Painting Wheels (Video)
 

Article By:
<96 Runner>

Supplies / Equipment / Safety

Well ventilated area
Stay away from open flames while painting
Follow manufacturer recommendations for removing wheels/tires
Organic vapor respirator
Safety glasses
Gloves
Electric drill
3" Wire cup brush (fine)
Sand paper (100 - 200 grit)
Newspaper
Durable painters tape (if tire is on the rim)
Paint thinner or acetone
Clean rag
Quick-drying automobile primer
VHT Polyurethane Wheel Paint (ideal, use 2 coats)
Dupli-color High-temp Engine Paint (optional to VHT, use 2 coats)
Dupli-color clear Wheel Coating (optional, but recommended, use 2 coats)

Lug Nuts

Follow the same instructions for the wheel if you want to paint the lug nuts.
It should be noted, however, that powder-coating is recommended for lug nuts since,
generally speaking, they see much more wear than a wheel over time.

Wheel Weights

Hand sand and wipe wheel weights with acetone or paint thinner. The primer step can
be skipped for wheel weights. Paint can be applied immediately after quick-prepping
the weights.

Center Cap

Follow wheel painting instructions for the center cap.

Inside of the Wheel (back side)

Same prep and paint rules apply for the inside of the rim/wheel. Be sure to remove all
rust prior to priming/painting. Please note: On most wheels, the inside of the wheel is
difficult to see when mounted, therefore painting it is usually a waste of time and money.

Clear Coat

Clear coat is recommended. However, it will make the wheel glossy (although the gloss uniformly fades
over time).

Touch Up (rock dings, scrapes, lugs, etc)

Clean and dry the wheel.
Apply a uniform layer of paint using the original color and type.

Big Problems

In the unlikely event that you mess up painting a wheel (for example a drip forms), simply lightly grind/sand
down the effected area, wipe the entire wheel down with paint thinner or acetone again, and re-apply the paint.
If the area cannot be fixed, repeat the wheel prep and painting process from step one.

Christian has chosen to include a step by step video here.
The video is hosted on You Tube.
Click the picture to view it.
Once there, you can also watch the video full screen by clicking the far right button on the player.

https://www.yotatech.com/~tech/you_tube.gif

The video is also embedded on this page here if you would like to view it inline with Christian's text above.

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Any questions about this article, please contact <96 Runner>, and not Writeups@YotaTech