waikiki35

iTrader: (1)

What you need:

-Sandable Primer
-Base coat (Duplicolor Perfect match GM Ultra SILVER metallic T191 is pretty much a perfect match)
- Clear coat ( VHT wheel clear coat worked great for me)
-sand paper ( grit #80,120,180,220,320,500...depending of condition of the rims)
-index cards
-bondo ( if bad curb rash)

Before I get started I want to make sure you guys know I'm far from being a professional .. This was actually my first time doing it...So do it at your own risk!!

Step 1

wash your wheels. I used purple power to degrease them.

Step 2

Sand down your scratches/ curb rash as good as possible.. I had to start with 80 grit because one of the wheels was really bad. I worked my way up to 180 on that bad curb rash to get it good enough for Bondo. If the damage is not too bad , sanding might be all it needs and you can skip step 3.

Step 3

Clean the areas that need Bondo off. Mix your Bondo and Put it on all the scratches, dings, rash... Make sure you put it on thick enough to cover the damage completely , It sands down really easy anyways. If you do not put a thick layer , you will most likely have to do it again once you sand it. Let your bondo dry completely ( 20 min should be enough) and start sanding it. I started with 80 grit to get most of the putty off.. be careful not to take too much off. work your way up to 320 grit.. if its not perfectly smooth it will show through the paint!!!

Step 4

Lightly sand down the whole wheel with 320 grit. this will give your new paint some grip.

Step 5

Dust off the wheel with a rag. if you use a wet rag make sure your wheel dries completely ! Stick your index cards between the edge of the rim and the tire to avoid overspray on the tire. Spray primer on your wheel. first coat really light. Then 2-3 light- medium coats until the whole wheel is completely covered. Wait 10 minutes between coats and 30 minutes before you apply the silver paint on top of the primer.

Step 6

Take the cards off and lightly sand your primer with 320 then 500 grit. Dust wheel off.
Put your Index cards back in place.

Step 7

Make sure it has been 30 minutes since your last coat of primer.
Apply a really light first coat. then 1-2 light coats and finish with a medium coat. Make sure you have a complete and even coverage... Like the primer you have to wait 10 minutes between coats and 30 minutes before you apply your clear coat.

Step 8

1 really light coat
2 light to medium coats
1 wet coat to make it shiny.. watch out for runs!!

YOU ARE DONE !!!

make sure you wait a few days for the paint to cure before you get your tires mounted or put wheels back on the car..

In my pictures, the wheel with no tire on it is a brand new OEM wheel..I only painted the 3 other wheels .. as you can see, the wheel I painted and sat beside the OEM rim matches perfectly!!
So you can probably use the Duplicator GM perfect match for touch up work on curb rash.

taryon

Good job OP

jv350z

iTrader: (6)

Great results!

F2CMaDMaXX

iTrader: (2)

Good job, just need some warm weather

waikiki35

iTrader: (1)

Haha.. It was so cold outside I did it in y bathroom with doors closed.. Girlfriend wasn't too happy when she got home from work and got in there to take a shower .. Oh well.. I was too high from the fumes to care about what she had to say!

bigbirdmodeZ

iTrader: (1)

Subscribed! Awesome

bigbirdmodeZ

iTrader: (1)

Any clue how the clear coat stands up to normal use and wheel cleaners? I was thinking of doing my wheels in a black or graphite color. Thoughts on this? The center caps seem like they will be the most challenging

l2iceman

iTrader: (8)

I plan to do this to my OEM wheels, before mounting tires, and in bronze

Action Bill

iTrader: (1)

I just did this to my 07 in the graphite color i used dulpicolor clear but it came out good. just remember sanding and priming are key to a nice finish.

bigbirdmodeZ

iTrader: (1)

Im going with a satin black. Haven't had to use bondo on my first wheel so I don't know how well it works. I think I may have one wheel with rash big enough for it. I got a fillable and sandable primer. So far so good.

bigbirdmodeZ

iTrader: (1)

ok just finished one wheel. Still need to clean it up around the rim a bit. I found out using painters tape in short strips around the rim will ensure nothing getting on the tire. I then put the index cards around.

I'm trying to figure out the best route to go with matching the center caps. I wanted black but keep the emblem in silver. Any ideas besides spraying all black and then taping off around the emblem and spraying silver/chrome?

l2iceman

iTrader: (8)

could try painting it with a tiny white-out brush/nail polish type brush lol my brother did that once on his Prelude's oem wheels lol

bigbirdmodeZ

iTrader: (1)

Not a bad idea. I have a pretty steady hand. I'll need to switch to a plastic paint and color matching the satin black shouldn't be to hard.... I hope.

l2iceman

iTrader: (8)

yea, he has a steady hand as well, just make sure you get various sized brushes if you can...especially a very fine tipped one for the edges. This is much better than taping the outside and spraying it. You can still tape everything else, but with the fine tipped brush, and a steady hand, it should come out nice