Painting stock rims

Is it worth painting the stock rims my truck is black and I want to paint them black or is it better to just buy new ones

 

If it is the TRD rims, they are more difficult to paint than any of the others. You will want to sand paper the rim down a littler to create a surface for the paint to bond to. You can do this with a 3m green scrubby, the hit it with some very fine sand paper for a smoother surface. The hardest part is getting in all of the smaller spots, not too tough though. It is certainly cheaper than buying a new set of rims and having the tires mounted to them. You could also Plasti Dip them to see if you like the look. Plasti dip is good to the point that you are not dedicated to it because you don't actually need to do paint prep for it, and can peel it off if you don't like the look, or if you do like the look, but want to dedicate your self to paint. Where in PA are you? I'm in North East Chester County between Phoenixville and Pottstown. Here is a pic of my truck with the rims painted with high heat black grill paint.

 

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/wheels-tires/51358-painting-stock-rims-easy.html

 

I just Plasti-Dipped mine black. Hopefully this lasts until I get some aftermarket tires and wheels in a few years.

 

I plasti dipped my rims black in July, ran it through multiple car washes been a. Rough winter thus far in NJ and it's held up flawlessly. And it only costs like $36

 

Is all about the Prep work. I would suggest sanding them as best you can. Lite sandblasting would be your best bet if you have the time.

 

I painted the first gen alloy rims so same thing as the 2nd gen in terms of finish, and alloy (for the most part). They had a lot of spotting and corrosion. I used a wire wheel to get most of the flakes off and then worked my way from a rough sandpaper down to a fine sandpaper.
Before

getting there

kinda before and after. Still have to clear coat


I was looking at $100 per wheel to get professionally done. For less than $50 I painted all 5 wheels, that I got for less than $200. Saved a bunch, can be touched up when they get chipped on stuff. Money for other stuff


once I put the 1st gen wheels on, the 2nd gen ones will be getting the same treatment

 

If you don't have hundreds of dollars burning a hole in your pocket it's worth it. And bw4706 is right, prep is everything. Sand, sand and sand some more. Then spray several light coats of primer and several light coats of paint (and clear if you want to). I'm really happy with how mine turned out.

 

Just for discussion purposes, I have read in other threads that primer wasn't really required since the stock paint, once roughed up, should be a good enough coating for the paint to adhere to. So, is primer needed?

I am by no means anything remotely close to a painter, so just looking for some clarification from personal experience.

 

I took mine to a sketchy sandblaster (no word of a lie, run out of a van in a gravel yard by a guy from "Deliverance", I'm sure). He panicked when he saw the rims flaking, thinking it was the aluminum coming apart:



Turns out it was just the coating. Very tough coating, by the way. So, I liked the way the edges looked with the chipping and ended up sanding just the spokes. A couple coats of etching primer and you get this:



Then three coats of Duplicolor rim paint, followed by three coats of Duplicolor clear coat and you get this:



If you look closely, you can see the textured finish on the sides of the spokes and the lip of the rim, left by the sandblasting. I like it because it's subtle.

Removed the logos from the center caps by melting the three little tabs on the back with my soldering iron. Scuffed the caps with Scotchbrite, used a plastic primer on them, and followed the same three coats paint/three coats clear routine as the rims. Replaced the logos and melted the tabs back in place, again using the soldering iron.



All in all, took the better part of a day to do this, but I like the look. Toyota factory 16" rims, but different from everyone else

Well, most everyone else.

 

No need for a primer as long as you don't sand down to the bare metal. Just be sure they are very clean before painting, don't need the dust from sanding the rims getting in there.

 

Okay thanks for the clarification.

 

How many cans of Duplicolor did hit take for all 4 wheels?

 

I think 1 1/2 cans of color and one of clear. I think. I bought a lot, but it took less than I thought. Three years later, they have some scrapes and chips, so I'll be addressing that this week.

 

I think its worth it. I like the black look better the the silver. its super easy all you need is some timet o let them dry properly and a few beers

 

I think its worth it. I like the black look better the the silver. its super easy all you need is some time to let them dry properly and a few beers

 

What color is this?

 

If you don't like the look, a primer/filler will be the trick