Jackyll

iTrader: (2)

I'm planning on painting my stockers black next week, but after reading a couple posts I have a couple questions...

1) The evo is my daily driver, so I can't have it up on stands for a week while I work on all the wheels and wait for them to cure. A friend of mine suggested doing one at a time and put the donut on the car while I have the one wheel off being worked on and just rotate the donut to all 4 corners as I get the wheels done. Will this cause any damage to anything on the car, like replacing 1 popped tire instead of all 4 at the same time?

2) I'm a little confused on how to go about actually doing the wheels. All of the how to's are a little different. Here's my plan... any suggestions?
1. Clean up the wheel
2. Scuff the wheel with some 320 grit
3. Spray 2 thin coats of primer with about 10 minutes inbetween for drying
4. Spray 2 thin coats of black then a medium/heavier coat with 10 minutes inbetween
5. Spray on clearcoat
6. Let it all cure for a day or two, put it back on the car and move to the next wheel.

3) How many coats of clear should I put on? Thin coats or thick?

4) How long do I need to wait between the primer/black/clear?

5) As far as sanding goes... do I need to sand in between the primer/black/clear? What grit? After the clear coat cures for the day or 2 should I sand with some 2000 grit and follow with a rubbing compound before I put it back on the car? Like when painting the body of the car?

Thanks for the help!

MitsuJDM

iTrader: (6)

You can do it in a day. Hell, a few hours. Put the car on jack stands, take off all the wheels. Scuff them up, take off the tire, lip, whatever it is you wish to not paint. Spray a few good coats each. Let them dry 2-3 hours and put them back on. I've done mine twice.

andreww238

yea all one day... a nice day.. paint them in side.. low dust area if possible.. go nice and easy with the paint so you dont get runs

iziegsx

iTrader: (3)

Im interested in the same thing but im painting my wheels flat black. There is also a chrome lip is there anyway to get that painted flat black also? Sorry to jack your thread.

t mac

iTrader: (3)

powder coat them, a little more expensive, but a much much more durable finish...

Jackyll

iTrader: (2)

Also, when you guys spray the back side of the wheel... do you just lay it down on it's back... spray the front and sides of the spokes and stuff then just tip it up on the tire and spray the back while it's standing up? Worried about getting little specks of over spray on the drying front half while doing the back half.

worksevo89

iTrader: (8)

How much does that cost?

600RR

iTrader: (5)

If you HAVE to spray bomb your wheels....do the inside first so the overspray doesn't mess with the outside.

goofygrin

iTrader: (5)

I did this on a spare set and it came out well. It took a weekend though.

Here's the deal, if you want the paint to stay on the wheel, prep is KEY.

Clean and degrease the wheels.

Then sand/scuff with 4-800 grit sandpaper (I used what I had ). Sand and scuff are two different words for a reason. You need to make the entire surface rough. Any factory clear coat or gunk will make the paint chip or flake. This part sucks, especially in the corners. You can repair any curb rashes at this point. Autozone sells a jbweld-like wheel epoxy.

After sanding, then use a cloth and acetone (IN A VENTILATED AREA) to get all the dust, oil, etc. off.

Lay on a couple thin layers of primer. The first layer should be so thin as to not even cover the stock color. The second layer will cover up the stock cover. Wait 10-15 minutes between coats.

Wait an hour, then lay on 2-3 coats of your color, waiting 10-15 minutes between coats. Have enough paint ready to go, since if you have to run to the store, you get to sand lightly and that will suck.

Wait an hour, then lay on 2-3 coats of clear (if you want flat, you can stop, but they make a not glossy clear that I recommend to seal it). Then let the wheels cure/hang out for at least 8 hours (overnight). The paint will be soft and will show fingerprints, oils, knicks, etc during this period.


If you want to paint the inside, then do it first. I used the insides to learn how to paint the outsides .

As to the OP's plan to use the spare, remember that they are limited in distance traveled and speed, so be careful with that plan.

Jackyll

iTrader: (2)

Here's the finished picture if anyone was interested... not the best but just one i took on my phone before I left for work.

dsmtuner1

iTrader: (1)

The reason for a primer/sealer is primarily to create a barrier from body filler/bare metal or cover up coarse sand scratches. You wheels already have paint and a primer sealer base. As long as you dont go down to bare metal primer is a waste of time. Just thoroughly sand the clear on the factory wheels so you have no shiny spots left with about 480 or 600 grit. Then follow regular automotive refinishing procedures. No need to sand between coats just use a tack rag to remove dust and static.