Rattle can prep for Tundra wheels (1 Viewer)

[Lexus Land Cruiser]

First, I did (re)search. I've found a few threads concerning this topic, but feel clarification is needed. I'm also torn between where this should be posted as there seems to be Paint & Body and Wheels & Tires sub-forums that may be equally or more relevant. Mods, please move if necessary. Here goes...

I recently picked a set of four 2014 Tundra wheels (pictured below) and looking to paint them gunmetal/anthracite in a matte or satin finish. They're cherry with less than 2k miles on them. No damage or defects. They're completely stock with what looks to be silver paint and clearcoat?

I'm aware of the sanding, acetone, scraping methods of removing paint, though I'm unsure if all this would be necessary for my circumstances and desired result. It's my understanding that if I'm looking to just rattle can wheels that are already in great shape that I just need to scuff it up enough for the paint/primer to stick? Do I really need (or is it strongly advised) to strip it down to bare metal? Not looking to spend a lot of money on kit to achieve the look I'm going for, nor do I want to powdercoat or plasti-dip. Rig will see many off-road miles. I'm willing to put in the work, but the tales of 5+ hours per wheel sounds tedious.

I'm looking for recommendations and advice concerning process, tools and supplies to accomplish the results of those who've come before that've achieved satisfaction. Have KO2's on order that should arrive middle of next week. Looking to get this done prior to mounting as it seems that'd be much easier and yield better results.

Desired result would be something like what Paul achieved:

 

[Julian Stead]

Personally I would get them powder coated, it is more durable.

 

[ScubaJon]

Well I had access to a big sand blast room so I went that route but my rims were old and had a bad paint job to start with.

In your case I would just scuff the surface with a scotch brite pad I would use like the purple colored one or if you have sand paper already I would say something in the 600-1200 grit the higher the better. Make sure and get all the nooks and crannies. Then hit it with some acetone or rubbing alcohol a couple of light coats of self etching primer then use the rattle can of your choice. I chose the same as a lot of members and went with duplicolor rim paint in graphite. If you know what color you want I recommend paint over plastidip just because its more durable and touching up scratches is simple. I also avoided a top coat of satin or gloss to make touch ups easy.

I am very happy with my results so far on my rattle can rims. My brother laughed at me when I told him I was going to spray paint them. He said it would not look good and I would be sending them out to powder coat. He was impressed with them. Its been around a month now and a few hi pressure care washes and they still look the same as the say I did them.

 

[CharlieS]

I'd scuff them, clean them, prime them and paint them. Powder coating would be excellent, but if I was doing it, I'd be too cost conscious to do that. I've had good durability from industrial two part epoxy primers...

 

[bkmc24]

A large reason to remove any and all clear or paint is because a proper color won't lay well over it all. My personal opinion is to always use an aircraft stripper to ensure any and all products are removed initially, the clean them up by scuffing and priming. Doing too much prep is always better than too little and then having to redo the work.

 

[Steelman]

Don't get too worked up over it or overthink it. It's a simple process, just time consuming. I've refinished 5 or 6 sets now with good results. Prep work is key but it's still not too bad.

If the finish is good on the wheels you have then all you really need to do is scuff them up with a red scotch brite pad to give the paint something to bite too. IF the wheels have some oxidation on them from being in the salt and brine then I would sand out all the oxidation spots with 120 or 180 paper first and then hit the whole wheel with the scotch brite pad. The sanding is the worst part and most time consuming BUT it makes the most difference in the end result.

Once you are done sanding wash all the dust and grim from the wheel faces with soap and water. Sit the wheels out in the sun or in a heated garage and let them FULLY dry. You don't want any water mixing with your paint.

Once the wheels are dry wipe them down with rubbing alcohol and gloves one last time before spraying.

I'll pause here to talk about priming. I've primed and not primed before spraying and honestly the priming is a waste of time and $$ if you are using the actual wheel paint from Duplicolor or VHT. The wheel paint is very forgiving so I see no need to prime if you have done a good job prepping the surface. I will say that there is a slight difference between the Duplicolor Graphite and the VHT Graphite finishes. The Duplicolor has a metallic finish as there's metal flake in it whereas the VHT has more of a flat or matte finish. Personally I like the Duplicolor finish better.

