Repairing trail rash on your SCS Ray 10's (pic heavy)

First and foremost, I have no idea what I'm doing. If you choose to do anything to your wheels based on what I say then it's all on you bucko. And for anyone who does know what they're doing, please let me know so that others can learn from my mistakes!

Moving on. I picked up these SCS Ray 10 wheels from another TW member who had put them to good use. The trail rash really wasn't that bad in my opinion, and I do intend to add more to them. So why did I want to repair them? I guess because I wanted them to look as good as possible when they were first mounted up so that every new piece of trail rash I got on them would be my own doing. I'm weirdly particular about gathering scratches. They don't bother me as long as I do them.

So why should you repair your trail rash? You probably shouldn't bother. But in case you are weird too then here are some DIY instructions that may be of help. Technically, you should be able to do all of this with your tire mounted, you will just need to do the index card trick for shielding your tires from the paint. But remember, I have no idea what I'm doing!

What you need:
A couple of days
80, 120, 220, 320 sand paper and a sanding block
Scotch brite pads
Degreaser and something to clean with
Metal filled bondo, hardener, and applicator
Tack cloth
Masking tape
Spray paint
Paste wax or spray clear coat

Optional equpiment
Air compressor
Orbital sander
Thin plastic or trash bag
600, 1500, and 2000 grit sand paper
#0000 Steel wool


Here's what the wheels looked like when I started out.


Here was the worst of the lot


Step One: Sand down the defects. I used an orbital corner cat sander for most of my sanding. I started with 80 grit, then bumped up to 120. The goal here is to smooth out all the defects. You don't want to go too deep but don't be too afraid to get after it a little bit.


Step Two: Clean the shit out of it. Use a good degreaser and really get after it. I washed each wheel twice with simple green and a good wheel brush, then cleaned each one twice more with isopropanol. After that, make sure they are really dry. I used an air compressor and blow gun to blow any remaining moisture off of them.




Step Three: Fill in small voids with metal reinforced body filler. I know, I know... bondo. I feel the same way. This shit is tough as nails though and from what I saw from other DIY wheel repair guides, this is what is commonly used. Time will tell if it will hold up, but the goal here is to repair SMALL VOIDS, not to fill in giant craters. If you have giant craters or serious chunks missing out of the lip of the rim then should have a professional look at them. Use this stuff sparingly and follow the general guidelines for using the hardener. Mix up a small amount, get comfortable with the feel, then apply a small amount to the void and use the applicator to compress it into the void. Try to apply it uniformly but don't worry if it doesn't look pretty. You have about 3-5 minutes to work with it before it hardens, and 20 minutes before you can sand it.




Step Four: Final sanding. I started with 120 and the orbital sander and focused on the areas filled with bondo until they were pretty smooth. Then I went around the whole ring being as careful as possible to keep the sander flat. I then bumped up to 220 on the orbital, and finished with 320 on a sanding block by hand. Don't worry about getting all the original paint off, just aim to get things smooth and flat. If you need to fill in more voids, just reapply some bondo and repeat the sanding. I also took a scotch brite pad and roughed up the counterbores for the bolts around the ring. Once you are happy with it, blow off all the sanding dust and wipe it all down with a tack cloth.






Step Five: Tape off your work piece. I ran a ring of masking tape sticky side up inside the lip of the rim. I then made a sticky side up cross, and took a very thin plastic trash bag and stuck it to the tape. This worked extremely well, and once I got the technique down it only took a few minutes per wheel. I then put another cross of tape on top of the trash bag to keep it from moving around too much. You could also just use masking tape and tape off the whole thing, but that seemed like it would take forever. I originally considered taping off the threaded holes but decided to just go for it. I had no problem threading the bolts back in.





Step Six: Paint. I used a Rustoleum enamel paint/primer combo with a satin finish. You can lay down primer first if you prefer. If you do choose to do that, give it a light sanding/scuffing between priming and painting. Follow the recommendations on the can for application. In general, find a sheltered area out of direct sunlight, apply it when the temperature isn't too hot and isn't too cold, and use several light coats with a few minutes between coats. In my opinion, the more coats the better, as long as it's not getting runny. Try not to go too heavy with any one coat (like I did), and make sure you get the inside and outside lips. Also test spray the cans to make sure the nozzles are good. In general, I was not a big fan of this particular paint, but it got the job done. Doing it again, I would probably prime and use a different enamel paint.

If you get drips, bumps, pieces of hair or dirt, DO NOT FUCKING TOUCH THE WET PAINT. Let it sit. You can deal with it later. After you've got it thoroughly painted, let it rest for at least 24 hours before proceeding.





Step Seven (optional): Wet sand. If you're anal like me, and yet suck at painting, then you probably have a good amount of imperfections in your paint. In my case, I had pretty bad orange peel. What went wrong? Probably too heavy on my coats. In hindsight, I also wish I had used a normal base coat black paint instead of satin finish paint. I also should have done lighter coats and more coats. But again, I have no idea what I'm doing.

So here's what I was left with after painting.


For some people that would probably be fine. But I wanted a smooth paint job, so I decided to color (wet) sand it. Start with a coarser grit sand paper on your sanding block, wet it, and start sanding. Sand it until it's smooth, then use finer grit sand papers to remove the scratches until you finish with a very fine, smooth surface. I went 320, 600, 1000, 2000. Be careful not to sand the corners as the paint will be thinnest there are you will blast right through it. Trust me, I know. Have no fear if you do, that's what touch up paint is for.




I was going for more of a brushed look, so after wet sanding with 2000 grit I took some #0000 steel, dunked it in water, and very lightly ran around the ring with it. Then I applied a few coats of paste wax and the result was a satin, brushed look. If you want more of a gloss look, I would recommend applying clear coat after you sand the paint, then wet sanding and buffing the clear. Or just use a gloss spray paint, be okay with some orange peel, and don't bother with wet sanding.



Step Eight: Mount, and collect new trail rash.

 

Awesome! Only problem is I will have to do this everytime I go offroading and it is way too much work lol. But, it is nice write up and I might do it once a year kinda thing.

 

I just painted my BFF HC Rear Bumper and I think I need to wet sand. Did you paint again after wet sanding or did it look that good just by sanding it?

 

Great write up!

 

That was very nice. Excellent job and write up

 

You shouldn't need to paint after wet sanding unless you need more paint thickness. Color sanding should be your final step before doing something else like shooting clear, or applying a sealer.

 

Thanks!

 

Yeah I hear you. Not sure I'll ever do it again. Maybe if it gets really bad! Otherwise I'll probably just use a paint pen

 

Looks really good. I think it was worth the time you put into it. I have the same rims except mine are all black. I love the Ray 10 style

 

Looks good - is the simlock ring removable on the Ray10s?

 

No is not.

 

Thanks for the tips! Picked up a set just with the intention of painting and they turned out awesome.

 

Nice! Glad it helped!