I just snagged myself a new(to me) set of factory 1991 rims a few days ago. They were in ok shape but needed to be repainted, so I primered them and am just trying to decide which paint to use. I want them to be silver like they were from the factory, but I don't know which paint will be durable like the factory finish. Does anybody have any suggestions?

 

Alloys or steelies?

Whatever you do, prep is the key to a great looking, long lasting paint job.

 

They are steelies

 

Sand them very well, clean, apply a good primer and use a good wheel paint. Duplicolor is pretty good. I used their stuff on my wheels

 

Duplicolor Rim paint.
Strong stuff.
I laid down one coat over a degreaser/pressure-wash prep, and it's held on for two years now.

 

I looked into that wheel paint, but I would have to order it. Would I need the clear coat as well?

 

And I used Duplicolor filler primer as my primer, after I sanded down the wheels of course

 

i didn't put clearcoat on my rims...
they get dirty anyways, so what's the point?
it's a spray-paint..
Go to like walmart or Kmart, and it should be there.
Napa or Schucks/Oreilly might have it too.

 

They don't have it at Wal-Mart, and I have to order it at NAPA. I guess thats what I'll get then, but how much does it cost? And how many coats did you put on your rims?

 

I think it is $6 or $7 a can from Advance Auto.

Put as many coats as it takes, preferably many very thin coats vs one or two heavy coats.

 

just use engine paint. worked for me

 

Cool thanks, I figured several light coats but I wasn't sure.

I thought about that too, but for some reason the auto parts stores where I live sell every color but silver

 

Oh well, I'm driving up to Santa Fe on monday anyways. I'm sure I can find some of that wheel paint somewhere up there......

 

This is what ive used on a few sets of mine works great plus theres alot more choices in colors

 

i used 1 coat, maybe two.
covered it fine.

 

I just painted my rims (well, 3 of them anyway). I used the black rustoleum primer and the duplicolor rim paint. One can will do 2 rims. So get 2 cans.

Here's a tip: get all your cans in one trip. Get 2 cans of primer and maybe 3 cans of rim paint. The third can can be used for touchups later. What happened to me was I found one can of the color I needed at the parts store, and tested that out. When I decided I liked the color, I went back to get it and they were all out. Checked all 3 autozones and 2 checkers in the area. All out of the same color. So I had to get something else, and got 2 cans of it (all they had).

Long story short, get all the paint up front, that way you dont risk running out and waiting for the store to restock them (which, around here, can sometimes take 3 or 54 months. I'm still waiting for the bedliner cans to be restocked so I can finish my job.)

 

While I have only used them in gloss black so far, Hammerite Rust Tough and Krylon Rust Cap paints seem pretty durable and weather resistant. It certainly lasts longer on rims than regular enamel. I painted some Mopar steels that had been shot blasted and it still looks good after two years outside.

I personally wouldn't use engine enamel; some are not resistant to moisture. I know clear Dupli-Color isn't because I painted some bare metal parts under the hood of one of my cars and now it's rusting anyway. It's not exactly humid out here in the desert, either.

 

Sounds like my local Wal-Mart

 

Well I picked up several cans of that Duplicolor rim paint today, but it will probably be a few days before I can actually get to painting the rims. I'll post some pics after I finish them up

 

Well I finally finished prepping and painting my rims yesterday, and heres how they turned out



I was really surprised at how much metallic was actually in the paint, they really sparkle in the sun