[Abraxix]

so I did a search through there appears to be a heap of info regarding paining Alloy Rims but not heaps on Steel rims.
- attached is the photo for reference as you'll need to see it to understand what i'm asking..

what's the prep required on a steel rim?
bare in mind this...

A: this is not a pro job or even close to.
B: I don't plan on spending more than $50 for all 4x rims
C: the quality of the job will be possible getting base coat done (what ever colour I want) and then having my kids finger paint / hand print the rims.
D: what's the prep work involve?

so from my reading,
it's all about the prep work ?

I've washed the rims with soapy water and blasted them with the high pressure washer.. next step I wanna guess will go something like this

A: wash the rims again
B: sand them down with wet n' dry?
C: wash them again using some kinda Wax/Greese Remover?
D: paint them - with a primer?
E: paint them with the colour I want?
F: get the kids to paint them with the colours they want?

i'm happy to spend maybe $100 on this - it's for my daily run around and I just hate the look of the black ugly patchy surface rust look? so just wanna paint them. I initially thought, stuff it i'll use left over house paint on the rims? but at the same time bare in mind I don't wanna wreck the rims or anything like that or cause and damage to them.

so what can you teach me about doing this with Steel rims not alloy rims.?

[Abraxix]

http://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.originalwheels.com%2Ftoyota-wheels%2Fimages%2Ftoyota-avalon-wheels-69294-b.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.originalwheels.com%2Ftoyota-wheels%2Favalon2000rims.php&h=300&w=300&tbnid=w01oSTuKdD7lsM%3A&zoom=1&docid=OR-IF6jHz8TXCM&hl=en-AU&ei=l_ZfVOqkAeXDmwW884KYDQ&tbm=isch&ved=0CFEQMyhJMEk4ZA&iact=rc&uact=3&dur=776&page=5&start=170&ndsp=44

[GeckoXL7]

If going back to bare mettal but not really needed as long as smooth best to get a etching primer it will stick to the wheels better.

Prob the most important thing is degreasing them use a WAX and Grease remover wash them down with the stuf a few times one cloth for the wax remover one cloth to dry it and remove the wax, grease etc.

Let sit in sun to dry properly then put in shade let cool down and spray on a couple of coats of Etching Primer.

Then your choice of colour. Supercheap / bunnings etc has a good range that isnt really pricey, VHT stuff or that Rustguard / hammertone is good and reasonably cheap i gather all up prob will cost around 50 for all 4 2 cans of colour spray (need 2 to 3 coats), 1 can of etching primer (need at least 2 coats) and a tin of wax remover.

Prob second most imporant is after the colour is let the wheels sit in the sun for a day to make sure the paint is hardend'

Paints
http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/online ... 0409#Cross

[GraphicX]

i did mine a few months ago & really happy with the result.

what i did;
- have tyres removed (mate owns an auto shop & i was buying new tyres so good time to do)
- lightly wire brush with a wire brush attachment on my drill
- blast with the air compressor to get rid of loose stuff
- wash
- prime with etch primer, this actually bites into the steel & galv, note that it also bit into my spray gun & was impossible to clean so buy it in aerosol tins lol
- paint with epoxy based enamel paint (it sets a little more plasticy & can handle the knocks a ton better than regular enamel)

all up would've been under $50 doing it with a spraygun & compressor. tins will cost you a ton more though & you won't get anywhere near as many coats down.

i tried VHT heat stuff on something else (may have been my brake drums) & it dried with a powdery finish, not sure which one it was but they probably aren't all like that.

not one chip on my wheels & no sign of flaking, just cleaning them is a pain because the dirt shows up a ton more on black paint.

[buzbox]

Some cool dude wrote this up a while back..

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=25381&hilit=DIY+painting

[atari4x4]

buzbox wrote:

Some cool dude wrote this up a while back..

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=25381&hilit=DIY+painting

one would say somewhat of a ledgend around these traps.

[buzbox]

And girls call him god...







Like, oh my god, usually said in a disappointed or disgusted tone.

[GeckoXL7]

Nice Compressor keep going and going.

THe wheels look carbon black, pretty good finish for Killrust.

[alien]

If you don't want to take the tyres off, you can utilise your kids to help paper mache the tyres (newspaper & water with a touch of PVA). Works a treat and then you can spray them while they're on the vehicle... I did this with a little pulsar i had - didnt even prep the paint - just gave the steel rims a wash then hit them with silver. 3 months later still looked good as new.

Keep in mind whatever paint you use, you may want down the track for touch ups... Perhaps something like Rust Guard is a good option as its a paint & primer in one. It does fade back a bit over time though.

[klutched]

I did my GV steelies black. Give em a light sanding, take the wheel weights off as well unless you want rims with bits of silver. Prime them, I did 2/3 coats on each rim. Black/desired colour 3 coats and then 2 coats of clear.

Seemed to work alright and paint has stayed on well.