Alloy Wheel Refurbishing...

[Shiny]

To be honest, it is a bit of summer project thing for me, like doing the cam cover.

Rather than just sit out in the garden (if it is sunny) i can have a little play with the wheels.

I want to see how they end up spraying them myself, as i have in my mind how i want them to look. Whether they will end up how i envisage them is another matter entirely though!

[rob quilter]

As said, dont bother with nitromors, go to your local auto paint finishing supplier and get some of their stripper. I pay £22 for 5 litres.

Dab a coat on with a paint brush, leave it 10 mins, dab another coat on, repeat. Apply 3-4 coats. TOP TIP: use a wire scourer (that you do the washing up with, works amazing at getting the loose paint off) all the paint will come straight off.

Strip one wheel at a time.

[Shiny]

Thanks Rob.

I've mentioned it a couple of times, but can someone confirm i only need to strip front/rear face and inner wheel, not the outer side which the wheel sits on? Cheers

[NafemanNathan]

You obviously want to get paint around the edge of the lip as the tyre might not hide it, but probably best not to have the tyre sat on the seam/edge of new paint (especially if rattle canned), so paint and laquer enough of the inside to avoid that.

[Shiny]

Good man, that is what i was thinking.

[rob quilter]

Thanks Rob.

I've mentioned it a couple of times, but can someone confirm i only need to strip front/rear face and inner wheel, not the outer side which the wheel sits on? Cheers

You don't have to, but I do as I have a bit of ocd


You will need to get the paint off the lip of the wheel tho.

[Lude-dude]

I was gonna say shotblast, maybe paint them yourself afterwards but the price for materials I bet its close..

powdercoat also tend to hide curb marks quite well, but give them sand down first

[FrontBackSide2Side]

you can get them blasted and powdercoated for £80, might be worth pricing up what all the paint and nitromors is going to cost and see if its worthwhile because its a cow of a job to strip all the old paint off.

I was reading places will charge £20/40 per wheel just for the shot blast. If i can get them done for £80 that will be a result.

Do they shotblast the whole wheel, or just the bits that are visable when the tyres are on. What about the rumours of powder coating weakening wheels?

If powder coated, can i spray them as well? Plan is to have silver going to black at the rear for a shadow effect, maybe with some light sprinkling of another colour as a metallic effect.

The place i use is city powder coating in Birmingham. They have a website if you Google them and they do £20 a wheel and do a really good job. They coat the entire wheel. As for the other questions, im unsure to be honest. may be worth emailing them

[RattyMcClelland]

Right!

- Get the tyres removed and get them media blasted. Not shot blasted. I have a place near me at £10 per wheel.

- If they tyres are staying on you can get aload of spray out cars bodyshops use or palying cards and pop them inbetween the tyre and the wheel. Masking done. Thats what i do.

- Then get some 320grit or 400grit and sand down the whole wheel.
Dont go higher in sand paper like 1500 as you want the primer to stick.

- Kerb rash (were not american) Kerb marks and scuff i use a 2 part alloy wheel gel and activator spray. The gel come out of a glue like tube and you push it into the kerb marks and then spray the activator spray on a few times. 30 secs later it will be rock hard and ready to sand back. You can build up the gel too. Its so much quicker and better than filler.

- FInish with 400grit

- Degrease and tak.

- Etchweld each wheel with 2 coats.

- Tak again

- 2k Primer or just normal rattle can primer.

- Sand back with 800-1000grit wet

- Degrease and tak

- On with your paint however you do it

- tak between coats

- On with your lacquer On wheels always use 2k. You can get 2k rattle can primer.

[Shiny]

What is media blasting?