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DIY Wheel Painting Painting can be a bit intimidating. After all, who wants to mess up an expensive set of wheels, right? One thing to understand is that a great paint job is the result of great preparation. Anybody that knows anything about painting will tell you the same thing. . Hopefully by the time you read this, you will have the confidence and knowledge to tackle the job with ease. That being said, here is an easy dramatic modification you can make for under $50.
before:
Materials
(2) Cans Dupli-Color WP10() High Performance wheel coating (WP103 in my case)
(2) Cans Dupli-Color HWP103 High performance wheel clearcoat
(1) Can Dupli-Color CM-541 Wax and grease remover
(1) Roll 3M ¾” green high performance tape PN-03431
(1) Roll 3M 2” Scotch masking tape 2015
(1) Roll Scott shop towels
(1) 3-Pak maroon 3M Scotch Brite pads 37447
(1) Sleeve 600 grit 3M wet or dry sand paper 03020NA
(1) Tack cloth (optional but highly advised!)
This is not a mandatory list, but everything above guarantees the job will be done correctly. Taking away will only take away from the finished product. Notice there is no primer. That is because it is NOT necessary. Primer serves three main purposes:
1.) To create a bond between substrate material and subsequent topcoats.
2.) To inhibit corrosion.
3.) To fill in repair areas prior to top coating.
Since I’m starting with a relatively new set of wheels, there is already a primer in there doing its job. If the wheels had damage or rust I would have to repair accordingly and then use a primer. A few safety items that should never be ignored are
1.) Safety glasses or goggles
2.) Organic vapor respirator
3.) Nitrile gloves (I prefer them over latex because they are much stronger and more resilient to chemical exposure)
The total cost for materials minus the personal safety gear came to $48.77. I will admit that I went a little OCD on the masking supplies, but it’s all in the prep work baby!
Procedure
1.) Start on level ground and set the parking brake. Loosen, but don’t remove all lug nuts. Lift the front of the vehicle and place on jack stands. Remove the front wheels. Repeat the process for the rear
2.) Once all the wheels have been removed it is time for some serious cleaning. Soap and water should do the trick, but a degreaser like Simple Green may be better suited. Since I want a seamless look on my wheels, I will be doing the inside and outside. The wheels had better be spotless if you want the paint to stick. An old painter’s trick is to use some Comet in combination with a red scotch brite and water to clean and prep the surface simultaneously.
3.) Now you should be ready to sand. A five gallon bucket would come in handy but isn’t necessary. Fill the bucket with warm water and about a quarter-squirt of dish soap. Put a couple of the wet or dry sandpaper sheets in there and give them a couple minutes to “soften” up. Dip a rag in the water and use this to irrigate the area you will be sanding. Fold the sandpaper over and get to sanding. Use smooth overlapping motions and be sure to check your work every once in awhile. You can do so by drying the area to check for remaining shiny spots. Sand the entire wheel (Or face only if this is all you care to paint).
4.) Once you have sanded all four wheels, allow them to dry and then do a final once over with the red scotch brite. This will catch any spots that you may have missed.
5.) Now comes the masking. There is no 100% right way to do this, but there are several wrong ways. They keys to a good mask job are neatness and completeness. A sloppy mask job with several folds and wrinkles will only provide a place for dust and trash to settle that will later end up in your paint job. Don’t get lazy here; it is an important step just like the rest. Overspray will always find its way into places you don’t want it, so if you are unsure about anything, mask it off!
6.) Get the wax and grease remover and Scott towels. Apply the remover with one rag and remove it immediately with a dry, clean one. Again this is a crucial step. Once you are done blow off the wheels with compressed air (if available) and wipe again with either a lint free towel or a tack rag.
7.) Now it’s time to paint! I will go ahead and restate the importance of a tack rag. When using a metallic base color, a tack rag will be your best friend. The high metallic contents of today’s paints can be somewhat tricky to deal with. The metallics need to flow in the paint in order to lay down properly and not cluster or mottle. Do to varying spray conditions the metallics will often want to stand up or not flow into the paint. After spraying the first coat of paint, you may notice a slightly dusty finish once it has dried. This is the metallics and overspray that has not settled or conformed with the paint. Once the paint is dry to the touch, run your tack rag over the surface to remove the particles. This will leave a smooth layer for which to apply subsequent layers of paint. Please note that it isn’t intended to be used on the clear coat!
8.) As far as painting is concerned, follow the directions on the can! Their guidelines for coverage, flash times and handling times are usually a good reliable source. Although it isn’t necessary, I used a clear coat for added protection. I would advise waiting as long as possible before clear coating. This is to ensure that the base color has had plenty of time to flash off and not cause solvent popping in the clear coat (it will look like tiny bubbles trapped in the clear).
(this is a poser shot with the masking partially removed)
9.) After allowing proper time for drying, unmask and reinstall the wheels on the truck.
Conclusion
I would love a set of custom wheels, but unfortunately I just can’t afford them right now. Maybe after I get my engineering degree I will have all the cash in the world to do all the fun stuff I want to do to the truck. I must admit I’m really pleased with the outcome of this mod and feel that it looks better than many of the aftermarket wheels currently available. I’m sure many of you prefer the look of black wheels on a black truck, but I feel a little contrast gives the truck more appeal. Furthermore the chrome emblems and lug nuts add to this contrast and appeal. This is only my opinion.
This mod took approximately 6 hours from start to finish not including allowing them to dry overnight. The one thing that would stress more than anything is to have patience when doing this. It is really easy to get burned out on the hours of sanding and try to take shortcuts. If you can tough it out, the end result is well worth it.
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2005 Tundra AC 4.7L 4WD
