Technical Painting Steel Rims with Rattle Cans

Thanks! I've only had it a littler over a year and put so much work into it and had lots of frustration but I think I'm slowly getting to a state where it has far less issues.

 

Scuffed smooth and sprayed with rustoleum rattle can.

 

If the wheels were shot with ENAMEL you'll need to stay with enamel. DUPLI-COLOR is lacquer and will soften and bubble the previous coating. Test a spot first and watch what happens. I'd start with 3 cans as Dupli-Color sprays like water - you'll need to build up several light coats for good coverage! ADVOID the D-C engine paint - NOT WORTH A DOGSHIT, took 2+ cans to spray a 289 without 'tiger stripes'.

Aluminum foil is DA BOMB for masking off the tires. Maybe you can push the bead down enough to tuck it in between the tire and rim.

Lets see a couple pics of your results! Good Luck, Tim

 

Very good point. Don't put Duplicolor over enamel, it will fall off. I've had equal success with both rattle can or brush painting on rims, using Hammerite (smooth version) or Rustkill epoxy enamel. Epiglas marine epoxy is good too.

 

Be aware that Bleche White and other whitewall cleaners will take rattle can paint off. Simple Green and a scuff pad is probably the safest alternative to keep the whitewalls clean without taking the paint off the wheels. There may be others but be sure to test with your paint first.

 

I use simple green on my whitewalls. works great.

 

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Is there a crack in the first rim at about 8:45 position ??

I LOVE high build primer.

I use a 50,000 BTU salamander heater (carefully) to force dry paint on metal parts. Get it up to 140 plus a couple of times and the paint is cured nicely. A buddy did his corvette diff cover at my house in engine enamel, and when he posted pix on his corvette site he got several requests how he did it, and if it was powder coating.

 

Oh good eye! It seems to be a notch someone must have made into the rim. Why in the world I'm not sure, and when and where. I don't know the history of those steel rims as I got the car with them already.

 

Thanks the previous owner said he had sprayed the rims red a while ago. They might have looked a bit better if he didn't run hubcaps of various types that likely scratched them up a lot over the years.

I would think duplicolor would work.

 

Thanks, so the VHT burnt copper engine spray is probably no good? I saw another HAMBer had used it. Not sure if that is the D-C paint you mean? I really like the burnt copper color and could only find it in the engine paint. Duplicolor makes one that is in their metal speck line but that seems hard to spray on rims.

 

That's what happens when some bonehead tried to remove an old tire from the rim without a tire machine or spoons. The steel bead band must be cut to get the tire off and it's almost impossible to get at it with a saw without making a cut like yours. It'll probably be just fine, but if you have occasion to remove the tire be sure to weld it up before putting the tire back on.

 

Thanks! Another item to add the pile. I've come across so many little things just like that!

 

Is the backside of the wheels also red? I would try the VHT there to see if there is a reaction with the old paint. I painted a fan with engine paint (Dupli-Color), and it turned into bubble-gum within a couple minutes. Had to strip it down to bare metal... THAT would be a PITA on wheels! Make damn-sure the VHT is ENAMAL! -Tim

 

Thanks the inside of the rims are not painted.

 

If the wheels are already off the car I get them sandblasted first. There's a local place that charges $16.00 per wheel. It's worth it to me because it takes any guess work out of prepping them properly before applying paint. I use one can of Rustoleum primer (x1 can does them both) and then x2 cans (x1 can per wheel) of Rustoleum professional high performance enamel. I've done this a couple of times and have been happy with the results. I agree that prep is key. Here's some studebaker wheels I did about a week ago.

 

Thanks they look nice, to get them sandblasted the tires need to come off the rims?

 

The notched rim thing... someone tried to cut a tire off it with a sawzall. Don't ask me how I know...

I like either the burnt copper or a deep metallic burgandy. I've painted wheels for years, used to do my dad's wheels when he bought some to put his snow tires on. Scuff up what you have, go with a few light coats of Duplicolor primer and then go for the top coat.

 

Thanks I went to the store and couldn't find anything in burnt copper except the VHT engine enamel. is that paint on rims likely to lead to issues?

 

I've always taken the tires off before sandblasting.

 

I rattle canned my 35 Ford wires with Krylon Rust Protector semi-gloss enamel.
I did not want them to shiny and happy with the way they turned out. 3 cans for all four and they were blasted, no tires.

 

It would be fine. You can put enamel over anything. Just use a good primer like Duplicolor.

 

Thanks should I clearcoat over the VHT? If so are any of the cans below usable? I have a full can between the two krylons and a full can with the deft

 

I'm a little more motivated to do a better job. Paul Roman of The Quakes (my favorite psychobilly band hands down) asked me if I was bringing my car to their show in June because they wanted to shoot some photos.

All the rockabilly and psychobilly girls like the one in that photo (the few that exist) in San Diego will be there. It will be dark but the aim is the copper color will lure them in and hopefully I'm going driving that car back with at least a few of them ;-) To increase my chance I might have to search for some leopard seat covers or find someone to make them.

 

i did it with rustoleum, as well. first cleaned with brake cleaner, sand blast, gray primer and then red. one had minor rust problems which i fixed before paint with jb weld. 3 years and no leaks!

 

I've Krylon'd many sets of wheels, just be aware that rattle can paint does't have hardeners in it but they will turn out nice. Not nearly as durable as hardened paint. You can buy rattle cans from an automotive paint store with your chosen color that have a hardener capsule in the end of the can that you burst before starting to paint. Use all of the paint as any leftover will harden in the can. My local paint place charges $24 a can for it. I used 3 cans for 4 wheels which allows multiple coats.

Here's some of my Krylon wheels. I don't use clear over them as it yellows. A bonus to using rattle-can is you can mask off and paint the wheel weights to blend in.

 

If I was going to guess I would guess that someone could not break the bead down on a previous tires and used a hack saw to cut the tire off. LOL

 

Thanks this is why I'm trying not to spend much money, I should get a better set of rims eventually.

 

I did these in the fall of '96 on a car that has been outside every day and night since. Junkyard rims, lots of sanding, hardware store primer and a single color matched rattlecan from a paint store that would custom mix them for $12 back in the day. The caps have been on most of the time, but the red lip still looks OK too. I know they aren't perfect, but they have been abused nearly 20 years and the car is filthy right now too. Nothing wrong with rattle cans.

 

I never clear coat my wheels, probably more so since I'm a cheap bastard. If you use an automotive-grade paint like Duplicolor, you can use almost any clear. But try it out on a scrap piece of metal first.

 

I made a little progress this weekend. I sanded the rims with 120 grit then did quite a few coats of primer with the Dupli-Color Filler Primer.

I decided to go with dark metallic burgundy (Duplicolor Bordeaux Red Metallic for Hondas) as I can hide amateur work easier than with a lighter color like gold or copper.

Does it look like I'm off to an OK start? I'm not sure if I should have sanded or removed the prior red paint to bare metal. I'm about to shoot the color but the close up of the rim shows some of the surface issues. I think it would have been way too much work to get to bare metal. The rims look fine from 5 ft away with my eyes but I'm not sure if this is bad work?

I was going to shoot the burgundy (a few coats) and then a few coats of clear coat from Duplicolor.