I just bought some used BBS rims and was wanting some DIY ideas to refresh them. I want to paint them a "fresher" silver. Some of the clear coat is fading and the rims need an overhaul. How and what did you use to paint your own rims? Pictures are much appreciated! Thanks for the help!

 

Look at build thread for pictures of my wheels. Basically I sanded them down smooth. You could use some king of stripper to get the paint off if it is that bad. Then does several coats of etching primer. Sand that smooth and touch up any spots you sanded through. Then do paint. Start with light coats and get progressively heavier. You may have to wet sand areas and respray to get it smooth. Finally top it off with several coats of clear. Let dry for a while to ensure proper adhesion.

 

What grit sand paper did you use? Can I get etching primer at any automotive store?

 

I have seen some youtube videos that have used 220 grit and then 320. Would that be ideal?

 

You don't want to use something too coarse. The idea is to have a surface the new paint can adhere to. Be sure to use acetone or MEK or other to 'clean' the surface after sanding. Be sure to apply coats within the time frame given. Watch the ambient temp. One of the secrets is the clear coat. Do at least 3 if not more. Especially for diver/metallic it really brings out depth.
My OEM spokes were painted yellow by the original owner to match the car but I thought it looked ghetto. I brought them back to silver. Got the paint at the auto parts store. Only other thing is to wait a while-days or week or more for paint to fully cure. Otherwise paint may chip around impact points like bolt hoes.
Good luck.

 

Thanks for the advice guys. Here is what I did:

This is the rim I started with...Obviously filthy, curb rash and road tar everywhere



After I thoroughly washed the wheel I sanded with 180 (I know a little aggressive) grit followed by 320.



And then I wiped it down with Paint Thinner and added some paper to prevent over spray






Then I used 2 in 1 Primer/Filler



And then painted it silver with about 3/4 coats and added about 3 coats of clear




Overall I am relatively pleased. It is still a little rough to the touch even with the clear coats. I think this has to do with using 180 grit and also a 2 in 1 primer/filler that is sandable. I am trying to figure out how to refresh the center caps. A lot of the clear coat has peeled. Any ideas?

Comments welcomed.

 

And one more question...how long should I wait for the paint to fully cure before I can mount them? Is it hours or days?

 

For mine it was days. I used the more coarse stuff first then wet sanded with very high grit sand paper like 1500 grit.

 

So I decided to redo all the wheels...The texture of the finished wheel was really coarse. Not sure if the cause was from the primer or the paint??? Instead of using a "2 in 1" primer/filler I just bought a filler primer and redid all of the wheels. Again, I sanded them all twice (180 grit and then 320), paint thinner, primer, paint, clear. Again the texture was really coarse and the paint did not stick on the inside of the spokes. Please help!

Here is the finished wheel. Feels very dusty and rough, even after three coats of clear.



And here is the inside of the spoke right after I rubbed my finger across it.



And the products used...

 

I tried clear coat years ago after I hand polished my aluminum wheels (I didn't paint them.) and didn't like the end result either. I just left the clear coat off. In my application, with a coat of wax the wheels didn't need the clear coat and were very shiny.