How to paint your rims

Hey guys i just though id post up a write up on how to do this. Its pretty easy but i have a few tips that i think will help to make your wheels go from this


To this:


Things you'll need:

Jack
tire wrench
spare tire
Dupilcolor rim paint in color of choice 1 can
Dupilcolor Clear coating 1 can
sand paper
wire brush on grinder or drill(optional)
newspaper
masking tape
electrical tape


First take off the rim you wish to paint. You can do one at a time and just roate your spare around if you dont have 4 other rims and tires. This is what i did and it only took me 2 weekends.

So now your have a wheel that looks like this


ugggggllly!!

Your first step and one of the most important is to wash the rim!!!
This will remove any dirt that is stuck to the rim so the paint wont stick to it. I would use water and a scrubbing brush of some sort. Be sure to do the out side AND inside of the rim!

Now that you have a clean rim, its time to sand. You can use just sandpaper or a wire brush to do this. The whole point is not to completely get the rim down to the bare metal, its just to create a rough surface for the paint to sick too. When you are done it'll look something like this.

Now you need to start masking off the rim too so as to not paint your lovely tires. I would recommend using electrical tape as it bends much easier the masking tape to mask off the rim and tire. Like so.


Now you take your newspaper and regular masking tape and continue to mask off the whole tire.



Now to paint! I went will silver as that was the stock color and it matched my truck pretty well. Shake the can well and 6-10'' above the wheel use sweeping motions with your hand and spray is short bust so the paint falls evenly on the wheel. I did 3 coats of paint about 5-10min apart form eachother.


Do the same thing with the clear coat. I put on 3 coats as well within 15mins of the last coat of paint. DO the coats 5-10 mins apart from each other. the clear coat really adds a nice shine to the rim and also helps protect your paint


Let it dry for at least an hour. Dupilcolor paint dries very quickly and is safe to touch by then USUALLY. Though it would be completely dry for at least 4 hours.
Finally remove your masking!



Also i would do the center hub cap as well in the exact same steps as the rims!



Now mount the rim back on and enjoy a clean looking rim!




Thanks for viewing i hope this helps a bit. Also check out this write up as it has some other tips!
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/wheels-tires/51358-painting-stock-rims-easy.html

 

Good post ...thanks for your effort to share with TW!!

 

Nice write up!

 

Thanks guys! glad to help!!

 

Nice write up, they look awesome

 

Nice wirteup. A quicker way to mask off the the tire is to stick playing cards or note cards under the outer lip of the wheel.

 

GREAT write up! The rims are the part right now I am deciding between before I buy. I will definitely sub this post - I think it could be useful in the near future! Thanks!

 

Thanks guys!

And yea the card way isnt a bad way to mask off the tire. But i found this way to not only take more time but it also allowed you to paint the lip of the rim with great precision. In the link i posted under my write up he used cards. I just preferred this way better. plus, i felt better about not having to worry about painting the tire lol but either way could work!

 

Super easy way to mask, just did it with my wheels. Use Vaseline on the tire. Shoot the paint, wait until it is touch-dry, wipe the Vaseline off with an old towel (NOT a good one your wife / GF will ream your ass about 'cause you're gonna ruin it and pay like I did). After a few days use tire cleaner to get the rest of the Vaseline off. Came out perfect.

 

wow Vaseline???...thats defiantly different haha but hey if it works. I personally wouldn't want the hassle, especially pissin of the GF or mom lol But whatever makes you comfortable!

 

Not a hassle at all really, just smear it on, paint, wipe it off. But you're right on the pissing off the wife! LOL

 

Awesome write up, thank you very much for sharing!

 

Thanks man!

 

well interesting tactic! lol

 

Great job on the write-up!! Looks a whole lot better on your truck, too!

 

nice work OP..This inspired me to want to plasti dip my rims when the weather warms up

 

thanks alot! it really did change my truck. sometimes i catch myself checkin it out looks great in the sun

Well glad i did! and yes plasti dip is another way to go. same basic process but i think you can skip the sanding. someone else will have to confirm that tho. I will be plasti dippin my emblems and makin a custom grill with it too i think

 

i actually just plasti dipped my entire center console.

 

Looking good...

 

good job! looks great! thinkin about doin mine black (got the exact same rims) gonna save me some $ instead of buyin black rims