Paint your rims cheap!

In this Instructable I will show you how to give your ride a facelift by painting your rusty or chipping rims.  I've done this on 3 of my cars now and I've learned that it takes a good deal of patience and prep-work.  I was sick of my Subaru looking like a grocery getter, so I picked a nice gloss black to replace the flaking silver.

In this Instructable you will need:
-various grits of sandpaper
-steel wool
-paint thinner
-rags
-painters tape
-newspaper
-Self Etching Primer
-"Stops Rust" paint

Step 1 Prep the wheels

In order to get the paint to stick and be durable, it is imperative that you remove any flaking, rusting, or chipping. To get rid of the bulk of it I used a wire brush attached to a drill. This saved me a lot of time and elbow grease. I know not all of you have this, so a good sanding and a wire brush will do the same, just not as easily. 

Once you're done getting rid of the flakiness you reach for the sandpaper. You should use 150 grit sandpaper to really rough-up the surface. Your goal here should be removing anything shiny or rusty. If you used the drill, make sure you smooth out any deep grooves you cut in it. I didn't do this so well so now I have some nasty cuts in my finished wheel.

After the sandpaper, get out some steel wool. I used the finest stuff, I think it's 0000. But 000 should woork too. Make sure you hit every spot on the rim, getting a nice even dullness.

Finally get rid of all the dust and debris with a rag. Then hit each wheel with a rag of mineral spirits or paint thinner. Again, make sure you get all of the wheel. Wipe it up with clean paper towels and let it dry for 5 minutes.

Now you're ready to tape!

Comments

[DIY Dave]

Looks great! I'm planning to run to autozone tomorrow and grab some wheel paint. What kind of paint did you use? Also, is it necessary to use primer before painting?

[willdeh2]

I used Rustoleum brand paint. Not specifically for wheels, but for metal. It's good quality paint with a lot of different colors. I've read online that you can find good wheel paint at all sorts of auto parts stores. And as far as the primer, I believe it is worth it. It costs around 4 dollars and from what I've read online it seems like the smartest way to go.

[DIY Dave]

Thanks

[zazenergy]

They look awesome! Great job, thanks for sharing.