How to Paint your own wheels. (Not 56k friendly)
12-29-2006, 06:28 PM
#1
How to Paint your own wheels. (Not 56k friendly)
About a week ago I picked up a SSM 04 TL NAV to serve as my daily driver. I'm loving the car so far but the wheels had quite a bit of curb rash on them. Instead of just touching it up with the original color I decided to redo them all in a graphite color. Fortunately Dupli-Color offers a wheel paint in just the color I was looking for.
The most important part is the prep, use simple green or a similar degreaser and get every spec of dirt/grease/brake dust/road tar off of your wheels. I like to use copper or aluminum scrub brushes. You can usually pick up a 3 pack of either at walmart for a couple bucks.
They do a great job of taking off just about anything. They will scuff your wheels, so you don't want to use them if you don't plan on repainting them.
After your wheels are good and clean you're going to want to sand down any curb rash or scratches you have on your wheels. 320 grit sandpaper works great for this and I prefer to wet sand. Remember that anyplace you take the wheel down to the bare aluminum you are going to want to hit that with a primer before you paint. Use a primer that is close to the color you plan on painting. White or light gray primers for light colors, black primer for black or dark colors etc...
If you have deep scratches you can fill them using a glazing putty or something similar.
I chose not to fill mine in, but if you decide to there are plenty of sources on the internet to show you how to do it.
For the next step you are going to want to scuff up the entire wheel so the paint will adhere better. Red scotchbrite pads work great for this, or you can use the same sand paper you used to clean up the curb rash.
Once you are done scuffing up the wheels you are going to want to clean them again. For this step, a mild soap and hot water works the best and won't leave a residue to keep the paint from sticking. You want to rinse the wheel completely and dry them with a soft lint free towel. I find those micro fiber towels work great for this. They must be completely dry before you start painting.
Next you are going to want to mask anything you don't want to get paint on. Put little masking tape around the valve stem mask off the tire. I've found that 3x5" index cards work great for sticking in the lip between the wheel and tire to keep
the paint off the tire. Oh and unlike me, be sure to put some newspaper under the wheels while you are painting them.
Take a clean dry lint free towel and wipe down the wheels one last time. You are now ready to paint. It's best to do several thin coats as opposed to one thick coat. I'd wait about 10-15 minutes between coats. You can always follow the directions on the can if you aren't sure what to do.
I did 4 coats of the color on the front side and 3 on the backside. I also went over the front side with 3 coats of Dupli-colors clear wheel paint to give it a little deeper shine.
I would wait a minimum of 3 hours after your last coat before you remount the wheels.
That's all there is to it. About 20 bucks and an afternoon and you'll have a different look for your car without shelling out the money for new wheels.
The most important part is the prep, use simple green or a similar degreaser and get every spec of dirt/grease/brake dust/road tar off of your wheels. I like to use copper or aluminum scrub brushes. You can usually pick up a 3 pack of either at walmart for a couple bucks.
They do a great job of taking off just about anything. They will scuff your wheels, so you don't want to use them if you don't plan on repainting them.
After your wheels are good and clean you're going to want to sand down any curb rash or scratches you have on your wheels. 320 grit sandpaper works great for this and I prefer to wet sand. Remember that anyplace you take the wheel down to the bare aluminum you are going to want to hit that with a primer before you paint. Use a primer that is close to the color you plan on painting. White or light gray primers for light colors, black primer for black or dark colors etc...
If you have deep scratches you can fill them using a glazing putty or something similar.
I chose not to fill mine in, but if you decide to there are plenty of sources on the internet to show you how to do it.
For the next step you are going to want to scuff up the entire wheel so the paint will adhere better. Red scotchbrite pads work great for this, or you can use the same sand paper you used to clean up the curb rash.
Once you are done scuffing up the wheels you are going to want to clean them again. For this step, a mild soap and hot water works the best and won't leave a residue to keep the paint from sticking. You want to rinse the wheel completely and dry them with a soft lint free towel. I find those micro fiber towels work great for this. They must be completely dry before you start painting.
Next you are going to want to mask anything you don't want to get paint on. Put little masking tape around the valve stem mask off the tire. I've found that 3x5" index cards work great for sticking in the lip between the wheel and tire to keep
the paint off the tire. Oh and unlike me, be sure to put some newspaper under the wheels while you are painting them.
