repainting alloys

[joeWM]

has anyone repainted their stock alloys?
i was thinkin about repainting mine cause their lookin pretty shabby, is there a certain way to do it or just bust out the spay paint and go to town on them?

[drewriviera]

I recently repainted mine actually. I figured I would try the new thing that Eastwood.com has, SprayMax. Basically it's the first spray paint that actually has a hardening agent in it. You have a compartment of hardener inside the can, and you push the button on the bottom in, and it mixing hardener in with the paint inside the can. (Very cool, but you have to use the paint within 24 hours I think) So, I bought 2 cans of the SprayMax rapid filler primer, 2 cans of the Argent Silver wheel paint and 2 cans of the SprayMax Rapid Cut-in Spot Clearcoat. Then, I applied a coat of Aircraft stripper I got at the auto parts store, let it work for a while. Make sure to wash it off with a water hose while you clean the old paint off. This makes sure to stop the chemical from stripping the underlying factory white powdercoat off. I then used scotchbrite pads to smooth the wheel out and then applied a coat of the primer, let it dry for a while, 2 coats of paint, and 2 coats of the clear. As far as the center caps go, I just sanded them with some 400 grit? I can't remember, got them smooth and painted them with a can of Duplicolor paint that I eyeballed to match. I then applied that same SprayMax clear to them too. The whole job is messy, but after an entire weekend of work and sweat, it's definitely worth it! especially since you don't have to load a spray gun or use a spray booth.

[subyNW]

ya paint them black mine came painted black it looks clean

[supra90turbo]

if the wheels have tires mounted on them, take 3x5 note cards and slip them between the tire and bead of the rim. sand down with 80 grit and go up to 150 if you'd like. Set down a few coats of primer, and a few coats of color, then like 5 coats of clear. Take your time, it'll be worth it. I've painted quite a few wheels and its all in the time you spend.