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well i have decided that since i only have a pt time job right now, instaed of buying new wheels, for the time being i can just give my stock ones a fresh look.

i am going for a two tone look, the outer rim chromed or silver, and the rest matte or gloss black, which ever easier but there are a few things:

1. i have no clue what paint to use
2. what is the best way to prep the wheel and what to use
3. is it a lengthy process
4. is it a DIY or should this be professionally done?

any guidence would be much appreciated peeps

oh and if anyone would like to help me in a diy i will gladly shout that lucky person some beers for the hard work

cheers

cheyne

Everyone else will say to do it properly, and you can get powder coating done really cheaply, but with getting the tyres taken off and put back on you'll still be looking at a couple of hundred bucks which would get you most of the way to some decent secondhand wheels.

If you want decent looking results for very little money, I've had decent success with just cleaning wheels really well with the tyres still on, leaving them in the sun, then hitting them with the $2 cans of Export black paint from Bunnings. You could give them a light sand and maybe some spray primer, but I've found that you can go to a spray bay and clean the wheels with a high pressure spray and it doesnt rip the paint off even if you just paint the wheels with no other prep-work other than cleaning. And if you get any chips or scratches, just go back over them.

If you want a polished rim, Kula did a good article on doing his daisy 14's in Autosalon Magazine, and I think you can download a pdf of it from their website

i was considering getting some second hand wheels, i wanted to get some 15x7's but i cant find them any where.

i think i will paint my wheels for the time being though, powder coat does sound very tempting but how much would it cost and where in melbourne could i get it done? aside from that, this spray paint you speak of, is it heavy duty and will it be fairly durable?

as for prepping the wheels, i have heard that sand blasting works wonders, my wheels have gotten quite dirty and its hard to clean in the tight spots. is there another good way of fully cleaning them?

CheyneX5 there is an auto paint store on Burwood Hgy near Bob Jane tyres same side of the road suburb is either Knox or Ferntree Gully. They will give you advice on best spray can product ( they are helpful pros running a small business) and give you some pointers on prep. Basically you will have to rub it down and mask it off and you do not need to remove the tyres ( you can use a cardboard cut into a strip or better still a strip of guillotined sheetmetal- run it around the edge and clamp it for an excellent mask) They may suggest a primer first. This will be a cheap $ job you can do yourself and with a little care it can look pretty good as well. PS you do not need to go to the trouble of sandblasting- you just need patience. One of the maxims about painting is that preparation is the key and the painting is the glory.

adam and i obviously must be twins seperated at birth or something....

i recently resprayed an old set of rims with matt black "export" paint as i had a can lying around at home. i bought a couple of extra cans and did a few more coats, too. to prep the rims (they wer already painted black but the paint was scratched and chipped), i used "export" degreaser and then scrubbed them with soapy water and a toilet brush. then chucked a bucket of clean water over them to rinse. adam's idea of a pressure cleaner is a better idea tho, it'll get rid of most of the built up gunk you're worried about. i then just filed away some of the rough edges , used masking tape to cover the tyres up, and sprayed away. the "export" brand is available at supercheap , autobarn, heaps of places.

so yeah super dodgey cheap as chips job (less than $15 all up) but it'll do the job until i decide on what colour i want to use for a more permanent solution. then i will repaint them using VHT polyurethane wheel paint (from autobarn). it's a bit ore expensive ($15 a can iirc) but gives a much longer lasting finish. it shouldn't chip or scratch off as easilly. ryan / green commet can tell you all about it, i'm sure he'll be all over this thread when he sees it. you should do a search for his write up on restoring his simmons wheels, some good info in there.

if you decide to go the 2 tone / polished lip look... i'm guessing you'll need to remove the tyres to do this. but thats no big deal, i got the old tyres removed, and these tyres fitted and balanced for $40. so it's not too costly at all. and yeah the chrome / silver lip is usually acheived by polishing the lip, not using 2 colours of paint afaik.

there was a guy on here a while ago who had pics of the daisy wheels with a polished lip and matt black spokes. looked really awesome i thought.

anyway, pics for your perusal

There are many articles on the right way to prepare and paint.The end job is only as good as your preparation- it takes time to get it right. One thing you should have and very useful in your garage is grease and wax remover such as Prepsol. If you want to know about paint talk to specialists- whilst your job is a relatively simple one there are right ways to do it. I would not use cheap paint this is false economy- better paint- better coverage, better finish, higher solids ratio and superior durability. The pro may suggest finishing with a clear coat- check with them.

Go the cheap export paint mate. Don't know how long term you are looking at but evn if you give them a spray once a year it is not a hardship. Just clean properly first.

Ben

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I didn't mention high pressure sprayers re cleaning the wheels before painting, I was saying that even without priming you can spray them with a high pressure spray and it wont lift the paint off, which isn't bad cos I managed to strip some of the paint off the bonnet and roof of my Triumph accidentally at the carwash

This link should help you:
http://mx5cartalk.com/phpBB-3.0.2/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=16695&p=221065#p221065

Took about approx. 3 hours? And after two years, they still look mint!

thanks for the help guys, i am starting to think that i might just go one solid colour for now to save me the hassle and then maybe do a 2 tone look later on, i think that is a bit much for a first timer.

i will post piccis when the job is done, should be some time this week.

the only thing about the daisy wheels is that the large centre cap is plastic so may fade or react differently to the paint . i would suggest just leaving the cap off altogether. i beleive the daisy wheels look much better without the cap anyway, and it makes the painting job easier as well. win win.

for colour i would go with matt black or a dark grey, gunmetal for example, something like that. or gold would be cool too.

haha, my car didnt even come with centre caps, it does look alot better.

gunmetal sounds pretty good, actually i think i have made my decision.

also i cant see any signs of it but are the daisy wheels painted from stock?

iirc, you could paint the whole wheel a certain colour, and then sand the edge of the rim to have a silver lip.

How about white?
Your car is red yes?

Sources of inspiration could include the TME Evo VI (or any previous generation rally Evo for that matter), or Sassos car on this forum...

I know this is in Sydney, but my friend recently got his wheels powdercoated for $200 all up, ($50/rim) He's happy with the results so far
So that's indicative of the prices you'd pay for a powdercoating... I think he had to allow a little more cost to get them sandblasted as well... but can't remember how much

$200 + $80 having tyres removed and refitted + sandblasting = enough to get better wheels. Hell, my red/black wheels cost me substantially less than just the price of powdercoating


Black cheap spray paint works as a cheap fix because
a) its cheap
b) no need to get tyres removed becaue black overspray on tyres is no big deal
c) brake dust doesn't mess up the wheels