Take a clean dry lint free towel and wipe down the wheels one last time. You are now ready to paint. It's best to do several thin coats as opposed to one thick coat. I'd wait about 10-15 minutes between coats. You can always follow the directions on the can if you aren't sure what to do.
I did 4 coats of the color on the front side and 3 on the backside. I also went over the front side with 3 coats of Dupli-colors clear wheel paint to give it a little deeper shine.
I would wait a minimum of 3 hours after your last coat before you remount the wheels.
That's all there is to it. About 20 bucks and an afternoon and you'll have a different look for your car without shelling out the money for new wheels.
The following users liked this post:
AxelD7 (05-26-2021)
12-29-2006, 07:29 PM
#4
Sweet! Looks nice. Has anyone else painted their own wheels. I haven't come across a thread as such? Humm...
(I'm tempted to paint mine, since I'm not a huge fan of the stock 16"'s and I can't afford new wheels now...)
(I'm tempted to paint mine, since I'm not a huge fan of the stock 16"'s and I can't afford new wheels now...)
12-29-2006, 10:26 PM
#7
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Outstanding look, I'm gonna try it out I think. Was there a color code or something for the paint you used? I have the same silver coloured '05 and I can't get over how nice it looks on yours.
Always looking for a do-it-yourself project...keeps me from drinking :P
Props.
Always looking for a do-it-yourself project...keeps me from drinking :P
Props.
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12-29-2006, 11:10 PM
#9
Originally Posted by crzygosu87
wow ... that looks remarkably awesome. Awesome job! I might consider doing this myself unless i decide to go get it powdercoated later on ...
I'd do a little research on powdercoating wheels before you do it. I've never had good luck with powdercoat on anything that's exposed to the road salt and elements. It starts to look like crap after just a few months. Of course if you live somewhere that never gets snow or ice you'll probably be just fine.
12-29-2006, 11:14 PM
#10
Originally Posted by BloodyShrapnel
Outstanding look, I'm gonna try it out I think. Was there a color code or something for the paint you used? I have the same silver coloured '05 and I can't get over how nice it looks on yours.
Always looking for a do-it-yourself project...keeps me from drinking :P
Props.
Always looking for a do-it-yourself project...keeps me from drinking :P
Props.
The Dupli-color wheel paint comes in these colors
HWP100 White
HWP101 Silver
HWP102 Graphite
HWP103 Clear
HWP104 Satin Black
HWP105 Bronze
Most parts stores I've been in keep Silver, Graphite, Black and Clear on the shelves but should be able to order the other colors.
12-30-2006, 09:50 AM
#11
ranger
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Paint your own wheels
Compliments to Misterfubar. You have come up with an inexpensive way to repair or change the appearance of the stock wheels. In addition, the process is very well documented.
Well done mate.
Well done mate.
12-30-2006, 11:34 AM
#14
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^ Me likey - alot. I might try this when the weather gets better. I'm particularly interested in how to repair scuffs and scratches. Mine a pretty bad. My gf scratches at least one wheel everytime she drives the car..... Any web resources you can point out that outline a way to do this would be a great help. 
12-31-2006, 12:53 PM
#18
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Originally Posted by ckya
thx!!
wut color did u choose?
wut color did u choose?
12-31-2006, 05:11 PM
#19
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Paint your own wheels
Reading MisterFubar's excellent post got me to thinking; has anyone every stripped the paint off the stock wheels to expose the bare aluminum? I wonder how much trouble it would be to do that and then apply clearcoat.
Comments?
Comments?
12-31-2006, 05:17 PM
#20
Originally Posted by ranger
Reading MisterFubar's excellent post got me to thinking; has anyone every stripped the paint off the stock wheels to expose the bare aluminum? I wonder how much trouble it would be to do that and then apply clearcoat.
Comments?
Comments?
I didn't try any chemicals but stripping it manually with sandpaper would take a lot of effort. The few spots I had that had bad curb rash took quite a bit of rubbing to get it to bare metal. I suppose I could have tried sand blasting them, but I didn't think about it at the time.
