Did a search and did not come up with much.. Thinking about painting my wheels when it warms up a bit. For those of you out there that have done this how many cans of primer\wheel paint\ and clear coat did you use? Thanks!
How many cans of wheel paint
- Thread starter ariff
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Make sure to strip the old clear coat and wire wheel the wheels. Easily the most time consuming part of the process.
i think i bought 4 primer and 4 metallic gray. Didn't bother with clear coat. I still have 1.5 of each left over i believe. I did my spare too.
i think i bought 4 primer and 4 metallic gray. Didn't bother with clear coat. I still have 1.5 of each left over i believe. I did my spare too.
+1 on getting the old finish off. I used three cans each of high build primer and then Rustoluem Wheel Paint.
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Those look way better than mine. Luckily I really never clean them.
Aircraft paint stripper was the way to get the clear coat off, nasty stuff. I got some in a tire valve stem and it basically ate the rubber away.
Aircraft paint stripper was the way to get the clear coat off, nasty stuff. I got some in a tire valve stem and it basically ate the rubber away.
I am a fuss budget about everything, but thanks
I wish I would have known about the aircraft stripper for the clear coat. I did mine with wire wheels on the angle grinder. It took about and hour and half per wheel to get them prepped.
This is what they looked like when I started
- Thread starter
- #6
Cool thanks for the tips. I was looking at the rust oleum stuff as well since it is much less expensive then others. How has it held up for ya?
It has held up really well! I did them about a year ago and they still look just like that. There is one really little gravel ding that I will touch up in the spring, but that's it. Like all paint work, prep is the key.
Box Rocket
SILVER Star
Depends on the paint. I’ve painted a lot of wheels and I’ve found that VHT wheel paint has the best coverage and finish.
You can do a full set of 5 wheels with 2-3 cans.
I’ve had best results sanding down to bare aluminum then spraying a coat of self etching primer. 2-3 cans of VHT color will do 2-3 coats. Then I like to spray at least 2 coats of clear.
Here’s a stock set I did with VHT graphite.
You can do a full set of 5 wheels with 2-3 cans.
I’ve had best results sanding down to bare aluminum then spraying a coat of self etching primer. 2-3 cans of VHT color will do 2-3 coats. Then I like to spray at least 2 coats of clear.
Here’s a stock set I did with VHT graphite.
Self etching primer was the key for me as well. My wire wheel gouged the hell out of my wheels and 3 coats of primer smoothed it out nicely.
Take your time and spend the extra on the prep like the other dudes said.
Take your time and spend the extra on the prep like the other dudes said.
Is the entire wheel panted the same color or is the surface of the wheel polished, etc?
Would media blasting be too damaging for that surface?
they look really good
Box Rocket
SILVER Star
Have you all painted the BACK of the rim as well or only the front?
Those look REALLY nice!
What order did you do your paint for the two tone?
I will be doing a set of LX wheels and I want to polish to mirror and color the indents, then clear coat all.
I am planning on doing front AND back sides.
Box Rocket
SILVER Star
FWIW IH8 Aircraft Remover!! Yes it will take the finish off.... mostly but it is a royal mess and takes more effort to get off than the finish. I’ve tried it twice. Never again.
I just use a random orbital sander with 120grit discs. Removes the finish and won’t gouge the aluminum like the stuff wire wheels. The sander won’t get into all the right corners so I do use a wire wheel for those spots but just sand the rest.
I just use a random orbital sander with 120grit discs. Removes the finish and won’t gouge the aluminum like the stuff wire wheels. The sander won’t get into all the right corners so I do use a wire wheel for those spots but just sand the rest.
It's not two tone. The finish looks different because the front of the spokes is smooth and the inner parts are more of a rough texture. It's all one color. Thanks for the compliment! I think they look pretty good too. I am still not sure if I want to stick with the color though as it seems to clash a little with the gold truck. I am thinking about repainting them and all the stupid gold trim to a dark, metallic root beer color to compliment the brown cloth interior.
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Nope. just the front. The backs would be tough to prep as there are all sorts of pockets and other nooks and crannies and I don't really care what the backs of the wheels look like.
I want to say I used 3 cans of paint to do mine. I did not use clear coat. I used the industrial flat black and it has lasted far beyond my expectations. Clean and scuff everything you intend to paint (Fronts only). I also used index cards around the rims to shield the tires.
You shouldn't need to strip the clear coat. Scuffing with maroon Scotchbrite should be sufficient, followed by a thorough wipe-down with wax and grease remover.
