Painted rims and durability?? [Archive]

fattie92

01-14-2008, 11:04 AM

Well I was looking into getting a set of Team Dynamics wheels to sport for the summer. Now that I keep thinking about it, I am thinking against this idea(Sorry Paul). I like to drive offroad, and sometimes I like to go on gravel roads and tear it up. Problem with that is it likes to chip up the wheels good. So I dont want to spend a thousand bucks on rims and scratch them all to hell when I take the car off road :pissed:.... So I am really thinking about painting my Rota SubZeros, but I am afraid of them flaking like crazy and looking like crap after a week. I want to paint them with something that is durable, and EASY to touch up... I was actualy thinking about Rhino Liner, or this Underbody coating that we have....

Suggestions?

lminette

01-14-2008, 11:12 AM

I'll have to let you know. I just painted my steelies with the Wheel Paint that you can buy from any autozone. They look pretty damn good. I actually think I'm gonna do my stockers also!!

98obster

01-14-2008, 11:38 AM

gold steelies ftw-woot!! I have too many questions about painting AL alloy wheels, sanding, durability etc. but I think gold steelies would look cool in the wintertime.

lminette

01-14-2008, 11:49 AM

I painted mine gunmetal!!! They should look pretty sweet on my STM GC. I'll post pics this evening in my build section. Be sure to check it out.

fattie92

01-14-2008, 12:51 PM

I want to go gold. I am sad that I decided to not get the Team Dynamic Pro 1.2's. That is a HOT looking rim in gold. I might just have to play around with it. Worst case, I screw it up and have to redo it. I like black as well, but GOLD is where its at!

MetalNeverDies

01-14-2008, 02:10 PM

im painting my stock alloy rims now. hopefully it will comeout nice. i am painting them rustolium antquic bronze metallic.... i am kinda scared i hope they come out good. starting to get expensive. cause discount is being homo and not letting me put back on my re92s cause they say they are bald but htye have deent amount of tread. its at like 4 or 5 i guess. i am getting the unmounted sandblasting then primer then paint then clear coat. then remounted ballanced and all that fun stuff. does any one know if tire rack charges for shipping? or tax? if not im ordering from them and having discount mount them for like 50 bucks enstead of buying from discount for over 500 for the geforcess

strat

01-14-2008, 03:44 PM

i'll say this... it's all about prep work. if you don't clean/sand/prep the wheels before painting, they will not stand up and chip like crazy.

also consider putting a few coats of clear on them. that way you'll have to get through clear to start nicking the color on the wheels.

Team Illuminata

01-14-2008, 03:50 PM

Ryan,

so you get the gold TD rims you love. You take them off road a bit and maybe they chip, maybe they don't. If they don't you have the TD rims you love. If they do, then you get the paint cans out and you still have the TD rims you love.

I have scores of rallycrosses on my Pro Race 1, as does David. I haven't gone to the shop to check as it's cold but I don't think there are any chips on them though.

Just trying to help me mate make a decision. I'm a Libran; I know how hard it can be. :lol:

fattie92

01-14-2008, 04:11 PM

This is also coming from a financial stand point as well. I have been trying to save up for an engagement ring for the past year and a half. Id love to get rims, but id also love to start a new chapter with the girlfriend:shootsself: ... I have to get new tires no matter what, so rims plus tires I am looking at almost $1300 :pissed: .......

overtheover

01-14-2008, 04:31 PM

even if they do chip, it only takes one saturday to redo all of them :P

BlackParis

01-14-2008, 04:33 PM

All my rims are painted some color...

What it takes.. Clean em good, then Get either wheel paint OR high temp engine paint and then there is always a clearcoat for wheels available, If you use 1 can per wheel the paint will never scratch or be chipped ;)

lminette

01-14-2008, 04:36 PM

1 can per wheel huh! Seems a bit excessive, but hey if it works!!

fattie92

01-14-2008, 05:10 PM

Wonder if I should throw them in the sand/media blaster?

MetalNeverDies

01-14-2008, 05:24 PM

tomarrow im putting mine in a glass beader(light powered sandblaster bassically) i just got the tires weights and valve stems off today. then im going to put on rustoleum primer/paint i only bought two cans i will see how far that can get me. i got the antque brass color. i think thats what ava and blix used. the can said good for auto/metal/anything else pretty much. then i am going to put on some duplicolor wheel clear coat.

BlackParis

01-14-2008, 05:33 PM

1 can per wheel huh! Seems a bit excessive, but hey if it works!!

dead serious all the crap my car goes through and not one visible scratch/chip down to the aluminum!

fattie92

01-14-2008, 05:41 PM

I was worried about etching if I did it. Let us know how it goes.