When you get ready to spray sit the wheel on a angle at 45* or so. This way you can always keep the spray can upright. Shake the can very well and if it's cold out I even sit my cans in the house for a few hours prior to spraying so they warm up. Once you start spraying apply several light coats across the wheel until it's completely covered. Let it sit for 5 mins and then apply a few heavy coats and your done.

I then let the wheels dry for 24 hrs or more before mounting tires so the finish is fully cured.

You can get great results if you take your time and be patient. It's durable as well and if you hit them off-roading it's an easy touch up which you can't do with a powder coated wheel.

Hope that helps!

This is a set of Tundra wheels I just did with Duplicolor Graphite.

 

[Lexus Land Cruiser]

Thank you all for your feedback

Steelman, I really like the results you achieved there. I'm heavily considering yours and Scubajon's advice on the scotchbrite pad and Duplicolor wheel paint. Reassuring to know that I can just scuff up the wheels thoroughly and layer with light coats

 

[Steelman]

Thank you all for your feedback

Steelman, I really like the results you achieved there. I'm heavily considering yours and Scubajon's advice on the scotchbrite pad and Duplicolor wheel paint. Reassuring to know that I can just scuff up the wheels thoroughly and layer with light coats

Happy to help. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

 

[Lexus Land Cruiser]

UPDATE: Paint will arrive tomorrow. I ended up going for the Rust-Oleum Matte Black Wheel Paint 248928, but could only find it on Amazon with a delayed ship date. Found the Maroon Scotch-Brite 7447 pads at O'Reilly Auto Parts. Bought 4 and cut them up into quadrants, 4 for each wheel. Spent Saturday afternoon washing the wheels and 7 hours today removing wheel weights, their residue and sanding with the Scotch-Brite pads only to get through 3 of the 4 wheels, ugh. Tedious is an understatement, Steelman I've never done this before and it came to my attention in further research that I'd need to not only paint the wheel face as I had planned, but also the backside of the wheel face and the inside of the rim. So prep went from wheel faces to nearly all visible surface area. Ordered 4 cans of paint and hoping it will be enough!

I'm of the school of thought whereby you do something once and do it well in an effort to not have to duplicate efforts by doing said action again to the initial, desired result. I also didn't know how much sanding would be enough so I kept sanding until I removed the sheen of the clearcoat, thinking the underlying paint would then act as a primed surface. Let me tell ya, it's hella hard to get into the surface creases of the wheel face! You think you're there and yet you still see the sheen! I'm hoping a little residual clearcoat won't be prohibitive to a durable paint job. Don't know how much more of that sanding my fingers can take, but I'm willing to put in the work!

Open to feedback and coaching tips while mid-way through this project!

 

[Lexus Land Cruiser]

So... as luck would have it, I ordered 4 cans of paint and one of the four is defective. It sprayed "chunks" over one of my wheels before petering out. Subsequent coats from the good can seems to have smoothed it out, but still noticeable if you're looking

Painting the inside and back of the wheels used 2 cans itself, so I was left with one to do the face of all 4 wheels. I used it all up to paint what I could of the wheel faces and it looks ok and covered mostly complete by what I can see via incandescent garage lighting.

My question, how many coats should I have expected on the wheel faces and should I order another can or is one can sufficient for painting the wheels faces? I'm miffed that this project may be further delayed by waiting on Amazon to ship out a replacement. Weather has also turned back to the usual mid-west winter, sub-optimal for painting. If I am in need of more paint, do I also have to re-prep again or pick up spraying where I left off?

 

[Lexus Land Cruiser]

UPDATE: Chatted with Amazon concerning the defective can. They elected to 2-day ship not just one, but the entire quantity of the original order of 4 for FREE. w00t!

Also spoke with Rust-Oleum customer support and they advised I should be able to pick up where I left off for up to a week so long as the wheels remain clean of oils and debris. Their claim is the formulation of the High Performance Wheel paint is such that it's quite forgiving within that window. They said one could lightly sand, but it's not necessary. Think I'll hit 'em with tack cloth prior to resuming spray.

 

[Lexus Land Cruiser]

Teaser before final coat(s) and mounting ...

 

[Lexus Land Cruiser]

Final results!

 

[skyblue]

Question..
Which is darker
Duplicolor graphite
Or
VHT graphite

Thanks

 

[skyblue]

I'll answer my own question...
It's exactly the same paint as far as I can tell