Painting wheels...

So for my 320k mile 99 taco I have acquired some new wheels.

When I first got the truck I had these.



But the tries were cupped terrible and I replaced the tires with new ones and put on some other 15's I had.




Now I have acquired some dc-2...rough shape. They have pits and scratched and are not in great shape. Deciding if I wanna put them on as is...or paint them black. I have never painted wheels before...would I need to dismount them first...rattle can them?




I'm not going for perfect by any means just wanting something with more offset... Woudl rattle canning even hold up that well?

 

Anyone...should I just rattle can them lol.

 

I mean, have you ever seen it turn out well?.. Or hold up well?..

Be honest

I’d just live with them, pits and scratches will still be visible, they’ll just be pits and scratches with paint over them. Rattle can paint takes forever to fully harden (if ever) so you won’t be able to clean them with any vigor for a long while.

I repainted my bike in college with rattle can paint and it took well over a year for it to begin resisting fingernail dent tests even though it was “dry”.

 

Oh another thing to remember is that the pits and scratches will be the first spots to fail since the surface is imperfect. Surface prep is the most important part of any paint job. Keep in mind that without knowing how bad they are, I’m assuming there’s no way to really correct those imperfections.

I’d sell them and save up for something you like without the need for alterations. Your second photo looks just fine but that’s just me, maybe we simply have different styles!

 

I just like the black lol. The chrome ones need a good good polishing

 

Grab a buffer and some compound and get it done! Hopefully some folks here can give you more advice about painting the wheels, I didn’t mean to totally dissuade you! Do what you like!

 

It is a simple but arduous process.

1. Remove tire, TPMS/valve, weights.
2. Strip existing finish. Chemical or mechanical or combination
3. Repair
4. Prepare for paint. Sanding, filling, smoothing.....
5. Suggest to use a 2K automotive grade paint system. Primer, color, clear.
6. Prime, let flash off.
7. Color, let flash off.
8. Clear, let flash off and allow time for full cure.
9. Install tire, TPMS/valve, balance
10. Mount on truck.

Some paint systems require heat to full cure, others will cure without heat. Curing is temperature dependent.

 

Just plasti derp. I do mine, it holds up enough, cheap easy and when they come off you can just hit them with another few coats and they look good. Covers up scuffs and scratches. seems to be working for me.

 

put envelops or note cards between the tire and wheel so you don't get overspray on the tire, but you don't need to remove them.

just get any kind of automotive primer, hit the wheels with one or two light layers. and then any kind of black paint for metal, or even a spray bedliner type rattlecan will do the trick. will cost you like 30 bucks and will look much better than the pitted current look.

 

I really though about the spray bedliner...we already dismounted them at work.

My truck is definetly not a show truck or super nice..clear gone on hood, roof and fenders...Just wanting something better than what I got..I really like this style and right now I have 0$ in them.

This is the worst one

Should i just cleean them best I can...hit with some primer and then paint.

 

Yup just clean, primer and paint. they will look way better. don't overthink it

 

How many cans should it take..

I'm thinking mabye two cans of primer and then 3 - 4 cans of paint

 

Nothing against rattle cans. Depends on how much work you want to do . I would wash really well. Wire brush really well. If you want the two tone you have and if they are all aluminum Zinc Chromate primer everything, tape off the bright part and spray the black. Then spray the bright with aluminum. Once dry, couple coats of clear. Plan on doing touch up.

 

Don't even need that many. Probably 1 can of each - maybe 1.5 cans. The wheels surface is pretty small. It'll look good! Go for it

 

I rattle canned mine with the tire still mounted, just masked it off with some thin carboard and painters tape. I think I put 3 or 4 coats and it took me two cans, with lots to spare. If you look at my post history you'll find pics of the result.

 

I've never dismounted tires for spray painting either.

I prefer the wheels in the second picture.


But I'm old...

 

I wouldn't have dismounted these but the tires are junk, I have my bran new general grabbers to go on them.

 

The paint is likely to get damaged during tire mounting...

 

We have a center mount machine here, and also may not have use the duckhead so maybe not much damage done we shall see.

 

If you want them to look half decent, I'd recommend getting them sand blasted by a professional. It costs me about $25 bucks a rim. I bought some stock used aluminum rims for snow tires, had them blasted, primed them and rattle canned them with about 3 coats of Black Rustoleum aluminum paint. They came out better than I thought they would. Any nicks and you can just touch them up.