Painting Steel Wheels?

[LaBellaStrega]

Hi everyone! I am new to the forum and new to PT Cruisers. I got my 2007 base model in marine blue pearl on Oct. 1st and I am really excited about all mods everyone is doing.

I apologize if this has been posted about before. I've searched for the past 2 days and didn't see anything.

Here's the deal. I bought these "full wheel baby-moon" hubcaps: PT Cruiser Full Wheel Baby Moon Hub Caps Hollywood 15":eBay Motors (item 350236518480 end time Dec-03-09 13:31:59 PST)

I was under the impression they covered the whole steel wheel. When they came out of the box it became clear that there is maybe 3/4 of an inch of the black steel wheels that will show around the edges.

I want to paint the steel wheels (or at least a couple of inches all the way around) either body color or hot pink.

Has anyone painted their steel wheels before? If so, what did you use and did it last? I don't want to spend a ton of money on this because I have some financial obligations at present that are taking up most of my funds (hence why I bought the cheap hub caps in the first place).

I'd appreciate any thoughts or suggestions anyone can share with me!

Thanks so much!

[probesport]

Powder coating is best, but for cost savings painting works very well, but making it last is all in prep. If you can sandblast them, clean with acetone then prime/paint/clear you will be very happy with the results.

Get a good paint or at least a good clear, like Eastwood and you will be glad you did. If you have paint guns or can afford a cheap HVLP then durable autro body paint is a very good choice as well.

[quicksilverdon]

Welcome.
My thought would be to have them powder-coated - very durable.
You should have the tires taken off, which would mean finding 2 places next to each other - 1 to dismount the rims, the other to do the powder-coating.
Start googling!

[Matt42]

I've done this before, several times. I've had to do it on the cheap and I've had the time and $$ to do it well. You can get surprisingly good results on the cheap. Doing it on the cheap, though, will require some work for it to look good, and the work to make it look good will also make it last.

Doing It Right: The suggestions for powder coating are spot on. I have had wheels painted with duPont Imron and also with base and clear coat.

On The Cheap: Figure this will cost you $25 to $30, plus some time. It assumes that the wheels (rims) are in good shape and the outer edges are not rusty. If there's rust, you'll need to add sanding after the SOS pad part and spray can priming before the painting.
This is easier if you are planning to replace the tires right away. You can save the masking step. You can do this one tire/wheel at a time, and you don't have to do them all at once. The car might look a little odd until you are done. (1) Buy two cans of regular (not water-base) spray paint in the color you like, and a can of spray clear. I prefer Rust-O-Leum products for this. Read the instructions and follow them. Practice on something first. (2) Remove the wheel cover. You will probably have to take the tire and wheel off the car. Mark the tire where the wheel weights are and remove them. Thoroughly clean both sides of the tire and wheel with warm to hot water and a sponge or rag. (2) With an SOS pad, clean the area that will need to be painted. (3) Wipe the area dry with quality paper towels or lint-free cotton rags. Consider wiping down with denatured alcohol and letting air dry. (4) Mask the tire with green or beige masking tape. (5) Paint the outer 1 or 2 inches of the wheel in several light coats, with the spray clear last. Let dry for several hours. Overnight is way better. (6) If you have to, put the tire/wheel back on the car to park it over night, which you can sort of combine with step 5. (7) carefully tap the wheel weights back on where they were and put baby moon hubcaps on. Test drive for wheel bounce to see if you need to have a tire shop do the balance. It would be best to wait about 5 days for that if you can stand the bounce because the paint will still be a bit soft.

PM me if you have more questions. This can actually look nice.

[WV05Cruiser]

Check out my photo gallery! I did exactly what you are trying to do.

I went to my local auto paint store and had them mix the paint to match my car and they put into a spray can. First I removed the wheels and used a scuff pad to scratch the surface. I then used a gray primer that the paint store recommended (2 coats for good coverage). Then I applied the paint (once again 2 coats). Then finally 1 coat of clear. I let them dry for a day and waited a few more days before I put on the baby moons. Hope this helps and good luck.

[LaBellaStrega]

Thank you everyone for all of your responses. I was thinking about the powder coat, because, as several have said, it's probably going to hold up the longest. But, I have trouble justifying spending around $300, possibly more, to paint the wheels to throw $55 hubcaps on them! I think I am going to try going the cheaper route. It's not like if it chips I won't be able to touch it up.

WV05Cruiser - yours looks awesome! I REALLY want white walls, so I actually considered doing white on mine so it would look like white walls. But, then I thought that would be kind of tacky, lol. Since yours IS white, I think it looks fantastic!

I am going to show your tips to my hubby and see which he wants to do. I should probably have mentioned that he is going to be the one actually doing the work for the most part. Though, I guess now isn't a bad time to start learning how to do more stuff myself!

I really appreciate all the help! I am really digging this forum! So glad I found it and all of you!

[Matt42]

Send pictures!

[GolowDrew]

Today is 11-18-09, not sure if you done it already.

Here is a really cheap way to paint your wheels. Yes, it does work. I've done them personally on my car (not PT).

1. Take wheel off car. Clean and scrub them good with anything you wish. Main thing it to remove grease.

2. Let dry. No need to tape, mask, etc.

3. Find a good place. Garage for example. Put newspaper under the wheel.

4. Stick some index cards between the wheel and tire, where the rubber meets the metal. Make sure you go all the way around, and the cards overlap for extra protection.

5. Spray using paint you got from Home Depot for $4.

6. Let dry and multiple coats.

Total cost: Can of spray paint ($4) and time.

You can do one side or both sides. Your choice.

Some say it will not last. True. But I assume you will be touching it up during each tire rotation, if it's even necessary. Even if you have to redo it, so what....$4 + newspaper + index cards + time again. Ok, once a year if you wish.

Plus, you may be a good time to change color if you wish.



If you are really bad at holding s spray can, and want some insurance from messing up.

index cards + make your own card board cutout.



Good luck.

[Matt42]

Originally Posted by GolowDrew

Today is 11-18-09, not sure if you done it already.

Here is a really cheap way to paint your wheels. Yes, it does work. I've done them personally on my car (not PT).

1. Take wheel off car. Clean and scrub them good with anything you wish. Main thing it to remove grease.

2. Let dry. No need to tape, mask, etc.

3. Find a good place. Garage for example. Put newspaper under the wheel.

4. Stick some index cards between the wheel and tire, where the rubber meets the metal. Make sure you go all the way around, and the cards overlap for extra protection.

5. Spray using paint you got from Home Depot for $4.

6. Let dry and multiple coats.

Total cost: Can of spray paint ($4) and time.

You can do one side or both sides. Your choice.

Some say it will not last. True. But I assume you will be touching it up during each tire rotation, if it's even necessary. Even if you have to redo it, so what....$4 + newspaper + index cards + time again. Ok, once a year if you wish.

Plus, you may be a good time to change color if you wish.

If you are really bad at holding s spray can, and want some insurance from messing up.

index cards + make your own card board cutout.

Good luck.

That should work great. It will also solve the problem of masking tape not wanting to stick to the tire.

[GolowDrew]

P.S. We all know this, but I'll post it. Keep safety in mind. When one jack up the car to take the wheel off to paint, use a jack stand, or a spare tire. Don't just leave it jacked up as the jack could fail.

And it also gives you time to work at your own pace. Rush is the worst thing one can do.

And I forgot to mentioned clearcoat too. Another $4. Brake dust can be a real bitch to clean on "unprotected" fresh paint.