Painting mag wheels...

Have some mag wheels off an LTD I am thinking about painting. Has anyone repainted their mags? What paint did you use? Did you blast the old paint first, rough up in any way or just clean good and paint over the paint already on wheel? Can't see how you could do anything but sand-blast to take old paint off. Not sure what paint to use...gloss...semi-gloss...is there special type paint for this type of use? Ideas...experience...suggestions?

I paint wheels all the time in my shop. Honestly it is not going to be as strong as powder coat, but if you are looking to do it than you will want to either have them blasted to get the paint off or use Aircraft stripper. It will strip paint easily but not powder coat. You can sand them also but wont really give them the tooth you want to let the paint stick very well. You will also want to use an adhesion promoter like Bull Dog to help the paint stick well. If you plan on doing a rattle can job on them then I would recomend using an engine enamel because they stick better and are a little stronger than regular spray paint. As far as gloss or no gloss that is up to you man. Any more questions feel free to ask. Thanks

I sandblasted and used duplicolor wheel paint in a spray bomb.

Just hand them to a reputable powder coater.

Rattle can garbage just needs re-doing every couple years.

GL.

Never thought about powder-coating them. Does that give them a different look then paint? Seems it would be a glossier, smoother look?

My understanding is that after spraying the powdercoat, the item is baked at around 350 F. I'd think as long as the wheels are off. this would be a good time for new bearings as the heat from baking might make the lubrication leave the bearing races.

MFolks wrote:

My understanding is that after spraying the powdercoat, the item is baked at around 350 F. I'd think as long as the wheels are off. this would be a good time for new bearings as the heat from baking might make the lubrication leave the bearing races.

I'm pretty sure any powder coaters will require you to remove the bearings first. the grease would probably run onto the paint

I blasted mine and used a semi gloss rattle can that looked like the gold color used on the ELR bikes. I left the tires on and everything. If you do it that way just cover the bearings real good. When you paint brush thick liquid soap on the tires and anything you dont want painted. Paint the wheels and when they dry wash off the soap. DONE!

I used wet/dry sandpaper, brass wire wheels & a dremel. Afterwards the old paint looked kinda faded & there was quite a bit of silver showing through. I wet-sanded & polished the non-painted areas. To "mask" the silver areas prior to painting, I dabbed my finger in wheel bearing grease then lightly patted the raised-unpainted areas to apply a very thin coating. Masking tape was used around the perimeter. I painted the wheels w DupliColor engine enamel (500° ceramic) - there are several blacks to choose from. I used the semi-gloss, but low-gloss might be closer to stock (not sure). When the paint was dry to the touch, I wiped off the greased areas. Afterwards, I baked the wheels in a low-temp oven (wheel bearings removed).

The paint doesn't have any chips yet, but when/if it happens, I don't believe touchups will be a problem. It seems like the wheels would be more forgiving than, say, a fuel tank.

PS: cast alloy wheels don't get ruined by sand blasting?

A little off topic, but has anyone chromed their rims.

Chrome is not cheap!! Unless you know someone you are gonna pay $300 plus per wheel to have them dipped. Powder coating is much cheaper and will look just like they were painted, smooth and shiny. You will look at around 50-100 dollars per wheel to have them stripped and coated. Just let them know if you want flat or gloss.