What is arguably the BEST paint,primer,and gloss brand for painting rims???

[robert]

im looking to finally paint the rims and was wondering what is the best primer,gloss, and especially the best paint to use on the rims

keep in mind they will be painted black

[TheGr8Schlotzky]

Re: What is arguably the BEST paint,primer,and gloss brand for painting rims???

Well the best coating would be powder coating, but if you are just wanting to rattle can it, I haven't seen any particularly revealing differences between many spray paints. They have come out with so called wheel paints, but for all I know, they are cheap enamels with different labels. I've also heard of people using barbecue paints, in the hopes that it will be more durable, but I have not done tests, and don't know of anyone else that has either, so I couldn't tell you for sure what's going to last the longest. I'd say the same thing goes for clears and primers. What is really going to matter is how you prep it, and how you apply it.

[J3$$3]

Re: What is arguably the BEST paint,primer,and gloss brand for painting rims???

when I had my monte carlo i tried the wheel paints and they sucked, so i bought just regular duplicolor black spraypaint and clear and it worked twice as good.

[hockeyman]

Re: What is arguably the BEST paint,primer,and gloss brand for painting rims???

The best? Powdercoating, without question.
The worst? Spraycanning it. Again, without question.

Can you get nice results from a spraycan? Sure, but it isn't the best option.

[nitetime_pr]

Re: What is arguably the BEST paint,primer,and gloss brand for painting rims???

Hey Robert, I did what you want to do. Here is how:

My rims came off of a firebird and are aluminum. I took sandpaper and a scotch pad to them to scuff them up good and remove the clear coat, then cleaned them really good and let dry overnight. About 30-45 minutes per rim scuffing and cleaning. Prior to painting, use lacquer thinner soaked rag to clean rims 1 last time, let dry 10-20 minutes.

Next, I used the DupliColor Self Etching Primer. Painted both sides with 2 light coats. After they dried, I used the DupliColor Wheel Paint (black) and painted them with 4 light coats. Lastly, I used the DupliColor Clear Coat, 3 coats. Since I did this last winter, my wheels then sat unmolested for about 45 days which really lets the spray paint set up and cure to a really hard finish. So far, my wheels look outstanding and I have about 3k on them. Some people have commented that they thought the wheels were factory painted. For the price, I recommend it as it cost me less than $40 in materials and about 6 hours of my time. I also painted my rotor hats and calipers with POR 15 and that has held up really well too (additional $30 for POR and cheap brushes).

Also, if the tires will remain on the rims when painting, use index cards between the tire and rim instead of tape.

Good luck!

EDIT: I also had my wheel weights taken off the rim face and installed on the backside before painting, cost around $15. Prep is key, just take your time.

[TheGr8Schlotzky]

Re: What is arguably the BEST paint,primer,and gloss brand for painting rims???

There is also a walk-through tutorial with pictures in the How To section at the top of the appearance section.

[robert]

Re: What is arguably the BEST paint,primer,and gloss brand for painting rims???

awsome thanks guys alot for your help!

[Mighty Thor]

Re: What is arguably the BEST paint,primer,and gloss brand for painting rims???

I've painted my wheels before with a spray can. It made it look better than before. This was on my fiero ofcourse which the 24 yr. old wheels were in horrible condition.

Try watching these videos so you can some idea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5eK5OnHfqA


Here's on from dupli-color

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3s4n...eature=related

[SixShooter'00Camaro]

Re: What is arguably the BEST paint,primer,and gloss brand for painting rims???

i think if you take you time like nitetime said with the prep and painting, and use good paint, they should come out good. good luck. post some brfore and after pics.

[zymose]

Re: What is arguably the BEST paint,primer,and gloss brand for painting rims???

I was amazed at how cheap you can have rims powder coated. A local shop quoted me $40 each. I don't know how this compares to everywhere else, but it seemed pretty cheap to me. I ended up just doing my calipers though.