Interior / Exterior / Audio Talk about interior and exterior mods including audio.

Painted gunmetal stock wheels?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 04-03-04, 08:05 PM
  #1  
RE-Amemiya in the blood

Thread Starter
 
daem0n's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Posts: 1,386
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Painted gunmetal stock wheels?

Has anyone painted their stock wheels gunmetal?...if so, what colour and paint brand did you use? Anyone know a good way to clean the stock wheels too?...to get the built up brake dust and crud out of the middle of the wheels. Of course scrubbing will help but there's some stuff that never comes out - do you guys have a suggestion of some chemical? Thanks...
Old 04-03-04, 08:23 PM
  #2  
With Life.

 
Recipe7's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Dodgers
Posts: 1,387
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
talk to zerobanger. he did his own
Old 04-03-04, 08:37 PM
  #3  
Senior Member

 
Mitch529's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: St. Pete, Fl
Posts: 373
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I just did mine black today. I will have some pics soon, but otherwise it turned out well. I used some Krylon paint/primer

Here is a tutorial I followed.
Ok. First off you need to thoroughly check the condition of your wheels. Are
you planning on painting just the front side, or the sinde as well? I am
assuming that you're gonnapaint them gunmetal, but let me know for sure what
color they're gonna be.
Here's the list of what you'll need to get the job done right:

1. Bulldog Adhesive - 1 can should work for all 4 wheels(maybe 2 though)
depending on how much you put on there.

2. DupliColor Graphite(if they are gonna be gunmetal)Wheel paint - this is
sold at AutoZone and I think Wal-Mart as well. 1 can per wheel should be
fine..but no guarantees).

3.ClearCoat - Most any automotive body clearcoat should work fine, just
don't get the kind made for engines(it will turn yellow over time).I used 1
can for each wheel.

4. Sandpaper - I suggest the 3M types that are made for wet and dry
automotive sanding.(400 grit to 1000 grit or so).

Now you're ready to go:
First off...you want to clean the wheels well with a
degreaser(SimpleGreen,Greased Lightning..whatever). After they are clean,
you want to wet-sand the wheels, all you need to do is remove the clear-coat
on the wheels so the paint will stick properly. When I purchased my 95
GS-r's, they were really chewed up so I took them to get sandblasted, but I
still had to wet-sand the finish to smooth it out. Start with somewhere
between a 400 and 600 grit and work up to like 1000 grit or so. I started
with 400, then went to 800. Do whatever you think is best with that though.
Remember, al you have to do is remove the clearcoat. You will most likely go
thourhg a lot of sandpaper to do all 4 wheels, but be patient cause it can
be time consuming...the better job you do at sanding, the better your wheels
will look like in the end. When you finish wet-sanding them...clean them up
with soap and water.
After that, mask off your tires with duct tape of something else.
Fortunately I didn't have tires on mine so that made it a whole lot easier.
Start with the Bulldog Adhesive. Follow the directions on the back of the
can. I did the 1st coat very lightly and let it dry for about 15 minutes or
so. It helps to do this on a sunny, non-humid day to promote proper drying.
I then did a good solid 2nd coat and let it dry for about 20-30 mins. I
followed with a 3rd coat to make sure I got all the nooks and crannies, but
I don't know if this was necessary or not. I let the adhesive dry for at
least an hour before i started to paint. I follow the same process with the
paint as I did with the Bulldog Adhesive. There's no perfect way to paint
wheels, so you'll just have to experiment to find the best way for you. For
the first coat, I just lightly sprayed the fron of the wheel and the inside.
When I started the second coat, I started with the sides of the spokes and
tried to get those as best as possible before moving on. Keep the can about
8-12 inches away from the wheel and use a sweeping motion. Don't put on too
heavy of a coat because it WILL run and you'll be really pissed. When the
cans start to run empty, the will begin to spray out in clumps, so be
mindful of that.
Once again, be patient and take your time. Allow about 20 mins after the
first light coat, and 30 minutes between heavy coats.

Follow the same process with the clearcoat. The clearcoat I used was thinned
than the paint and there were several times that it looked like it wanted to
run. I just did a bunch of light coats on each wheel. Don't worry about the
clear-coat being a gloss finish, they won't be nearly as shiny once the
clear-coat fully dries. The more clear coat you put on each wheel, the
better they will be at resisting small scrathes and other stuff like that.

