I’m looking to make the rims on my trooper black to give it a different look. I went to the junkyard the other day and found a set of oem rims on a trooper that had been powdercoated and were in incredible shape @ $5 a piece…and now I’m kicking myself for not getting them!
anyways, I was wondering if anyone had any success with either painting, or powdercoating the rims on their car, or if one could suggest another method. Does the wheel paint they sell at stores like pep boys and auto zone really work? let me know.
thanks in advance!
powdercoating, you are not going to be able to do unless you get the proper setup for it, which is a spray booth and an oven.
Painting, will look as good as your skill level. There’s one guy in my club that paints his own wheels. They look factory. Amazing work. If I tried, they’d look like the local kindergartner was practicing finger painting. What can ya do.
So, my advice, would be to practice, a lot, on wheels or some other metal that you don’t care about first.
Surface preparation is the key to a good paint job. If you just paint the rust, it will look like painted rust.
Powdercoating is definately best as far as looking good for a long time. But it is not a DIY type of job.
Paint is a matter of prepping the surface. See if you can find a place to get the wheels sandblasted at a good price. Then use a good primer, then a good paint. If you do it right the wheels should look good for at least 2 to 3 years.
Powdercoating is extremely durable and provides a “liquid” finish, but it is a ceramic coating and can be chipped. And yes, it needs a proper shop. You cannot powdercoat at home.
Painting is exactly as good as the surface cleaning and preparation allows it to be. With good cleaning and prep, and primer, any brand name enamel properly applied will provide a good and durable finish.
Personally I’d choose paint. I like doing things “hands-on” myself.