Wheel Paint Mod-The Easy Way

Cost: $30 approx
Materials needed:
Masking tape
Newspaper
Scotch Brite pad
1 can-Self Etching Primer from O'Reileys
1 can-Duplicolor High Heat Break Caliper Paint with Ceramic
1 can-Duplicolor Clear (optional) This will make it gloss black.

I just taped everything off while on the truck. Takes time, but it's worth it. People always ask me where I bought my wheels!

1. Clean wheels real good.

2. Lightly rough the surface up a little, let the scotch brite do the work. Wipe clean. Tack rag is best.

3. Stuff newspaper in holes of wheels to keep paint from getting on break caliper and inside of wheels.

4. Spray one coat of self etch primer on each wheel. Then repeat till you have good coverage.

5. Spray one coat of black on each wheel then wait about 10 minutes and repeat for 2nd coat. Wait 10 min. then apply a third coat.

6. You can spray clear if you want. It will make it pretty glossy though. Also the clear will give it more protection.

7. Wait about 45min to an hour before driving.

I didn't clear mine, and they've been on there for a year and a half with no signs of chips or fading at all. This stuff is really strong and durable.

 

Looks good, ive been wanting to do the same thing to my wheels

 

Really? painting them on the vehicle. White one as well.. Change "stuff paper into holes" to "take off wheels". I've got overspray on everything in my vicinity. IT'll come off easy enough, but why?

Also, take off the valve stems and air em down, the tire peals a tiny bit away from the rim so you can stick some tape right under the wheel to get the best coverage.

Of course, needs to be redone when you get the tires replaced.

 

Looks wet. Nice. I'm considering the plasti dip and then topping it with their clear, no ones seems to have tried that yet

 

Cool idea using caliper paint. Might also use engine paint with ceramic as well.

 

I know that taking off the tires is a much better option, but not everyone can be without their vehicle for that amount of time or has the money to pay a tire shop to do that. This is mod is for those "other" people like me. If you really take your time and tape everything correctly, it can be done in just a few hours and look really good. This is a great alternative to spending thousands on new wheels. The caliper paint is much more durable than high heat engine paint and doesn't chip easy. I bought a new set of black and chrome wheels a few years ago and the first winter they were exposed to, the road salt and crap reaped havoc on the finish. After the caliper paint on my taco wheels and over a year later they still look the same as the day I painted them.

 

good thinking! when the tires are replaced the Tire Change Technician with scratch up and mark the wheels with hard metal tire change tool, then at the same time the Tire Change Technician will allow the floor jack handle to hit and crack the front air dam as he is letting the jack down.
wait? the Tacoma doesn't have a front air dam! We are OK then!
what? special thin wall plastic covered lug nut scockets that won't harm or scrach the chrome wheels as your spinning the lug nuts off?
I didn't know there was such a thing? (said the Tire Change Technician)

we have to love and respect our local Tire Change Technician, he takes special care not to scratch or damage our wheels, cause he knows how much our wheels mean to us, how the owner cleans and waxes his wheels and knows where every stone chip is, so when there is a mark on our wheels, it must have been there before the Tire Change Technician changed the tires.

 

how many cans did you use.....i may do this today (cuz im bored as hell already)

 

IMO invest in jack stands and take the wheels off, takes all of about 10 minutes to jack the truck up and set it on stands. and if you plan on doing any other work on the truck underneath, you still have them!!
good write up though, it would still probably work this way aswell, but my unsteady rattle can skills would require the tires/wheels off the vehicle

 

I used one can of primer and one can of black. Here's a ford wheel I did in two-tone

 

cool thanks

 

Does this not work on a certain type of finish on the rims, or does it work for all of them?

 

It doesn't matter. Just use the Scotch Brite pad and lightly scuff it up good before you primer.

 

I'm going to try this to like the two-tone and see how it comes out just IDK if there would be a differance with my wheels being crome or just be able sand what I want of crome the away...

 

That's pretty cool! I like the two tone.