Need help on 6 lug color rims…..

The paint on the center caps is worn off to bare plastic.
I would like to paint them.
Anyone done this before?
Color?
Rims are aluminum alloy I assume.

 

I did mine gunmetal grey (did the wheels too). Painted the emblem with a fine brush in blue. Playing cards between the rim and tire work great for masking

 

I used Duplicolor's Hypersilver (https://www.duplicolor.com/product/hyper-silver-coating/) for the wheels. The center caps matched perfectly. Not the same wheels as yours but I bet it's close to original. If you're doing the wheels as well, won't make a diff. Proper prep is key so be sure to research beforehand if not familiar.

 

Your refinishing with the Duplicolor Hyper Sliver looks terrific, @Area51Runner. Very nice. Thanks for that recommendation.

How would you judge the gloss level after the clearcoat top coat compared to the original finish? Did the wheels turn out noticeably glossier than stock?

 

I'd advise against painting wheels. Long-term it doesn't hold up and will chip and/or discolor non-uniformly. Do the hub caps, but try to sand blast/restore the aluminum and maybe look into a high quality powder coat

 

This is what I was thinking.
Polishing rims and painting caps.
Why I was wondering closest paint match.

 

You may want to just grab a few aluminum/silver cans and see what matches closest. Not too expensive and you can do all 4 with a single can. I remember doing mine with a rustoleum but it came out a little dark

 

Not an expert but here is what I did. Lightly sand with gray scotch brite. Wipe down with alcohol. Spray a coat of adhesion promoter per directions. Them a few thin coats of rustoleum aluminum paint and let dry thoroughly between coats. Then follow with a clear coat. You can judge match for yourself.

 

Hey I just want to argue against the point that painting wheels is a terrible idea. If they are what you have and your cheap and willing to take the time they can turn out great. also if you wheel the truck and it's going to take abuse who cares. Just take your time prepping them. I take big trash bags, pinch them in the center and pull the approx radius of the wheel, then I cut at the approx radius line. Make sure the tire is deflated and you can use old cards to tuck the trashbag in all the way around and then just take your time painting them. Painted mine a year ago and they are holding up fine. I hated the motometal center caps (came with the truck and would rather spend money elsewhere) so I pulled them, they have held up great, I used the highest grade rustoleum. go ahead and DIY paint rims / wheels , who cares don't be afraid to try something new. But maybe don't plastidip

rust-oleum professional high performance enamel satin black spray paint

I made sure that the finished and mounted pics were zoomed out with terrible lighting so you can't argue with me

DYI Paint Wheels

 

also sorry to 3rd gen drop on the 1st gen thread. nothing but respect, also your wheels are paintable as well. Just don't paint them red or blue. terrible life choice, that's my 2 cents and I am judging anyone that does it.

 

I had Rustoleum Universal satin black on those same kind of wheels and caps for many years with no chipping or peeling. Just sand them with 320 grit.

 

I love the flat black. This makes it easy to touch up if you scrape them, which we should all be doing... That is what Tacoma's are for!

 

Thanks man I appreciate it, I only buy and build so I can have fun in it so might as well not sweat the scrapes and dents, nobody is sending me a Hagerty show invite cause that's not what these rigs are for. I am a budget build guy when I can. I did these in Satin black and they held up better than any of the flat black jobs I have done in the past. Probably should have clear coated them but I didn't cause I can do a 2 second touch up when I rotate tires. Also I can't say enough about the higher end rust-oleums. Makes a huge difference when you use "quality" spray paint. Keeping the nozzle clean and warming up cans in hot water help too. All the little things right.