01-01-2007, 09:55 PM
#21
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Originally Posted by TL-CrAzIe-05
Re-read the first post...he states that he used the graphite (4 coats front / 3 coats backside) then he used the clear.
right...
01-05-2007, 03:08 PM
#22
Just a little update, it's been a week of driving on gravel and in the rain and the paint still looks perfect. I was half expecting to have a few chips or scrapes in it by now, but the paint is holding up real well.
I also went back and looked at the wheels on a friend's Lightning that were painted using the same paint about 15 months ago and he's got one rock chip but other than that they still look like the day he painted them.
I also went back and looked at the wheels on a friend's Lightning that were painted using the same paint about 15 months ago and he's got one rock chip but other than that they still look like the day he painted them.
01-09-2007, 02:02 AM
#23
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Originally Posted by ranger
Reading MisterFubar's excellent post got me to thinking; has anyone every stripped the paint off the stock wheels to expose the bare aluminum? I wonder how much trouble it would be to do that and then apply clearcoat.
Comments?
Comments?
01-11-2007, 02:30 PM
#25
Safety Car
My friend did the same thing on his Sentra with the same exact paint and process except he taped it all up. His still look great and he has put about 30k on his since. I would recommend paitning the center caps the same color, and maybe hand paint with a small model brush the Acura Emblem Silver?
01-11-2007, 05:14 PM
#27
The DVD-A Script Guy
OK, I'm really not trying to be a dick here but....
The write up and quality of what you did is excellent. But the color is just not working for me. As I walked past a Benz in a parking lot the other day with wheels that were all covered in brake dust and I thought of your post. Sorry. They just look dusted up to me.
The write up and quality of what you did is excellent. But the color is just not working for me. As I walked past a Benz in a parking lot the other day with wheels that were all covered in brake dust and I thought of your post. Sorry. They just look dusted up to me.
01-16-2007, 10:02 PM
#30
Originally Posted by Adobeman
OK, I'm really not trying to be a dick here but....
The write up and quality of what you did is excellent. But the color is just not working for me. As I walked past a Benz in a parking lot the other day with wheels that were all covered in brake dust and I thought of your post. Sorry. They just look dusted up to me.
The write up and quality of what you did is excellent. But the color is just not working for me. As I walked past a Benz in a parking lot the other day with wheels that were all covered in brake dust and I thought of your post. Sorry. They just look dusted up to me.
That's cool. I know it's not for everyone, but I like dark wheels on a silver car... always have.
This is what they look like dusted.
01-19-2007, 12:49 PM
#31
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Originally Posted by MisterFubar
That's cool. I know it's not for everyone, but I like dark wheels on a silver car... always have.
This is what they look like dusted.
This is what they look like dusted.
03-30-2007, 02:50 AM
#36
Safety Car
nice! what if you want a lighter "graphite" color? just less coats? AND what's this about the whole stripping process? basically take an aluminum scrubber and SCRUB it down so the current paints GONE?
i'm a n00b at this, but i wanna do it!
eric
i'm a n00b at this, but i wanna do it!
eric
04-18-2007, 08:10 AM
#37
Originally Posted by erick3
nice! what if you want a lighter "graphite" color? just less coats? AND what's this about the whole stripping process? basically take an aluminum scrubber and SCRUB it down so the current paints GONE?
i'm a n00b at this, but i wanna do it!
eric
i'm a n00b at this, but i wanna do it!
eric
04-18-2007, 12:39 PM
#39
Originally Posted by mrbrace
how many cans of paint did you have to use...did you mention coating them with clear?
I sprayed 3 coats of color on the front of the wheels and 2 coats on the backside. Went over that with 1 coat of clear.
04-18-2007, 01:30 PM
#40
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Originally Posted by MisterFubar
About a week ago I picked up a SSM 04 TL NAV to serve as my daily driver. I'm loving the car so far but the wheels had quite a bit of curb rash on them. Instead of just touching it up with the original color I decided to redo them all in a graphite color. Fortunately Dupli-Color offers a wheel paint in just the color I was looking for.
The most important part is the prep, use simple green or a similar degreaser and get every spec of dirt/grease/brake dust/road tar off of your wheels. I like to use copper or aluminum scrub brushes. You can usually pick up a 3 pack of either at walmart for a couple bucks.
