinc primer or acid etch primer and then if you want to you can apply your normal over the top of that but you dont have. Once the primer is dry apply a guide coat of black to help with the flatting back of the primer (will help you to be able to see when all the orange peel from the paint surface has gone aswell as the high spots) . you can get paint in spray cans that is meant for guid coating only but its not cheap and a standard can of matt black will do the same job when sprayed from a distance to get the look of the photo below.


Zinc primer and Acid Etch primer eat into the metal surface giving you a good base to start with. both of the above primers dont like to go over old paint and can cause a reaction.

photo of wheel in primer and guide coat on (this is what your aiming to get with the guide coat)

Stage 3: - making use of the guide coat and cleaning

People using Metallic or Pearl paint you will need to flat back your primer untill all the black guide coat has gone using 800 grit paper

people using a solid paint (non metallic) you will need to flat back your primer untill all the black guide coat has gone. using paper in the range of 500 grit to 800 grit

then use your alcohol wipes to clean the surface again

Stage 4: - apply your paint colour

most people i have seen paint apply to much colour to a wheel or the surface they are painting. you only need to apply enough paint so that the surface is the same shade of colour all over. most of the time 2 coats is enough for a non metallic colour and 3 for metallic but apply more if needed.

Stage 5: - Lacquer

when you come to putting your lacquer on you want to apply it in thin coats. apply 1 or 2 coats at a time allowing the first coat to go tacky before applying the second. the more lacquer you use the better its going to be but apply lacquer with out an oven takes a lot of time. i apply 6 or 7 coats of lacquer but you can apply more as it will give you the option at a later date if needed to compound them up and restore the look.

once your lacquer is dry its time to flat back to remove the orange peel which will give you a better shine and look than the spray can or spray gun finish. when flatting back the lacquer you have no need to use a guide coat as the lacquer that has been touched by the sandpaper will have no shine to it and the lacquer thats not been touched by the sandpaper will still have shine to it so you just need to flat back until the surface is dull. flat back using 1500 or 2000 grit wet and dry

stage 6: - compounding and polishing

if you choose to flat back your lacquer then you will need to use a compound in order to remove the sandpaper marks left from when you flatted the lacquer.

before polishing and sealing the wheels up your best to wait a day or two if you can for the paint to hardern and go off completely if you dont have time to wait then its not the end of the world as by now the paint should be hard enough to polish and seal up.

i think i have covered everything but any question feel free to ask.

a few photos of some of my work using the same info from the guide. so you should be able to get results like these im sure

these 2 photos were of the wheels that got the wire wheel treatment that i got left to sort out

 

[T4Noobie]

few tips i forgot to add

1: - even if the tyres are old and not wanted its best to mask them up ot get them off other wise they coul trap dust which could end up being blown on to the new paint work.

2: - i find it better to use da sanding discs rather than wet and dry as wet and dry takes longer to cut than dry paper but i will only use wet and dry to flat back lacquer

i also have some sanding tips for when using hand sanding and block sanding but it will be easier to explain with photos which i shall take and post up asap

 

[cooljock]

top notch fella, this should be made a 'sticky'T:

 

[go-ferret]

Better than that...if you've no objections i'm gonna move this into the technical articles A:

 

[T4Noobie]

yer thats ok. i was not sure if i should put it in here or not.

also if anyone wants/think its a good idea ill do some basic bodywork and rust ones when i make a start on van

 

[T4Noobie]

Better than that...if you've no objections i'm gonna move this into the technical articles A:

your welcome ot move it as i was not sure if i should put it here or not

if anyone wants i can do a bodywork guide and a guide to removing rust

 

[diveo]

Hi the bodywork / rust treatment thread woudl be great if you are up for it. I need to treat slightly blistering arches and surface rust on sills,
cheers A:

 

[bigcat]

Really helpful, that, thanks A:A:A:T:

 

[Need a t4]

how do i get original steel wheels to look as they did when new? What paint should be used?

 

[rudis_dad]

how do i get original steel wheels to look as they did when new? What paint should be used?

Shot-blast and powder coat. Unless you're prepared to spend hours wearing out wire brushes with your angle grinder.