409industries

01-14-2008, 06:21 PM

I dont get it though. The TD's would only be on for ripping around in the dirt, and its totally expected to have chipped / scratched wheels in that sense. So is there a big need to keep them show quality? I know its personal preference, but i am just throwing it out there...

I ran more than one season of rallycross on a set of rotas and they got chipped pretty good (they are black) but nothing that couldnt be sanded down if you really wanted to do the work. They cost only a little bit less than the TD's retail for, so in the end its not a big money saver. With the ProRally's you have piece of mind that you're probably NOT going to bend one.

I'd say get the TD's in the color you want, and embrace the scratches that will most undoubtedly come. :lol:

fattie92

01-14-2008, 06:26 PM

I dont get it though. The TD's would only be on for ripping around in the dirt, and its totally expected to have chipped / scratched wheels in that sense. So is there a big need to keep them show quality? I know its personal preference, but i am just throwing it out there...

I ran more than one season of rallycross on a set of rotas and they got chipped pretty good (they are black) but nothing that couldnt be sanded down if you really wanted to do the work. They cost only a little bit less than the TD's retail for, so in the end its not a big weight savings. With the ProRally's you have piece of mind that you're probably NOT going to bend one.

I'd say get the TD's in the color you want, and embrace the scratches that will most undoubtedly come. :lol:

These are NOT for racing (well atleast dirty racing). These were going to be my street rims(17x7). I like to keep my street rims nice looking, but sometimes I do venture off road in them. I don't carry my rally wheels around everywhere I go, so I don't want to be afraid of screwing up a nice rim.

409industries

01-14-2008, 06:29 PM

These are NOT for racing (well atleast dirty racing). These were going to be my street rims(17x7). I like to keep my street rims nice looking, but sometimes I do venture off road in them. I don't carry my rally wheels around everywhere I go, so I don't want to be afraid of screwing up a nice rim.

Gotcha. I was unclear on that part.

I have painted BBS's that I prep'd and rattle canned with the help of a friend. They have held up very well and are easy to touch up.

fattie92

01-14-2008, 06:50 PM

What brand/type of Gold are people using?

MetalNeverDies

01-14-2008, 07:45 PM

im going to use rustolium antquie brass metallic kinda a mix of gold and bronze

fattie92

01-14-2008, 07:50 PM

Id like a simi gloss or flat gold...hmmmm

MetalNeverDies

01-14-2008, 08:54 PM

i wanted gold till i saw that almost all made them look like 24k gold rims and i decided i would try bronze.

fattie92

01-14-2008, 08:55 PM

I want a BBS STi type of gold...

overtheover

01-15-2008, 09:05 AM

mine have been about 6 months, and i need to redo them badly, this time im going to use hi-temp black for brake calipers........
and im going to use the playing card trick...
and im going to prep better...
and im going to use alot more clear coat.... :)

MetalNeverDies

01-15-2008, 03:38 PM

I want a BBS STi type of gold...
thats what i wanted.

fattie92

01-15-2008, 05:19 PM

I started to mess around with them today. I put one in the sandblaster.. That didn't work to well. We have silicone sand in it, so maybe if we changed the media in it it would work better. I instead am turning to chemical paint stripper. I also worked on getting some of the curb rash out. Just used a die-grinder with these screw on 3M abrasive disks used to remove gaskets and clean up metal surfaces. Smoothed out the lip very nice!

JacksonRally

01-15-2008, 05:27 PM

How about you 2 do a group buy on some BBS STI take offs!! Ha Ha J/K good luck finding your fav. color!

fattie92

01-15-2008, 05:30 PM

Id love some BBS's but they just cost so much damn money. Even used ones are crazy expensive. I like my Rota's but they just need to get a face lift.

MetalNeverDies

01-15-2008, 07:26 PM

yea i tired the silicone/glass one takes forever. can be done but its just very time consuming i went to a powerder coat place they were gonna chemical strip them or soda blast what ever that is. but the sandblaster did a decent job so they are just going to do that.

Dirty TR

01-16-2008, 11:33 AM

My rims are powdered black and brown right now.

fattie92

02-02-2008, 03:33 PM

The paint is called "Gold Rush Metalic"

fattie92

03-20-2008, 06:19 PM

Almost done!! Need to clear them still.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/fattie92/IMG_0079.jpg
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/fattie92/IMG_0074.jpg
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/fattie92/IMG_0081.jpg
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/fattie92/IMG_0080.jpg

Blix666

03-20-2008, 06:27 PM

oooooohhhhhhh.....aaaaaahhhhhhhh. look awesome so far

kreitz3

03-20-2008, 06:51 PM

Those look awesome!

I Like It Sideways

03-20-2008, 07:20 PM

Thats an amazing tone of gold!!!

fattie92

03-20-2008, 07:57 PM

Thank you thank you! The gold will get a little darker when I clear them.

