(I posted in the "Flat Black Wheels" thread last week...but since I installed them now, I might as well start my own thread w/that info)

Since I'm broke until I sell the 20s, and probably well after that, too , I decided to work on the spare wheels I had sitting in the shed. As I mentioned previously, I was going for the "gunmetal" color. I couldn't find gunmetal at AZ, so I chose graphite instead. I used only Duplicolor primers, paints, and clears, with the latter two being wheel-specific paints. I had to fill in some gouges and deep scratches with epoxy before painting, and did a half-assed job at that...but they look OK enough for spare stock wheels.

(Sorry in advance for the quality of the photos...most came from my iPhone, since I didn't have a real camera with me)

They started like this:







And now look like this (before clearcoat...hadn't taken pics yet):






The paint job is "decent" for my first time painting such a large, flat surface. There are some blemishes and heavy spots, but nothing terrible, imo. The clear, on the other hand, was a project in itself...and I don't know if it's even acceptable, since my last few coats were put on at night under a high pressure sodium light. The big issue with the Duplicolor Wheel Clearcoat was that it sprayed out thinly in a cone-shape, unlike other generic Duplicolor clear I've used in the past, which sprayed out in a flat line which allowed me a better thick coat after a few thin coats.

I did end up going through two full cans of clear on two wheels....that's how much trouble I had getting a good, consistent coat. Hopefully, if I use these wheels, they'll be impenetrable to rock chips, unlike the cheaply-clearcoated stock wheels.

Here's the best I can offer atm. I'll swing by the house later and snap a couple more.:






The big issue now is taking the plunge and attempting this on wheels with tires installed...or spending money I don't really have on tires for these two wheels and testing them that way.

I may just hit up the local tire shop and see what they have along the lines of almost dead 235/50R18s and putting one on a rim. My only other option is setting these next to the car and just developing an opinion that way, since once I take the plunge, I can't go back and change my decision. :?



INSTALLED Friday, 6/4

Had the pair mounted and balanced this afternoon....whattaya think? It took me a few attempts at finding a shop that wouldn't gouge me or the wheels, and in the end it paid off, as they only chipped a 1/4" piece of clear on the edge of one.

I like the look...it's different. It looks great, esp. at dusk and night. Now I just need to do the pair that remain on the car, and for those, I'm not removing the tires. There's very little damage on the wheels as they sit, so I won't need to spend as much time and effort on them as I did on these.

(yes, you can forgo the "wash your car" or "needs tire gloss" or "your fenders are chipping"....I know, I need to handle all of that)













I have thought about painting the lugs, blacking out the chrome window & grill trim, and painting the emblems on the car. thoughts?

 

murder it lol. howd you do the ss in the grill?

 

Pull off the bowtie, clean up the adhesive pad, snip off the alignment tab, then stick on a door-size SS emblem. Be careful with the plastic base...it's soft and will gouge easily when removing the bowtie.

 

I think the wheels look great on your car. Nice work

 

I say leave the emblems the way they are, but black out the chrome trim on the grille and windows. Lugs and wheels look great IMO!

 

how the car shuda come from the factory!!!! niceeeee

 

Love it. I really wish I had a black SS.

 

Looks good.....was at the car store today and saw this kit by Duplicolor. It's called Shadow and is supposed to be black chrome, wonder how good it actually works.

Looks like you want a duller finish though

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...pf_rd_i=507846

 

looks awesome !!

 

I saw that last Friday, too. I wish they would've had it when I done mine cause that how I WANTED them to look, but didn't know how to do it with spending a lot of money, so I went low gloss black, lol.

Back on topic, the graphite looks really good.

 

Looks great!! Very sinister looking!

 

I would have loved to do black chrome...but I hadn't seen that kit. I did want something a little subdued, but not flat, so I opted for this look. Unfortunately, while the DC wheel clearcoat added a lot of gloss, it took most of the "sparkle" away from the graphite paint. A friend said that the DC Wheel clear is not totally clear, which is why it looks so different between the painted > clearcoated photos.

I'd be interested to see what that DC Black Chrome kit actually looks like on my wheels...but not enough to start over on these.

EDIT: I wonder if that's if for painting OVER pre-existing chrome, as opposed to a new black-chrome finish...

FWIW, I can't find any mention of that kit at duplicolor.com

 

I think it turned out great and loos awesome.

 

i think they look really good. the chrome lug nuts kind of set the wheel off.

 

I didn't see it at the DC website either. Found this description though

"Dupli-color SHADOW Chrome Black Out Coating is a unique black translucent coating system that creats a hight end custom dark tinted effect over any chrome or polished metal surface. Ideal for use on wheels, engine accessories, exhaust tips and exterior trim and accessories. SHADOW is resistant to chemicals, nicks, and chips and heat up to 250 degrees F"

You do have to use it over an existing chrome or a polished surface. Bet that would look bad *** on some exhaust tips.

Nevertheless your wheels look sweet.

 

I know some older Cobalt SS came with gunmetal rims. I think the rims look a little different but they are close enough. There was a black one that lived by me that had the gunmetal rims and i looked pretty good with the gunmetal rims.

 

I like the look of it,the rims came out great..

Just wish I had the guts to paint mine,but afraid I won't like the look of it...

 

Looks really evil, Chris. Nice job on those wheels.

 

Dude... thoses wheels rock, good job buff! YOU need some black lugs and your window tint back man. Still awsome freakin car!
If I only had *****.

 

Googled it and found it "in stock" at Advance Auto...and I happen to be real close to one. Less expensive than Amazon and Jegs, and I can have it in-hand in minutes instead of waiting for it to come via ground shipping.

Since I still have 4 OE polished wheels that I can work with, I'm going to try this when I get some time to do so. I've got a busy week/end ahead, so it might be something that I'll need to squeeze in to my "free" time.