They do a great job of taking off just about anything. They will scuff your wheels, so you don't want to use them if you don't plan on repainting them.
After your wheels are good and clean you're going to want to sand down any curb rash or scratches you have on your wheels. 320 grit sandpaper works great for this and I prefer to wet sand. Remember that anyplace you take the wheel down to the bare aluminum you are going to want to hit that with a primer before you paint. Use a primer that is close to the color you plan on painting. White or light gray primers for light colors, black primer for black or dark colors etc...
If you have deep scratches you can fill them using a glazing putty or something similar.
I chose not to fill mine in, but if you decide to there are plenty of sources on the internet to show you how to do it.
For the next step you are going to want to scuff up the entire wheel so the paint will adhere better. Red scotchbrite pads work great for this, or you can use the same sand paper you used to clean up the curb rash.
Once you are done scuffing up the wheels you are going to want to clean them again. For this step, a mild soap and hot water works the best and won't leave a residue to keep the paint from sticking. You want to rinse the wheel completely and dry them with a soft lint free towel. I find those micro fiber towels work great for this. They must be completely dry before you start painting.
Next you are going to want to mask anything you don't want to get paint on. Put little masking tape around the valve stem mask off the tire. I've found that 3x5" index cards work great for sticking in the lip between the wheel and tire to keep
the paint off the tire. Oh and unlike me, be sure to put some newspaper under the wheels while you are painting them.
Take a clean dry lint free towel and wipe down the wheels one last time. You are now ready to paint. It's best to do several thin coats as opposed to one thick coat. I'd wait about 10-15 minutes between coats. You can always follow the directions on the can if you aren't sure what to do.
I did 4 coats of the color on the front side and 3 on the backside. I also went over the front side with 3 coats of Dupli-colors clear wheel paint to give it a little deeper shine.
I would wait a minimum of 3 hours after your last coat before you remount the wheels.
That's all there is to it. About 20 bucks and an afternoon and you'll have a different look for your car without shelling out the money for new wheels.
The most important part is the prep, use simple green or a similar degreaser and get every spec of dirt/grease/brake dust/road tar off of your wheels. I like to use copper or aluminum scrub brushes. You can usually pick up a 3 pack of either at walmart for a couple bucks.
They do a great job of taking off just about anything. They will scuff your wheels, so you don't want to use them if you don't plan on repainting them.
After your wheels are good and clean you're going to want to sand down any curb rash or scratches you have on your wheels. 320 grit sandpaper works great for this and I prefer to wet sand. Remember that anyplace you take the wheel down to the bare aluminum you are going to want to hit that with a primer before you paint. Use a primer that is close to the color you plan on painting. White or light gray primers for light colors, black primer for black or dark colors etc...
If you have deep scratches you can fill them using a glazing putty or something similar.
I chose not to fill mine in, but if you decide to there are plenty of sources on the internet to show you how to do it.
For the next step you are going to want to scuff up the entire wheel so the paint will adhere better. Red scotchbrite pads work great for this, or you can use the same sand paper you used to clean up the curb rash.
Once you are done scuffing up the wheels you are going to want to clean them again. For this step, a mild soap and hot water works the best and won't leave a residue to keep the paint from sticking. You want to rinse the wheel completely and dry them with a soft lint free towel. I find those micro fiber towels work great for this. They must be completely dry before you start painting.
Next you are going to want to mask anything you don't want to get paint on. Put little masking tape around the valve stem mask off the tire. I've found that 3x5" index cards work great for sticking in the lip between the wheel and tire to keep
the paint off the tire. Oh and unlike me, be sure to put some newspaper under the wheels while you are painting them.
Take a clean dry lint free towel and wipe down the wheels one last time. You are now ready to paint. It's best to do several thin coats as opposed to one thick coat. I'd wait about 10-15 minutes between coats. You can always follow the directions on the can if you aren't sure what to do.
I did 4 coats of the color on the front side and 3 on the backside. I also went over the front side with 3 coats of Dupli-colors clear wheel paint to give it a little deeper shine.
I would wait a minimum of 3 hours after your last coat before you remount the wheels.
That's all there is to it. About 20 bucks and an afternoon and you'll have a different look for your car without shelling out the money for new wheels.
PLEASE put some tire dressing on! Thanks J.D.
