I was thinking of powder coating my stock SR5 wheels to either a gun metal gray or a black. Has anyone done this? I'd love to see pics if anyone has.

Just wondering how good it would look?

-Thanks!

 

I have been looking at doing the same thing. It would look pretty cool. The cheapest I could find is $275 to have it done and they would not warranty their work.

They also have wheel paint that may work. I found some on ebay. That is another route to take. Prep is the key. One small screw up, and you are going to have a crappy looking wheel.

If I can paint my fender flares (already did that), I could paint my wheels. Getting the tires removed and put back on would be some serious vehicle down time, and I just cant do that right now.

Let me know what you find out.

 

That and the paint will chip sooner or later..

 

someone around here has done that. havn't seen the wheels up close but from about 20 feet away they look pretty good. if i see the truck again ill take a closer look and maybe talk to the guy.

 

Don't get your wheels painted. Get them powder coated. It's common and more practical for metals. What it is is basically paint with flecks of plastic mixed in. They spray it on air-brush style so it coats the whole surface, and then stick it in an oven for 30 minutes at something like 400 degrees I think. The plastic flecks melt and cure on the surface of the metal. Let it cool for another 30 or 45 minutes and you're done. If they are already painted though, you MUST have them sandblasted to get the paint off. You can powdercoat over powder coat but not over paint. If they're only polished metal though you're fine. Powder coating will significantly decrease the chances of chipping as it's plastic, and even if it does chip, it doesn't peel quite as easily as paint does. There's a place around here where I am, and they will do it for $100, all four wheels. I'm thinking of taking my dad's wheels there to be re-done in chrome -- that's how I know the price. I would strongly suggest you look into it! If you want, I'll let you know how my dad's wheels turn out. I might decide to get them dipped in chrome though. The last time I was at the powdercoating place (for the ISR mod.) they were doing a set of corvette rims in black. They looked great! All you need to do is find a place that will powder coat (and sandblast if your wheels are already painted). Wheels get the gruff part of driving, so you could expect a chip after a while but it will work fine if they know how to powdercoat.

Zach

 

Can you powder coat in Chrome???

 

I've seen them a number of times.

In fact, I just saw some today.

They look good from my stand point.

 

I was seriously looking to have them powder coated just to make sure they last a bit longer.

I have a friend who painted his stock Blazer wheels gun metal gray. He bought the paint at an auto parts store real cheap and did it himself. They actually look really good. I just don't know how long they will last. I'll post pics of them soon.

It's just that I haven't seen any 4runner owners who's done this yet. I'd love to see how they look before doing them.

Thanks for the info guys. I'll keep you posted.

-Eddie

 

Here are mine from quite a while ago... Good auto basecoat/clearcoat.. I lover they way they looked painted very shiney, but when ever I went off road I trashed them big time...



I like my new ones much more.. No more paint to mess with!!

 

Hey Lee, what brand and color did you use on your wheels? I need to paint the wheels on my old Benz and that's the color I'm looking for. Thanks.

 

Yes. It's a lot thinner than dipping in chrome, but the chrome color is available. If you wanted them to be chrome though honestly I'd say get them dipped for the triple-chrome look. Will last forever and no chance of chipping or peeling. Maybe scratches though if you use them for some hardcore offroading! I think that's what I'll end up doing with my dad's wheels. They would have to be sand-blasted before the powder coat anyways.

Zach

 

Here's a pic of my buddies blazer. He painted his wheels gun metal gray. He bought the paint at a local auto parts store for real cheap.

So far in the 2 months he's done them they still look really good. No chips or peeling yet.

 

He has square wheels with a red X in them? That's different!

 

There is a 4RUNNER with chrome coated wheels at school.

Only he has those BAD-ASS steel alloys.

If I can, I will take a picture of them tomorrow, that's if security doesn't run me down.