tires and wheels help, how to refinsh/paint wheels

[darius_tii]

Hi

As some of you know i just picked up a set of 15inch alpinas but the paint is all stripped and bad from old age.

well i dont really ahve like $400 to spend for someone else to make them look all nice and pretty again, so since its summer and im pretty bored, i wanna try and sand them down and re paint them myself

Well i have looked around for stuff but i cant find anythign about painting wheels and all that

can anyone help me, what grit of sand paper shoudl i use, what pint , what color, any help would be appricated

thanks

darius

[TMK-001]

Very nice looking 02 there Darius... you cant beat polaris in my unbias opinion! ;-)

John just went through this a week or so back... I think he ended up getting them done by a pro in the end.

Are your rims free of kurb rash? Do you mind telling me what you paid for them? I am semi-after as set as well...

edit - my cars left door trim kept on coming off as well so I deleted the whole trim!

Todd

[M-technik-3]

Are these a traditional staggered set? Or a non staggered set? I suggest you powdercoat them. It's more durable, easier to keep clean and honest the easiest method.

Powder coating varies by the local.. so I suggest you call around.

[darius_tii]

Yep these are the 15x6 15x7 staggered set,

yea im not sure, i know that doing i professionaly woudl be best but i really dont have the cahs right now

And i might be willing to sell teh wheels as is..send me some offers

Later

Darius

[TMK-001]

Post some closer pictures of them, I might be interested...

Todd

[vintage_car]

If your not opposed to spray paint, there is a wheel coating spray paint I used when I fixed my wifes Z3 alloy rims from curb rash. I painted it the alloy color and it was a near perfect match. If your doing the whole wheel then no worries about the matching part. Then I finished it with the wheel clear coat. I also used a small soft wire brush on my rims that were painted black and the clear was flaking off of them. I just sat down and scuffed the surface with the wire brush to remove the flakes then finished it off with some 600 grit all wet to get everything smooth. Shot it with about 3 coats of clear and they turned out great. Are they perfect, no if you get right up on them, you'll notice some imperfections but from just a couple feet away you can't tell. I got the paint at auto zone or advanced auto parts. I've attached before and after shots.

[TMK-001]

I believe a number of Automotive manufacturers use Wurth Alloy paint to paint thier wheels - that is probably a very good starting point.

Instead of using a wire brush, use a new scotchbrite pad from under your kitchen sink. This roughens up teh surface, but will not damage the rims like a wire brush may if you are not super careful.

Todd

[02fanatic]

Hi Darius:

I know what you mean about saving money....but it's alot of work to do it yourself, especially if the wheels need alot of cleaning. One of mine was bent so I had it straightened...was $75 to redo the rim without refinishing.

You can easily get $100 to $150 in each wheel if you have it done professionally (sprayed). As for powdercoating, I have no experience but I've been told it's less expensive and probably better overall.

I am actually just finishing up my 4th wheel today...just sprayed the last of my Wurth silver....it's NLA for the time being at least due to quality control problems. If anyone knows where to get it, please let me know.

Otherwise you can use other silver paints...Mike Self has used Krylon silver (darker silver) successfully with Krylon clear.

I used Wurth self etching primer, silver and clear lacquer. Spray paint isn't cheap however...I bet I have $100 to $150 in spray paint. Seriously!

The satisfaction of doing it myself made it worth it in my case...you may not want all the hastle. I'm a glutten for "work" :-)

Here's a pic of the before (very dirty wheel) and after - back side. I don't know how to post multiple pics. I will also post a pic of the front.

Good luck,

John

[02fanatic]

(nt)

[TMK-001]

So when do you think you will fit them John? Make sure you post pics ASAP!

[vintage_car]

The wire brush I used, was a soft wire, not very stiff or harsh, which is the reason I ddin't have any scoring left over. I also finished it with 600 grit. It is time consuming, but if you want to spend the time and not the money then that is the cheaper alernative, but it won't be professional quality...but maybe close enough.

[M-technik-3]

I had my BBS powdercoated, They stripped them chemically then PC'd them for a total cost of $120 for the 4 center sections and the center caps.

In California there has got to be many shops that can do this affordably.

[02fanatic]

on my early factory alloys...either those or 195/60/13's, or 185/70/13's. I kinda like the idea of the fat tires, although they are somewhat too much for 5" rims it "can" be done. I've seen it...and they look awesome! Offset is of course proper, so that makes a huge difference also.

I will post pics once they are done.

[brad_c-ville_VA]

john, call CDOC in charlottesville, VA. they sell wurth stuff from their warehouse. they might have the silver in stock, if Michael P didn't buy out the rest of their supply! i didn't know that it went NLA recently.

ph- 866.390.2362 or web www.cdoc.com but, i would just call and see if they have it. you can tell them brad day referred you, i am buddies with most of the guys who work there.

[02fanatic]

Thanks for the Wurth silver paint lead!