So I am attempting to paint my wheels and read all of the threads about how to prep. My wheels are steel and are chrome painted. I read that you have to sand it first (320) but it seems like the paint is barely coming off. Wouldn't using paint thinner, nail polish remover (with or without acetone) be easier to do first to get most of the paint off THEN sand the wheels?

 

What wheels do you have, this would be the first time ever that Ive seen a chrome steel wheel on a Z.

 

I have no idea what rims they are. Bought the Z only a few months ago. Here are two pictures of the wheels.

 

1. Those are aluminum wheels
2. Chrome isn't a painted finish, its three layers of metal coating. Copper/nickle/chrome
3. Paint doesn't like to stick to chrome, even when sanded down it's too slick to hold over time.

Your best bet is to keep them chrome (you're fuct if you started to sand them down already) or sell/trade them for a wheel you like. Everyone like to mod parts/cars but rule number one is knowing exactly what you're working on. Rule two is in my signature.

Edit: The only way to remove the chrome finish is to give an acid bath, the type the chroming facilities use. Not a process you can home brew and not recommended for wheels. A strip and re-chrome makes a wheel much more bristle and subject to cracks down the road.

 

Thanks for the advice. I am actually planning on buying a new pair of wheels in a few months but just wanted to experiment with these for now. Supplies aren't very expensive and I would get a new set later anyways so wouldn't really be a loss to me.

Just read your edit and will probably not go through with it if that's the case. Should I just plastidip the wheels then?

EDIT: WOULD plasti dip work on chrome finished wheels?

 

If you already sanded one/them it would be the cheapest and easiest fix and a good temp solution until you get new wheels.

 

Thanks a lot! I'm heading to Pep Boy's right now to return the paint and buy the plasti dip. Saved me so much trouble, truly appreciate it.

 

I have Touring V2s on my car which are my favorite Z wheel but sadly they came chrome dipped as well.
At first I wanted to plastdip them white, but after seeing all these kids ruin their cars with Plastdip I decided to hold off till I get a decent set of wheels.


Post before and after pics!

 

My wheels before the plasti dip were disgusting as you can see by my pics from my past post. You can see all that dirt and grease that's hard to get off. With the plasti dip it looks a lot cleaner but this was my first time using any type of spray paint to paint something so it came a little uneven but nonetheless happy with the result. Wished I did 1-2 less coats of the gold to make it brighter though. The picture with the close up of the plasti dipped wheel was by far the worst out of all the other wheels.

 

OMG--I would have left them chrome.

 

Really? lol well to each his own. The chrome looked disgusting to me up close with all the dirt and grease.

 

I have no opinion on what color one uses to paint wheels, but the method used to masked them before painting seems clever. Never though of playing cards stuck between rim and tire. Is that something recommended by the plasti-coat people or an original idea? Just one more question, does the slight offset of one playing card behind another show in final paint job or does one get a seamless result around the rim?

 

I think using playing cards to mask off the tire is about as old as painting wheels. That has certainly been in use for the past 50 years if not the past century.

 

People have been doing that for at least 25 years, that was the first time I remember it anyways.

 

It doesn't look too bad but it also looks like you're trying too hard to look modded, like most of the newer 350z owners.

 

No offense but that gold looks horrible, you shouldve left them chrome and just polished them up a bit.


Now it looks like youre trying too hard, but to each his own.