RallyRDR

03-20-2008, 08:16 PM

looks great, nice job. few coats of clear and when finished, a nice wax should protect em.

fattie92

03-20-2008, 08:21 PM

Oh yeah. They will get waxed a lot!

MetalNeverDies

03-21-2008, 12:37 AM

dang.... thoughs look freakin sweet man

409industries

03-21-2008, 12:09 PM

Those look really good! What paint did you end up using? in the past i've used Duplicolor from Kragen, etc.

fattie92

03-21-2008, 12:21 PM

Rustoleum Metalic Gold Rush

fattie92

03-24-2008, 06:35 PM

Well I am ALMOST done... I have 3 completely done. The one rim that has been done and sitting in the back room is being a little slut... I decided to put another coat of clear on it to bring it up to par with the other 3 rims. Well one of the spokes decided to start wrinkling and peeling on me. I sanded it down, primed it and everything was ok. I shot it with some paint today, and half of it started to wrinkle again..... Doing nothing but pissing me off! Oh well... I have nothing but time. I WILL WIN this battle!

Team Illuminata

03-24-2008, 07:17 PM

They need black nuts now. LOL

They look nice. Can you do mine School Bus Yellow?

fattie92

03-24-2008, 07:25 PM

I will be ordering black nuts from you when the time is right....

Dirty D

03-25-2008, 05:37 PM

The rims look fantastic Ryan.

fattie92

03-25-2008, 05:46 PM

Thanks everyone!

I got the last wheel fixed today and hopefully sprayed the last coat of clear this afternoon. I got the center caps done as well and will be ordering Subaru stickers for them found here http://www.camotoy.com/products/sticker/index.php

Now I need black lug nuts and tires... and warm weather... Then hope and prey they don't chip all to hell!

I Like It Sideways

03-25-2008, 06:13 PM

Question - did you sand the clear coat at all?

Can't wait to see the finished product!

fattie92

03-25-2008, 06:34 PM

No. I only sanded the primer. I was far to lazy to wet sand after every coat of paint. And clear, I am not to sure if you are supposed to wet sand that or not unless you intend on buffing it. Id say wet sand the paint, then clear it. All your clear coats should be within 15min of each other. If you want, you can wet sand the clear after its all done and dry and buff it all out.

fattie92

03-27-2008, 07:28 PM

Got them all done! I think they look pretty good. Not sure if you can tell the difference with the clear coat on or not, but they are darker.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/fattie92/IMG_0144.jpg
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/fattie92/IMG_0146.jpg
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k316/fattie92/IMG_0147.jpg

fattie92

04-07-2008, 06:28 PM

Well the moment I have been dreading arrived today. I got my tires and decided to mount them today. I ended up taking some of the paint off the lip of two rims. Not to bad, but still sucks. I took every precaution I could, but it just was not enough. I tried to touch it up after I mounted and balanced them all. All I did was ended up making it look worse. The paint started to peal where I tried to touch it up. So now, I have to wet sand the snot out of it, primer it, wet sand, rinse and repeat. Then paint and clear the area. This is why I wanted to do this with the tires on.... :angryfinger:

PS. Tires are: Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta
http://www.vredestein.com/Media_Nieuwsberichten.asp?NieuwsID=8&HerkomsttabelID=2&UserSessionID=73

RckyMtnLegacy

04-10-2008, 11:41 PM

Ever thought of Powder coating them Gold. My buddy did all his engine parts Pearl White and his veilside rims gold. Never chips.

MetalNeverDies

04-11-2008, 12:13 PM

i love my powerder coated wheels.... but the guys at discount still scratched them up on the lip when they were balancing and putting on tires. even though i had a nice clear coat on top of them

RckyMtnLegacy

04-12-2008, 12:10 AM

Sorry dude I will have to look out for that when my rims are done

fattie92

04-12-2008, 09:29 AM

I didn't really want to spend the cash on powder coating. And I have also heard some horror stories about powdercoating Rota's. Not sure if it is a huge problem with them or not, but some people have broken rims after powdercoating. The process heats the rims up, which can weaken them. If I had to do this again, I would look into powdercoating more. So far though, I am happy with how they look. Now its just time to see how they hold up.

Cptn. SenseOfDirection

04-12-2008, 09:03 PM

fattie92

04-12-2008, 10:04 PM

Yes you can paint them with the tires mounted. I was going to be replacing the tires, so I dismounted them in the winter. Then I decided to paint them.

I Like It Sideways

04-13-2008, 08:15 PM

glad i found this. i've been thinking of doing this for a while. one question though, can you paint the wheels with the tires mounted? all i have is stockers, so if i ruin the paint job, at least i'm not ruining some good wheels.

Check out This post (http://dirtyimpreza.com/forums/showpost.php?p=59953&postcount=67) on painting with the tires still mounted :)