Have had a couple people ask me how I re-finished/painted my wheels so I thought I would do a quick write up. It took me at least 8 hours to complete this so plan accordingly (I think it was about 10 hours). Prep work is VERY VERY important in making the paint stick.

Supplies needed:
Automotive tape
Paint stripper (3 cans) - can't remember the brand
Dupli-color multi purpose Primer (3 cans)
Dupli-color wheel spray (4 cans
Rustoleum clear coat spray (2-3 cans)
Sand paper (I used 80, 180, 320, and 600)
Paint scraper
Steel Wool



First I washed the wheels and here is what they looked like before I started doing anything:



Then I taped off the tires and used my garage floor as the working area (covered in newspaper)

After taping them off I started paint stripping the wheels. I just used spray paint stripper and scraped off the paint using a paint scraper and sand paper, you need to do this several times since each time you only get a layer of paint off. Also, make sure to sand down all the imperfections you can, my wheels had many chips and a tiny bit of curb rash and I was able to sand it down smooth since I had no deep scratches. Here are some pics after a few coats of paint stripper (I think I did 1 or 2 more after this):



After the paint stripper I used sand paper and then steel wool to make a nice smooth surface for the primer. You can degrease the wheels if you want, but you should not need to. I then put 3 coats of primer, I generally put a medium coat first and then 2 light ones. If it's your first time I would recommend putting a light coat first so you don't have runs. Here are a few pics of the wheels after a couple coats of primer:



After this you can paint the wheels, I used Dupli-color Gunmetal wheel spray and it came out excellent. I used almost 4 cans on the wheels, about 3 coats total with two of them being medium coats and one being light.

I then clear coated the wheels using spray clear by rustoleum, I did 3 coats, 2 being light and 1 being medium.

Here are pics of the finished product, I have gotten nothing but compliments:



Make sure to let the paint dry completely and cure for awhile before mounting them on your car, feel free to pm me any questions.

 

nice write up, thanks!

 

Yeah those look much better than some of the self-paint wheels I've seen. I guess all the prep work is what makes the difference.

What would you suggest as a clear-coat substitute for protecting the paint if you want a a matte black look?

 

Great work! I might be tackling a self wheel painting sometime in the future! nice writeup!

 

thanks for the compliments

GT NFR - I noticed at Home Depot there was a Rustoleum clear coat for a MATTE finish, mine was gloss. If they don't have the matte clear coat close to you I would just do 6-7 coats of your paint, although the last time I didn't use clear coat my wheel chipped after some time (but then again I did no where near the prep work I did for these so that could be why).

 

Thanks for the DIY, I'm doing a wheel project soon. Nice color choice too, works well with the NFR.

How long did you wait before mounting?