This morning I made a pilgrimage to AJ Salvage, my favorite junkyard to see what wheels he had. AJ is my favorite becauce they only deal Toyota and Subaru parts. I was looking for Genuine Toyota 15x7 wheels so I can mount 33x12.5x15 Goodyear MTR tires soon. I'm pretty pleased with what I got for $100 (set of 4). They are off of a '91 4Runner I think. The guy suggested AutoZone Duplicolor silver wheel spraypaint. So I grabbed a can for $4 and got to it. I love the results. Here's a before and after comparason pic after one coat.



Its really cloudy today so you can't really see the sparkle in the picture. I got 2 coats on before it started raining and I had to quit. They really look new and pretty snazzy for junkyard junk. Clearcoat will go on later today (weather permitting) to prevent rocks from chipping the paint so easily.

The tires will be on them within 3 weeks, 4 max. I'll run the current tires through the winter and hopefully they will be toast by next wheeling season. Then i'll probably use the old wheels and super cheap tires for daily driving and put the MTRs on for wheeling trips.

Did someone say Martinez Canyon Arizona and Naches Washington?

 

That came out very nice. Hey, if you need a 5th wheel for a matching spare, I have one for you.

Matt

 

It's my understanding that the BFG Muds (33 x 12.5) won't fit on a 7" rim. Is this correct? According to their web-site they want an 8.5" wide rim to mount on.

If they'll fit on a 7" then I'll scrap my plans to buy some like you did and just use the factory SR5 aluminum rims I have now.

Thanks,

Warren

 

Matt, those look great!
I beleive those are the same wheels fire fighter Lee runs on his 2nd gen.

I think he had them painted black last time I saw pics of them.

Did you say Naches? I'll make a new post of some vids I shot of the TV.

 

Sorry, mis-read your post. NOT BFGs but Goodyears. Anyways, the specs are the same for mounting.

Can you squeeze these onto 7" wide rims?

Thanks again,

Warren

 

That remains to be seen. If I'm told they till blow the beads then i'll go with 32x11.5x15s. I currently run 31x10.5s on 6 inch wheels and have for 3 years. Some say that can't be done but I have prooved them wrong. One inch wider tires warrant 1 inch wider wheels right? Maybe i'll just go for the 32s and call it good. I have plenty of time to gather input still as I search for the best price. I am settled on Goodyear MTRs for sure.

 

I've got my 33's on 15x8's. For as cheap as you got those wheels, there are no other real choices, but for a little more, you could get some steelies.

With the narrow wheels, you will be less inclined to lose a bead, but your tires will be more inclined to wear the center, so pressure watching will be key.

 

Thanks for the input Adrian! If all I have to worry about is wearing the center lugs then 33s it is. Like I said these will see very little pavement, at least during the initial experimental phase. The current wheels will be fitted with cheap rubber for daily driving when the BFG ATs wear out completely.

I have loved the BFGs, I just want to test the MTRs since they have the Steve Scheafer seal of approval. I wonder if Sway a Way Racerunners and ATS control arms can be fitted to an '87?

 

Yeah. I'll ask the tire shops if they can fit 33s on the stock rims too, otherwise it's American Racing 767s. (cheap)

Thanks guys.

Warren

 

I did some searching on the Pirate forum and they think 33x12.5x15s on 15x7s will work fine like Flygtenstein said. It will be less likely to pop the beads at low pressure than on 15x8s or 15x10s etc.

 

That is great! Saves me a bunch of hassle and now I don't have to store my SR5 rims somewhere!

Thanks,

Warren

 

Here is the finished product. 2 coats of Duplicolor silver wheel paint and 3 coats of ACE Hardware clear enamel. I moved them into the sun to get a better picture. The paint has tiny glitter flakes in it, looks awesome.

 

They look better than new.


Warren

 

I used the Duplicolor on my rims as well,,,works great, Careful when you mount them though, if you contact the rim with the lug wrench, you'll end up with a chipped ring around the lug nut.
It would be a shame to mess up the great paint job.

 

Good tip Fred, it got me thinking. Maybe i'll put some cloth hockey tape or electrical tape on the end of my star wrench to prevent that. I'll eventually forget and chip the paint. Hopefully the clearcoat will help prevent that to. These are going to be my offroad wheels and I know that they will get scratched or nicked in some way, but it had better happen on the trail and not by my wrench or by a shop.