hey guys,
i tried searching but didnt come up with much. What do you all think of painting stock z28 5 spoke rims off a red 98? i cant afford new rims yet and kinda want something different but am afraid if i paint the stockers it will look too cheesy. Any thoughts?

 

Theres people all the time that paints the factory wheels weather it be the 16's or the 17's. Just depends on what you want for your car.

 

Do it, it will look better than stock, but leave the lip grey/polished.

 

I have a friend that painted a set of his wheels with automotive paint and turned out great...

Just be sure to prep REALLY well!!

 

Thanks guys. Im think of painting them black or gun metal just cuz im sick of the stock color.

yea i think thats what im gonna do

awesome, thanks

 

Here is one of his wheels that he re finished....

 

Heres some that i did, stock 5 spoke 16" TA wheels, I got them for free so i figured why not?! Still rock em today! THe only down side to 16's is you cant go bigger than 255's so i get wheel spin like a SOB!


First i started with the factory grey painted wheels

Then i sand blasted then till the paint was gone and you get left with an almost white colored wheel

Then i power washed them with warm soapy water and rinsed

Then i got some self etching primer from O'reilly Auto Parts, like $8 a can and you get this:


I did that to all the wheels in like 5 coats on each wheel i believe.

Next step is sanding and smoothing again... then clean them up with mineral spirits.

Then begin you painting process, i for one hate waiting but trust me you will want to wait for about 30-45 minutes in between REALLY THIN coats! and you will end up with this:


(That bend has been fixed btw)

After you have applied about 5-6 coats then its time for the clearcoat, i used gloss black high temp engine paint, (i use engine paint for everything, if it will work on an engine then it should work on anything is how i look at it), then i used "High performance wheel clear coat" and achieved this shine after 2 coats of clear:

(its outside on an overcast day or they would look even glossier)

and here is how they look on the car:





If you have any questions just ask, i have done this multiple times on all kinds of wheels!

 

Wow those pics are huge! If an admin can fix that please do lol i dont know how...

 

Holy big picture batman. Try using photobucket next time?

Also, if you do paint your wheels, I agree, take your time! Trust me, if you don't, 6 months down the road it will really show and then your car will look worse then you thought it did with the stock unpainted wheels.

 

haha that was going to be my exact response