Just take your time. I was very pleased with my results. I was out of work a
few weeks ago, so I just took my time. I think I did 2 wheels each day, but
I guess you could go as fast of as slow as you want. I felt good about doing
these myself and was suprised the outcome was so good. I also refused to
speend $300 on having them powdercoated, even if it does last longer.
That's about all I can think of for now. I'm also getting ready to purchase
some black spline-drive lugnuts to finish off the look that I want.
I have some pics of my wheels at home...I'll scan them in for you this
evening. Let me know if there's anything else I can tell you about painting
them. If you need me to, I can call you and walk you through some of the
steps if you need it.

1 more thing, I've also been told that you can get some of that aircraft
stipper to remove the clearcoat and then just lightly sand the remaining
clear-coat off if it's needs to be done. You can get that stuff at Wal-Mart.
To get all the brake dust off etc... I used a wire brush and sanding it worked out well.

If you need any specifics pm me (I have some tutorials on repairing curbs etc...)
Good luck

Mitch
Old 04-03-04, 08:43 PM
  #4  
RE-Amemiya in the blood

Thread Starter
 
daem0n's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Posts: 1,386
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hey Mitch, thanks a lot for the great info. Also, if anyone is looking for Zerobanger's car, I found the post that Palumbo (thanks ) was refering to:

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...l&pagenumber=2
Old 04-03-04, 09:59 PM
  #5  
Ozone Depleter

 
teamstealth's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: StL
Posts: 1,610
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I read Zerobanger's how to and did mine! ill post pics in a second!
Old 04-03-04, 10:03 PM
  #6  
Ozone Depleter

 
teamstealth's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: StL
Posts: 1,610
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
1 (they are quite metallic in person)


Last edited by teamstealth; 04-03-04 at 10:07 PM.
Old 04-03-04, 10:10 PM
  #7  
Ozone Depleter

 
teamstealth's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: StL
Posts: 1,610
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
2

Old 04-03-04, 10:15 PM
  #8  
With Life.

 
Recipe7's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Dodgers
Posts: 1,387
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally posted by teamstealth
2

i love it
Old 04-04-04, 04:55 AM
  #9  
RE-Amemiya in the blood

Thread Starter
 
daem0n's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Posts: 1,386
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
yeah, great pics/car!! Paint looks great.
Old 04-04-04, 01:16 PM
  #10  
that's JDM tyte yo!

 
dubcaps's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 751
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
teamstealth what paint did you use, and how many coats? your wheels look a lot lighter than mine.
Old 04-04-04, 04:39 PM
  #11  
Senior Member

 
Mitch529's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: St. Pete, Fl
Posts: 373
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thumbs up

Snapped some pics today for ya.

Old 04-04-04, 04:42 PM
  #12  
Senior Member

 
Mitch529's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: St. Pete, Fl
Posts: 373
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
And from a distance...


Last edited by Mitch529; 04-04-04 at 04:49 PM.
Old 04-04-04, 05:41 PM
  #13  
4 rotor 964 lol

iTrader: (1)
 
s-thetikz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: SoCA/ MA
Posts: 1,170
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
hey mitch529 is that an apex N1 exhaust ? or a blitz nurspec ?
Old 04-04-04, 05:50 PM
  #14  
Senior Member

 
Mitch529's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: St. Pete, Fl
Posts: 373
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
HKS Carbon Fiber Titanium

Click Here If you wana hear a clip of it.

Mitch
Old 04-04-04, 06:16 PM
  #15  
Full Member

 
SoCalLove's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: SoCal, San Diego
Posts: 115
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hey Mitch can you post a full side view of your FD. The finished wheels look awesome. Also what tires are you using?
Old 04-04-04, 06:50 PM
  #16  
Senior Member

 
Mitch529's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: St. Pete, Fl
Posts: 373
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally posted by SoCalLove
Hey Mitch can you post a full side view of your FD. The finished wheels look awesome. Also what tires are you using?
Thanks, glad you like them. This is the best I have of a full side shot. I don't like this pic that much due to alot of glare coming off of the rims. They are very glossy.

Mitch


Last edited by Mitch529; 04-04-04 at 06:53 PM.
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
cristoDathird
Introduce yourself
28
05-30-19 08:47 PM



Quick Reply: Painted gunmetal stock wheels?



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:00 AM.