Painting steel wheels

[KGIA103]

Howdy everyone. Just got done painting some rusty steelies for my 6.9 IDI. I've painted one set of steel wheels before for a Xterra, they turned out pretty good but I wanted to try things a little different for this go round. I'll be attaching some pictures to this thread and will explain what I did. I'm no paint expert but do enjoy some rattle can from time to time. Let me know what you guys would have done different.

 

[KGIA103]

Here are some before and after pics.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[KGIA103]

To start, I remove the wheel and apply degreaser, then wash with soap and a scrubber. Try to get off as much as possible, don't want to be messing with brake dust so I like to wash it off first. Then, use an angle grinder with wire wheel the take away rust and scuff up the paint. Use a drill with wire wheel or hand held wire brush to get the crevices. Wash with soap and water and let dry, an air compressor will speed things along.

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[KGIA103]

The prep takes the longest and at this point they are ready to prime and paint. Cut a long strip of cardstock or a piece of a cereal box to use for keeping the paint off of the tires as much as possible. The rubber is easy to clean up once you're done so you don't have to be worried about a little overspray. Work in sections to go around the perimeter and get the edge of the rim as much as you can.

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[KGIA103]

I started with rust control red primer, then a coat of automotive primer. I think all the cans I used were rustolium, I will post the product codes later on.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[KGIA103]

I'm waiting for 5 to 10.minutes between coats to allow it to dry. Next comes a base coat of gray paint, followed by aluminum and finally a metallic. I thought the aluminum would look good, but its too shiny and let the imperfections show through. The metallic paint is a few shades darker and does a good job of hiding the rough surface from the wire wheel.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[KGIA103]

I did paint both sides of the wheels, but for my rims the back side isn't visible when mounted on the truck, so I stopped at the gray paint. The metallic paints are a bit more expensive than a regular rattle can so I figured only do the fronts with them. Also, don't forget to splash a little paint on the hubs and lug nuts while it's off. I let them dry over night.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[KGIA103]

Here are the primers and paints I used, in order.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[KGIA103]

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[KGIA103]

Let me know what yall think, share what you would have done different and ask questions If you got em.

 

[Jesus Freak]

Hey, welcome back, KGIA103! I joined up a couple months back. The ole' truck is sweet. The rims look great, what you did is pretty much the process I would have done. The only thing I would have done different is I'd have pulled the tires off the rims. I do my own tire work, so it wouldn't have been a big deal for me. I know most people aren't up to pulling tires off rims, so I won't knock you for that. Good call on the less shiny paint too.

 

[KGIA103]

Hey, welcome back, KGIA103! I joined up a couple months back. The ole' truck is sweet. The rims look great, what you did is pretty much the process I would have done. The only thing I would have done different is I'd have pulled the tires off the rims. I do my own tire work, so it wouldn't have been a big deal for me. I know most people aren't up to pulling tires off rims, so I won't knock you for that. Good call on the less shiny paint too.

Thank you, Jesus Freak. Yeah, ideally the tires and weights would have been taken off, but you work with what you have. I was able to get the grinder and paint on the edge of the rim fairly well. The tricky part was the welded seam just outside the spokes, there was a lot of rust down there and I had to use the small wire wheel on the drill and and wire brush to get it out.. All this was done in a gravel alley so I'm good with the results.

 

[KGIA103]

I did each wheel individually, because that's all I had time for each night and I wasn't too sure about my small jack stands on the gravel. Took me about 2.5 hours per wheel. I went through all 5 cans of paint for 4 wheels.

 

[Jesus Freak]

Johnny cash built his Cadillac "one piece at a time" over the course of many years.

I did each wheel individually, because that's all I had time for each night and I wasn't too sure about my small jack stands on the gravel. Took me about 2.5 hours per wheel. I went through all 5 cans of paint for 4 wheels.

 

[gnathv]

When I’ve painted wheels with the tires on, I will take dishwashing detergent and coat the side walls of the tires. After the paint has dried overnight just wash the tire, the paint overspray is sitting on top of the dried dishwashing detergent. I do still use cardboard to shield as much as possible.