Alright, I might not have a ton of posts or a cool sig, but i'm on the forums quite a bit. I read up a lot. :]

I've wanted black rims for a while, but i'm broke and can't afford powdercoating.
I have tinted windows on my black convertible with black vinyl and black leather interior. 50% tinted headlights/taillights/sidemarkers/third brake light.

The only thing left is the rims.

I think that leaves me with the only option of painting! I'm looking to get advice from anyone who has done it or can help out at all. Once i get all the help i need, i'll write a tutorial with pictures to step-by-step how i did it.

So i've search for a while and i know a few things.
1) Sand using 320 grit.
2) Apply Primer
3) Apply a few layers of paint and a few layers of coating.

Should i unmount the wheels? Do i need to take off the tires? Can i just mask the lip and nearby tire area while docked on the car?

What's the best way to get a good looking set of rims? Thanks in advance for the help! :]

PS - I don't need anyone telling me "Don't get black rims. Everyone has black rims. Get chrome."

 

Im not going to tell you that, but I will say that every mustang I have seen on the streets with home made painted rims looks like ***. But if your going to do it, it sounds like you got the right method down. good luck.

 

... Hmmmmmm The right way would be to:

-Remove the wheels
-Remove the tires
-Wash them
-Media blast all the gunk and crap off of them
-Wash them again
-Clean with isoproponal alcahol
-Prime light coat just enough to see some primer on there
-1 more coat of primer just enough to barley see the metal underneath
-First layer of paint even and light
-Second layer heavier almost see the primer under it
-Third layer final coat of paint should niceley cover everything and look good.
-Clear if you like depending on what kind of paint your unsing.


Why do I get the idea you will be using a rattle can to do this? If you are then you have the basic idealike you saidabove.

Regardless dont be suprised if the paint chips when you have your tires put back on and if the paint just chips off in general from rocks. This stuff is actually best powder coated and baked on but if you dont care and or cant afford it thenyou shouldent expect the world of all best results.

Go for it

BTW, what method are you using to paint?

You CAN clean, sand, prime and paint your wheels wile theyre on the car but it will look ghetto, ricey and ****ty. I wouldent do it or recoment it but you CAN do it.

 

PM oxfordGT. we painted his bullitts black in his garage,and they look like real black bullitts.

 

Yes remove the wheels and dismount the tires. If you wheels are factory painted, then all you will need to do is water sand with some 400grit and then just spray your paint on. You wont need primer unless there are chips or scratches in the metal, either way use 400 before u paint. Wash them good with soap and water then use compressed air to blow out all the water. Wipe down with wax and grease remover and then paint. I would try out some Nason semi gloss single stage paint, its a cheaper version of DuPont. you could get it for under $50 and you spray it out of an automotive style paint gun

 

Thanks for all the help. I might try it out. I think i might have found a cheap Powdercoater in Houston.

 

Even with powdercoating, you get what you pay for. If you don't have the money to have them properly powdercoated, don't do it. You need to quality shop when it comes to anything involving paint, not price shop.